Otter and Crocket

Otter and Crocket

Crockett considered life as an absolute saga, coupled with the added charisma of undeniable reality and his virtue was that he was willing to devote his life for his loved ones and fellow countrymen. However in spite of his virtues there were also dubious elements involved in Crockett's activities, hence he cannot be considered as a completely virtuous person. Again with regard to William Otter, virtue was in relation to setting things right. However he attempted to dubious means to achieve his ends which raises doubts about his idea of virtue. Finally we shall attempt to have an understanding of the antebellum period and discuss Crockett and Otter in relation to it.

We shall first have a discussion about David Crockett and his understanding of virtue and whether he was virtuous. Crockett considered life as an absolute saga, coupled with the added charisma of undeniable reality and his virtue was that he was willing to devote his life for his loved ones and fellow countrymen. David Crockett had very humble beginnings and the home where he spent his early days was more modest than what one can think of. It was the height of impoverishment which, compared with advanced sense of societal existence, is considered indispensable to secured living. The Indian tent offered as much shelter from the environment, and had proper furnishing, as the cottage of wood where his father's family used to dwell. What appears from his humble beginnings was that David Crockett had hardly anything to wear during his younger days. These grim realities of his childhood days need to be kept in mind, which will help us in comprehending the situations in which his personality was shaped. He lacked any education whatsoever in belief, ethics, conduct, or intellectual discipline. We cannot take for granted that his uneducated father and mother were very well mannered in maintaining a well-balanced household culture, or that their precedence could have been precious enough for giving David an edge in building him for the grueling battle that is called life. It would be next to impossible to locate any person, in a civilized country, who could have had diminished scope for ethical culture compared to what Crockett got in his childhood days. (Andrew, pp: 14-16)

Immediately after he started his primary education, Crockett fled from home to avoid getting rebuked by his father. Crockett described this behavior as a calculated departure, which persisted for the years when he started earning a living for himself as a worker on daily wages and also performed other errands to take care of himself. The impulsive chap, uninitiated about the snowballing effect, was determined to try to surmount any danger, despite every opposition. He ignored adversity and pulled on in high spirits weathering every obstacle. He was able bodied, possessed an excellent temperament, and was resilient to any type of job. There was no looming threat of him getting ravenous; and endurances, which most would think adversity, didn't dodge him down. Without getting appalled, he wandered, clutching on to whatever job he could secure for himself, till he had made him some provision of outfits and only some money in his wallet. On his coming home, his fortunes had changed to such an extent that his family members failed to identify him initially. But ultimately when they could identify him, he realized that the past has been pardoned. David responded to their kindness by engaging in a job for nearly one year to pay off his family's loan and thereafter resumed schooling. (Andrew, pp: 45-48)

We shall now take a look at some other events wherein we can find his virtue by means of his love for his fellow countrymen. David during his younger days was not a petulant person and he stayed clear of scuffles and hostility. There had been no incident in his life to measure his guts till he joined the Army. Even though hunting thrilled him, however little threat was present in it. Stags and smaller animals didn't pose any threat. However, the carnage held at Fort Mimms stirred up and rekindled the courage within him. He could gauge immediately with the sense that if the barbarians are not rapidly vanquished, they would devastate the entire area; and that it will lead to fallout of not just his family, but all the others as well. It was his instinct that each and every person was destined to resort to weapons for the purpose of safeguarding oneself. Crockett's wife did not support him on this initially and he endeavored to persuade her by mentioning that his fellow citizens have lost their lives, and that he was aware that Indians in their subsequent salvo would target everyone in the region, if they failed to prevent it. The thrill was strong. The Creek Indians were extremely strong, and in astuteness and competence in warfare far more ahead compared to majority of the Indian tribes. Crockett pioneered to offer his services to set up a company to fight against the Indian tribe -- Creek Indians. It took just a week to form the entire company, and began it's embark to unite with others to launch an offensive of the Creek nation. (Andrew, pp: 61-65)

