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Essay / Application of the “Art of War” to Benito Cereno by Herman Melville
Through his thirteen chapters of The Art of War, Sun Tzu provides the model of successful conquest for any leader in any no matter what domain metaphorically. Even though Sun Tzu's Art of War only refers to the setting of an actual battlefield, there are many "battlegrounds" in life that people must overcome as leaders. A parallel example to this treatise would be the short story “Benito Cereno” written by Herman Melville. From Captain Delano's perspective, Babo appeared to be a helpful and obedient slave. Although Babo's intelligence and cruelty were clearly noticed by the audience, the short story does not show the audience his other qualities: manipulative and evil but strategic. He was critical and socially responsible, especially toward the slaves of San Dominick. Babo uses the art of war effectively by carefully varying his tactics, developing his plans, dividing large tasks into smaller ones, and attacking with fire. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Babo's leadership was necessary to bring about the slave revolt. A servant in the Spanish colonies for several years, he had carefully planned his slave revolt. His effectiveness as a leader and social skills are particularly tested when Captain Delano boards the slave ship. Delano saw how broken down the San Dominick was and wanted to check the ship. Babo subverts racial politics by forming racial stereotypes that cast black people as obedient but unintelligent. He claims to be Cereno's servant and manages to provide a false explanation regarding the San Dominick's battered appearance. Babo's goal was to present himself as a humble and friendly assistant, more of a companion than a servant. Babo's performance as Cereno's servant is so convincing that Delano repeatedly admires him for his loyalty to his master. This highlights Babo's strategic thinking, as Babo knows he must strike terror into the sailors to keep them from rebelling against him, while also fooling Delano into believing he was an obedient servant. For example, during the shaving scene, Babo accidentally cuts Cereno's cheeks with a razor. (Melville 39) This scene represents the tension that exists between the two characters, since Babo could have easily used the razor to cut anywhere on Cereno's face. In this case, Babo appeared weak when he was actually strong, since Babo cut himself in the face as if Cereno was the one who did it. However, to Captain Delano, Babo seemed weak since he was just a simple servant helping his master shave his face. This directly parallels Chapter 8: Tactic Variation. Tzu states: “The art of war teaches us not to rely on the probability that the enemy will not come, but on our own willingness to receive him; not on the chance of him attacking, but rather on the fact that we have made our position unassailable. » Tzu explains here that you have to be able to adapt to all the conditions you may encounter. While one must respond creatively to unique situations, the response should not be ignorant. Babo didn't know that San Dominick was going to meet Captain Delano, but he almost tricked him in the end by having a quick wit on how to play out the fake scenario. Succeeding in a slave revolt requires strategic planning. At the end of the story, Delano prepares to lower a small boat into the water to return to his own ship. However, Cerenosuddenly threw himself into the boat, with Babo following behind, trying to stab him. As the small boat moved away from the San Dominick, a canvas fell from the figurehead. A skeleton hung there, with the words “Seguid vuestro jefe,” which means “Follow your leader.” That's when readers realized Cereno wasn't the leader. Babo was. It turns out that the ship suffered a slave revolt, led by Babo and Atufal. Benito was supposed to head to Senegal, but Captain Delano encountered them along the way. Babo forced Benito to pretend everything was normal, as if Babo was his slave. Babo not only deceived Delano, but also the readers. This strategic planning parallels Sun Tzu's Art of War: Laying Plans. Strategic planning is essential in all aspects. Without a solid foundation, a structure will collapse. Without a concise presentation of a plan, it is easy for a leader to lose control of a situation. One could say that the same situation above could fit Sun Tzu's rule of "dividing large tasks into smaller ones." At first, as soon as Delano got on the ship, Babo could have killed him outright. However, he did not do so. He ordered his men aboard the ship to all do their part so that Delano would not become suspicious. According to Sun Tzu, if you group together a few hundred or even thousands of men and treat them as one. Suddenly, instead of having to lead a hundred thousand men individually, we can control them by leading groups. Essentially, break a large task into several smaller tasks to make them more manageable. Killing Delano himself may be overwhelming at first, but Babo persisted by planning strategically and not impulsively. After Babo places the skeleton of Alexandro Aranda on the ship, he warns the Spanish aboard the ship not to rebel and cause trouble, threatening them to do so or they will. follow their leader,” meaning that they will all share Aranda’s cruel end. Cereno and the other sailors were threatened with death if they revealed anything. However, in the end, when Delano returns to his ship, Benito Cereno desperately jumps into Delano's ship. His rush to freedom was quickly followed by Babo's Dagger, in which he attempted to kill Cereno for "betraying" him. This represents Sun Tzu's chapter: Attacking with Fire. Sun Tzu states: “Fire attacks are the framework for discussing both the use and survival of moves aimed at destroying an opponent. » Although Tzu suggested that this method should not be used, Babo felt the need to get rid of Cereno. Sun Tzu's The Art of War fits not only in literal battlefield contexts, but also in contexts that do not involve violence. For example, today the market is also known as the “battlefield of business”. Successful businesses apply Art of War tactics to defeat their competitors. He advises his readers to first conduct research and find out what a company can do better than that competitor and focus on that particular strength, rather than competing in areas in which a competitor is superior. For example, this often happens in the Foundations of Management and Entrepreneurship (FME) course. A video was released regarding the invention, the iSlide, which are customizable slide sandals. The company had to compete with major brands such as Adidas and Nike. However, the company does not care about its reputation or brand. Instead, they focused on the customizable aspect of the sandals, which is not present at,.