Who Is The Character Of Saboteur

At the beginning of the 17th century, France was a place of internal strife and bickering bureaucrats. The king, Louis XIII, had come to the throne in 1610 at the age of nine, leaving the running of the kingdom to his mother, Marie de Medici. One of her court favorites, Armand de Plessis de Richelieu, rose through the ranks, eventually gaining the title of Cardinal and becoming one of Louis’ key advisors and minister. His political manifesto, Political Testament, was a treatise for King Louis XIII that offered him advice mainly concerned with the management and subtle subjugation of the nobles and the behavior of a prince. Beneath all of the obeisant rhetoric, Richelieu was essentially writing a handbook for Louis XIII on how to survive

Between 1789 and 1799, France went through one of the most dramatic events of modern European History: the French Revolution. The French population went through economic chaos, a dictatorship, and a civil war as well as other dramatic changes. During these years, the French decided to speak up for themselves and they became enemies of the French revolution. Internal enemies included the King, Louis XVI, Monarchists and Royalists and the Churches that were run by refractory priests. External threats were caused by aristocrats who had fled the Revolution; more specifically known as “émigrés”, Austria and Prussia. The latter were the more dangerous threats to the Revolution.

In Ha Jin’s short story “Saboteur” a couple, Mr. Chiu and his bride, returning home from their honeymoon decide to have lunch while they wait for the train. While they are eating a police officer at a nearby table spills his tea on Mr. Chiu’s. In anger Mr. Chiu stands up and calls out the officer on his actions. The officer accuses him of lying and ends up wrongfully arresting Mr. Chiu for disturbing the peace. Mr. Chiu tells his wife to return home without him and send help. While in jail the police chief tells him he has to apologize for his actions and admit to his crime at which he refuses. Stricken with heart disease and hepatitis Mr. Chiu pleas for his release but gets denied. Finally help arrives from home, a student Mr. Chiu once taught at the university he works at, but the police lock him up as well. After seeing how his student is being treated Mr. Chiu finally gives in and admits to the crimes. They are both released and on their way home. Out of anger and hate for the actions of the police Mr. Chiu eats and drinks at multiple restaurants on the way to the train station to spread his hepatitis

The church and the state had to contend with the growing influence of the Enlightenment and the need to strike a new balance with religion, a more utilitarian balance determined in large part by its own political rationalism. Power was held within the monarchy and the church. The monarchy of France and the Catholic Church were allies that were unbreakable. The King was the master of the temporal realm, while the Church under his protection ruled the spiritual realm. Kings derived their authority from God and stood immediately below him in rank. The monarchy had the support of the church and the church had the support of the monarchy. Power was based on morality and the church thrived on positive morality and the monarchy was proof of this morality. The balance between these two powers in France was equivalent to one another. The whole system

For more than a hundred years, the Kingdom of England and the House of Valois of France found themselves locked in war for the French throne. The hundred and sixteen year series of battles took place from 1337 to 1453, with historians often separating it into three phases: the Edwardian Era (1337- 1360), the Caroline War (1369- 1389), and the Lancastrian War (1415- 1453). Despite English success that lasted the majority of the conflict, and was revived by Henry V, the war resulted a French victory but high casualty losses on both sides. Beyond this, the war was not only limited to the two belligerents, but also involved Scotland, Spain, and the Low Countries, such as Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg (Villalon). The French victory and resurgence are mostly accredited to the arrival of Joan of Arc and, subsequently, the unity of the French after her execution by the English. Despite this, the question of the significance of Joan of Arc in the context of ending the Hundred

The controversial story of Martin Guerre becomes intensified as historian Natalie Davis and Robert Finlay makes their persuasive argument. Davis presents the story in a humorous way, portraying Bertrande sympathetically and developing her as an “honorable” figure. In the sixteenth century France, honor is a central aspect of women's identity and reputation. To gain honor, the woman remained faithful to their husband and followed the strict rules of Canon law, married women were not allowed to remarry or make a relationship with other men without the proof of husband’s death (Davis, Martin 20). However, presenting Bertrande de Rols as a strong assertive woman Davis intentionally reveals that Bertrande is capable of doing more than the housework.

