– Willie Keith- A Life Changed Essay, Research Paper
Willie Keith: A Life Changed
Sometimes it takes an event in one?s life to change a person. In Herman Wouk?s The Caine Mutiny, it took the navy to change the life of Willie Keith.
Before Willie joined the navy he was living the easy life. His mother came from a wealthy family so Willie had no problems financially. He never really took anything seriously. He didn?t even take Princeton seriously. “But his real career at Princeton had consisted of playing the piano and inventing bright little songs for parties and shows.” Willie just took everything he had for granted. When he graduated from Princeton he probably could have gotten a pretty good job or gone on to earn his master?s degree. Instead, he elected to become a piano player in a cocktail lounge. “He was not paid much. The fee was, in fact, the smallest permitted by the musicians union for a piano player. Willie didn?t really care, so long as fifty-dollar bills flowed from his mother.” That was his life before the navy. In the navy, all of that changed.
Once in the navy he learned that he couldn?t really rely on his mother for everything. He was still careless and na?ve about some things but he did learn that he was on his own. At Furnand Hall he had received 48 demerits and was almost expelled. Willie then had to push himself to be on top of everything. The 48 demerits were not just going to go away and he couldn?t have his mother do something about it. Willie had to be the one to get himself out of the mess he had created. Even when his father came to tell Willie that he could probably get him transferred to the army Willie said, “Will you do me a favor, Dad??.Tell Mom, as nicely as you can, to call off Uncle Lloyd.” His Uncle Lloyd was in the army and could have gotten Willie transferred but Willie decided to say with the navy. Little by little he was learning to become more dependent on himself, instead of dependent on his mother.
When Willie finally got on board The Caine he was given the job of decoding messages. There was one time when he forgot to decode a dispatch and left it in his pants for three days. Because of that incident Willie did not get a very good fitness report and was put in hack although DeVriess had given him permission to attend the admiral?s party. After his meeting with DeVriess he had received a Bible from his father. His father told him to read Ecclesiastes 9:10, it read, “Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grove, whither thou goest.” After reading that Willie decided to stay on board the ship and not go to the admiral?s party. Here was another chance to escape from the navy yet Willie stayed with it.
Nearing the end of the book, Willie had worked his way up to become the Executive Officer. When the kamikaze plane hit The Caine, Willie did not panic. He was able to take control of the situation. While some of the crew are abandoning ship Willie says,
Now all hands, this is the executive officer. I ask you not to abandon ship.
I?ve had no damage reports from any space but the after fireroom. The
noise you heard was some ready ammunition popping on the galley deck-
house. Things look pretty bad there for a minute. The captain gave
permission to abandon but he also gave permission for volunteers to stay
aboard and try to save the ship. ?.If we abandon it we?ll all get dumped
into the personnel pool in Okinawa. If we stick with it we?ll probably pull
an overhaul in the States. Stay with the ship.
Willie could have never stayed so calm if it hadn?t been for his navy training. When we first met him he was living the easy life and waiting for his mother to give him fifty-dollar bills. Now, Willie has learned how to take responsibility for his actions.
As we have seen, Willie?s experiences with the navy changed him to be a better person. The 48 demerits and the forgotten dispatch were the steps he had to take to become the officer that was able to take control of a situation. His encounter with the navy changed him from a boy to a man.
Другие работы по теме:
Humanity And The Death Penalty Essay Research
Paper Humanity And The Death Penalty Write up by Paul Arguin One of the more controversial issues these days is the death penalty, and it does come up more than once in a while. Over the course of this assignment, I will tell you about the Death penalty in Canada and in other countries around the world and why it should be abolished from the face of the planet forever.
Amistad
– Movie Analysis Essay, Research Paper In April of 1839, a group of militant Portuguese abducted a group of 53 Africans, and shipped them to Havana, Cuba. In June of 1839, the Africans were purchased as slaves by four Spaniards and put on the schooner La Amistad (Spanish for ?the
Valediction And Man On The Moon Essay
, Research Paper Losing someone close to you, a loved one, is a very difficult situation. This causes people to change their lives and the way they look at life. Valediction , a poem, and Man on the Moon both tell of this dilemma. Many similarities are attributed to the two relationships between man and woman in Valediction and the two brothers, Brent and Sam, in Man on the Moon.
