9 Is Napoléon Bonaparte a hero or a tyrant?
Pan POV
He was asked a question.
"Is Napoléon Bonaparte a hero or a tyrant? Did he save the revolution or destroy it?". Nee's question caught my attention. Napoléon Bonaparte's name ring a bell!
There was a short silence after Nee asked the question.
Normally, and according to the guidelines, the candidates can prepare for 5 minutes before they can present their arguments and points. In his case, after my brother throws him the question and before the crowd starts to cheer, he started to talk without preparation time. His thinking, I would say, is abrupt and his answer dashed right after the question was asked without procrastination.
He said.
"Former Prime Minister Lionel Jospin accused Napoléon Bonaparte of, I quote, "perverting the ideas of revolution".....and....." imposing a form of 'extreme domination', 'despotism' and 'a police state' on French people". While many people would think that Napoléon Bonaparte did SAVE the revolution, my point lies on the other end of the historical spectrum.... I would agree with former Prime Minister!"
"Napoléon Bonaparte" he paused. " He was a tyrant who invaded all of Europe to satiate his 'personal stature-based insecurities'. Napoléon Bonaparte introduced a new constitution and legal code that retained some of the most important fruits of the revolution: Freedom of Religion, The Abolition of Hereditary Rights and the Equality Before the Law of all Men. While THESE can be deemed breakthroughs during his reign, the last is literally biased to the Male Gender.... This 'diminutive dictator' deprived women the rights that the revolution had endowed to them and pushed back SLAVERY..... in French colonies and I believe.... that is against the very essence of Equality."
He continued to say, " I still doubt why Napoléon Bonaparte was popular among the French. He MUST have tampered some facts and stitch those he tore to his personal advantage in order for him to be remembered in History."
That was explained expertly. But his point of view rattled my bones that I wanted to disprove his claims. He spoke as if I was listening to a speaker with a very distinct accent in English. Accent that is clear and precise words are chosen purposely enough to confine the mystified.
Nonetheless, his idea that Napoléon Bonaparte is a ruler who has this absolute, cruel and unfair power over his domain is 'arguably debatable' and that I raised my brows about it. It provoked me to stand and wave the towel while raising my hand before he continues to condemn the nearly broken or shall I say the shattered image or reputation of Napoléon Bonaparte.
I held my head to the center as I gazed at the person standing steadily in front of the roaring cheerers and onlookers. I was instantly locked. Suddenly, I realized it was a mistake to get involved. But it was too late to lower my hand because the female professor who talked a while ago noticed and pointed me to say something. I looked at Nee who is sitting on the side narrowing his eyes but not even expressing a surprise.
My legs moved like they were programmed to take a few steps and to make my way to the center. The girls sitting beside me were saying something I cannot understand. They were tittering and covering their mouths to chitchat without knowing what they are talking about. I stood near the front row. In a swift span of time, my mighty, 'Byakugan', my eyes were involuntarily thunderstruck at a clear visage of a fine man standing at the center of the stage. That wasn't apparent at first to where I was sitting.
Now it is clear to see that sometimes my choice of transferring a university has its merits. 😍
"Can I go back to my seat ?....." 😬 I told myself. I was dumbfounded. My thinking starts to concede and I was willing to admit his arguments are right that Napoléon Bonaparte was indeed a tyrant. Everyone who tries to oppose him, would unquestionably kneel down and believe.
The voice of the female professor broke the spell cast unto me. Her tone awakened me from the dumbness of and the ideas I lost started to overflood on my thoughts.
He was just looking at somewhere. He is not looking at me nor to someone else in the crowd. He is looking at something that is invisible perhaps the wind of a tiny insect hovering around the people's heads. Then as the time learns to slow its pace, he turned his head to where I am standing. A smile lightened ease to my confidence. But it was fake and evil but undeniably ensnaring.
