Joan of Arc
Joan of Arc, a young French woman, born in 1412 has left a legendary mark on history. She was known for dressing like a man in a suit of armor and leading the French troops against the in English in the Hundred Years War. Eventually being apprehended Joan was turned over to the English but tried by the French clerics who surprisingly supported the English. George Bernard, author of Saint Joan, wrote the play based on Arc’s life. A character in the play is the Inquisitor. The church court whose members decided Joan’s fate was to hear out the Inquisitor’s speech against her. (insert thesis statement here) According to the Inquisitor being a giving person in society will eventually completely destroy the church and empire. “…Giving all riches to the poor, and putting on the garb of poverty, the life of austerity, and the rule of humility and charity may be the fonder that will wreck both the church and empire if nor ruthlessly stamped out in time.” The Inquisitor is basically stating in his argument that because Arc is living an austere life, she will become the reasoning to a ruined church and empire. Sharing your wealth is wrong and if you are humble as well as charitable there must be something wrong with you. If you have any money that can be given as a donation it should be given to the church as the church and religion is by far the most important aspect of life in that time period. The Inquisitor believes that Joan should be given a more harsh punishment because of that fact that she is a woman. He thinks that because she has chosen to dress up like a man there is something peculiar about this lady. “…the women who quarrels with her clothes, and puts on the dress of a man, is like the man who throws off his fur gown and dresses like John the Baptist: they are followed as surely as the night follows the day, by the bands of wild women and men who refuse to wear any clothes at all.” Apparently if Arc is not punished for her actions, she will drive up wild