I usually try not to post more than one blog entry a day, but considering it is 12:30 AM where I live Im going to go ahead and post this entry.

Who is greater, father or son?
This blog is mostly a reply from this message board topic my reply was just too large.

This has been a hot topic on the message boards lately. I had a lot to say in this debate, so much I couldn't fit it within the 1000 character limit. So here is my argument on the topic.

When you ask who is greater there will be multiple replies, with multiple opinions on the matter. Greatness means something different to every person. Ask ten people about what they think great or greatness means and you probably won't get the same answer twice.

I find one great when they have set a goal, and accomplished what they have reached for. Accomplishing a goal means they didn't give up, they did their best, and planned to do what ever it took to achieve their objective.

I looked in the dictionary to see what it said the definition of greatness is, and here is what I got:
1. Remarkable or outstanding in magnitude, degree, or extent
2. of outstanding significance or importance
3. Superior in quality or character; noble
4. Powerful; influential
5. Eminent; distinguished
6. Grand; aristocratic
7. Very skillful
8. Very good; first-rate

So as you see the word great or someone's greatness can easily be questionable. Is someone great because they are powerful? I think not. I have always thought of my mother as a great human-being, but is she powerful? She holds power over her children, me and my brother. Labeling someone powerful also falls back into everyone having a different definition, but we aren't going to go into that. I find someone powerful when they can control lots of people. My mother can't control anyone for long. She can control what I do now, but once I'm at a certain age I will control my own destiny. So I find her great, but not powerful. So I don't think greatness is determined by someone's power.

Now using a few definitions from the dictionary I will analyze, in my opinion, Luke and Anakin's greatness.

If you are referring to power I would think it would be Anakin, before he turns to the Dark side. While he was fighting in the clone wars he was still a padawan and everyone knew who Anakin Skywalker was, apprentice to General Kenobi, skillful pilot, and great Jedi.

Referring to stronger I would say I think they are equally strong. Anakin loses his mother, doesn't have a father, marries when it's forbidden, betrays the order, and then loses his wife. Luke doesn't have a mother, loses ol' Ben Kenobi, finds out his father is a sith lord, and finds out one of his best friends is his twin sister! It takes strength to deal with important things as these. If Anakin was not as strong as he was in AOTC and ROTS he would have told Obi-wan about him and Padme, but he was too strong. He was able to keep their marriage together with his strength and love for Padme. The both went through a lot in their life's and found different ways to deal with the problems in their lives.

Now I will analyze Anakin and Luke from what in my opinion of what greatness means.

Anakin
Within the saga it never seemed that Anakin ever had anymore than just three major goals. First off the first major goal I ever saw him set for himself was in TPM while he was still a youngling. "I... will become a Jedi and I will come back and free you, Mom... I promise." Right there he sets a goal to become a Jedi and to free his mother. He never accomplished either of these two goals. He did come back to his home planet in attempt to free his mother, but he is too late. She had already been freed, and taken away. When he found his mother she died in his arms. Goal number two; failed. Secondly, he never did become a Jedi knight! After being put on the council to represent chancellor Palpatine he was never given the rank of master. Goal number one; failed. The third goal I ever saw Anakin attempt to achieve was keeping his marriage together with Padme. He made more commitment to her and the baby (he didn't know there were going to be twins) than he did to the order, to Obi-wan, or to anything. As we all saw in ROTS he managed to make a mistake there too. Goal number three; failed. So even though Anakin is one of my favorite characters I fail to think of him as great!

Luke
Luke set a lot more goals for him self in the saga than his father did, and he stuck to his goals, but we will only discuss his major ones! One of his goals was to become a Jedi. In ANH after he finds Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru dead at his past home he tells Ben Kenobi he wants to become a Jedi, like his father. This is a goal he seemed to accomplish with ease. Goal number one; successful. A more important goal of his was to save his father. He said many times there was still good in him, just like Padme told Obi-wan. Obi-wan didn't seem to believe Luke or Padme. Obi-wan and Yoda told Luke several times that his father was gone, and only Darth Vader existed, but did Luke give up? Of course not! In result at the end of ROTJ Anakin saves Luke from being killed by the emperor. There was good left in him after all. Goal number two; successful. As far as I know re-building the Jedi order was not a goal of Luke's, but he seemed to accomplish it anyways.

So there you have it even though Anakin is my favorite character I think Luke is greater thank his father. Anakin may have been the chosen one, but he wasn't as confident as his son. Luke knew what he wanted, and made it happen. Anakin knew what he wanted, but didn't try hard enough to make it happen. He had the power to, but didn't. So in my opinion Luke Skywalker is the greater one out of the two.

So when you ask who is greater it all depends on your personal definition of being great!

Comments of your deffinition of great or your thoughts of Luke and Anakin appreciated,
Jedi Abba

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