[ESSAY #7] Obi-wan as a mentor

I don't understand this statement. How can Obi-Wan be tricked into loving Anakin? He did it on his own accord.

 

I'd like to start by saying that I do agree with the basis of your essay that Kenobi wasn't as strong as mentor for Anakin as was needed. His inexperience and inability to cope with a situation he was too close to was telling.

However, I feel that in places you put a little too much blame on to Obi Wan when in fact it was a no win situation and/or the fault was with Anakin.

In the mentor/apprentice relationship between Obi-Wan and Anakin, I feel that both were at fault.

However, the above essay was about Obi-Wan's experiences as a Jedi mentor - his mistakes with Anakin and his success with Luke. The essay was not about the relationship between Obi-Wan and Anakin over who was at fault. Nor was it about Anakin's own flaws.

 

twas sarcasm shoulda added a after that

yay! thank you for pointing this out. i thought it was pretty obvious but apparently to some people it ain't.

 

I've just been sitting on the sidelines observing the repartee on this thread. The level of intelligent arguments displayed here has wowed me. I only wanted to comment on 2 posts that struck a deep chord in me:

I'm so glad somebody mentioned that. It's amusing, isn't it, that after harping on and on about how investigation wasn't included in their mandate, it was Obi-Wan who abandoned his charge in order to go after the assassin droid? After all, what was the guarantee that the bounty hunter won't strike at Padmé again? But instead of sticking to the mandate and protecting Padmé, Obi-Wan left her to find the killer. Which was exactly what he had shut Anakin down for suggesting earlier!

To crown it all, in the end, it was Anakin's idea that was adopted by the Council when they officially ordered an investigation.

Brilliant observation there. Just brilliant. I hardly know what to say. The young Anakin Skywalker has so much of the characteristics of the story book hero - brave to the point of brashness, unconventional, passionate in love and anger, and never one for the rules. There's no glaring 'seed of evil' that most Obi-lovers like seeing in Anakin. If anything, it's Obi-Wan with his sycophantic 'Yes, Council'-attitude, beloved by all in authority, coldly analytical and xenophobic mind-set that has all the traits of the classic cold-blooded villain.

 

Those quotes sum up Anakin. He was greedy and couldnt let go. He wanted to be the most powerful Jedi. All kenobi was doing was the responsible thing of teaching Anakin discipline which is vital for a Jedi. Without it they go bad. The probl

 

you realize that you are sounding a tad righteous imposing your opinion like that? it's very absolute, my dear.

and did you perhaps bother with reading the essay which was about obi-wan and NOT anakin?

Brilliant observation there. Just brilliant. I hardly know what to say. The young Anakin Skywalker has so much of the characteristics of the story book hero - brave to the point of brashness, unconventional, passionate in love and anger, and never one for the rules. There's no glaring 'seed of evil' that most Obi-lovers like seeing in Anakin. If anything, it's Obi-Wan with his sycophantic 'Yes, Council'-attitude, beloved by all in authority, coldly analytical and xenophobic mind-set that has all the traits of the classic cold-blooded villain.

heresy, miss naberriebut a very good observation.

there's a nice essay on anakin as the trickster at sagajournal somewhere. i'm sure it bugged obi-wan a great deal that anakin didn't fall in line like he wanted it so badly. i'm sure it's a blow to the ego.

 

Obi Wan was the hero of the PT. He always did what was right and sacrificed himself for the greater good. His only error was getting too close to Anakin and thus letting him get away with too much:

I don't think there was any real hero of the PT - neither Obi-Wan, Yoda, Anakin or anyone else. From what I've seen of all three movies, none of the characters have really done anything to convince me there was one hero in particular.

I have one last question - why do people think that sacrificing oneself for the "greater good" is something that everyone should attain for? I have never understood that line of reasoning. It smacks of matrydom on an excessive scale, to me.

 

There's no greater thing that to, if needed, give your life for a greater cause.

Lets say a group of children are about to be killed and you can stop it but it will mean your life. What do you do? The good thing to do would be to give your life and save the kids. The greater good.

 

You've got to be careful here. Yes you gave an example, but there are many who would think that 'greater cause' is a point of view. Just look at the state of global politics at the moment and let's assume that the Suicide bomber also believes that they are giving up their life for a 'greater cause' too.

Actually if some people were a little more fearful of losing their own lives, some parts of the world might actually be better off.

 

There's no greater thing that to, if needed, give your life for a greater cause.

I don't believe that. I'm sorry, but I don't. It's a little too general for me and I believe that one needs to consider the circumstances.

 

Lets not distort what im saying here people. I believe there are some universal rights and morals that we should be proud in sacrificing ourselves for. But there are of course grey areas or simply bad things to do it for.

But I believe the Jedi were great people. They looked to preserve the Republic and democracy. They did what the force asked rather than, like the Sith, command it for their own power. Due to this, their reasons for self-sacrifice and living a life of selfless service was for me universally good and just. Its to be commended.