Do You Accept the View That More Was a Cruel Man with Little Compassion for Others? Explain Your Answer Using Sources N, O, P and Your Own Knowledge.

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Do you accept the view that More was a cruel man with little compassion for others? Explain your answer using sources N, O, P and your own knowledge. Thomas More was a key figure in the reign of Henry VIII, and this has led to two very different opinions being expressed about More overtime. While some people, such as playwright Robert Bolt see More as a man of conviction and a man who would listen to his conscience, others see More as a tyrant, such as John Foxe. My personal belief is that More was a man with little compassion for others. One piece of evidence to suggest that More was a cruel man is stated in Source N. In the source Ackroyd states “he tied heretics to a tree in his Chelsea garden and whipped them”. This is definitive evidence of More’s lack of compassion and cruelty towards others, as a man with compassion surely could not attack others in such a heinous and viscous way. Source O is also critical of More. Within the source it is stated how More was often “taunting and mocking” people. This suggests More was cruel towards others and those below him in both rank and society. However, this evidence could be seen as an attack on More by his enemies. This is because the torture acts mentioned in Source N were taken from John Foxe’s Book of Martyrs. This book documented the acts of torture and violence against protestants, and would therefor be highly critical of those in high positions, such as More. More evidence of More’s lack of compassing and cruelty is that during his chancellorship, six people were burned at the stake. This brutal and common method of executing heretics showed More’s lack of compassion, especially towards those who did not believe in his faith, such as protestant reformer, Martin Luther. In a letter to Luther, More said “throw back into your paternity’s sh*tty mouth, truly the sh*t pool of all sh*t, all the muck and sh*t..”.

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