Benjamin Church As A Hero Essay
A hero is a person who believes that their enemy is not inherently malevolent, but also has wit and bravery. A good example of a hero is Benjamin Church. Church was an Englishman who went from leading a small group of men to leading an army. Church was brave, although he was injured he returned to war. church was also compassionate, he is against englishman who enslave or kill innocent Indians. Lastly Church had wit, his tactics for building an effective army and planned attacks were what brought the war to an end.
Church was a brave leader who put his army’s best interests in front of his own. After Church got shot three times and his army men seeing this raced to his side and began to carry him out of the fort, but Church “insisted that they first completed their mission, especially since the Indians had no charges left in their muskets.” (Philbrick 275). Church could have easily abandoned the mission to ensure his own health, but putting his own army in front of his own well-being was very brave and noble of him. After weeks of laying in bed racked with a fever Church was returning to fight in what was hoped to be the final battle, but still wasn’t fully recovered. Church was “still so lame that he needed the help of at least …show more content…
two people to mount his horse.” (Philbrick 282). This was very brave of Church to do because of the fact that he wasn’t fully back to health yet it was very dangerous to return to battle, but he wanted to be their to see their victory in what was supposed to be the final battle. After all this happened Church left the war to be with his wife who was having a child. Three months after he left the war and after his son had been born he didn’t know what to do, after cutting himself with the knife, “Church Smiled. he was going to injure himself, he might as well do it in battle.” (Philbrick 310). It takes bravery to go from a home where your family is all safe and happy to the war where there is a constant threat of death. Yet, he is still going back to fight for what he believes in. Church’s bravery is all for his army’s benefit which is very heroic of him to do.
Church also is very compassionate towards innocent Indians. In the summer of 1675 when a group of Indians were enslaved by an Englishman from Plymouth, Church was very mad. To Church’s mind, it was an action so “hateful” that he “‘opposed it to the loss of the good will and respect of some that before were [my] good friends.’” (Philbrick 253). Church shows compassion in this because he is defending the Indians in this saying that it was disrespectful of them to enslave Indians. Church wanted Plymouth to respect his “friend Indians” because he knows that their not molevolent, and he knows that plymouth is doing no good by enslaving innocent Indians. Church was still mad about the enslavement of Indians a year later when he declined the offer to command a company of plymouth soldiers, in his narrative only saying “‘crave[d] excuse from taking commision.’” (Philbrick 265). This made it evident that Church was still angry over the enslavement over the Indians, from a year ago. This shows compassion for Indians because he believed what the Englishman did was wrong and won’t have anything to do with the men who did it. It’s not just enslavement that he feels opposed to but injuring and especially hurting Indians in a battle when he tells his army not to shoot until he says so. When his army came upon an Indian, who pulled the gun across his chest in a sign of peace, they were not going to shoot. But, when of his soldiers came up behind the Indian he killed the Indian and Church felt “‘great grief and disappointment’” This shows compassion because when one of his soldiers kills a peaceful Indian he feels sad and disappointed. If it were another English army than most likely the commander would tell his army to kill the peaceful Indian without any grief. Church being compassionate helps to show why he is the hero because a good hero shows sympathy towards others and gives them a chance to prove themselves.
On one hand we have that Church was brave and compassionate, but on the other we have that Church had wit and his military tactics of building an army and attacking is what brought the war to an end. Church was an intelligent man, his decision to recruit “friendly Indians” into his army was a good move because the Indians and Englishmen could play to their strengths and have less weaknesses than their opponents because of their diversity. When Church was returning to war he refused an offer of command because he had a proposal of his own. Church said that if they were to end the war by conquering the enemy, he insisted that “‘they must make a business of the war as the enemy did.’” (Philbrick 297). He meant that instead of worrying about how much money was being spent, but that the plymouth officials should provide him with three hundred men of which a third of the men were Indians. He gives them six weeks and they will “do good service.” After he got the approval he did start doing good, and it was his army that killed Philip and brought the war to an end. Church and his army received the preeminent trophy by “‘[Philips] head was brought into Plymouth in great triumph,’” (Philbrick 338). The church record says Philip had been “‘slain two or three days before, so that in the day of our praises our eyes saw the salvation of god.’” (Philbrick 338). This quote proves that bringing Philips head into Plymouth meant that the war was won and over, all because of Churches army. Church could also notice things when no one else could, he was meeting with the Awashonks because he wanted them as allies in his army. when they were drinking rum to the sachems health. Church could tell by the way the sachem watched him drink she suspected that Church poisoned the rum, so when the sachem refused to take the calabash, “Church poured some rum into his palm, slurped it down, and raising up the guard, took yet another ‘good swig,’” (Philbrick 314). Church noticing and how quick he was to act on it was very good. When Church drank rum out of his palm he saved the alliance with the Awashonks, and without it they would not have contributed in Churches army. without them the army would have had less people and maybe things would have turned out differently. So this was an important time for Church to use his wit. Having an idea and making the army that won the war for plymouth, and realizing something is off and acting on it saving an alliance was very witty and heroic of Church to do.
Church is a hero who is a person that believed their enemy is not inherently malevolent, but also has wit and bravery.
Church was a brave leader, he was willing to risk his own life for the army's best interest at winning the battle. He is also very compassionate to the Indians who have not done anything against Church, he is not quick to judge and hate on all Indians. Church had wit, he had a very good tactic of what his army should be like to have the best chance of winning the war. Church is a hero who is likes to win the right way, not by enslaving and killing innocent indians. He may have started out as one of the leaders who led a small group of men, but he ended leading an army of both Englishmen and Indians in a very heroic
way.
