Writing Discussion On Melville′s Billy Budd, Sailor (Essay Sample)

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DISCUSSION ON MELVILLE′S BILLY BUDD, SAILOR
Billy Budd was given the position of able seaman while he was aboard the Rights of man. He was assigned to the starboard to serve the role of standing watch and day worker. He was impressed into joining the military while he was on Rights of man by the British royal navy. Captain Graveling described Billy as a person, who was so virtuous he could instill peace in the other men on his ship. Once Billy joins the Bellipotent, he takes on the position of foretopman of the vessel. Very little was revealed about Billy’s background except for the fact that he was a found in a basket in Bristol on the steps of a good man’s house.
Billy Budd was an incredibly talented sailor, and it was this talent that made him well-liked by his crewmates. However, Billy also had a defect which was stuttering whenever he someone provoked him. The Bellipotent was bound towards the Mediterranean during times of conflict. There were uprisings in the navy at Spithead and later in the year at Nore.
Captain Vere was a duty-bound man who adhered to his code and the law even if he found it difficult to do so. Captain Vere’s characteristic of placing importance on being rational and philosophical was usually noticeable. There was a lot of description provided for Captain Vere because he plays a vital role in the plot of the story. Other than the characteristics of a Sea-officer, Captain Vere exhibits the characteristics of a scholar due to his intellectual nature.
John Claggart was a tall, thin, middle-aged man with small hands and a chiseled jaw. He also had violet eyes and curly black hair that stand out against his pale skin. He is the Master- of -arms aboard the Bellipotent. His foreign accent and mysterious nature added to the unfavorable surmise about him. There was plausibility to the gossip about him because even the narrator knew nothing about him. Claggart was promoted to his position because the previous master-of-arms was disabled therefore they needed a replacement.
The Dankser is an old man with a weathered face and had deep scars from previous battles. The Dankser warned Billy Budd about the Jemmy legs being down on him, and therefore he should watch out for him. However, Billy does not believe the Old man’s warning. He didn't believe the advice because Claggart always had kind words for him anytime they passed each other.
Natural depravity was described as a quality that required a high ability to deceive to hide an individual’s evil intentions under the guise of behaving as if they were normal. Impressment was the practice of acquiring new skilled labor for the navy when they boarded a civilian ship.
Billy joined Claggart and the captain in his cabin in the hope that he was going to get promoted. Once there he was accused by Claggart of planning a mutiny on the ship. Billy was shocked by the accusation and then provoked by the Captain shouting at him to defend himself. The shock caused Billy to start stuttering, and he vainly tried to protect himself. Fr...