Michael Collins
Michael Collins Free Essay
Michael Collins is a movie about the Irish patriot, a radical supporter of the political and social revolution who passed on in the Irish civil war while on the mission of ending the war. It was written and directed by Neil Jordan and it was produced by Stephen Woolley. (Jordan, 1970)The main characters in this movie include Liam Neeson, Aidan Quinn, Stephen Rea, Alan Rickman, and Julia Roberts. This movie is based on a true story about the fight of the Irish people over liberation from the British. The movie gives a clear outline of Michael Collins’ effort to attain peace for the Irish people and that is why he eventually gave up his life. Although he organized assassination squads and threatened to punish people who liased with British by death without trying them, Michael Collins is not a villain because he was trying to find peace for his people. He was doing this just as a way of showing patriotism. He is a patriot since he portrayed his love for his country by involving himself fully in the achievement of peace to a point of giving up his life at the expense of his loved one Kitty. (Jordan, 1970)
Michael Collins showed patriotism when he was released from prison after he was arrested together with de Valera and Boland. Collins started to order armory supplies and ordered the recruitment of an assassination squad so as to effectively attack the British on his mission to attain liberation from them. He joined an illegal group that is, the Dail which was aimed at attaining peace for the Irish people. In addition, he suffered a lot in the process of his mission. For instance, he escaped death narrowly when he was almost gunned down during his rally, and the fact that he was attacked by Royal Irish Constabulary and received a thorough beating. (Jordan, 1970). Collins reached out to da Valera requesting a peace conference and he was very determined that he never gave up even after the death of Boland. It is beyond doubt that Micheal Collins had greater affection for his country since he eventually surrendered himself to the British army and was finally shot to death hoping that someday his people will live in peace.
Collins’ model of political violence was more consistent with Che Guevara’s since they used the same tactics to fight against criminals, for example, Michael Collins had an assassination squad and on the other hand, Che Guevara had a firing squad which both led to the killing of people. Additionally, they both used a guerrilla which involves civilians who are armed and is based on hiding and lying awaiting to attack people by surprise. Guerrilla warfare is very efficient as they terrorize a large number of people, especially the ones that are less mobilized. Furthermore, Collins and Che Guevara were cruel disciplinarians; Collins took away the lives of several officers using his assassination squads while Che Guervara shot mercilessly the traitors, all those who were noted to have substandard behaviors and had organized a suicide squad to attack their enemies. Michael Collins and Che Guervara had the death penalty for all those people who were found to be traitors. (Jordan, 1970)
Michael collins and Che Guevara were daring and had a good capacity to reason well in matters concerning war and violence; these were good traits in their mission to conquer their enemies. Despite all the rough patches Collins went through, he still persisted and dared to fight for peace for his people. Collins was able to mobilize people to vote for the Anglo-Irish treaty despite the disapproval of de Valera, Boland, and their supporters. Collins also led in the battle to eliminate the anti-treaty group whereby he fought and killed a couple of people not even sparing his former colleagues. On the other hand, Che Guevara headed a new column of fighters who killed intentionally and without delay in the destruction of the attacking forces. In this case, we find that both of them were brutal, harsh, and ruthless. These characters appear to be inborn since the parents of both Michael Collins and Che Guevara had noticed them when they were children. Michael was noticed to be easily irritated and on the other hand, Che Guevara’s father noticed that he had a blood of a radical. In addition to the struggle, there is a general realization that both Michael Collins and Che Guevara were involved in opposing the government policies. They both involved themselves in guerrilla warfare, where they ensnared government forces, and in most instances, they managed to terrorize and kill so many government officials.
Michael Collins was a person who showed great and genuine affection for his country because in this movie it is clear that he was not afraid of fighting for his country’s liberation from the British, even if it cost his life or even losing the woman he loved Kitty. He always put matters regarding his nation first. Although he did not manage to take back the Irish republic from the negotiations he attended, he still had great hope for the achievement of his mission. Michael Collins was temperamental and showed love for his country ever since he was a small child. He was able to relate well with people and that is why he managed to mobilize them to vote for the Anglo-Irish Treaty which aimed at restoration of peace among the Irish people. In addition to that, Michael Collins was very intelligent in his organization of tactics in war such as guerrilla warfare and imposing threats to people so as to prevent them from liaising with the British. The venture that Michael Collins engaged in was unconventional since it involved having some of his colleagues killed such as Boland, though this happened in his mission to obtain peace for his people. Though eventually, Michael Collins did not accomplish his mission, he died hoping that his people will still get peace one day.