ToM (An Invitation) - 'The world as it was cannot be ours any longer... Was it ever? The Black Tower bonds Aes Sedai, the Aiel no longer revere us, the Windfinders have hidden their best channelers from us for centuries and are becoming increasingly belligerent. If we try to hold too tightly to all of this, we will either become tyrants or fools, depending on how successful we are. I accept neither title... We must become the source that women look to, all women. We achieve that by not holding too tightly, by bringing their channelers to train with us and by sending out most talented Accepted to become experts in the things they are best at.'
Now, how can people make entire posts about Egwene being power-hungry and a tyrant with quotes like this? It's absolutely mind-blowing that people can come up with opinions that are contrary to a character's own established and openly spoken PoV on the said issues. Learn the damn English language, and read the books.
My problem with Egwene is that she tells everyone that the Aes Sedai need to serve the world and everything, and she condemns all of the plotting that the Aes Sedai seem to do...
Then you see what she does. She has plans for everyone. Egwene goes on and on about it all the time. She has plans for the Aiel. Plans for the Windfinders. Plans for Rand. They're all part of a larger picture for her to have some control in. She doesn't want them to just do what they want to do.
She doesn't like how people are manipulated, but then she goes off and seems to want to tie strings around everyone else. It's not that she wants to become a tyrant or anything, it's just that she seems to think that it's acceptable for her to have a hand in everything.
She announces her plans to these people straight to their face and then negotiates a deal with them that will ultimately serve the greater good of all society. This isn't some power play to make Egwene the master of the universe, it's her consolidating disparate organizations so that all of them can become stronger. She openly states that the WO and WF will not need to become AS and will self govern ... meaning she will not be in charge of these women. Sure she hopes to grow her own organization through WO and WF deciding to join ... that's natural!
She's been trained to believe that she should have a hand in everything ... she is the friggin Amyrlin Seat, the most influential person on the planet for the last 3000 years (and prior to that we had the rough equivalent in LTT ... why should she believe that she should not be in charge? I think she views it as her duty to lead these people (including Rand) ... right or wrong... and I admire her strength in doing it.
She wants everyone to work together, yet she ultimately wants the Tower to be behind it all. That's not giving the other groups free reign - the Wise Ones had that for years. If they even give in a tiny bit to the White Tower it will mean less freedom than they've had for their entire lives.
Even when Egwene is negotiating with everyone, you keep hearing about her fitting them into her "plans." That's what it's all about. Plans, plans, plans. She thinks that everyone needs to be controlled.
The ignorance surrounding Egwene
- 13/11/2010 08:23:19 AM
1768 Views
what people SAY and what they DO are not always the same. *NM*
- 13/11/2010 08:46:37 AM
394 Views
well, she both said AND did this! *NM*
- 13/11/2010 04:47:18 PM
315 Views
*NM*
Don't be stupid, ALL tyrants and fools ALWAYS admit what they are. *NM*
- 13/11/2010 11:31:24 PM
281 Views
Precisely; no one paints themselves as a villain in their own life story.
- 14/11/2010 12:09:45 AM
726 Views
Well, obviously Egwene doesn't want to be (seen as) a tyrant
- 13/11/2010 09:14:31 AM
887 Views
Re: The ignorance surrounding Egwene
- 13/11/2010 05:41:38 PM
738 Views
where do you get that from?
- 13/11/2010 05:53:41 PM
623 Views
Re: where do you get that from?
- 13/11/2010 07:02:24 PM
683 Views
So seeing the need for unity is bad? And where does she say anything about controlling them?
- 14/11/2010 01:22:31 AM
803 Views
I'm sure Osama bin Laden thinks he's doing the right thing, too.
- 13/11/2010 06:50:48 PM
777 Views
dramatic much?
- 14/11/2010 01:23:53 AM
629 Views
It's good that she's changing and understanding that we were right. *NM*
- 13/11/2010 11:50:45 PM
312 Views