J'Accuse...!: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 15:37, 15 February 2008

Revision as of 23:50, 20 February 2008

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As a result of the popularity of the letter, even in the English-speaking world, ''J'accuse!'' has become a common generic expression of outrage and accusation against a powerful person.

==Brief History of Alfred Dreyfus==

[[Alfred Dreyfus]] was born in Mulhouse, NE [[France]] into a Jewish family.<ref>Alfred Dreyfus Biography (1859-1935). (2007). Retrieved February 16, 2008, from Biography.com: http://www.biography.com/search/article.do?id=9279233</ref> In 1871, he left his native town for [[Paris]] because [[Germany]] had annexed the province. As artillery captain for the [[General Staff]] of [[France]], in 1894, Dreyfus was a suspect for providing secret military information to the [[German Government]].<ref>Alfred Dreyfus Biography (1859-1935). (2007). Retrieved February 16, 2008, from Biography.com: http://www.biography.com/search/article.do?id=9279233</ref> A woman by the name of [[Madame Bastian]] was assigned to the investigation, where she searched in wastebaskets and mailboxes for suspicious documents.<ref>Burns, M. (1999). France and the Dreyfus Affair: A Documentary History. NY: St. Martin's College Publishing Group.</ref> Later in 1894, the [[bordereau]] was delivered to [[Commandant Hubert-Joseph Henry]], who worked for the General Staff.<ref>Burns, M. (1999). France and the Dreyfus Affair: A Documentary History. NY: St. Martin's College Publishing Group.</ref> The bordereau was ripped in to 6 pieces and found among the papers of [[Maximilien von Schwartzkoppen]], the German military attaché.<ref>Burns, M. (1999). France and the Dreyfus Affair: A Documentary History. NY: St. Martin's College Publishing Group.</ref> When the document was found, professional handwriting experts testified that the hand writing on the bordereau was very similar to that of Alfred Dreyfus.<ref>Rothstein, E. (2007, October 17). A Century-Old Court Case That Still Resonates. Retrieved February 16, 2008, from The New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/17/arts/design/17drey.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1</ref> There were also assertions from military officers of whom provided confidential proof.<ref>Rothstein, E. (2007, October 17). A Century-Old Court Case That Still Resonates. Retrieved February 16, 2008, from The New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/17/arts/design/17drey.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1</ref> Dreyfus was found guilty of [[treason]] in a secret military court-martial, during which he was denied the right to examine the evidence against him. The army stripped him of his rank in a humiliating ceremony and shipped him off to [[Devil’s Island]], a colony located off the coast of [[South America]].<ref>Burns, M. (1999). France and the Dreyfus Affair: A Documentary History. NY: St. Martin's College Publishing Group.</ref> Because France was going through a period of [[anti-Semitism]], there were very few who defended Dreyfus most of whom were his family. In 1899, Dreyfus returned to France for a retrial, but was again found guilty, but this time pardoned.<ref>Burns, M. (1999). France and the Dreyfus Affair: A Documentary History. NY: St. Martin's College Publishing Group.</ref> In 1906, Dreyfus appealed his case again, only to find the [[annulment]] of his guilty verdict. In 1906, he was also awarded the [[Cross of the Legion of Honor]], which stated, “a soldier who has endured an unparalleled martyrdom.”<ref>Rothstein, E. (2007, October 17). A Century-Old Court Case That Still Resonates. Retrieved February 16, 2008, from The New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/17/arts/design/17drey.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1</ref>

==History of Emile Zola==

[[Emile Zola]] was born on [[April 2, 1840]], in Paris, France.<ref>Shelokhonov, S. (2008). Biography for Emile Zola. Retrieved February 15, 2008, from The Internet Movie Database: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0957652/bio</ref> Zola's main literary work was [[“Les Rougon-Macquart”]], a monumental cycle of twenty novels about Parisian society during the [[French Second Empire]] under [[Napoleon III]] and after the [[Franco-Prussian War]].<ref>Shelokhonov, S. (2008). Biography for Emile Zola. Retrieved February 15, 2008, from The Internet Movie Database: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0957652/bio</ref> He was also the founder of the [[Naturalist]] movement for 19th century literature.<ref>Shelokhonov, S. (2008). Biography for Emile Zola. Retrieved February 15, 2008, from The Internet Movie Database: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0957652/bio</ref> Zola was among the strongest proponents of the [[Third Republic]] and was elected to the [[Legion of Honour]].<ref>Shelokhonov, S. (2008). Biography for Emile Zola. Retrieved February 15, 2008, from The Internet Movie Database: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0957652/bio</ref> Émile Zola risked his career in February of 1898, when he decided to stand up for Alfred Dreyfus. Zola wrote an open letter to the President of France, Felix Faure, accusing the French government of falsely convicting Alfred Dreyfus and anti-Semitism.<ref>Shelokhonov, S. (2008). Biography for Emile Zola. Retrieved February 15, 2008, from The Internet Movie Database: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0957652/bio</ref> Zola titled his letter [[“J’accuse”]] or “I accuse,” which was published on the front-page of the Paris daily, [[L’Aurore]].<ref>Shelokhonov, S. (2008). Biography for Emile Zola. Retrieved February 15, 2008, from The Internet Movie Database: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0957652/bio</ref> Zola was brought to trial for libel for publishing his letter to the President and was convicted two weeks later. He was sentenced to jail and was removed from the Legion of Honour.<ref>Shelokhonov, S. (2008). Biography for Emile Zola. Retrieved February 15, 2008, from The Internet Movie Database: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0957652/bio</ref> To avoid jail time Zola fled to England, and stayed there until the [[French Government]] collapsed and continued to defend Alfred Dreyfus.<ref>Shelokhonov, S. (2008). Biography for Emile Zola. Retrieved February 15, 2008, from The Internet Movie Database: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0957652/bio</ref> Just four years after his famous letter to the president, Zola died from a [[carbon monoxide]] poisoning which was caused by a stopped chimney. On [[June 4, 1908]], Zola's remains were laid to rest in the [[Pantheon in Paris]], France.<ref>Shelokhonov, S. (2008). Biography for Emile Zola. Retrieved February 15, 2008, from The Internet Movie Database: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0957652/bio</ref>

