Word Choices - AP English Literature - Blog

Is Vere God?

When we are first introduced to Captain Vere, he is not the fierce, intimidating captain that one would expect, in reality he is the exact opposite. His behaviors are described as quiet, gentle and indirect. Vere was born into an aristocratic family which he, "opposed them not alone because they seemed to him insusceptible of embodiment in lasting institutions, but at war with the peace of the world and the true welfare of mankind." (page 63) He is known as "Starry Vere" because he is constantly consumed in his literature and is found daydreaming along the deck.

The more we learn about Captain Vere the more he resembles a God-like character. Besides the fact that he is the one to decide between good and evil, or Billy and Claggart, his behavior is humbling. He is in a position of high authority, yet he has a side to him that ponders and submerges into his own thoughts. He cares for mankind and rules with a sense of justice that the other men do not have.

The Tastes Of Men and Billy Bud

On page 53 of the Billy Bud, Sailor novel, Melville illustrates the contrast of Billy Bud and the men of society well in a metaphor. " The character marked by such qualities has to an unvitiated taste an untampered-with flavor like that of berries, while the man thoroughly civilized, even in a fair specimen of the breed, has to the same moral palate a questionable smack as of a compounded wine"(53). Melville describes Billy to have a taste of berries. Berries have a taste of freshness and simplicity. Civilized men are described to taste like that of a wine, which is multiple berries compounded over time. The wine description gives characteristics to men of society of experience over time in their life and have a moral sense and a more dangerous aura. This contrasts with Billy's description of berries, which exemplifies Billy's inexperience in life and his innocence. 

Billy's Innocence

Throughout the story, Billy is well-liked by his fellow sailors, yet many of them try to exploit his abnormal innocence. While surrounding Billy, who they have deemed to be the "handsome sailor" on the Bellipotent, individuals such as Claggart, Vere, and the afterguardsman appear to try and exploit his innocence.

Claggart most explicitly harasses Billy for every mistake he makes, which is rooted in his own envy and perceived predetermined role as the "serpent" in relation to Billy,or "Adam".When Claggart says" Handsomely done my lad!", sarcastically praising Billy for his error, Billy takes the comment as actual praise(72). His innocence prevents him from understanding the irony which exists in Claggart's evil tone.

The afterguardsman also exploits his innocence in trying to recruit Billy to join the other impressed sailors in possible mutiny. However, Billy is so innocent that he rejects any idea rooted in wickedness or revenge. The qualities which make Billy so attractive and friendly also make him much mores susceptible to the wicked will of others.  

Claggart's Type of Evil

Reading  through Billy Budd, more than one question has come to mind. The most subtle of which I believe to be the question of Claggart's evil. Although we've been viewing the correlation between Claggart and Billy as an allusion to the purest forms of good and evil, I propose a different way of viewing  their relationship. I believe Claggart is romantically interested in Billy Budd.

 The most overt example is on page 88. Melville describes how Claggart reacts to seeing Billy in passing, saying, "Then would Claggart look like a man of sorrows...a touch of soft yearning, as if Claggart could even have loved but not for fate and ban." Fate, I believe refers to their difference in rank, Billy's heterosexuality, and the general nuisances of being on a boat. Ban again speaks to nautical rules, but also to societal disapproval.

Either or both of these reasons would explain Claggarts sorrowful yearning for Billy.

Billy Budd Is A Bronzed God

If Billy Budd lived in Oak Park, I would have to admit I would love him. Except, I'm slightly confused on his relationship with Claggart. Is it just me or does it seem like whenever Claggart sees Billy Budd he ALWAYS comments on his appearance?  Such as, "Handsome is as handsome can do." Claggart seems to have feelings for Billy Budd that he is totally trying to repress. The whole "let's pretend I hate him" scene isn't working, Claggs. Anyway, I think that opposites attract and therefore maybe Claggart and Billy Budd are meant for eachother. I'm confused about "Starry Vere" and him being the mediator between the two opposites, too. He was compared to a captain who is very abrupt, demanding, and somewhat cruel, but it seems to me that Vere represents the complete opposite of that. He daydreams and keeps in his own business. He is never strict or harsh. So, why did the author use that connection? I worry for Billy, though. I mean it seems quite apparent that his being portrayed by Adam is completely foreshadowing his downfall. I'm rooting for him, though.

Maintaining Order

When deliberations about Billy Budd's conviction are being made after the trial, maintaining order seems to be an important concern for Captain Vere and the other men.

The men at first want to go easy on Billy, because they think he is a good person. However, because of the Mutiny Act everyone is worried about maintaining order, and they think that if they do not sentence Billy to death, others might think that they can get away with mutiny and murder.

"The foretopman's deed . . . will be plain homicide committed in a flagrant act of mutiny. What penalty for that should follow, they know." (p.112)

This makes me think that Billy was not condemned for murdering Claggart, or for any suspicions of mutiny. It seems to me like Billy was sentenced to death because of the Great Mutiny, and to prove a point to the other sailors.

Billy Budd was condemned because of the paranoia of another mutiny and the need to establish a strict code of order, instead of being condemned because of an agreement of his guilt.

The Fall Of Man

Melville writes, "Billy in many respects was little more than a sort of upright barbarian, much such perhaps as Adam presumably might have been ere the urbane Serpent wriggled himself into his company"(52).

Billy is Adam, he is basic, natural and naive. He is innocent and cannot recognize evil as seen by his misunderstanding of Claggart. However, Adam fell, he bit into the apple and became aware of good and evil. His understanding of evil ruined him and destroyed the perfect life he had.

I am wondering what Billy's fall is or will be. I think it may be when the afterguardsman asks him to join the mutiny. The narrator says that Billy was very interested in what had happended between him and the afterguardsman and thought about it alot. It was his first time expiriencing evil and he spent alot of his time trying to understand it.

