1. The following is an extended truncated outline for an essay with an introductory paragraph, the
five body paragraphs and a conclusion.
I.Thesis: It can be contented that the judgment and the death of Billy was not based on
right analysis of the jury, but it was based on the injustices in the legal system, and the
struggle between good and bad as well as Vera`s conscience and the law
II.Topic Sentence; The accusations that Claggart accused Billy were questionable, but Vere
decided to accept the accusation.
A. “With no power to annul the elemental evil in him, though readily enough he
could hide it; apprehending the good, but powerless to be it; a nature like
Claggart’s, surcharged with energy as such natures almost invariably are,
what recourse is left to it but to recoil upon itself and, like the scorpion for
which the Creator alone is responsible, act out to the end the part allotted “
B. It will pertain the discussion of how the accusations made against Billy by
Claggart are not inappropriate, but why the court went ahead to accept such
accusations without considering the both sides.
C. The quote is important because through the quote, we learn about the
character of Claggart and the kind of person he was. This quote also plays a
role in analyzing the mistakes that the quote made without having complete
evidence.
D. The quote is from the book Billy Buddy Sailor that discusses the life of Billy
as well as his conviction
E. “Billy is the handsome Sailor who respected and even adored by his
shipmates , is unjustly accused of plotting mutiny by the ships master at arms,
2. John Claggart whose actions seems motivated only by an inexplicable inborn
malice”.
F. The above quote is used to prove that Billy was an innocent individual who
could not be involved in the malicious actions.
G. The quote is important as it is useful in proving the innocence of Billy in the
entire case, and also provides the evidence that Billy could have given the
right judgment. The quote is related to the thesis of the paper in elaborating
how the judgment was unfair and how Billy.
H. The paragraph concludes by providing the analysis on the mistake that
Claggart made in the process.
III. Topic Sentence: Vere is the person who was in charge of making the final verdict but he
is an individual who is selfish and values himself than others.
A. Though Vere is very strict about his duties as Captain, "he was no lover of
authority for authority's sake" (21.8).
B. The quote is useful in explaining the kind of person Vere was. Through this
quote it is clear to tell that he was an individual who was full of himself and
could do not anything to be seen as perfect.
C. The source to be used in this case is still the book Billy Budd Sailor
D. “The court then asks if there was previous malice between he and Claggart,
and he says that there was not. He says that after Claggart lied to his face, "I
3. had to say something, and I could only say it with a blow, God help me!"
(21.14).”
E. The quote is useful in explaining the doubts that the court had towards the
accusations that were made by Billy. Although the court tries to believe what
Vere says, they still question the flow of events.
F. The quote is also important in bringing to light the thesis of the paper and how
Billy was a victim of wrong conviction because of Vere`s character. The
quote is important in the analysis of the theme and provides the evidence of
evil practice in the jury system.
G. The paragraph concludes by highlighting the mistakes that Vere did during the
verdict concluding this was unfair judgment
IV. Vere is lacks morals and this is the reason despite lying to the court, he has no apologies.
The decision is inappropriate and reflects how the entire court was irresponsible.
A. “The court then asks if there was previous malice between he and Claggart,
and he says that there was not. He says that after Claggart lied to his face.”
B. The above quote is important in describing in the character of Vere and what
he can do to protect himself.
C. The members of the court don't agree with him in all particulars, but none of
them feel adequate to argue with him.”.
D. The source to be used in this case is still the book Billy Budd Sailor
E. The quote is important in highlighting the impact that the decision made by
Vere was doubtful. However, the mistake that the court made was to remain
quite despite knowing the Vera was making wrongful decisions.
4. F. The sentence thus highlights lack of morals by the court members and this
reflects an important role to the theme of the paper. In addition, the quote
elaborates the character of Vere who can manage to lie for his own sake.
G. The paragraph concludes by blaming the court for keeping quite despite
knowing that Vere was making a decision.
V. Vere is aware that Billy is innocent , but the fact that he is more concerned with his
conscience that the law, he goes ahead to make a wrong verdict.
a) "It is a 'mystery of iniquity,' a matter for psychological theologians to discuss"
(21.22 , this is clear that Vere was only concerned about his conscience and
never the law.
b) The quote is important and explains the decisions that Vere made because of his
own well being.
c) “Vere brushes aside the question if Claggart`s motivation because he only
wanted certain things to remain unspoken, because he wants to deflect the
attention way from his feelings.”
d) The quote is important in explaining how Vere managed to dominate the court
and also control all the proceedings for his own good.
e) From the quote, it is easy to tell the reason why Vere made the decision that he
did and how unfair this decision was to the life of Billy.
f) The paragraph concludes by discussing how Billy manages to control the court by
making sure the opinions of other people are not taken into consideration.
Topic Sentence; The reactions of people provided a comprehensive evidence that the judgment
was not fair to Billy, and that Vere only favored one side.
5. A. “ But the sailors dogwatch gossip concerning him derived a vague plausibility that
results to murmurs among the ship members”
B. The quote demonstrate how the crowd was angry as a result of the decision that was
made by Vere. The people were angry and could not believe how Vere managed to betray
the life of an innocent individual.
C. Using this quote, it is easy to reflect and analyze the truth that was in the crowd and how
the crowd reacted the way it did. It is also important in elaborating about the attitude of
people towards the decision made in the quote.
D. The quote is also important in highlighting the unfairness that was made by the court
during the ruling, and reflects on the actions of Vere during the proceedings. Using this
quote, it is possible to discuss the theme of the paper.
E. The paper concludes by describing the impact that the reactions of people pose to the
decision that was made by the court and its implications
