Prompt 1. Need for money and dissatisfaction with American military.

MattR

Benedict arnold's main reasons for becoming a traitor was that he needed money to repay his debts and he was extremely unsatisfied with the way the American army was run. Benedict Arnold's childhood was plauged by deaths, unruliness, and financial insecurity. His father started out as a wealthy man but his life degenerated with the deaths of his daugters and then the downfall of his shipping industry. He then gave in to alchohol to try to comfort him and help him along. The debts started pilling up and he was arrested for his debts. Arnold's childhood greatly affected his mental aspect of money. He was brought up in such a way that his life revolved around money and it was one of the biggest things he cared about. When the British military offered him 10,000 pounds to pass on american military secrets he was happy to oblige. Benedict Arnold also joined the British because he was very unhappy with how the American military was run. He was furious when the Continental Congress chose George Washington as general. Arnold felt that he was better than Washington. He considered all of the other generals as competitors and inferiors. On many campaigns Benedict Arnold had to report to Washington and he felt that Washigton did not have right strategies or plans. Benedict Arnold's psychology and past experiences really contributed to his then present decisions and those decisions were not always the ones that would benefit others and not just himself.

jfrazee

Nice commentary. I guess I just keep thinking, "What can be learned from this?" He initially risked so much, even his life on that trip to Canada where so many died, that his shift is so fascinating to me. I wonder what his price was...for example, would he had done it for less? I wonder if he felt so disenfranchised, so uncelebrated, that he would have done it for free. What do you think?

SeanS

I agree with Matt. Benedict arnold was happy to pass on secrets for the 10,000 pounds. It says in the book that 10,000 pounds is what would be worth 1 million dollars in todays time. Everyone has there price and I feel that that was his. I feel the reason he took this is that he felt that he getting the respect he deserved from the Congress. He had given so much of his time, money and even almost lost his life to be treated the way he was. he had helped start the war by leading some of the first attacks that he felt that he should of been treated differently. the reason that he took the pounds is because he wanted to show that he did matter. to answer Mrs. Frazee's question he just wanted to be celebrated for good or for bad. he wanted to show washington that his vote did matter. I don't think he would have done it for free even to prove a point. Threw his childhood he saw his nice life of private school vanish along with his dads business and there money. since he saw that i think he never wanted to feel that way again and would have done it only for the money. I feel that afterword he would of given all the money back to of not have done it. I inferred that at the end of the book when the sailor talked about his meeting at the bar with him. the sailor had wanted to go to america and he had talked about how he wasn't welcome there. he seamed so unhappy. Do you think that if he did it all over again he would of still sold the secrets?

kristenm

To answer Ms. Frazee's question, I do not think that Benedict Arnold would have told the British the key to beating the Americans for free. I think that the main reason he told them the secret was for the money. If there was no money involved, then I don't think that he would even be involved with the British. I think that the least amount of money Arnold would have taken would be 9,000 pounds. Otherwise, I do not think he would have made the deal. This shows how much his wealth had affected his attitude. He went from being a man in great debt to a man who didn't think one secret was even worth 10,000 pounds. To answer Sean's question, I do not think that Benedict Arnold would have sold the secrets again if he knew that the British would fail in the mission, and his life would be ruined because of it. If the plan had worked, than I am almost positive that he would have sold the secrets again for the money. Since the plan did not work out, then I do not think that he would have done all this just for the money. I think this story is a good example of how much money can change a person.
Kristen M.

MattR

There are many lessons that can be learned from the life of Benedict Arnold. First he was never satisfied with the American military but his main concern was money. He always thought that he never had enough. I believe that he was more obsessed with money than his reputation as a general. He would have never done any work for free to save his reputation. I also believe that Benedict Arnold's obsession with money was a psychological problem on his behalf. He grew up in an impoverished enviroment where his father was in debt and the family never seemed to have enough money. Arnold was obviously humiliated by having to drag his drunken, bankrupt father back home so he thought that if he had lots of money he could somehow prove himself and prove to all of the people that the Arnolds were not drunken, bankrupt people. I also feel that Washington should have given Arnold a little more power and this whole situation could have easily been avoided and Benedict Arnold could have walked home a hero.

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