The strange, one might say "queer", language of the story Billy Budd makes it difficult not to read Melville's words in a sexualized way. At the beginning of chapter 11, the author uses a formulation that does not even appear normal in the late eighteenth-century maritime context in which it is placed. Being "down" with someone, as well as weird nicknames like "Jemmy Legs" are simply out of place in the text when referring to his time period. There are some clues to suggest that this type of verbiage is intended to evoke some specific feelings and ideas about the characters. For example, referring to Claggart as "Jemmy Legs", gives the reader an idea of ​​how Claggart is despised by his subordinates because it suggests that the Master-at-Arms has restless legs, that he is nervous and nervous, and that he has no control over none of the leg movements, implying that if he has no control over his legs, then what control could he have over a crew of men? Being "down" towards someone refers to anti-preferential treatment, an oppressive view of someone, but, upon further inspection, especially when combined with other language in the tale such as Billy Budd's nickname, Baby Budd, is washed in a language that is quite erotic in nature, but not in a truly external sense. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay A further point about naming is the different way Claggart refers to Billy. The man despises him, yet, to the other sailors, he refers to Billy as "the sweet, nice young man" (Chapter 11). His motivations for doing so are not entirely clear, but it is possible that Claggart refers to Billy this way because the Weapons Master does not want his reputation ruined. He must hide his true contempt for the Handsome Sailor because his reputation, what little he has, his potential plan, and his position are at stake. This is the “harmlessness” that Melville refers to. Claggart acts out of fear. Although Billy is harmless and shows no interest in assuming the position of Master-at-Arms, Claggart's insecurity gets the better of him and "harmlessness" causes contempt which ultimately leads to violence. The author also uses language that he doesn't commonly unpack, such as calling the relationship between Billy and Claggart a "romantic accident" (Chapter 11), or when he refers to everyday "contact" (Chapter 11), which every sailor with his shipmates. This contact is not clearly defined, and considering that there are many forms of contact in the world, it is not clear what Melville means here. Do you mean spoken contact, eye contact, physical contact or any other form? There is an ambiguity that allows for different readings of this specific passage. If Melville means eye contact, it shows how the ship is full of living people. One would hope that on a battleship a sailor would make eye contact and see his colleagues regularly, otherwise it would suggest a skeleton crew. What's interesting about this thought, though, is that despite the crowdedness of the ship, readers only really interact with a very small number of characters and the rest are grouped together into a sort of audience, similar to that of the chorus. in a Greek tragedy. If the author means to suggest physical contact, it is likely to give the reader goosebumps thinking about the crammed conditions of the ship. Melville, through the enlisted lieutenant, gives readers an idea of ​​the ship's large population when he tells Billy "you can't take that big box aboard a man-of-war... bag and hammock for the man-of-war " (Chapter 1). Billy doesn't.