"Yes, I've heard that. People don't trust the government enough. It's odd, though. If they don't trust the government, how is it they know that they can speak against it with impunity? They must trust it on some level. Besides, the entire matter is nonsense, if you ask me, which, I suppose, you have. If the government goes bad, handguns won't save you. Better to work together to support a good government than arm oneself against a bad one." (David, 177).
I chose this quote because as I was finished reading this part I said, out loud, "damn, Arthur!" This guy is spitting serious facts. Throughout this entire story, I could really see that my beliefs lined up with Arthur Penn's. Perhaps that's why I liked his character so much.
*Also, as a second thought: why does this Arthur character remind me so much of Oliver Queen from Arrow??? And why do they lowkey look alike???
Yeah, I tend to find that whole Q&A scene to be really satisfying. I suppose it largely depends on whether your thoughts align with Arthur's, but I would think that even if you feel differently than his character does that you could find the honesty and straightforward answers refreshing. So often our politicians try to sound "middle of the road" on a lot of issues so they don't antagonize anyone - and clearly Arthur is just going to lay it all out there so that people know what he stands for.
ReplyDeleteI think that is what I most respect about his character. Arthur's not afraid to say how he feels so we always know exactly what his views are. Like you said, politicians will do that "middle of the road" answer. The benefit of this is of course that they don't antagonize anyone but the thing is, sometimes we'll never really know where they stand on any sort of topic. It's like beating around the bush time and time again without ever actually landing on a point at all.
DeleteIt's true that we exercise our freedom of speech in this country. We can freely criticize our government and not be afraid of getting arrested or killed. Not so much in some other countries. And we're always going to have criticism because the government can't please everyone. Politicians mainly push their own agendas rather than represent the interests of the public, which was their intended purpose. So, Arthur is pretty much doing the same thing here: Pushing his own agenda of Camelot's idea of chivalry. He has a positive view of government because, in his experience, he's always BEEN the government and he doesn't think that he's a bad person or that he has bad ideas. Of course not. He's King Arthur.
ReplyDeleteI didn't think of it that way of Arthur pushing his own agenda. But like you said, as a politician, that is his intended purpose! And wow, I guess Arthur really has been the government in every tale we have read since then, and it makes sense he would view the government in a positive way. Brilliant points, Esther!
DeleteThat is part of my issue with Knight Life. Arthur's actual words and public persona clash harshly both with what we see in the private sequences with his "campaign staff" and especially with the realities of modern politics.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed your quote selection Eleana! I also found myself enjoying this particular "Arthur" due to not only his political beliefs being similar to my own, but because of the quirky humor integrated into this text. It's definitely some straight forward information that today's political world could learn from.
ReplyDeleteRight?! Why can't all of our politicians just straight up say, yeah I support this or no, I do not support that. Can we just cut to the point? I'd probably be a little more involved in politics if it were not so confusing at times.
DeleteI didn't quite think about Oliver Queen when I was reading this, but now that you mention it I totally see itl. Especially the fact that they are both running for mayor.
ReplyDeleteyeah he raises great points the entire time. In my opinion, the answers don't lie in either direction, they meet in the middle. Arthur seems to acknowledge this and looks at things objectively. I really agreed with all of his proposed ideas
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