Alexander Hamilton (1755 - 1804)
Military Officer, Statesman, Found Father of USA
In 1777, a young Alexander Hamilton was appointed aide-de-camp to General George Washington during the American Revolution.
Hamilton possessed extraordinary intelligence, ambition, and organizational ability. Yet his responsibilities largely involved working behind the scenes. He drafted correspondence, communicated military orders, and helped manage the administrative affairs of the Continental Army.
Washington was the celebrated general. Hamilton was the young officer whose talents helped Washington fulfill his responsibilities.
In many respects, Hamilton was an amazingly good jackal.
But Hamilton was not satisfied with remaining in another man’s shadow.
He wanted opportunities to demonstrate his own abilities, earn recognition, and distinguish himself on the battlefield. In 1781, he finally received a field command and helped lead the successful assault on a British redoubt during the Battle of Yorktown.
Hamilton would eventually become one of America’s Founding Fathers, a principal author of The Federalist Papers, and the nation’s first Secretary of the Treasury.
What separated Hamilton from Sydney Carton?
Both men possessed considerable intelligence. Both devoted their abilities to advancing another man’s success. Both occupied positions in which their contributions were less visible than those of the men they served.
Yet Hamilton viewed his supporting role as an opportunity to develop his abilities and pursue greater responsibilities. Carton appears to have accepted his subordinate position as the limit of his ambitions.
Hamilton’s experience suggests that being a jackal does not necessarily prevent someone from fulfilling their potential. Supporting another person’s success can provide opportunities to learn, develop skills, and prepare for greater responsibilities.
Perhaps the greatest danger is not spending time as someone else’s jackal, but becoming convinced that we are incapable of being anything more.
Would Hamilton have achieved as much without first serving Washington? And could Sydney Carton accomplish more if he approached his relationship with Stryver as an opportunity rather than a permanent position?
Great literature should do more than entertain us. It should provide a roadmap to improving our lives.
In A Tale of Two Cities, Charles Dickens introduced readers to Sydney Carton, one of literature's most compelling and deeply flawed characters. Dickens also gives him an unusual title: the Jackal.
His struggles raise questions that remain relevant today.
Are we defined by our past mistakes? Can we overcome our weaknesses? What separates the people we are from the people we could become?
Lessons From the Jackal is a 25-day character study exploring these questions through Sydney Carton’s life, decisions, relationships, and personal development.
This is not a traditional course on A Tale of Two Cities. Our reading assignments will focus specifically on Carton, with sufficient background provided to understand his story. No previous knowledge of the novel is necessary.
Each day will feature selected readings, historical comparisons, reflection questions, discussions, and practical challenges ...
Can someone fulfill their potential as a jackal to someone else’s lion?
Mr. Stryver is making a name for himself in the legal profession. His growing success is somewhat surprising, however, because he has never been regarded as a particularly brilliant legal mind.
Dickens makes two additional observations about Stryver’s professional life.
First, Stryver frequently spends his evenings drinking excessively with Sydney Carton.
Second, Carton is present at every Old Bailey case in which Stryver appears. Although Carton often seems disinterested in the proceedings, his contributions have not gone entirely unnoticed. He has acquired a reputation as “an amazingly good jackal” to Stryver.
Stryver is building a successful career and earning public recognition. Carton, despite demonstrating considerable intelligence, seems content to remain in the background.
What does it mean to be an amazingly good jackal?
Is Stryver successful because he is more capable than Carton, or because he is more determined to succeed?
There is another possibility worth considering.
Perhaps ...
