Colin Fanelli

Martyrs: The Ultimate Sacrifice

AgendaAgenda

•Background Information

•Romeo and Juliet

•After The First Death

•John Kennedy

•The Story of Prometheus

•The Da Vinci Code

•Martin Luther King Jr.

Background InformationBackground Information

• Martyr- “One who chooses to make great sacrifices in order to further a belief, cause, or principle” (New Webster Dictionary).

• The word martyr comes from the Greek word Martus, which means witness.

• The concept of martyrdom is depicted in art, literature, myth, and history.

Focal QuestionsFocal Questions

• Who/what causes the character to die…?

• In what ways does the character put him/herself in a perilous situation…?

• For what cause does the character die…?

Martyrdom in Romeo and JulietMartyrdom in Romeo and Juliet

• Romeo and Juliet fall madly in love with each other even though there is a deadly feud between their families.

• “For this alliance may so happy prove to turn your households’ rancor to pure love.” (2.3.98)

• Juliet says she will kill herself if she can’t be with her love Romeo.

• “I long to die if what thou speak’st speak not of remedy.” (4.1.67-68)

Martyrdom in Romeo and JulietMartyrdom in Romeo and Juliet

• Both Romeo and Juliet die as a result of the hatred that exists between their two families.

• “For never was a story of more woe than this of Juliet and her Romeo.” (5.3.320-321)

• They were martyrs for their love for each other.

Martyrs in After the First Death

Martyrs in After the First Death

• The terrorists are willing to die for their cause.

• Miro would have been honored to die fighting for what he believed in, but he sacrifices his own needs for the benefit of others.

• Miro and Artkin are martyrs because they value their cause more then they value their lives.

Martyrs in After the First Death

Martyrs in After the First Death

• “The blood that spills is the fuel that will bring us back to our homeland.” (130)

• “It would have been glorious to die with Artkin on the bridge. But it was more important to carry on the work.” (232)

Elegy For JFKBy: W.H. Auden

Elegy For JFKBy: W.H. Auden

• President Kennedy knew that he was taking a risk driving through Dallas in an open car.

• “Why then, why there,

Why thus, we cry, did he die?” (103)

Elegy Elegy

• American citizens consider President Kennedy a martyr, because he was killed while trying to be accessible to the public.

• “What he was, he was;

What he is fated to become

Depends on us.”

The Story of PrometheusRetold by Jay Macpherson

The Story of PrometheusRetold by Jay Macpherson

• The fact that Prometheus put up with such torture for his immortal life means that he was a martyr to the people willing to go through torture for eternity to give the people fire.

• “He (Zeus) sent two of his strong servants to bind him to a rock in the Caucasus Mountains, where he lay for long ages stretched out, held down by chains, exposed alike to hot sun and fierce winds and piercing cold. To increase his torments, Zeus sent an eagle to tear continually at his liver.” (93)

The Story of PrometheusThe Story of Prometheus

• Since Prometheus is immortal he has to live with this torture forever.

• “Because the Titan was immortal like Zeus himself, his sufferings were to be without end…” (93)

Martyrs in The Da Vinci Code

Martyrs in The Da Vinci Code

In the movie The Da Vinci Code there are many martyrs. Many people died for causes that they believed in, they might not have been what we believed in but they were willing to sacrafice themselves for it.

• Silas

• Jacques Saunière

• Jesus Christ

Martys in The Da Vinvi Code

Martys in The Da Vinvi Code

Silas: Is it a secret you will die for?

Jacques Saunière: Please

Silas: As you wish

Jacques Saunière:Wait. My god forgive me. Beneath the rose.

Silas: (Shots fired killing Jacques Saunière)

A Martyr in Real Life Martin Luther King Jr.A Martyr in Real Life Martin Luther King Jr.

• Martin Luther King Jr. spread his message of peace and equality and the importance of civil rights. He was very aware that many people disliked him, and he escaped death many times.

• “And I’ve looked over. And I’ve seen The Promised Land. I might not get there with you tonight, that we, as a people, will get to The Promised Land.” (American Rhetoric)

Martin Luther King Jr.

• Mr. King knew that he was going to be killed eventually because of the type of work he was doing. He foreshadowed his own assassination in a speech the night before his famous “I have a dream speech”

• I have seen the promised land Martin Luther King Jr.

The ConclusionThe Conclusion

The martyr in a story is willing to die or face extreme amount of pain and torture for a cause they believe in or for a person. This character is crucial in the tragedy archetype it illustrates the willingness of one who gives themselves up.

Bibliography

•http://www.writespirit.net/inspirational_talks/political/martin_luther_king_talks/martin-luther-king2.jpg

•http://www.liechtensteinmuseum.at/en/pages/showImage.asp?src=/assets/images/51DF1.jpg&width=330&page=1415

•http://www.dotphoto.com/SAN1/66/1D/60/i661D606C-3F5E-4D57-A4D3-E109CFBD55B2.jpg

•http://images.amazon.com/images/P/0440208351.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg

•http://dailylight.files.wordpress.com/2008/11/romeo-juliet-romeo-and-juliet-431830_1024_768.jpg

•http://www.morethings.com/god_and_country/jesus/last_supper_davinci.jpg

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