Social Order Is Inevitable But Keeps On Changing From The Tradition Norm. Argumentative Essay

Type of paper: Argumentative Essay

Topic: Slavery, Leadership, Literature, Captain, Social Issues, Racism, Books, Color

Pages: 5

Words: 1375

Published: 2023/02/22

Benito Cereno is a book written by an author called Herman Melville and published in 1856. The idea of the author in this book was to point out the theme of slavery. Captain Delano in the book is one of the characters, and he is a captain. He has one black called Babo and works together on the ship as a servant. The captain has no discrimination against the blacks and considers them human and same as the whites.
His idea war with what he sees and struggles between the reality and his imaginations on slavery. The only difference between them is their color. To the captain, he has a different view of his servant. Babo as somebody considered a child. He has the limited intelligence not the mind of the whites but works well with them. But in the real sense Babo controls the ship. Delano considers the blacks as normal only their genes that bring the difference. He says the blacks are just like other men. He often compares the blacks working in the United States as animals. Animals are used by the whites as pets and are not regarded so wise, “[A]s a nation these Spaniards are all an odd set; the very word Spaniard has a curious, conspirator, Guy-Fawkish twang to it” (p. 181). Their brains are less well compared to the humans that are the whites. The reason he terms his friend Babo as a “shepherd dog” and him being the master. This incident brings out the idea of slaves working under their masters. They live under a dictatorship. Their masters were narrating what should be done and so the shepherds to follow without complaint.
The type of life that slaves were put under is so much to them pressure from every aspect especially those above them. Melville, the writer, is not in agreement with the captain towards the idea of slaves and his likes towards them. Babo is the most trusted slave in the ship. He regards him as the most faithful slave and even goes to an extent of a though, buying this slave as his own. The writer has a different thought though; he observed Babo’s behavior and knew he was hiding behind bars. That one day this slave would turn against them after placing so much trust in their ability to handle work and be delegated responsibilities. “The submissive mask," he, Melville thought it would one day change the mask and uncover his true identity rather than the faithfulness inside, “would have given [it to] the whites alone”. The United States thus needed to learn the lessons from the civil war. The myths that they placed a regarded the blacks needed to be done away with. It portrayed a lot of hatred in regard to their race. This idea of racism offered a conviction held so delightful to the whites that all the blacks were considered not human, “cringing submission to their master”. The theory behind them is being made to work for them as dogs and them being the masters. Babo acting so much obedient and submissive towards the captain depicts racism as too much towards the act slavery.
Many critics, therefore, have an idea in the book Benito Cereno. They have a thought after studying the book saying it was brought out by Melville to differentiate good and evil. Slaves always made a struggle towards freedom and be considered as other humans "Ah, this slavery breeds ugly passions in man!" Have freedom of speech and have a choice over the type of work they should be doing. Other than being submissive to their masters they should have a voice too over others.
Benito’s subject matter is about Slavery on the good and evil views black people as evil. Symbolically, the blacks of San Dominick represent evil. Many blacks in the 1960 were, however, killed due to the dark thoughts of being evil. Emphasis was on ledearship "follow your leader". For example, Raneds was killed while handling a sextant. The writer thought of them escaping to other countries for instance Senegal where they would stay safe and work well with other regardless of their color. The book places the blacks in the motive of struggle to be free. They toil day and night, but their real idea is to move to a place where persecution would sound but not regardless of anyone’s color. “oblivious of any but benevolent thought” (p. 183) The opinion and the view that exposes the whites acting so merciless towards the blacks are even more from a depravity point. It’s an inhuman thing and not actions from all the ill motives.
The essence of a master and a shepherd clearly differentiates the leader and his followers. In a complex society where the teacher dictates what it should be followed, the separating a leaders and his followers can be a sweating task ever "Black Friars." The leader in this text might refer to Aranda and the fact that members follow their leader through to death might be evident. According to the captain, Delano, the blacks have all it takes to be regarded as leaders. Despite their color that demarcates them and puts them far from the whites, they too are leaders. Essentially, the individuals are judged based on their color. In this essence, therefore, they tend of obtain leadership that illustrate their role “old world.” In Delano’s opinion towards leadership, he believes that leadership comes from the fact of being a white. He considers the whites as the leaders and the blacks as followers.
The truth of this book about the leadership styles of the blacks and those of the whites are intently different. Babo explicit more and best leadership roles compared to the whites. He is resourceful and a good planner in his activities, creative, and a bold man "masquerading as an oceanic grandee." Melville later thinks leaders are ought to be creative like Babo and unlike Cereno. They are not those men with hats like the captain but those who live their surrounded lives for the sake of others. 
Melville uses Captain Delano to bring out the root problem of slavery as racism. By putting words to Delano’s mouth, he later realizes that slavery should not be assumed as wrong but racism as a factor and cause for this, “good Captain Delano”. As Delano is an actual racist try to become concerned of the mistreatments, Babo undergoes. Racism breeds more ugly and unwanted passions from the society and in men generally. This is more demonstrated at the end of the tale when Delano participates in the re-capture and capture technique towards slaves on the board of San Dominick. At the era settings of this tale, Melville behaved wiser than his times. The feeling of superiority acting as catalysts towards racism is evident. He found out slavery and racism as truly two different things. Today it may seem so alarming with the fact that all people are regarded same regardless of their color, “a Nubian sculptor finishing off a white statue head” (p. 191). They were rooted in the fact that blacks are so inferior and the whites being more superior thus the masters and leaders while the blacks being the followers. Delano, therefore, brings the story to a closure with the trial and the end of Babo from life. His Captain Cereno, who worked hand in hand with Babo, got so much depressed and devastated by the death of his servant. “Follow your leader” is indeed true as evident in this. It becomes a significant cause of Cereno’s death a month ago after Babo death. Delano thus wondered how the two characters in a reverse role as Babo being the master dies and Cereno dies too. Indeed, it canes to follow the ships words and statement that one follows his leader, and thus Cereno followed his master Babo. The group expected to shape the society made to be submissive and voiceless. Otherwise, a culture of equality minus racism has more peace and unity compared to a society full of racism, “I should have been half disposed to a little incredulity” (p. 189). Today racism is less pronounced thus it is dynamic as compared to previous years. The need for a society that is unbiased based on religion, color or race is hard to find. According to the book, the genesis of slavery indicates the inception of seeing others on basis of their race.
Critically, Belito’s work tends to illustrate the unique perception on the slavery. His encounter as a cabin boy “a thankless job like slavery” and his situation being a captive of the cannibals gave him experience. The cannibal Typees had certain cultural practices that may have influenced his thinking on race. The “primitive” races were mostly Africans tend o influence his way of presentation in explaining slavery in conjunction with race. The captain perception on blacks was entirely biased. He saw them as not human hence use them the way he wanted. The captain’s crew includes the slaves who did odd jobs in the ship.
In conclusion, racism leads to slavery. A slave is termed as weak and a failure. In the contemporariness of the society, slavery brings in ugly stereotypes. Blacks are mistreated and referred as evil. Dehumanizing of Africans in the lands of the whites is evident. Ideally, the state of humanity tends to be compromised as fellow humans mistreat fellow humans on the basis of race "shed light". The current society rebukes any form of discriminate. Even if there is the existence of modern day slavery, human mistreatment is outlawed.

