Herman Melville's Billy Budd (Maxnotes Ser)

Rating:
Summary: A novella that is pure rubbish.
Review: "Billy Budd and Other Tales" - this review is for "Billy Budd." Herman Melville's novella is a rambling piece of junk. Perhaps ten pages actually pertained to the plot of "Billy Budd," while the rest of seventy pages were about useless thoughts, perceptions, and historical tie-ins that did not benefit from the story at all. The story was barely about the character of Billy Budd, and was more like a soapbox for the author. This is not worth the time. I do not recommend.

Rating:
Summary: As Relevant Today As It Was in 1891 - Wonderful !
Review: .
Many lessons in the story of Billy Budd. And one is the personality of the master-in-arms, John Claggart. How does one explain in our current life persons who lash out at us for false reasons due to alterative motives? We can dispute the charges but when asked what reason we believe the reputable and well-respected person is accusing us for, what is our answer? This is where reading books, anything from philosophy, psychology, novels, biographies, etc., are so crucial in life. Crucial in all our endeavors, from cliché speech walking in our neighborhood to who we vote for politically. And so, here we are accused for motives beyond surface despite the respectability and dignity that the accuser so verily has. If we and our judges are familiar with the stories of the biblical Joseph and his brothers, and I find much more so, the story of John Claggart and Billy Budd, then our referral to such stories reaps far more insight than a lengthy explanation would do.

Another point that hit so very hard with me is the Newspaper's account of the story and I can't help but compare it to 99.9% of the stories on CNN and the American journalist media; shod journalism, bias, one-sided, selective and utterly false, that is, false to the extent that it conveys the right story but changes so slyly the intents and motives and most certainly in many cases, outright falsifies the information. So it is, in George Bush's' America, both domestically and in foreign policy. But what makes matters so much worse is the believing public, a naive public that is built on journalism where the reading of books is long forgotten in favor of TV, internet and of course, journalism. After reading Melville's story and his subsequent news article, there you can read the differences.

Were Captain Vere and the three lieutenants correct in their decision to execute Billy Budd? Should the letter of the law been obeyed? Or did this incur extenuating circumstances to pardon either the official crime or the punishment? This was a time of recent mutinies and revolts on other ships, although nothing of the sort here happened, it pervaded the spirit of strict disciplinarian measures. In addition, the outcome of the obedience and servitude of the sailors and officers would have to be weighed ahead of the life of Billy Budd, despite is false accuser and impulsive blow to counter act his failure to use speech to defend himself. Does this support a zero tolerance law code? Or should flexibility and discernment above strict adherence to each and every case be determined by the spirit and purpose of the law broke rather than then the letter of the so-called infringement?

Subjectively, Billy Budd was a good man and innocent of the death by accident he incurred to Claggart and therefore should be either found guilty of a lesser charge or given lesser punishment. Billy Budd's last words, "God Bless Captain Vere." Objectively, Billy Budd broke a major law, killing a superior officer, which in turn, has a major influence on the entire fleet of sailors and officers and is therefore guilty and subject to hanging.

Rating:
Summary: Power and magnificence overcomes difficult writing
Review: This novella is difficult to read, with long and complex sentences and perhaps unnecessary diversions. But its power and depth reward the effort it takes to read it.

"Billy Budd" is an allegory of a young seaman who strikes and kills a superior officer when the officer's cruelty and treachery become unbearable. The focus of the story is the debate over whether to execute the seaman (Billy Budd) for his crime. With passionate and terrifying logic, Melville (through the voice of Captain Vere) demonstrates that human perfection is impossible - not because we humans are weak, but because perfection simply does not and cannot exist in this world. To make decisions based on our notion of "divine justice" is not only impractical and foolhardy, according to Melville, but even immoral.

If you like to think of yourself as an idealist, then reading this book will leave some unanswered questions in your mind, possibly for the rest of your life. I first read this story more than thirty years ago, and it still affects the way I think about almost everything to this day.