This week our class focused on the literary work “The Trial of the Catonsville Nine,” which surrounds the trial of nine people with a heavy Catholic affiliation. The men and women were being tried for burning 378 draft files with the goal of protesting the Vietnam War. Although we have had many good discussions throughout class this week, the idea that stuck with me most was the theme of martyrdom throughout the literary works that we have read thus far. The parallels between The Trial of the Catonsville Nine, Stewart Parker’s Pentecost, and John 5 from the Bible are astounding. At first glance, I was having trouble piecing them together while in class. Listening to the thoughts of my classmates and professor, however, the picture was becoming clearer. Personally, I think that martyrdom was the most distinct connection.
In The Trial of the Catonsville Nine, the nine men and women have an overarching goal to act upon their Christian values and save lives. They are aware that the 378 files burned may be replaced with other draft files, meaning that different men will go to war. However, they wanted to bring attention to the injustice that was the Vietnam War. They did not think that the toll on American lives was worth it. In order for their message to be heard, they complete the task in broad daylight with witnesses present. They go to trial and give their testimonies. They willingly accept their sentences. All of this is done so that their actions are given attention and the morality of the war is given deeper thought by the American public and government. Serving time in jail was a necessary personal sacrifice that must be made so that others (those directly serving in the Vietnam War) could be saved. Similarly, there is an aspect of martyrdom with Stewart Parker. We read in class about his experiences at Harvard with African American students. There were multiple controversial protests, one of which Parker was involved in. His experience in this protest is reflected in Pentecost. Peter, a character in the play, seems to be based on Parker and his experiences in the US during the civil rights movement. Last, John 5 in the Bible discusses both testimony and Jesus’s willingness to be a martyr. The Bible also displays the general theme of martyrdom with Jesus, who sacrificed himself for our sins.
Although we only focused on two literary works from class in comparison to the Bible, the other works we have read parallel the idea of martyrdom as well. For example, in The Informer, Gypo is seen as a martyr figure. Gypo is shown spreading his arms out in a Christ-like fashion in the movie, hinting at a strong parallel to Jesus. Those involved in the Chicago Eight trials were also martyrs. They, similar to the Catonsville Nine, were put on trial for their protests against the governmental system. The Chicago Eight were not as heavily affiliated with Christianity as the Catonsville Nine were, but there was most definitely an aspect of sacrificing oneself for the good of others. We have also read multiple speeches written by Martin Luther King Jr. Due to his Christian roots, he emphasizes the need for love over violence. Eventually, MLK is killed, becoming a martyr for many across the United States.
Overall, I think that there are more parallels between the literary works than just martyrdom, and I am looking forward to exploring these themes in the upcoming classes.
I found it quite interesting how you brought up Gypo in your analysis. That was one example that I forgot about and did not initially consider. However, for both Gypo and the Chicago Eight, it is interesting to consider why they did what they did and how that compares to other works we read. For example, as you mentioned, it is clear in The Trial of the Catonsville Nine that religion plays a large role in addition to what they felt were wrongs committed by the government. However, for The Chicago Eight, it was clear that social injustices were what made their conviction so strong. They felt that they were wronged, which made them go to great lengths to protest these injustices. Even more intriguing is the case of MLK, who clearly had both religious convictions and social injustices as a motivation for his conviction. Although it is a hard metric to measure, it is interesting to think, do these influences make the conviction to a cause “stronger”? In the case of The Chicago Eight, and especially the surrounding protests, did a smaller religious presence affect how the protest proceeded?
I like the connections you made to martyrdom in all of the texts. I think it is really interesting how the Chicago Eight are seen as martyrs, despite having no Christian affiliation. I think this goes to show that self-sacrifice and desire for the common good seem to be universal human ideals, and these values cross party lines, religious sects, and class. There is something so admirable to all of us about giving oneself up for the greater good that garners the respect of people of all classes and creeds. I think that the connections to martyrdom are obvious between the Catonsville Nine, the Chicago Eight, War and an Irish Town, and the Informer, but I am curious to know: other than Peter representing Stuart Parker, I feel like he did not really make any huge sacrifices in the play, so do you think there is another martyr in Pentecost?
I agree that martyrdom is a theme found in most of the works we’ve studied in class. However, do you think that the portrayal of the Chicago Eight and Catonsville Nine as martyrs advanced the causes of the anti-Vietnam movement? Did it increase the anti-war cause’s popularity? In the case of King’s assassination, it’s an extremely complex hypothetical to navigate because while his assassination helped further reveal the evil of the resistance to the Civil Rights movement, the movement lost one of its prominent leaders. So if the Chicago Eight and Catonsville Nine trials weren’t public spectacles like they were, would the anti-war movement have had less of an impact on American society? I personally don’t think it would have caused that significant of a decrease (though certainly it would have had at least some impact) in the popularity of the anti-war movement. For the Chicago Eight, all involved had already played a very prominent role in the protests. For the Catonsville Nine, I have a hard time imagining that nine people burning government records and being put on trial would change too many people’s minds about Vietnam who were still in support of it at that point. But I’m curious what you think.