The Sepoy Mutiny Of 1857 Essay Research
Paper As with any conflict or controversy there are always two sides to the debate, and the events in India during 1857 are certainly no exception. Given the situation in India during the nineteenth century
The Caine Mutiny Evaluating The Performance Of
A Government Essay, Research Paper The Caine Mutiny Evaluating the Performance of a Government Governments are an essential and important part to our everyday life, and without, there would be no control or leadership. Governments are sanctioned to constitute and systemize the interrelationships of the people with their divisional bounds, the relations of the people of the community as a whole, and the arrangements of the community with other political entities.
Billy Budd Essay Research Paper There is
Billy Budd Essay, Research Paper There is much to be said about innocence. If one is with innocence than one can do no wrong. But that is not all to be said. Innocence is not always a good thing. It could make one naive or blind
Julius Caesar
– Brutus Vs Antony Essay, Research Paper In Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare, two characters speak at Caesar?s funeral. Caesar was just murdered by his best friend Brutus and the Conspirators. Brutus and
Mark Antony
’s Speech Essay, Research Paper Mark Antony’s Speech In William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, Antony confronts a crowd that is against him and on the side of the conspirators who just killed Caesar. In order to turn the crowd to his side; Antony uses rhetorical questions, appeals, and irony in his speech to the people.
Billybudd
&The Symbolism Within Essay, Research Paper In the book “Billy Budd”, written by Herman Meville, there are many references to the bible. Billy Budd, the main character, is portrayed as a biblical figure that is caught in the real world of war and mutiny. There are also many other different types of symbolism throughout this book.
Herman Melville Essay Research Paper Portrayed through
Herman Melville Essay, Research Paper Portrayed through the characters of his novella Billy Budd, Herman Melville reveals his feelings on society; he believes justice should prevail over evil, however, evil overcomes goodness and innocence. Each character defines a specific characteristic of society.
Innocence Vs Evil Essay Research Paper Too
Innocence Vs Evil Essay, Research Paper Too much innocence is not always a good thing, but a little helps from doing wrong. In the case of Billy Budd, innocence was not an important factor, therefor it did not save Billy’s life. His ignorance partly reflects his lack of experience. Billy can’t read or write so he knows little about the world except what he has seen out at sea.
Romeo And Juliette A Tragic Play Essay
, Research Paper Romeo and Juliet A Tragic Play It is known that in Shakespeare?s tragedies main characters die in the end, and in his comedies people marry. Since Romeo and
Treasure Island Essay Research Paper The highly
Treasure Island Essay, Research Paper The highly acclaimed children’s classic Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson is a thrilling book that keeps the reader involved from the beginning to the end. Jim Hawkins, who is the main character and narrator, is a young lad who works with his mother at an inn called the ‘Admiral Benbow’.
Compare And Contrast The Different Speeches Of
Brutus And Anthony Essay, Research Paper Brutus and Anthony are completely different characters, and they speak differently. They both make speeches at Caesar’s funeral because each needs to influence the people to get them on their side. The whole country is in crisis after Caesar’s murder. The strange thing was that Anthony was at the funeral with the permission of Brutus, which was a mistake which Brutus made.
Confused But Not Mad
– Hamlet Essay, Research Paper The story of Hamlet depicts the flaws of human nature vs. actions of man. Hamlet did not use his intellect to decipher what made people do the things they do. Shakespeare was well known for his manipulation of people’s thoughts and actions.
Billy Budd As A Christ Figure Essay
, Research Paper On first glance, Billy Budd is little more than a sea story involving a sailor wrongly accused of mutiny. However, upon closer examination, one observes that Melville s novel possesses a deeper significance. Melville presents the protagonist, Billy as a handsome, young sailor. Nonetheless, Billy Budd can be seen as a Christ-figure through his experiences with Captain Vere, Claggert and his crewmembers aboard the Bellipotent.
Benito Cereno Essay Research Paper Benito Cereno
Benito Cereno Essay, Research Paper Benito Cereno is a novella by the highly regarded writer Herman Melville. Upon reading his story it becomes obvious that the two main characters, Don Benito Cereno and Captain Delano, were somewhat similar in character. Their most obvious similarity was the bias they both had towards the intelligence level of the slaves.
Herman MelvilleS
“Billy Budd” Essay, Research Paper As portrayed in the Bible, Adam and Eve were the perfect human species. This was only a result because of their complete innocence. God let them remain in his presence because of this reason. After the devil conned them into eating fruit from the Tree of Good and Evil they became unclean.
