Many themes relating to the conflict between Good and Evil can be found in Herman Melville's novella Billy Budd, Foretopman. ... Perhaps one of the most widely recognized themes in Billy Budd is the corruption of innocence by society (Gilmore 18). Society in Billy Budd is represented by an eighteenth century English man-of-war, the H.M.S. ... Most critics agree that Vere had to punish Billy, whether he was innocent or not, to assure the obedient well-being of society ("Billy Budd"). ... When broken down into its simplest parts, Billy Budd deals with Billy, the representative...

• Word Count: 1646
• Approx Pages: 7
• Grade Level: High School

In Herman Melville's Billy Budd, Sailor, readers are introduced to the conflict of good and evil between Billy Budd and Claggart. ... Vere's character is written to be a medium between Billy Budd and Claggart. ... Captain Vere was murmuring Billy Budd. ... Instead he is murmuring, acknowledging what the innocent Billy Budd meant to him and what Billy Budd taught him. Billy Budd taught him that there is a balance between conscience and duty. ...

• Word Count: 1960
• Approx Pages: 8
• Grade Level: High School

Why Voltaire and his Ideas are Critical to the Development of Major Themes in Billy Budd In describing Billy Budd's transfer to the Indomitable from the Rights of Man, Melville writes in regards to the latter vessel: That was the merchant ship's name; tho' by her master and crew abbreviated in sailor fashion into The Rights. ... (Foley, p. 163) Thus, what is of significance in Billy Budd is not so much the work of Voltaire the thinker as the role which that work had in unleashing events to which Voltaire would personally have been opposed. Voltaire in this regard could ...

• Word Count: 1389
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: Undergraduate