Sir Thomas More example essay topic

A man for all seasons: Prompt: Sir Thomas More may have an adamantine sense of his own self, but he is clearly a na " ive individual who underestimates his enemies. He places too much faith in the law, and ultimately betrays his family, his country and his Prompt: Sir Thomas More may have an adamantine sense of his own self, but he is clearly a na " ive individual who underestimates his enemies. He places too much faith in the law, and ultimately betrays his family, his country and his monarch. Do you agree?

Sir Thomas More may have an 'adamantine sense of his own self', but he is clearly a na " ive individual who placed too much faith in the law, and underestimated his enemies. As his belief of his own self was tested, More put aside his family, his country, and his monarch, ultimately betraying them. Being the top lawyer in the country, More had a complex understanding of the machinery that operates the law. His outstanding belief in the law being a 'causeway upon which so long as he keeps to it' he may 'walk safely' dictated to him that he had done nothing wrong in keeping silent, for 'silence gives consent'.

'In the thickets of law', More was a forester, and this confidence backed up the previous argument of silence. His naivety in believing the law is also expressed in his conversation with Alice. He refers to his silence as a 'lifeline' which he didn't 'have to use, but it was comforting to have'. More's silence over the King's divorce had branded him a traitor, but infact his belief in God had overridden the King. A central theme in 'A man for all seasons', Chapuys states that 'no man can work for two masters'.

Remove More's understanding of the intricate processes of law, his status and wealth, all that remains is this 'adamantine sense of his own self', which in essence, is Thomas More's flame to uphold the practice of the Church. He explains to Norfolk that '... God is love right through, Howard, and that's myself'. Unable to comprehend her own husband's thought and actions, Alice questions More's mysterious thoughts on the divorce. More's comforting statement that 'when they find I'm silent, they " ll ask nothing better than to leave me silent' quells her anxiety, but he places them second along his belief, thus betraying them. The only person who could understand and More was Meg, for she had 'long known the secrets of his heart'.

The promise of the world at hand, More does not once fold under the pressure, and in return, his belief of himself is buried alongside his grave. Second to his belief, his daughter Meg desperately tries to persuade him to give in, but to no avail. Her four main arguments are brushed aside, and he teaches her a final lesson that 'when a man takes an oath, he's holding his own self in his own hands, like water. And if he opens his fingers, then - he need " nt hope to find himself again'.

Willing to sacrifice everything on earth for entry into heaven is all that matters to More. Having opposed the King of England, betrayed his country, and leaving his family to struggle, this na " ive man called Sir Thomas More tested his own belief and not once changed his position. This position was what gave him the title of a traitor and landed his head into a gruesome basket at the tower of England, but his legacy of integrity continues.