Hannah Barlow CAS 214W Prof. Andrews A Tribute to the Bulldog History is dark. History is unclear.

History is blood splattered on the reputations of good men. But in spite of all this, there are those select few, almost hand-picked by the creator Himself, who manage to sit pleasantly on their chosen seat in history, undamaged, unharmed, untainted by the sinister words of contaminated souls. Say what you like about those immortal names, for our feeble words have no credence against the might of these fine men and women. Although I speak of the historically great in general, it cannot be denied that each society -each nationality- has particular devotion to their own kind. For India, theres Mother Teresa. For France, theres Louis Pasteur. For the United States, theres Martin Luther King Jr. But for me, for those of Great Britain, a resonating name is that of the right honourable Winston Churchill. As we gather here today to celebrate the life of this remarkable man, I want to remind you of the unfortunate time in history that he had to face, and that we, in this room, are fortunate enough not to witness. World War Two is a devastating scar on the pages of the worlds history, a time that we should never forget, and forever avoid in the future. Churchill had to make difficult decisions in this trying time, but he never lost sight of the strength he held as Prime Minister of Great Britain. His shrugged stature -poised to strike with the entire might of the British Empire. His flaccid features -displaying the wisdom and prestige of old Britannia. His gravelly voice rumbling with inspiring words of the refusal, of defeat, of surrender, and of compromise. The British Bulldog did not pretend to be what he was not and always protected his own. When

Nazi Germany began to gain power, it was he that campaigned for rearmament of the British forces. It was he who led Britain into war because it was our duty to protect the freedoms of the innocent. It was he, who despite lack of support from other nations, decided that Nazi Germany would not prevail -would not conquer Europe as its own. Although he is not here to see what the world has become, his work has benefitted us all, present and future generations, by teaching us to do what is right and what is just. We can never truly achieve peace, but we can try and get along with each other, set aside differences, live in harmony. Thats what he wanted. He would have given his very life to see the world go one day without war. So while he is stood looking upon us from his pedestal at Westminster Abbey, hunched over his frail cane as a reminder that even the Greats of the world are human too, we should look at the history he made, look at it, observe it, learn from it. Churchill was faced with humanitys greatest challenges, of struggle, of war, and of death of the most catastrophic and gruesome kind. It leads you to think; what would I have done in his position? Would I have stood up to a more powerful enemy in order to protect the freedoms of innocent people? Would I have been able to persevere in a losing battle despite huge losses in both life and fighting spirit? From Winston Churchill, the mighty Bulldog himself, we learn how to avoid cataclysms of the past, preserve lasting international friendships, and announce words of strength to those that threaten the sanctity of peace in the world. Never again shall we permit war between the masses. Never again shall we allow murder by the thousands. Never again shall we tolerate violence of the most severe form. Churchill didnt just stand as a figurehead for Great Britain, he stood for Western values. He stood for democracy, freedom, and life. In standing for Western values, his respect for the United States was immense. It was his mission to befriend our Atlantic neighbours and I would say he was very successful. In 1963, President John F. Kennedy was proud to

present honorary citizenship of the United States to Winston Churchill. This was the first of its kind and has only ever been awarded to six people since, mostly posthumously. Let us hope that for many years in the future, our friendship remains strong in the light of any darkness that crosses our paths. In an unreliable world, it is a relief to have someone to depend on when youre struggling, someone to assist you when youre in trouble, someone to fight for you when youre unable. This could even be used in our day to day lives. As citizens, let us be dependable, so that those seeking a helping a hand turn to us in their most trying times. Let us be of assistance, so that those needing aid may not fear that they are alone. Let us fight, so that our neighbours, our friends, our family, are never repressed by an overruling power. Understanding Churchills story is to understand the ever increasing importance of citizenship. No nation can survive without the willingness to give, to serve, and to represent. Whether youre American, European, Asian, African, or Australian, we must all be citizens of the world, and stand up for our individual freedoms and those of our neighbours. If not, then history will forever continue to weep with the blood and the misery of the innocent. It will remain shadowed and obscure, written in the artificial ink of the victor, not the honest, not the suppressed, not the good man. We can continue to ignore the desperate cries from our history books, from the men and women that had fallen victim to libel and corruption. But again, there are those select few that no matter how hard you try to smear their name, will forever perch themselves proudly on their cushioned seats in history, impervious to lowly words of mortals. No matter which history book you read, Churchill was a great man, among these privileged individuals, and will eternally enjoy the immortality of unscathed words on his very own page.