CHARACTER MEANS ALL THE WORDS PEOPLE RESPECT: Queen Elizabeth I models a sense of calm. Elizabeth’s reign is evaluated in Beesly’s final chapter. He marvels at the fact that Elizabeth expertly governed a country for forty-four years—a country faced with unprecedented challenges (Beesly 239). The logic and simplicity of Beesly’s evaluation is not lost; he writes that Elizabeth managed her country’s challenges with unquestionable success. Elizabeth’s complex rule is explained in The Broadview Anthology of British Literature. The editors write, “Elizabeth I was a figure who both exemplified conventional notions of gender and stood as the great exception” (XLIX). In part, one reads, Elizabeth’s success as a ruler is her uniqueness; she stands out “as an icon of female virtues” while also serving as a model of being “sure-handed in exercising power” (I). Gilbert and Gubar, 2007, appreciate Elizabet the writer. They explain, “Her translations, speeches, and poems illustrate her political genius and her rhetorical ingenuity” (65). Significantly, in the authors’ views, Elizabeth’s skills as a writer are not to be seen as a luxury, but a necessity; they were needed skills to help Elizabeth manage “opposition to her rule” (Gilbert and Gubar 65). Poplawski acknowledges the challenges Elizabeth faced, noting that she “accepted the crown of an exhausted and weakened nation” (120). Her challenges are also ones of gender; Poplawski explains how Elizabeth governed “in a world deeply unsympathetic to female rule of any kind” (120). Such observations make Elizabeth’s legacy that much more impressive. Damrosch and Dettmar argue that Elizabeth’s legacy as an English ruler is matched by another British monarch (1073). Accomplishments cited include economic stability, navy prowess, unprecedented scientific discovery, and artistic revelation (Damrosch and Dettmar 1073). A testament from Shakespeare supports the argument that is made; quotes in Damrosch and Dettmar is the line, “Age cannot wither her, nor custom stale her infinite variety” (1073). Greenblatt, 2012, describes Elizabeth as highly educated, detailing her “training in classical and modern languages, history, rhetoric, theology, and moral philosophy” (749). One finds in Elizabeth a prepared ruler when she “came to the throne” at twenty-five (Greenblatt 741). In Greenblatt, historians find more acknowledgement of the remarkable achievement of Elizabeth’s reign, given the reluctance of many to support a female ruler (750).
THERE IS NO SIMULACRUM FOR COURAGE: A survey of sources on recognized leaders makes clear a message on leadership that people need to accept: There is no simulacrum for courage. Courage is often physical distance, as it was for Roosevelt in 1884 (Miller, 1992, p. 158). The year 1884 represents a difficult time in Roosevelt’s life, particularly with the loss of his wife and mother on the same day: Valentine’s Day 1884 (Miller, 1992, 156). It is not hard to feel the tremendous sense of loss that Roosevelt felt during this challenging time in his life. Courage is George Mallory’s response when asked why he wanted to climb Mount Everest, effectively risking everything to be the first (a failed attempt) to summit the world’s tallest mountain: “Because it is there” (Isserman et al.116). The news of Mallory’s eventual death on Everest in 1924 serves as a memorial to adventure and courage (Isserman et. al. 128). Mallory’s line is a legacy that inspires people to this day. Duncan, 2013, “Tempered by War,” narrates John F. Kennedy’s World War II heroism; Duncan shares that Jack, another name for John, not only volunteered for the draft (World War II), but also refused to be turned away by twice-failed physical exams (30). History marvels at Jack’s World War II heroism when his Navy ship was struck by the Japanese, a crippling move that forced survivors to swim for life: “Kennedy led the survivors to an island where they could avoid the enemy, pulling along one badly burned sailor, Patrick McMahon” (Duncan 33). Kennedy receives the Purple Heart for his World War II valor (Duncan 33). Courage matches one’s physical gifts, as was the case with Edmund Hillary: “Ed had natural gifts that made him the right man to reach the top of Everest first. He was extraordinarily strong—an everyday strength, not from working out in a gym but borne of day after long day of hard work from an early age” (Little and Meng-Yee 24-25). Hillary is recognized as the first person to officially summit Everest, accomplishing that feat at 11:30 am on May 29, 1953 (Little and Meng-Yee 30). Photographs document the man’s courage on this day (Little and Meng-Yee 30). Rosa Parks, 1992, shares her experience of refusing to give up a seat on a bus in Alabama on Thursday, December 1, 1955 (Parks and Haskins 113). History may paint the picture of an elderly woman refusing to stand, but Parks explains how she was only 42 and was just tired, that day, of “giving in” (Parks and Haskins 116). Parks’ simple rebellion is the paradox and the impact. A 38-year-old Neil Armstrong deserves mention for shouldering a country’s courage on July 20, 1969 (Hansen 468). Armstrong’s famous line is one he never rehearsed, evidence of which is its imperfection: “Neil fully intended to say, ‘That’s one small step for a man,’ but, in the rush of the moment, forgot to say, or just did not say, the ‘a’” (Hansen 469). Armstrong’s line speaks a single message of courage, a line inextricably linked to one of the most memorable moments in history. Leaders are also measured by the courage their lives inspire, as is the case with Kobe Bryant, a player who played for just one NBA team, the Lakers, throughout his professional career (Gagne 59). One of Bryant’s greatest professional accomplishments is his 81-point game (Gagne 65). As Gagne marvels, “Only four other NBA players had scored more than 70 points in one game. Not even Jordan had scored more than 69—and he reached this number only once. Bryant’s fans would talk about this game for years" (65).
