To begin, Brutus’s speech was formal and more directed to the Romans. In his introduction, he starts with “Romans, countrymen, and lovers!” This was used to join everyone together and later help him justify Caesar’s death. Throughout the text, he describes Caesar as an “ambitious” man. Calling Caesar ambitious makes it seem that Caesar only thought about himself. On the other hand, Antony’s speech was more personal and sarcastic. In contrary to Brutus he opens his speech with “Friends, Romans, countrymen…”. This sets up his later statements of being Caesar’s friend. Throughout his speech, he uses paralipsis and repetition to poke at Brutus but at the same time save Caesar’s reputation. Throughout Antony’s speech, he uses devices, tactics, and his sympathy to his advantage. Brutus only had one point, which was that he killed Caesar for Rome, to stand on. All in all, Antony’s speech was better and more persuasive than Brutus's.
<u>Answer</u>:
(C) Belief in the power of the individual is one of the conventions of Romanticism.
<u>Explanation</u>:
Romanticism’s one convention is the belief in the power of an individual. This concept of individualism has always fascinated the romantics. They believed that human beings are always in a constant search of their self and only come to a conclusion when they find the identity of their true self.
Famous romantics like Rousseau often commented on this concept classifying it as “antinomy”. Also Keats’ poems have a lot of content on individuality which proves that famous romantics believed individualism as an important convention of romanticism.
<u>Describe, in your own words, Sartre’s idea of the importance of reality and how that concept informs his view of cowardice.</u>
In his 1946 work <em>"Existentialism is Humanism",</em> Sartre explores existentialism and its effect on humanity. He states that a <u>coward</u> is: <em>"defined by the deed that he has done. What people feel obscurely, and with horror, is that the coward as we present him is guilty of being a coward." </em>The action of the coward defines him, an aspect that can be changed only by him. If he is committed to change what defines him, he can erase the notion of being a coward.
Nevertheless, Sartre mentions that “<em>There is no reality except in action</em>”, and this reveals the <u>importance of reality</u>. Humans, regardless of the outcome of an unattainable future, are still in control of some aspects of their reality through their actions; thus, they can shape their individual futures in a way.
This is <u><em>"total freedom"</em></u> defined solely by the individual, as Sartre says: <em>"Those who hide from this total freedom, in a guise of solemnity or with deterministic excuses, I shall call cowards." </em>What matters in someone's existence is what is decided. A <u>decision </u>is going to shape someone's reality and will define whether the person is a <em>hero</em> or a <em>coward</em>.<em> </em>
All things rejoice in youth and love/The fullness of their first delight!
