Elizabeth II (post 5)

The next section of this biography of Queen Elizabeth II focuses on the time between Prince Charles' marriage and Diana's death. Once again, it follows mainly Charles and Diana's relationship and the queen's reaction to their problems. Lacey's book gives a vary detailed description of Charles' and Diana's marriage problems, their separation and divorce and Diana's death. However, on interesting story about the queen involves a man, Michael Fagan, who broke into Buckingham palace, entered the Queen's bedroom, sat down on her bed and started to talk to her. The Queen pressed her alarm button several times, but got no response. It took two phone calls to get the police to come and arrest the intruder. During all this, the Queen kept Fagan talking and remained calm. This section also talks about the Queen's parenting style-- she let her children make their own mistakes, and she would not block embarrassing press coverage when they get themselves into it (such as when Prince Edward agreed to appear on a game show on which people made themselves look stupid playing games). There is also a chapter about the "annus horriblis" (328). During 1992, Diana and Charles announced their formal separation and Winsdor palace burned down.
The Queen, during all this, did not hesitate to make changes that needed to be made in a new era. She surrendered the monarch's traditional tax exemption and authorized many changes in the way the palace and royal staff were run. According to Lacey, "'Fine, Let's go,' ran one account of her reaction. 'Stop mucking around'" (329). However, she remained stubbornly opinionated on the way she conducted herself in public. Lacey writes that, " her regal instincts revived when an over-officious producer tried to hurry the family out onto the balcolny to fit inside the BBC's scheduled time slot. Elizabeth II declined to be hurried, and the seconds ticked down to the deadline" (342). Clearly, Elizabeth still possessed the stubborness for which she is famous.

Elizabeth II (post 4)

The next section of Monarch: The Life and Reign of Elizabeth II focuses on the time between Elizabeth II's Coronation and a few years after her Silver Jubilee. Once again, there is a lot more information on Prince Margaret (the Queen's sister), Prince Philip (the Queen's husband) and Prince Charles (the Queen's eldest child) than there is about the Queen herself. Lacey recounts Princess Margaret's marital woes in greater detail than is relevant. The Queen's marriage was not entirely smooth either. Loud arguments were heard by staff from behind closed doors. The issue of the names of the royal children was a major point of tension. Prince Philip was angry that he was not allowed to give his name to his children (because of royal precedent, the Queen's children were expected to take the name of Winsdor), and this caused significant dissent not only between the Queen and Philip, but also between Philip and the government. Prince Charles went through several years of both less-than-serious girlfriends and potential wives (several of which he proposed to and was turned down) before his parent's encouragement prompted him to choose Diana Spencer as his bride. During this time, he met, fell in love with and had two affairs with Camilla Parker Bowles.

Underneath all the superfluous details, the Queen is constantly mentioned as being stoic, though more willing to show emotion in public, upright and regal. Her Coronation and Silver Jubilee both spurred revivals in public feelings for the monarchy, with huge crowds turning out to witness the events, both on television and in person. Lacey also discusses her reaction to the rising costs of keeping the monarchy afloat. When rising inflation and increased unemployment made it more and more difficult for the government to pay the costs of the monarchy, she is reported to have dipped into her own pocket to help shoulder the costs. Another issue that the Queen shows her willingness to compromise is the continued rising importance of the press. Lacey recounts how the Queen was "chief opponent of television," (183). However, she allowed most of the Coronation to be televised, though with restrictions on the types of shots and which moments could not be filmed (183). This shows her growing sense of the new era of media that she would rule in, and the increasing sense of ownership the people had over their monarch. Though sometimes Elizabeth would be reluctant to make the changes a new era demanded, her newly-created willingness to connect with the people shows her acceptance change. In the late 1960s, she even allowed the BBC to construct a documentary, called Royal Family, about (who would've guessed?) the royal family. However, she also demonstrated that she would not be pushed around or be afraid of the people if she did not want to be. When she was the victim of an assassination attempt on June 13, 1981, she "steadied her horse Burmese and rode on to arrive at her birthday parade on the stroke of eleven" (285). Britain was entering a new era where the Queen belonged to her people, and Elizabeth's challenge was to belong to her people while still being who she was.