While in the army, he gained unlimited fame due to his amusing character. During that period, he was all the time cheerful. Whenever Crockett arrived, he plunged the people with bouts of laughter which lasted even after he left. His razor sharp memory was his asset, where every minute detail seemed to have stored. His brain was a perennial repository of tales that he was able to reproduce immediately. Even though these were not ever, on the contrary hardly sophisticated, were nevertheless bespoken to uplift the spirits of the people in the war front. David Crockett's solo presence at the camp and in the cabin was inimitable and was a great source of comfort and encouragement to his fellow fighters of war. At times even if he struggled to recall an expounding tale, it came naturally to him to create a new one. His mind-blowing generosity and a fine temperament were infinite. People in need never returned empty handed from him. He would even satisfy the hunger of others and enable them to have food at the cost of himself. Spontaneously, he would exhaust his ultimate savings to get a blanket for a warrior trembling from fever, and not take himself any credit for the act, and brood over it any more. He acted in this manner naturally. (Andrew, pp: 72-76)

This was the character of David Crocket, who, due to his sheer liking for exploration, deserted his family, in the terrible seclusion of the backwoods, to tag along the path of General Jackson. Lacking schooling, sophistication, money or social status, or any other individual external good looks, he was completely self-assured and expert in every situation. At no point of time did he reveal the tiniest discomfiture. The thought appeared to have passed his mind that there could be a soul greater than himself, or any other person so modest that Crockett was at liberty to treat him with disdain. He had a real democratic thinking that treated everybody at par. Moreover, this was not the outcome of his thinking, or any political or ethical belief. This was his instinct, which was his quality without any infringement, like his physique or skin color. This is one of the exceptional attributes to be seen in any person. What I have stated is the actuality. (pp: 77-82) In this journey Crockett has earned such a huge amount of faith of the officers that he appeared to have earned unhindered freedom. He was at complete liberty to travel anywhere acted in whatever manner he liked. Nearly, regularly during night time, marching abreast with his fellow countrymen, he could come home carrying some small hunt.

Regardless of his virtues, Crockett has also the other side to this character. This could be emphasized by means of his two-faced strategies deployed. For example, to induce his soldiers to combat, David takes recourse to deception. He addresses a message to a girl in whom he was interested, to resemble that it been penned by the then Mexican President, expecting that his soldiers would take revenge for such an activity from the President. Let us see how Crockett deals with his soldiers, who are talking about an imminent clash. The men were absolutely indifferent and among them, one comments: Among the Texans present here none bears a relationship with me, hence why should I take their side in the fighting? Crockett allows the letter to provide a response to this query. There are also other incidents of his duplicity which could be witnessed. Another example is where Crockett's lackadaisical endeavor at mediation between Travis, the informed leader and Bowie, the average person does not produce the anticipated bargain. Sporadically Crockett belittles Travis with notes, like that when one alights from one's horse, one do not get fat, but would rage the control. Even though for the major portion, Crockett tries to calm Bowie with a drink, at no point of time, the two of them lead to an agreement. Ultimately, Bowie will consent to Travis' being better informed. Here Crockett's task as the negotiator is a delusion which points to the duplicity of his virtues. (Andrew, pp: 118-121)

Let us now view another incident wherein it could be witnessed that he was not truly virtuous and it was own motives which guided him. The sufferings of waging a battle had shattered Crockett's keenness for explorations, and this had made him clear-headed to a major part. Crockett stayed at home for a couple of years, meticulously engaging in his activity in his farm. Accord was made with the pitiable Indians, who, through the maneuverability by the British had been motivated in the ruinous struggle. The call of death arrived inside Crockett's home and his dutiful better half, the loving mother of his kids, were snatched from him. A widow used to stay in the locality, an extremely commendable woman, whose husband met with the fate of death in the battle. She was also the mother of two kids. Crocket took a decision to be her husband and a father to her kids and the lady will also take care of his kids. However, the itinerant tendency was ever inside him. The boredom of a peasant's life took the better of him and he desired for something new. (Andrew, pp: 125-126)

Following a lot of expeditions of voyage, Crockett's fortune was again soaring. There was not a tread of hesitancy within him. Armed with an ardent sense of local knowledge, steady self-assurance, a reminiscence nearly astoundingly piled up with vulgar tales, and an amazing expertise in the idiomatic and vernacular language, he felt never humiliated, and never fumbled for words or was hesitant in his actions. He started to see high and was elected to be a leader. His preferences, which were his unique, were appreciative, and he relished what meant to him were the comforts of living. Within a short period, he put everything around him in his favor. During his initial stepping into the Congress, he was just a large man, possessing a tough mind, however completely without any knowledge, and culture. Under the guidance of the Congress, he quickly came of age; and in some extent became aware to the realization of his immense intellectual deficiencies and tried to work upon it to progress to higher quarters. (Andrew, pp: 142-146)