A political system that eliminates privately owned businesses, where there is a sole authoritarian leader whom controls politics and economics; ultimately, leading to corruption. Even a world power like China is capable of falling to this corruption. As shown in “Saboteur” by Ha Jin where the author demonstrates the supposed classless society’s corrupted from its roots; the great nation he once admired showed its true colors with the Tiananmen Square Massacre.

Ha Jin’s short story “Saboteur” tells of a man who seems discontent, idealistic, and gravely ill. In Muji, Mr. Chui, is accused of sabotage and taken by force to jail after a run in with railroad authorities. His crime is for speaking out against police officers assaulting him and his bride during lunch in the city square. The reader is lead to believe this is a simple case of excessive force by the police, therefore the abuse of power is the catalyst of this short story, but the real story is about Mr. Chui’s contempt for all those around him and his utter lack of integrity.

The 17th century French aristocrat Michel de Montaigne lived in a tumultuous world. With the spark of Luther’s Ninety-Five Theses, the fire spread rapidly to France. The nation divided against itself. The rebellious protestant Huguenots and the traditional staunch Catholics both viewed the other group as idolatrous heretics in time when that crime could justify execution. Consequently, Catholic monarchs throughout Europe felt the impending threat to their reigns, too, because if they supposedly ruled through divine right, what would change concerning the support of their subjects? After the peace-making Edict of Nantes, rehashing the religious conflicts of the century was forbidden, but seeing his country—and even his own family—torn apart, how could one refrain from comment? So in his writings, Montaigne has to write around his actual subjects. This isn’t to say, however, that he conveyed none of his ideas directly. Montaigne criticizes the cultural belief in a correct way of life, opposing the idea with a more relativistic viewpoint, though the way in which he presents it, as mere musings in personal correspondence, fails to effectively convince his readers.

invasion in the Hundred Years' War. Joan was very despised the French army’ cautious action

King Louis XVI believed the revolutionary changes he detested “had been provoked by a few radicals in the National Assembly and their demagogic control of Parisian ‘rabble’ (87).” As thousand flocked to see the kings caravan return to Paris it became evident he had misinterpreted the true influence of the revolution. Many of his loyal subjects rejected the notion removing their hats upon his arrival, a snub to the king and his royal family. Previously under the king’s regime the general public had considered him

<br>Louis XVI, was himself a cause of tension and conflict to the people. He ruled over France with 'divine right answerable only to g-d.' The character of Louis are best summed up by Louis's brother the Compte de Provence: 'The weakness and indecision of the King…are beyond description.' Louis possessed the virtues pleasing in a private individual,' which consequently 'denied him the qualities of one destined to rule.' When Louis XIV died he established a new beuracracy which denied the Second Estate a political say. However, he did not simultaneously abolish the institutions they once had power over, thus left an opportunity for conflict to arrive - especially under the weak leadership of Louis XVI. The weakness of Louis made it impossible

Between 1428 and 1429 during the Hundred Years’ War between France and England, the city of Orleans was besieged by English forces. The 5000 English soldiers lead by Thomas de Montecute, attacked for months. Around this time, Joan of Arc Appeared in at the court of Charles, and lifted the siege in 1429. This was the major turning point for the French in the war.

Louis became unpopular because he was so sure of himself. He felt that everyone should revolve around him, so he took the sun as his image, because they had just discovered that the world revolved around the sun. He persecuted Protestants. He also used bribery. King Louis XIV forced Protestants to pay extra taxes and forced the people who kept the Protestant religion to house soldiers whenever they were in town. He taxed the Protestants because they chose to believe in something different then his beliefs. Louis threw out the Edict of Nantes because it gave people the freedom to choose their own religion and he believed that people should have only one religion, Catholicism. This act took away the people's right to freedom of religion.

As a ship is without a sail or a king with no castle, so too is a courtier without a Court lady. In "The Book of the Courtier" Baldesar Castiglione not only included a perfect courtier, he also molded his female equivalent, a Court lady. "The Courtier" itself was a step by step guide intended to instruct the young, affluent and upwardly mobile in areas of manners, learning, sport and conduct. It was published in 1528, at a high point of humanistic thought and antiquarian chivalric interest in Renaissance Italy. Often overlooked or undervalued is the discussion of the ideal Court lady, described in eloquent and perfect detail by the characters of Caesar and Magnifico, who was assigned by the Duchess to