The Maid of France - Essay Example

Joan of Arc Among the world's population, only a few people reach the pinnacle of enthusiastic approval not only in their countries of origin, but also in the whole world. Such people become a model of good deeds amongst the world population. Their commitment and determination to their course endear them to the world’s population with a lot of literature dedicated to their achievements. In effect, these people turn into saints for endless generations as their selfless acts become a beacon of hope to people undergoing challenges in life. For this reason, the world continues to remember these people long after their demise. One such person who epitomizes selflessness is Joan of Arc, also known as the Maid of France. Joan of Arc overcame challenges that appeared insurmountable at her time and got unheralded achievements. Joan of Arc lived in an era when women did not take a centre stage in matters regarding leadership with male dominance being the order of the day. In the same period, nations engaged one another in wars, which made it a challenge for women to take a leading role. This expose gives an analysis of Joan of Arc's life and the accomplishments, which made her break from the traditional self-image of women. Commonly referred as the Maid of France, Joan of Arc was born in 1412 to Jacques d’Arc and Isabeau Romee, poor farmers at Domremy in the valley of the Meuse (Newman 431). As a young peasant girl, Joan received an education similar to other peasant girls. In this regard, she did not learn how to read and write, but Joan learnt sewing, spinning and repeating the Ave Maria. For someone who went through an informal system of education, it is ironical that Joan of Arc became a subject to many literary works by acclaimed authors. More ironical is that Joan of Arc died at the age of nineteen years (Stanhope 4). Nonetheless, famous English writers such as Shakespeare and Holinshed reviled Joan of Arc, while Southey and Schiller idealized her work with Voltaire ridiculing her (Stone 3). However, for a young girl whose childhood activities included tending to her father’s flocks and working in the field’s, Joan of Arc became a symbol of what Mark Twain referred as a “peerless human being” (Stone 5). In addition, Mark Twain called her “the most extraordinary person the human race has ever produced” with George Bernard Shaw calling her “the queerest fish among the eccentric worthies of the Middle Ages” (Knopf 151). As a young girl, Joan of Arc did not demonstrate any extraordinary acts of boldness and heroism. In fact, Joan of Arc appeared timid when speaking to strangers with her neighbors referring her as a simple-minded though a compassionate girl (Stanhope 4). Joan of Arc’s acts of compassion included tending and nursing the sick and accommodating any wayfarer who found their way to Joan’s home. In addition, Joan was an embodiment of a pious life, which in many cases made her a subject of ridicule by her neighbors and other people. In the fields, Joan would kneel and pray in solitude and go to church and make devotions, which made her spend her pastime in a manner different from the children her age (Stanhope 5). In effect, this young girl started defining her own path at an early age, differentiated from her age mates. Instead of spending time with her peers playing in the fields after spending the day herding or in the farms, Joan of Arc’s commitment to God at her age was exceptional. While Joan was growing up, France was undergoing a series of conflicts between them and England, in the famous period of the Hundred Years’ of War. During Joan’s life in particular, the infant King of England, Henry VI of England, was proclaimed King of France, leaving the rightful heir, Charles the dauphin, holding his weakened courts in a few French provinces (Barstow, “Joan of Arc” 31). At this time, Joan was only thirteen years, and she had started experiencing visions regarding her being the person who would deliver France from the English occupation to the rightfully heir, King Charles (Dinshaw and Wallace 258). However, as it is always the norm with people experiencing visions, Joan chose to ignore the visions although the more she ignored the visions, the more she repeatedly saw the visions asking her to take actions and rescue France. According to Murray, Joan told her friends, “No one (else) in the world…can recover the kingdom of France; there is no succor to be expected save, from me…because my Lord wills that I should do it” (qtd. in Barstow, “Mystical Experience” 27). Effectively, this set Joan’s journey to leading an army that would march on to fight the English occupation of France. As is often the case, people who claim to experience visions will be derided and ignore, and especially in an instance where individuals are women. Hence, Joan’s case was not an exception. First, her age worked against her, and secondly, she faced