Elizabeth II (post 3)

The third section of Monarch: The Life and Reign of Elizabeth II focuses on her growth from a child to a young adult. At the beginning of the section, her father has just been crowned George VI, making her next in line for the crown. Her education is begun under Sir Henry Marten, who taught her history and government most of all. Her textbooks contain notes in the margins on how to rule (even if her powers are mostly ceremonial) effectively. She wrote, "If the King had a strong will, and a good capacity for business, he ruled the witan [an early form of Parliament]; if not, the witan was the prevailing power in the State" (117). She also, however, recognized that the monarchs did not have much power in the modern world, and the era before elected ministers was noted as "The days before responsible government" (117). She chose to rule responsibly and sensibly, putting her people before herself. This was in contrast to her uncle's reign, which was dominated by a powerful and overdone sense of progress and a decision to abdicate for personal reasons. Elizabeth would argue that no personal reason is a good enough excuse.
Elizabeth continues to grow older, and she makes her debut as a public figure. Most of her work was charity- related, though she did take an Army class in auto mechanics to help the war effort. She met, and fell in love with at age 13, her third cousin Philip, whom she would marry. Another burst of character shows through the cloud of public facade in her response to her former governess, who wanted to publish a tell-all series of articles for the Ladies' HOme Journal. When Princess Elizabeth asked her not to give information to any journalists, she softened the blow by offering her former governess another job. She chooses gentle firmness over her sister Margaret's disdain. Elizabeth's first two children, Prince Charles and Princess Anne, are born. For all her public kindness, Elizabeth does not seem to have been a particularly maternal figure. She left her young son and newborn daughter with their grandparents for Christmas in 1950, as she had done to Charles in 1949. However, when her father died in 1952, she stayed in England to prepare for her new role as sovereign.

Traitor or Whistle-blower?

The difference between a treasonous act and an act that will benefit society does not have a textbook answer. The film On the Waterfront explores that divide. Terry, a character in the movie who does not work for the tyrannical mob but is friendly with them, must decide whether to testify against the mob for the death of a boy who was pushed off the roof. While he is trying to decide, many people give him advice on how to act. His brother Charlie is part of the mob and believes that Terry's first duty is to his friends. By friends, he means the mob. Charlie thinks that you are ratting on your friends when you testify against them. On the other hand, the local priest knows that what the mob does is wrong and encourages Terry to testify against them. He knows that silence will not help the workers who cannot earn decent wages because of the mob, and so the mob needs to be taken down. The priest thinks that you are not committing treason when you are acting against your friends and family for the greater good of the society. In the end, Terry decides that he must end the injustice even if he might have to sacrifice himself to do so.
I believe that a traitor is only someone who does something for selfish reasons. If they are doing it for the greater good of the society, then it is excusable. Even if you are selling out on your friends, if it will drastically improve the community's well-being then it is alright. For example, if you have a friend that you know has been stealing iPods, then it would be much better to turn them in and keep them from continuing t0 anger those who they have stolen from and progressing to worse thefts. You are genuinely helping society. However, if you simply want to see you friend get into trouble, then you are ratting your friend out.

Family or Society?