Before I could lose my face, I started to talk. Nee narrowed his eyes and tries to tell me something I cannot really guess. My legs are limp and are twisted like I am going to lose my sense of balance. I am still raising my hand with the wet towel tied to my middle finger. I didn't notice it. I didn't feel any tire on my hand.
"You can now lower your hand. That's a dirty right finger, laddie!" the female professor told me as she hands me the microphone to allow me to speak.
"Oppss. I'm sorry..." There was a burst of thundering laughter inside. Nee is shaking his head.
"What exactly is the reason for raising your hand?"
A deep breath started to make me build my confidence.
"I am not going to corroborate Mr. Speaker's idea of Napoléon Bonaparte as a tyrant. Surely this aspect is controversial, yet the very point of view of the speaker is disputable and I believe it was based only on the one side of the case. First, Mr. Speaker stated that Napoléon Bonaparte 'perverted the ideas of revolution', 'created an extreme domination' and labeled him for an 'absolute dictatorship' which equaled him as a tyrant...I strongly believed Napoléon Bonaparte is not a tyrant. Perhaps the best expression is that 'he was securing the budding republic from being ripped by European monarchies'." 😃
As I go on, I started to control the tensed feeling of my nerves. Everyone is listening to me. Nee is wiggling his eyebrows pretending he didn't hear me talking. Mr. Speaker, I don't know his name, so I name him Mr. Speaker to address him responding to a counter.
"By overthrowing its government and seizing power selfishly?" He rebutted.
"Napoléon Bonaparte is a young military officer but his competence is an unequivocal skill. He supported the revolution and its aspirations of liberty and equality. As a matter of fact, the anti-Catholic advocates Robespierre and Jacobin Club who came to prominence and power spread the state of intense fear and an endless execution of the antis. Certainly, the people who sit after them were shaky and unfit to lead. Therefore, Napoléon Bonaparte is a better candidate and to put it in my own vocabulary, a hero!"
"No, he is not." strongly he insists. "He couldn't die unless he took over the entire continent. He even initiated a war that caused the death of many innocent individuals and the entire global tranquility was torn into pieces and blood was spilled all over the land."
"As for the third and fourth argument..., while it was the cause of Napoléon Bonaparte spread out the message of democratic and liberal ideals across the European continent and possibly the world. Bonaparte radically shaped the chaos brought by feudalism into an efficient, modern and secular nation where the power and the voice of the people speak true democracy. This weakened the nobility and failed many monarchies." Continuing my very academic slash historic speech brought me the center of everyone's attention.
"'Diminutive dictator'.....'Stature-based insecurities'. He was in fact at least the average height of his time. The point that he was SHORTER than an average European was just a MYTH, a wrong lesson though in school. The idea about his alleged 'Short' height came from an infamous caricature of British wartime propaganda. He was.....let me jog my memoryyyyyy...5 feet 7 inches, around average height. If you are...let say...a VIP and you're surrounded by bodyguards shorter than your height....say... you're a 6 feet tall and your men in black were just 5 feet....I'll admit you're the first one to get hit when someone throws a ball to you, right?" I can see people nodding.
I did not let him say a word. Whenever he attempts to open his mouth, I robbed their attention and continue speaking what I knew about Napoléon Bonaparte. He cannot even insert himself to topple my position. And he wouldn't.
FYI for him...Papa 'soaked and bathe' me a lot about Napoléon Bonaparte in a 'book tub'. I almost know everything about him from childhood to death. That was unbelievable, yet Thorndike's Law of Exercise applies to me. They named me Napoléon because of Papa's fanatic addiction to Napoléon Bonaparte. Unfortunately, his parents named him René. My dad's name is Napoléon. Additionally, Papa is also a big supporter of the former Uruguayan President- José Alberto "Pepe" Mujica Cordano. I was named Andreas Napoléon and Nee was named José Alberto. My name, very masculine. Indeed! 😗😗😗. A name that suggests a strong patriarchal figure but deep inside I am weak, fragile, soft and foolish, and this does not describe me physically, emotionally and mentally.