a major challenge in convincing the male-dominated court that her visions were true and that she could deliver France from England. Joan was central to the visions that she was experiencing. Often, mystics rarely play an active role in the visions that they experienced. For Joan, it was different because she was the central figure and the instructions were clear on the role that she was to play in saving France. Barstow noted Joan’s “visions led her into the central places of masculine power, where she performed as an active mystic, serving as both catalyst and instigator in the political life of her era” (“Joan of Arc” 31). In effect, Joan was able to elevate the place of women in the society at the time and accomplish major things that only a few men could accomplish. Joan’s path to fulfilling the will of God was not devoid of challenges. First, she faced credibility tests regarding the authenticity of her visions. However, Charles’ leading theologian determined her as an instrument of God, which opened the way for Joan to take a place at the King’s court and lead the French army to capture Orleans from the English siege on 8 May 1429 (Dinshaw and Wallace 260). The battle at Orleans marked the first of many battles with Joan leading the French army in defeating and pushing the English further from France, which ultimately led to the crowing of King Charles at Rheims, as Joan had predicted (Dinshaw and Wallace 258). Since Joan’s role was to ensure the liberation of the French from the English and the consequent installation of Charles as the King, she no longer experienced the visions and asked Charles to grant her permission to leave the King’s court. However, Charles asked her to remain, which led to her capture and subsequent trial and death by burning in 1431 following her engagement in a battle that she did not experience a vision that required her participation (Stanhope 4). Nonetheless, Newman noted the “twelve months of her active career won military victories worthy of a Napoleon and achieved diplomatic triumphs worthy of a Metternich” (431). Joan was a personification of virtue and a symbol for feminism not only in France during her era, but also in the contemporary world. In this regard, various authors have used Joan’s visions to exemplify the different ways that God’s purpose on women is dignified and advocate for equal treatment of both genders. Amongst the various virtues in Joan, that women identify with is her spirit of call to action and her embodiment of submissiveness towards her calling (Warner 220). However, Joan was able to fulfill the visions despite the challenges she faced as a woman and a child born from a peasant background without formal education. In addition, she established her place in the king’s court as an important player with men who were old enough to be her grandfather despite her young age. Based on the aforementioned, it is evident that Joan of Arc’s transformation from a peasant and illiterate girl to a sophisticated and inspiring leader is astounding. Not only was she able to become an iconic and prolific figure in the Hundred Years’ War, Joan was an important beacon of hope for the French during their battle with the English. In addition, she represents virtue since she was able to maintain her virginity and avoid contact with men on her way to fulfilling the visions she used to experience. Besides, she has become synonymous with feminism since she was able to lead the French in reclaiming the territories that were under the English, an achievement that many men during her era had failed to accomplish. Nonetheless, she faced criticism from different people with some writers deriding her while others revere her in their literature. Overall, her selfless acts of submitting to her visions and God’s will make her an extraordinary leader who was important to shaping the contemporary world. Works Cited Barstow, Anne Llewellyn. “Joan of Arc and Female Mysticism.” Journal of Feminist Studies in Religion 1.2(Fall, 1985): 29-42. JSTOR. Web. 23 Sep. 2012. . Barstow, Anne Llewellyn. “Mystical Experience as a Feminist Weapon: Joan of Arc.” Women's Studies Quarterly 13.2 (Summer, 1985): 26-29. JSTOR. Web. 23 Sep. 2012. . Dinshaw, Carolyn, and David Wallace. The Cambridge Companion to Medieval Women's Writing. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003. Print. Knopf, Marina Warner. “Joan Of Arc: The Legend and the Reality by Frances Gies Harper; Joan of Arc: The Image of Female Heroism.” The Wilson Quarterly (1976-) 6.2 (Spring, 1982): 151. JSTOR. Web. 23 Sep. 2012. . Newman, Carol M. “Joan of Arc in English Literature.” The Sewanee Review 34.4 (Oct. - Dec., 1926): 431-439. JSTOR. Web. 23 Sep. 2012. . Stanhope, Philip Henry. Joan of Arc. London: John Murray, 1853. Google Books. Web. 23 Sep. 2012. . Warner, Marina. Joan of Arc: The Image of Female Heroism. California: University of California Press, 1999. Print. Read More