Book Of Nod Essay Research Paper The
Book Of Nod Essay, Research Paper The preface to this book is very cool. I know that this book is totally fictional, and is in no way real, but the preface makes the book sound like it
Treasure Island Essay Research Paper Kyle FloydApril
Treasure Island Essay, Research Paper Kyle FloydApril 1, 1999CP English IVMs. WadePirates of Treasure Island Robert Louis Stevenson s Treasure Island is a suspenseful, action-packed story in which he uses the stereotypical image of pirates to captivate his audiences. The pirates in Treasure Island greatly resemble that of 16th century pirates.
Billy Budd Was Captain Vere Right Essay
, Research Paper Billy Budd: Was Captain Vere Right? Captain Vere makes the right decision by executing Billy Budd. If CaptainVere lets Billy live the rest of the crew might get the impression that
Imperialism In India Essay Research Paper British
Imperialism In India Essay, Research Paper British imperialism on India had many positive and negative affects on both the mother country, Britain and the colony, India. Many people would argue which effects were more prominent in these countries and some would agree that they were equal. But in both cases there were actually both.
Educating Rita 2 Essay Research Paper Educating
Educating Rita 2 Essay, Research Paper Educating Rita The play Educating Rita by Willy Russell gained great popularity especially during the early eighties. There has also been a movie made from it starring Julie Walters and the more famous Michael Caine. As so often the case, the movie was more elaborate with additional scenes, some of which were spoken of or retold by the actors in the play.
Billy Budd 2
Billy Budd’s Biblical Connections Essay, Research Paper Billy Budd?s Biblical Connections This book report is about Billy Budd, by Herman Melville. It was Melville?s final novel, and was published in 1924, over 30 years after his death. Billy Budd is a basic battle of good and evil, with evil deceiving good, and good taking the final victory.
Critical Essay On Billy Budd Essay Research
Paper Critical Essay on Billy Budd Charles Reich’s assessment of the conflict in Billy Budd focuses on the distinction between the laws of society and the laws of nature. Human law says
The Hanging Of Billy Budd Essay Research
Paper The Hanging of Billy Budd The hanging of Billy in Melville’s Billy Budd was a questionable and complex decision made by Captain Vere. Captain Vere, or “starry Vere,” chose to coincide with the law rather than spare Billy to make himself happy. The hanging of Billy was necessary for order to remain on the ship and for justice to prevail.
The Unjust Assassination Of Julius Caesar Essay
, Research Paper One of the basic needs of human nature is to control something in one’s life whether it be money, or a group of people. Throughout the long history of politics people have fought for control of the government using many different means both just and unjust. One of the immoral ways to gain power in a political system is by assassination.
British India And Revolution Essay Research Paper
The conflict and controversy surrounding events in India during the British occupation helped give rise to many conflicting ideas about British rule. Although they varied in degree, the ultimate ideas would question the authority of British dominance, overall.
Analysis Of Antigone Essay Research Paper AntigoneAntigone
Analysis Of Antigone Essay, Research Paper Antigone Antigone is Greek Mythology written by Sophocles that is different from most other writings of this specific time. Antigone is a play that is in a trilogy with Oedipus Rex and Oedipus at Colonus. In his play, Sophocles deals with topics such as rebellion, mutiny and pride.
Magellan Essay Research Paper Ferdinand Magellan Explorer
Magellan Essay, Research Paper Ferdinand Magellan Explorer Who was the first explorer to circumnavigate the globe and cross the Pacific Ocean? Ferdinand Magellan did it on his famous voyage in search of a westward route to the Moluccas (now Melaka). This is one of the greatest Portuguese explorers to ever sail the ocean.
The Battle Of Passchendale Essay Research Paper
Passchendaele was a battle that began in July of 1917, and the British commander in charge was Sir Douglas Haig. He conducted the battle under the orders from General Robert Nivelle, while the reorganization of the French army (due to mutiny) was happening. After careful planning, Douglas Haig prepared to attack, the preliminary attack was the heaviest to occur so far, in a period of ten days approximately 3100 guns fired more than four and a half million shells.
Julius Caesar By Shakespeare Essay Research Paper
Antony s Speech at the Forum Act III, Scene 2 In Act III, Scene 2, Antony begins his speech right after Brutus at the forum. In the beginning, he is booed by the people of Rome, but his manipulative words soon capture the minds of the Romans and bring them to attention. Antony s speech is wholly directed upon persuading the Roman plebeians that Caesar has been wronged when murdred.