In the novel All My Sons by Arthur Miller, many characters are faced with the choice of putting family or society first. The most obvious example of a character who places family over society is Joe Keller, who ships out faulty airplane parts instead of losing his contract with the Air Force. He says to his son, "The paper, it was all over the front page, twenty-one went down, it was too late.... Chris, I did it for you, it was a chance and I took it for you" (70). Joe wants to pass his business down to his son, and he uses that as a justification for causing the deaths of 21 pilots flying in airplanes with his faulty parts in them. Joe feels like this is a reasonable excuse, because he simply wants his son to have a better life than he did what parent could be blamed for that? Chris, on the other hand, feels much differently. He resents his father's actions and does not want a business that came at the expense of 21 lives. Chris rages, "What is that, the world-- the business? What the hell do you mean, you did it for me? Don't you have a country? Don't you live in the world? What the hell are you? You're not even an animal, no animal kills his own, what are you?" (70). Chris fought in the war and he knows how devastating 21 deaths can be, so he feels like a better life for him is by no means a justification for the lives that ended.
Personally, I feel that there are very few instances when family can be placed before society. In little matters, it may be all right, such as choosing to open the door for your grandmother rather than the other little old lady. However, it is also important to remember that every statistic, every stranger, and every person in the world has someone who cares about them, just like you do. If a family member and a stranger were trapped on a sinking ship, and you only had room in the lifeboat for one, then the stranger's family would feel just as much grief for the loss of their loved one as you would for your relative. This conundrum also causes many debated issues in modern politics, with questions such as: Higher taxes or fewer programs for the poor? Should senior citizens have to pay taxes for the school system? and whether or not day care should be provided by the government. Even if it may prevent your family from going on your annual vacation, remember that someone who is in need would be grateful for the sacrifice you have made. I believe that society should be placed before family in most circumstances, and this will help everyone live a better life.

Miller, Arthur. All My Sons. New York: Penguin, 2000.

Elizabeth II (post 2)

The rest of Part 1 of the book Monarch: The Life and Reign of Elizabeth II has actually disappointingly little to do with the Queen herself. Mainly, it highlights the generations leading up to Elizabeth: King Edward VII and King George V, Elizabeth II's grandfather. The second part of the book continues with the generations more closely related to the current Queen, with her Uncle David who would become King Edward VIII and her father who would be King George VI. Elizabeth is not introduced until chapeter 5. She is described as the perfect little child, always well behaved and more like an adult than a kid. However, she does manage to blend some youthful spirit into an upbringing that groomed her for royal etiquette. It is said she replied, as a nine-year-old, to the Archbishop of Canterbury's request that she take a walk with him: "Yes, very much... But please do not tell me anything more about God. I know all about him already" (94). Other accounts show that the young Princess Elizabeth loved to be the center of attention and was "'almost as pleased' to see her mother as if the duchess had been 'quite a large crowd'" (83). I think that it is very interesting that someone who grew up always being revered and cherished did not become a snobbish, spoiled little girl. In fact, she has done the opposite and learned from her Uncle David's self-centered abdication. A family friend said, "'Her Uncle let the side down, he put personal pleasure before his duties. She has deliberately done the reverse'" (104). This highlights her decision to become not a celebrity, but a servant of her country.

Lacey, Robert. Monarch:The Life and Reign of Elizabeth II. New York: The Free Press, 2002.

Elizabeth II

The prologue and first chapter of the book Monarch: The Life and Reign of Elizabeth II does not begin with her childhood. Rather, it focuses on two on the most marked events of the royal family in the last 200 years: Queen Victoria's reign and the death of Princess Diana. The book uses the Queen's reaction to the Princess's death to highlight Elizabeth the II's character: she posses a great deal of common sense, has an unbreakable determination and is brutally honest. The book uses not her quotes, which could be biased by humility, but the quotes of those close to her. A private secretary of the Queen's told Lacey that "'The Queen has ruthless common sense... If you can explain clearly why something has to be done, and she agrees, that's the end of the matter'" (8). This was particularly referring to her decision to fly a flag at half mast above Buckingham Palace, something that had not been done for anyone ever before and which the Queen was against. This reminded me of John Grady's preference for an older, simpler, and quiter life. She does not believe in saying things that she does not believe. Lacey writes of an incident where the Queen displayed her overwhelming honesty. Lacey writes, "' I am very pleased to be in Kingston today,' the draft [of the speach] confidentely started. The young queen crossed out the word 'very.' 'I will be pleased to be in Kingston,' she explained. 'But I will not be very pleased" (9). The Queen refuses to say anything she does not mean from her heart. This refusal to be someone else's puppet, even in small matters like the word very, reminds me of Blevin's refusal to show off to impress John Grady an Rawlins. Queen Elizabeth is also compared to Queen Victoria, in her will, strength and reign.

Lacey, Robert. Monarch:The Life and Reign of Elizabeth II. New York: The Free Press, 2002.