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WePapers. (2023, February, 22) Social Order Is Inevitable But Keeps On Changing From The Tradition Norm. Argumentative Essay. Retrieved November 04, 2024, from https://www.wepapers.com/samples/social-order-is-inevitable-but-keeps-on-changing-from-the-tradition-norm-argumentative-essay/
"Social Order Is Inevitable But Keeps On Changing From The Tradition Norm. Argumentative Essay." WePapers, 22 Feb. 2023, https://www.wepapers.com/samples/social-order-is-inevitable-but-keeps-on-changing-from-the-tradition-norm-argumentative-essay/. Accessed 04 November 2024.
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WePapers. Social Order Is Inevitable But Keeps On Changing From The Tradition Norm. Argumentative Essay. [Internet]. February 2023. [Accessed November 04, 2024]. Available from: https://www.wepapers.com/samples/social-order-is-inevitable-but-keeps-on-changing-from-the-tradition-norm-argumentative-essay/
"Social Order Is Inevitable But Keeps On Changing From The Tradition Norm. Argumentative Essay." WePapers, Feb 22, 2023. Accessed November 04, 2024. https://www.wepapers.com/samples/social-order-is-inevitable-but-keeps-on-changing-from-the-tradition-norm-argumentative-essay/
WePapers. 2023. "Social Order Is Inevitable But Keeps On Changing From The Tradition Norm. Argumentative Essay." Free Essay Examples - WePapers.com. Retrieved November 04, 2024. (https://www.wepapers.com/samples/social-order-is-inevitable-but-keeps-on-changing-from-the-tradition-norm-argumentative-essay/).
"Social Order Is Inevitable But Keeps On Changing From The Tradition Norm. Argumentative Essay," Free Essay Examples - WePapers.com, 22-Feb-2023. [Online]. Available: https://www.wepapers.com/samples/social-order-is-inevitable-but-keeps-on-changing-from-the-tradition-norm-argumentative-essay/. [Accessed: 04-Nov-2024].
Social Order Is Inevitable But Keeps On Changing From The Tradition Norm. Argumentative Essay. Free Essay Examples - WePapers.com. https://www.wepapers.com/samples/social-order-is-inevitable-but-keeps-on-changing-from-the-tradition-norm-argumentative-essay/. Published Feb 22, 2023. Accessed November 04, 2024.
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