Adam and the Serpent

In chapter 19 of Billy Budd, I noticed a clash between good and evil. At first, Billy represents the good and Claggart represents the evil, because Billy is the innocent victim of Claggart's false accusations. However, when Billy kills Claggart, Billy is the "evil" one and Claggart is the victim.

This relates to the discussion we had in class about the quote from the book comparing Billy to Adam before his fall. If Billy is Adam before his fall, and Claggart is the serpent, this section of the book represents the serpent's manipulation of Billy/Adam.

The serpent infects people with evil. Without the serpent, Billy would have gone on in his innocent state, but the serpent couldn't let Billy remain without sin. By introducing Billy to evil, Claggart takes away any chance for Billy to remain completely innocent.

When Claggart accuses Billy of being mutinous, Billy realizes Claggart's evil, and loses some of his own innocence. Even more of his innocence is lost when he kills Claggart, and Billy's condemnation represents the fall of Adam.

Dead From One Punch?!

This whole situation seemed unreal to me. When Billy is meeting with Vere and Claggart, I find it very hard to believe that Billy was unable to defend himself using words. Also, how the heck did he kill Claggart in one punch?! If Claggart represents evil, I feel like it should have been a bigger battle to kill him, or get him out of the picture.

However, in one of the beginning chapters, the narrator establishes that Billy does have a flaw (his stutter) and that it would be tested against evil later. So I guess this is what he was talking about because Billy's stutter disables him from defending himself, and instead he has to use his fist. If Billy was able to defend himself using words, it is certain that Vere would believe him. Therefore, Billys flaw ultimately led to his death.

Reading Melville, Nietzsche, and the Sea

Recently, a freshman complained to me about having to read Nietzsche. O! the calamity of such an indecipherable text! I found this amusing. I cannot remember when I first encountered Nietzsche or Shakespeare or any other difficult prose, but I can remember when I first encountered Melville. I believe it was three days ago.

This led me to ponder, "What is so difficult about understanding Billy Budd?" All I could come up with is this rambling comparison. It is like Nietzsche plus the syntax confusion of Shakespeare plus the context confusion of a period piece (written in a period which is now a period piece) plus nautical terms.

Nietzsche, as a philosopher, certainly has rambling sentences, but his sentence flow appears logical and is easy to follow. His ideas, however, are of a complexity that are often beyond the sentences that attempt to explain them. Reading Nietzsche requires complete immersion in his world. I believe this is how one needs to approach Billy Budd. While the ideas conveyed in it are very simple compared to Nietzsche, (it is apparent just from the first few chapters that Melville is upholding the individual in its struggle against society) its syntax is much more complex. Billy Budd must be read with no distractions. This can be aggravating, but it requires you to comprehend the real, deeper meaning of the text by making surface reading close to impossible.

What bothers me most about Billy Budd so far are the sea terms. After a very sour experience with Master and Commander, I am permanently off-put by the naval age and everything that goes with it. Melville romanticises the sea age and is obviously very fond of it, much to my annoyance. Hopefully, through this novel, Melville has something important to say.

Edward, Meet Edward

The Honorable Edward Fairfax Vere is not an average sailor.  Vere is an intellectual, interested in historical accounts and philosophical arguments.  Though bounded by modesty, he "upon occasion would at times betray a certain dreaminess of mood" (61).  Though normally unobtrusive, he sometimes lapses into moments of irascibility.  In addition, Vere cannot find company among his peers: his fellow captains find his talk pedantic and unfamiliar.

While not without clear differences, Vere reminds me of another Edward: Edward Rochester of Jane Eyre.  Of course, Rochester's passion is at odds with Vere's unobtrusiveness.  However, like Vere, Rochester does not fit in his social class: he is too mentally acute, among other things.  Moreover, Rochester has many dreams, as evidenced not only by his marriage of Bertha and his attempt at bigamy but also his talk of reformation.  And, while this may be an obscure connection, Vere's control of his anger once unleashed reminds me of the moment near the end of Jane Eyre when Jane tells Rochester about St. John.  After hearing praise for St. John's physical and mental qualities, Jane records the conversation proceeding, "[Rochester] (aside) 'Damn him!'--(To me) 'Did you like him, Jane?'" (412).  I imagine Vere silently saying something similar about whomever disturbs him before resuming his normal undemonstrativeness.

It seems like the main difference between the two is that Rochester was "wronged" by fate, whereas it seems that Vere never was.  Thus, Rochester has reason to become bitter and sardonic, but Vere does not.  Of course, Rochester also has Jane to save him at the end: will Vere ever find a companion of his own?

Who Is Billy Budd?

When Billy Budd by Herman Melville was introduced within class, there were two sentiments which struck me most. The first was that the text was going to be a different type of read than what had been experienced within most text in high school. Second, was that Albert Camus (author of The Stranger) had said it was a "perfect" piece of work. These two thoughts stuck with me while I read the first five chapters of the text as I was intrigued that the book could receive such a high compliment from a fellow author. 

As I began to read, I found myself genuinely enjoying the prose, for perhaps the first five or six pages, then I became slightly confused. While the syntax of the novel was different than most of the literature we had read in previous classes, that was not what bothered me. I was confused because I wanted to know where the specific plot line was. I was interested to know specifically what made Billy Budd so special, the text describes him as being an incredibly great person, but then without describing anything other than that the text would go on a tangent on a different subject. 

I was intrigued by the way the book was written, however, I'm truly hoping that the text manages to create more of a focus on one subject instead of going off on several different subjects as the literature could be interesting if there wasn't such a "what?" factor created by the switching of topics.