Scene on Three (5): Saint Joan

Today’s scene is picked from one of George Bernard Shaw’s plays: Saint Joan. Joan is a peasant girl in France who became a French soldier and fought against English army in the Hundred Years’ War as a divine mission from God. People didn’t believe at her at that time; she was taken as committing heresy, and being burnt for it. However twenty years after, the trial was declared as corrupted. She was then canonized as Saint in 1920.

This particular scene was after Joan has won Orleans from the English, and made King Charles finally being crowned. God led her then to fight Paris, but the French (the commander, the Archbishop, and even the King) opposed this plan. Joan was left alone in her action, and this was her speech.

“Where would you all have been now if I had heeded that sort of truth? There is no help, no counsel, in any of you. Yes: I am alone on earth: I have always been alone. My father told my brothers to drown me if I would not stay to mind his sheep while France was bleeding to death: France might perish if only our lambs were safe. I thought France would have friends at the court of the king of France; and I find only wolves fighting for pieces of her torn body. I thought God would have friends everywhere, because He is the friend of everyone; and in my innocence I believed that you who now cast me out would be like strong towers to keep harm from me. But I am wiser now; and nobody is any the worse for being wiser. Do not think you can frighten me by telling me that I am alone. France is alone; and God is alone; and what is my loneliness before the loneliness of my country and my God? I see now that the loneliness of God is His strength: what would He be if He listened to your jealous little counsels? Well, my loneliness shall be my strength too; it is better to be alone with God: His friendship will not fail me, nor His counsel, nor His love. In His strength I will dare, and dare, and dare, until I die. I will go out now to the common people, and let the love in their eyes comfort me for the hate in yours. You will all be glad to see me burn; but if I go through the fire I shall go through it to their hearts forever and ever. And so, God be with me!”

As always, faith made one much braver than him/herself, because they do not act alone, God is with them; they know it and have faith in it. Joan is a peasant girl, but she is much braver here than the rest of them. It’s because she has something they don’t: faith in God. She might be alone, but she is actually never alone, for God be with her. That’s the kind of faith we must all have.

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• Meme ini diadakan setiap tanggal yang mengandung angka tiga, sesuai dengan ketersediaan tanggal di bulan tersebut (tanggal 3, 13, 23, 30, dan 31).