Brandon Sanderson's Stormlight Archive Series and Dalinar's Redemption Arc also give validity to the hopeful idea that no one is beyond saving and that there is a seed of goodness in everyone. In Brandon Sanderson's Stormlight Archive series, Dalinar's redemption arc is told in reverse. He is presented as one of the most noble and honorable characters in the series, and readers learn to love a great, virtuous prince[1] waging a seemingly justified war against the people who murdered his brother, the king. However, as Dalinar's repressed memories long ago and glimpses of the heinous actions of his past begin to resurface, it creates an interesting dynamic where the reader can explore Dalinar's past alongside him and assess whether he deserves to be redeemed. He must come to terms with his long history of bloodlust, accept that he has grown and changed as a person since then, and determine if he has done enough to atone for his past. Dalinar's progression from a bloodthirsty warrior to a leader of renowned integrity shows a masterfully crafted dynamic character who is unwilling to let his past define his future. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay In the first book, Dalinar is introduced as a noble great prince and an admirable soldier. The other great princes are portrayed as greedy and selfish; they have long since abandoned the codes of the war camps, concerned only with plundering the gems in their exploits. Dalinar contrasts them in every way; he is the only one to have respected the codes of the war camp: refusing to fight, always appearing in uniform and even forcing his sons to adhere to all the codes. He seems to be the only one who cares about winning the war, refusing to engage in small skirmishes to gain advantages against competing great princes, and instead strategizing to win the war in the long run. Additionally, not only does Dalinar not support the other great princes' cruel practice of using bridgemen[2], but he demonstrates compassion for the bridgemen at the end of the first book; he trades his Shardblade, a mythical blade worth more than kingdoms, to one of his worst enemies in exchange for the freedom of a squadron of enslaved bridge players. Questioned about his motives, Dalinar asks one of the deckhands what a life is worth. The bridge operator replies that a life is priceless, and Dalinar replies, "Coincidentally, that's the exact value of a blade shard." So today, you and your men sacrificed yourselves to buy me two thousand six hundred priceless lives. And all I had to reward you with was a single priceless sword” (The Way of Kings 1196). This memorable phrase proves that he values human life and has no taste for unnecessary violence. In a video analyzing Dalinar's character arc, critic Daniel Greene points out that knowing Dalinar's history "makes this current version of Dalinar an entirely different character...He is wary of violence or commitment of his men in battle... he is terrified that he may feel bloodlust. again” (“Dalinar”). He is depicted as one of the few honorable men in the war camps, someone who is tired of the violence and bloodshed, but perhaps he is simply afraid of who he was. Some other great princes and soldiers in the war camps seem to fear him. He has gaps in his memory,unable to even remember his late wife's name. Although he seems very proud of his two sons, their dialogue suggests that this was not always the case. Dalinar tries desperately to be a better person than he was, but neither the reader nor Dalinar knows exactly what he has done. Whatever one's past, according to Dalinar, "no achievement has as much substance as the path taken to get there...It is the journey that shapes us." Our calloused feet, our backs strong from the weight of our travels, our eyes open with the new pleasure of lived experiences” (The Way of Kings 1020). No matter where he started, it's the journey, the path that connects his past to his future, that determines who he really is. The third book gives way to flashback chapters; memories of Dalinar's past slowly resurface and the reader can finally see the man he was and bridge the gap between his past and present. When his brother was still king, their kingdom's armies proved nearly unstoppable as they expanded their borders and conquered more and more lands. Dalinar was one of the most ruthless and ruthless warriors. With his blade of shard, he was almost unstoppable and he let blood flow in his wake, pillaging and killing innocents, regardless of whether the city they were conquering had already surrendered. A brutal and cruel fighter, he longed for combat and violence. His wife Evi, from a political marriage, was his opposite in every way. She was gentle, caring and peaceful in nature. No matter how much Dalinar pushed her away, she only wanted the best for him and their family, giving their two children lots of love and attention. Dalinar, on the other hand, did not care about his family, neglecting his children, showing contempt for Evi, only concerned with his conquests. However, one kingdom, the Rift, was not meant to be conquered; Dalinar was supposed to make an example for other kingdoms who were thinking of resisting. As Dalinar's armies prepared to capture the Rift, Evi went down to negotiate with the King of the Rift and begged him to surrender. Built from wooden structures crawling along a chasm, the Rift's design was easily used to Dalinar's advantage. He poured oil on the kingdom and burned it from above, saying: "I intend to ruin this place so completely that for ten generations no one will dare build here for fear of the spirits who will haunt. We will make a pyre of this city, and there will be no weeping for its demise, for there will be no one left to weep” (Oathbringer 742). All the civilians were still inside: innocent men, women, children and especially Evi. In a video discussing redemption arcs, videographer Red points out, "There are a ton of reasons why bad guys become good, but they're almost always very personalized because they have to stem from the character of the bad guy himself" (" Trope Talk"). When Dalinar learns that Evi was in the Rift when he burned her, it is a turning point for his character, a point where the scale of the atrocities he committed seems to come into focus for him. He finally recognizes the pain he caused when his actions hurt someone he loved, someone he didn't realize he loved until he left. It was more than a bad decision, he got there because he was simply a bad person. What follows is a long cycle of guilt, drinking, and trying to forget the things he did. The way it is written elicits revulsion for Dalinar and sympathy for Evi. The Dalinar of the past is nothing like the Dalinar that readers have grown to love, and Dalinar and readers must.

