“Man is by nature a social animal; an individual who is unsocial naturally and not accidentally is either beneath our notice or more than human (καὶὁ ἄπολις διὰ φύσιν καὶ οὐ διὰ τύχην ἤτοι φαῦλός ἐστιν, ἢ κρείττων ἢἄνθρωπος ). Society is something that precedes the individual. Anyone who either cannot lead the common life or is so self-sufficient as not to need to, and therefore does not partake of society, is either a beast or a god. ”
Either a Beast or a God: How can we apply this to Johnny Byron?
Consider the implications of this statement as applied to Flintock. From whose standpoint is the quotation made?
How might Johnny be seen as either of these types of being?
How easy is it to tell the difference?
Consider the quotation in the light of, for example, the recent uncovering of historic child abuse by the likes of Jimmy Saville. were these figures seen as Gods? Have they now been revealed as beasts?
What stereotypes does society today place on the Traveler community? How might this idea be relevant to our discussion of this play?
Belief in a God requires Faith. Do we see any examples of faith being shown in this play?
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