Church was a brave leader who put his army’s best interests in front of his own. After Church got shot three times and his army men seeing this raced to his side and began to carry him out of the fort, but Church “insisted that they first completed their mission, especially since the Indians had no charges left in their muskets.” (Philbrick 275). Church could have easily abandoned the mission to ensure his own health, but putting his own army in front of his own well-being was very brave and noble of him. After weeks of laying in bed racked with a fever Church was returning to fight in what was hoped to be the final battle, but still wasn’t fully recovered. Church was “still so lame that he needed the help of at least …show more content…
two people to mount his horse.” (Philbrick 282). This was very brave of Church to do because of the fact that he wasn’t fully back to health yet it was very dangerous to return to battle, but he wanted to be their to see their victory in what was supposed to be the final battle. After all this happened Church left the war to be with his wife who was having a child. Three months after he left the war and after his son had been born he didn’t know what to do, after cutting himself with the knife, “Church Smiled. he was going to injure himself, he might as well do it in battle.” (Philbrick 310). It takes bravery to go from a home where your family is all safe and happy to the war where there is a constant threat of death. Yet, he is still going back to fight for what he believes in. Church’s bravery is all for his army’s benefit which is very heroic of him to do.
Church also is very compassionate towards innocent Indians. In the summer of 1675 when a group of Indians were enslaved by an Englishman from Plymouth, Church was very mad. To Church’s mind, it was an action so “hateful” that he “‘opposed it to the loss of the good will and respect of some that before were [my] good friends.’” (Philbrick 253). Church shows compassion in this because he is defending the Indians in this saying that it was disrespectful of them to enslave Indians. Church wanted Plymouth to respect his “friend Indians” because he knows that their not molevolent, and he knows that plymouth is doing no good by enslaving innocent Indians. Church was still mad about the enslavement of Indians a year later when he declined the offer to command a company of plymouth soldiers, in his narrative only saying “‘crave[d] excuse from taking commision.’” (Philbrick 265). This made it evident that Church was still angry over the enslavement over the Indians, from a year ago. This shows compassion for Indians because he believed what the Englishman did was wrong and won’t have anything to do with the men who did it. It’s not just enslavement that he feels opposed to but injuring and especially hurting Indians in a battle when he tells his army not to shoot until he says so. When his army came upon an Indian, who pulled the gun across his chest in a sign of peace, they were not going to shoot. But, when of his soldiers came up behind the Indian he killed the Indian and Church felt “‘great grief and disappointment’” This shows compassion because when one of his soldiers kills a peaceful Indian he feels sad and disappointed. If it were another English army than most likely the commander would tell his army to kill the peaceful Indian without any grief. Church being compassionate helps to show why he is the hero because a good hero shows sympathy towards others and gives them a chance to prove themselves.
On one hand we have that Church was brave and compassionate, but on the other we have that Church had wit and his military tactics of building an army and attacking is what brought the war to an end. Church was an intelligent man, his decision to recruit “friendly Indians” into his army was a good move because the Indians and Englishmen could play to their strengths and have less weaknesses than their opponents because of their diversity. When Church was returning to war he refused an offer of command because he had a proposal of his own. Church said that if they were to end the war by conquering the enemy, he insisted that “‘they must make a business of the war as the enemy did.’” (Philbrick 297). He meant that instead of worrying about how much money was being spent, but that the plymouth officials should provide him with three hundred men of which a third of the men were Indians. He gives them six weeks and they will “do good service.” After he got the approval he did start doing good, and it was his army that killed Philip and brought the war to an end. Church and his army received the preeminent trophy by “‘[Philips] head was brought into Plymouth in great triumph,’” (Philbrick 338). The church record says Philip had been “‘slain two or three days before, so that in the day of our praises our eyes saw the salvation of god.’” (Philbrick 338). This quote proves that bringing Philips head into Plymouth meant that the war was won and over, all because of Churches army. Church could also notice things when no one else could, he was meeting with the Awashonks because he wanted them as allies in his army. when they were drinking rum to the sachems health. Church could tell by the way the sachem watched him drink she suspected that Church poisoned the rum, so when the sachem refused to take the calabash, “Church poured some rum into his palm, slurped it down, and raising up the guard, took yet another ‘good swig,’” (Philbrick 314). Church noticing and how quick he was to act on it was very good. When Church drank rum out of his palm he saved the alliance with the Awashonks, and without it they would not have contributed in Churches army. without them the army would have had less people and maybe things would have turned out differently. So this was an important time for Church to use his wit. Having an idea and making the army that won the war for plymouth, and realizing something is off and acting on it saving an alliance was very witty and heroic of Church to do.
Church is a hero who is a person that believed their enemy is not inherently malevolent, but also has wit and bravery.
Church was a brave leader, he was willing to risk his own life for the army's best interest at winning the battle. He is also very compassionate to the Indians who have not done anything against Church, he is not quick to judge and hate on all Indians. Church had wit, he had a very good tactic of what his army should be like to have the best chance of winning the war. Church is a hero who is likes to win the right way, not by enslaving and killing innocent indians. He may have started out as one of the leaders who led a small group of men, but he ended leading an army of both Englishmen and Indians in a very heroic
way.