Essay / Brandon Sanderson's Stormlight Archive Series and Dalinar's Redemption Arc also give validity to the hopeful idea that no one is beyond saving and that there is a seed of goodness in everyone. In Brandon Sanderson's Stormlight Archive series, Dalinar's redemption arc is told in reverse. He is presented as one of the most noble and honorable characters in the series, and readers learn to love a great, virtuous prince[1] waging a seemingly justified war against the people who murdered his brother, the king. However, as Dalinar's repressed memories long ago and glimpses of the heinous actions of his past begin to resurface, it creates an interesting dynamic where the reader can explore Dalinar's past alongside him and assess whether he deserves to be redeemed. He must come to terms with his long history of bloodlust, accept that he has grown and changed as a person since then, and determine if he has done enough to atone for his past. Dalinar's progression from a bloodthirsty warrior to a leader of renowned integrity shows a masterfully crafted dynamic character who is unwilling to let his past define his future. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay In the first book, Dalinar is introduced as a noble great prince and an admirable soldier. The other great princes are portrayed as greedy and selfish; they have long since abandoned the codes of the war camps, concerned only with plundering the gems in their exploits. Dalinar contrasts them in every way; he is the only one to have respected the codes of the war camp: refusing to fight, always appearing in uniform and even forcing his sons to adhere to all the codes. He seems to be the only one who cares about winning the war, refusing to engage in small skirmishes to gain advantages against competing great princes, and instead strategizing to win the war in the long run. Additionally, not only does Dalinar not support the other great princes' cruel practice of using bridgemen[2], but he demonstrates compassion for the bridgemen at the end of the first book; he trades his Shardblade, a mythical blade worth more than kingdoms, to one of his worst enemies in exchange for the freedom of a squadron of enslaved bridge players. Questioned about his motives, Dalinar asks one of the deckhands what a life is worth. The bridge operator replies that a life is priceless, and Dalinar replies, "Coincidentally, that's the exact value of a blade shard." So today, you and your men sacrificed yourselves to buy me two thousand six hundred priceless lives. And all I had to reward you with was a single priceless sword” (The Way of Kings 1196). This memorable phrase proves that he values human life and has no taste for unnecessary violence. In a video analyzing Dalinar's character arc, critic Daniel Greene points out that knowing Dalinar's history "makes this current version of Dalinar an entirely different character...He is wary of violence or commitment of his men in battle... he is terrified that he may feel bloodlust. again” (“Dalinar”). He is depicted as one of the few honorable men in the war camps, someone who is tired of the violence and bloodshed, but perhaps he is simply afraid of who he was. Some other great princes and soldiers in the war camps seem to fear him. He has gaps in his memory,unable to even remember his late wife's name. Although he seems very proud of his two sons, their dialogue suggests that this was not always the case. Dalinar tries desperately to be a better person than he was, but neither the reader nor Dalinar knows exactly what he has done. Whatever one's past, according to Dalinar, "no achievement has as much substance as the path taken to get there...It is the journey that shapes us." Our calloused feet, our backs strong from the weight of our travels, our eyes open with the new pleasure of lived experiences” (The Way of Kings 1020). No matter where he started, it's the journey, the path that connects his past to his future, that determines who he really is. The third book gives way to flashback chapters; memories of Dalinar's past slowly resurface and the reader can finally see the man he was and bridge the gap between his past and present. When his brother was still king, their kingdom's armies proved nearly unstoppable as they expanded their borders and conquered more and more lands. Dalinar was one of the most ruthless and ruthless warriors. With his blade of shard, he was almost unstoppable and he let blood flow in his wake, pillaging and killing innocents, regardless of whether the city they were conquering had already surrendered. A brutal and cruel fighter, he longed for combat and violence. His wife Evi, from a political marriage, was his opposite in every way. She was gentle, caring and peaceful in nature. No matter how much Dalinar pushed her away, she only wanted the best for him and their family, giving their two children lots of love and attention. Dalinar, on the other hand, did not care about his family, neglecting his children, showing contempt for Evi, only concerned with his conquests. However, one kingdom, the Rift, was not meant to be conquered; Dalinar was supposed to make an example for other kingdoms who were thinking of resisting. As Dalinar's armies prepared to capture the Rift, Evi went down to negotiate with the King of the Rift and begged him to surrender. Built from wooden structures crawling along a chasm, the Rift's design was easily used to Dalinar's advantage. He poured oil on the kingdom and burned it from above, saying: "I intend to ruin this place so completely that for ten generations no one will dare build here for fear of the spirits who will haunt. We will make a pyre of this city, and there will be no weeping for its demise, for there will be no one left to weep” (Oathbringer 742). All the civilians were still inside: innocent men, women, children and especially Evi. In a video discussing redemption arcs, videographer Red points out, "There are a ton of reasons why bad guys become good, but they're almost always very personalized because they have to stem from the character of the bad guy himself" (" Trope Talk"). When Dalinar learns that Evi was in the Rift when he burned her, it is a turning point for his character, a point where the scale of the atrocities he committed seems to come into focus for him. He finally recognizes the pain he caused when his actions hurt someone he loved, someone he didn't realize he loved until he left. It was more than a bad decision, he got there because he was simply a bad person. What follows is a long cycle of guilt, drinking, and trying to forget the things he did. The way it is written elicits revulsion for Dalinar and sympathy for Evi. The Dalinar of the past is nothing like the Dalinar that readers have grown to love, and Dalinar and readers must.

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