Crockett kept the house in good humor, and was able to swank that he was not just amusing himself, nevertheless the reason behind the humor in other people. His tales were charismatically humorous, but the basic ingredient within it had shades of blasphemy or roughness. After having drunk the bliss of political opportunities for the first time, and the thrill of being in power, his hushed wander in the forests and their antique appeal had vanished. A fresh world of delight was unfolding in front of him. Beliefs which never occurred in his mind were crossing his mind. He kept his eyes wide open to observe everything which was commendable of observation. He kept his ear to the ground to hear of any novel innovation. (Andrew, pp: 146-150)

Thus to sum up, Crockett had the virtues of standing up for his family and for his country men. However his virtues also had also its duplicity, so as his personality, as he progressed in life. It could be said of Crockett that he is intended to be in the midway between "usual" and "unusual" both within the meaning of warfare, and the increasingly normal meaning -- conformist as against ingenious. David Crockett in the annals of history established himself as a dreadful male protagonist in self-proclaimed manner. Crockett holds enough astuteness and intricacy, laced with the coating of ease needed to reunite the clash between Travis, the cultured and Bowie, the shrewd. However, his duplicity ventured into his virtues whenever he wanted to do anything good. Truly, Crockett was never an idol. However, he was an emblematic man. He was willfully one among an extremely countless categories, continue to be present, and which has since then put a tremendous dominant control on the country. Therefore, his uncultivated and astounding life merits learning by every nationalist.

Next we analyze whether William Otter was virtuous or not, and what virtue mean to him. Virtue to him was to set things rights when they were not. But for performing these virtuous acts he did not bother whether he was using the right means or not. We can understand this by means of an incident given here. One day, a group of boys together with Otter went to the home of someone named J. M'Dermot, who was a manager of a pearl outlet, in order to correct the matters in his organization, as he warranted it, as he was a person of an imperious rush of decision, and they decided to place him where he should have been. Sooner they assembled their group of friends, and were confident of their numerical strength; they started the game of what was dubbed as billiards in their own right, to go with alcohol. Their game lasted for sometime and then they started to pick up a squabble within themselves, as believed, and as the noise increased its intensity for M'Dermot, he emerged in the midst of them, and informed them that in case they did not calm themselves, he would throw the entire pack outside. (Stott, pp: 49-50)

Replying his threat, they stated that he could nothing. The moment his ears heard what they said, he manhandled some of them, and they found that they got their response, and started to manhandle them. Whatever, he could realize was that the intensity of the blows increased and became faster, and he was rambling on the ground, at the receiving end of the knocks from everybody who could try a hand at him. Some of the Negroes who were working for M'Dermot also bore the brunt of the bystanders, and pushed them into the kitchen and thrashed them into a pulp; this whole action happening in the vault and the entire operation was accomplished in hush without the knowledge of the security personnel. After accomplishing their mission the entire shop was being gashed out. (Stott, pp: 49-50)

When we go further we emphasize that William Otter cannot be considered as virtuous, as he resorted to wrong tactics to get his work done and this can be understood by another example. On a particular occasion, to have the farewell gala at Mr. Drakes, Otter joined his fellow men and as per the slot, their group got together and entered into an agreement for their admission charges. They decided to go and turn up, of ten persons, and the remaining of the team will be charging inside, when the earlier ten who had right to admission went inside. They summoned Drake, and enquired if he would admit ten of their group inside in return for an amount. He promised entry, only if they maintained proper behavior and would not create any commotion. They assured that they would refrain from any unruly behavior -- that their conduct would be peaceful and organized. They left and informed their colleagues about their meeting with Drake, that the deal has been done and they would reach till the door, and keep close to the guards at the door, and start shoving forward, to compel that the door be ajar, and someone would tackle the guards at the door, and remove him from his position, so that they would fail to identify the persons involving in the push and pull; and the entrance was stretched open up what their joints would permit, and they all entered in. (Stott, pp. 52-53)