==Arguments in J'accuse==

Emile Zola argued that “the conviction of Alfred Dreyfus was based on false accusations of [[espionage]] and was a misrepresentation of justice.”<ref>Shelokhonov, S. (2008). Biography for Emile Zola. Retrieved February 15, 2008, from The Internet Movie Database: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0957652/bio</ref> He first points out that the real man behind all of this is [[Major du Paty de Clam]]. Zola states: “He was the one who came up with the scheme of dictating the text of the bordereau to Dreyfus; he was the one who had the idea of observing him in a mirror-lined room. And he was the one that Major Forzinetti caught carrying a shuttered lantern that he planned to throw open on the accused man while he slept, hoping that, jolted awake by the sudden flash of light, Dreyfus would blurt out his guilt.”<ref>Zola, E. (1898, Janurary 13). I Accuse. Retrieved Febraury 12, 2008, from Chameleon Translations: http://www.marxists.org/archive/zola/1898/jaccuse.htm</ref> Next Zola points out that if the investigation of the traitor was done properly, then the evidence would clearly show that the bordereau came from an infantry officer and not artillery, such as Dreyfus.<ref>Zola, E. (1898, Janurary 13). I Accuse. Retrieved Febraury 12, 2008, from Chameleon Translations: http://www.marxists.org/archive/zola/1898/jaccuse.htm</ref> Emile Zola strongly defends Alfred Zola and all of justice when he states: “These, Sir, are the facts that explain how this miscarriage of justice came about; The evidence of Dreyfus’s character, his affluence, the lack of motive and his continued affirmation of innocence combine to show that he is the victim of the lurid imagination of Major du Paty de Clam, the religious circles surrounding him, and the “dirty Jew” obsession that is the scourge of our time.”<ref>Zola, E. (1898, Janurary 13). I Accuse. Retrieved Febraury 12, 2008, from Chameleon Translations: http://www.marxists.org/archive/zola/1898/jaccuse.htm</ref> After more investigation, Zola points out that a man by the name of [[Major Esterhazy]] was the man that should have been convicted of this crime, and there was proof provided, but he could not be known as guilty unless the entire [[General Staff]] was guilty, so the [[War Office]] covered up for Esterhazy. At the end of his letter, Zola accuses [[General Billot]] of having held in his hands absolute proof of Dreyfus’s innocence and covering it up.<ref>Zola, E. (1898, Janurary 13). I Accuse. Retrieved Febraury 12, 2008, from Chameleon Translations: http://www.marxists.org/archive/zola/1898/jaccuse.htm</ref> He accuses both [[General de Boisdeffre]] and [[General Gonse]] of religious [[prejudice]] against Alfred Dreyfus.<ref>Zola, E. (1898, Janurary 13). I Accuse. Retrieved Febraury 12, 2008, from Chameleon Translations: http://www.marxists.org/archive/zola/1898/jaccuse.htm</ref> He accuses the three handwriting experts, Messrs. [[Belhomme]], [[Varinard]], and [[Couard]], of submitting false reports that were deceitful, unless a medical examination finds them to be suffering from a condition that impairs their eyesight and judgment.<ref>Zola, E. (1898, Janurary 13). I Accuse. Retrieved Febraury 12, 2008, from Chameleon Translations: http://www.marxists.org/archive/zola/1898/jaccuse.htm</ref> Zola’s final accusations were to the first [[court martial]] for violating the law by convicting Alfred Dreyfus on the basis of a document that was kept secret, and to the second court martial for committing the [[judicial]] crime of knowingly acquitting Major Esterhazy.<ref>Zola, E. (1898, Janurary 13). I Accuse. Retrieved Febraury 12, 2008, from Chameleon Translations: http://www.marxists.org/archive/zola/1898/jaccuse.htm</ref>

==References==

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