Tuesday, March 24, 2009

In "The Lady or the Tiger?" what are two examples of how the king is devious?

The king is devious because he likes trouble and because his system of justice is really just designed to entertain the people.


The king is described as “semi-barbaric.”  That is one indication of his deviousness.  Also, he is definitely devious in his relations with his people.  He enjoys having control over those around him.  You would not expect a king to want trouble, but this one seems to enjoy it when things are not going well.  It gives him an opportunity to get involved and manipulate people.



When every member of his domestic and political systems moved smoothly in its appointed course, his nature was bland and genial; but, whenever there was a little hitch, and some of his orbs got out of their orbits, he was blander and more genial still, for nothing pleased him so much as to make the crooked straight and crush down uneven places.



An example of this manipulation is the king’s unusual justice system.  Most of the time, justice is for punishing the guilty.  A system of justice is designed to determine who is guilty and who is innocent. The king is not really interested in this.  He is more interested in keeping his people in line by providing them with entertainment.



The arena of the king was built, not to give the people an opportunity of hearing the rhapsodies of dying gladiators, nor to enable them to view the inevitable conclusion of a conflict between religious opinions and hungry jaws, but for purposes far better adapted to widen and develop the mental energies of the people. 



The king supposedly believes that fate or luck will determine who is guilty and who is innocent, and that his system of doors is beneficial to the kingdom because a guilty person is immediately punished and an innocent one is rewarded.  That’s all bogus.  The king is just keeping his people busy.  They know that they can get entertainment either way. Keep the masses happy!

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