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Paths of Glory · 1957 — 第 3 / 17 章 · 2'42" · B2

Mireau Orders Dax to Take the Anthill, Explained：the last refuge of a scoundrel

General Mireau orders Colonel Dax to capture the Anthill, calmly accepting that over half the men may die. Dax objects and, when the talk turns to patriotism, quotes Samuel Johnson: 'the last refuge of a scoundrel.' Offended, Mireau orders Dax on indefinite furlough, but Dax still promises to take the position.

あらすじ

General Mireau tells Colonel Dax that his regiment will take the Anthill the next day. Dax warns him the men are in poor shape, but Mireau accepts heavy losses as necessary, offers no support, and estimates that more than half will be killed. After Dax quotes Johnson on patriotism, Mireau orders him on leave; Dax insists on staying and promises to capture the hill.

Talking to the bossArgumentsConfrontingWarningBoss & employeeB2fastamericanClean
IMDb ↗

注目の表現

the last refuge of a scoundrelwave a flag in front of someonepatriotismlack confidence

00:00 / 02:42
Space 再生 · ← → セリフ移動 · R リピート
いま
  34. ❝ 独白Mireau's pressure speech11 行練習ページ ↗
セリフをタップするとそこから再生

このシーンの表現

the last refuge of a scoundrel

a bad man's final excuse

Pressed by Mireau, Dax quotes Johnson's line, mocking those who hide behind patriotism.

Some politicians treat the flag as the last refuge of a scoundrel.

このシーンの他の表現

  • wave a flag in front of someone

    provoke someone on purpose

  • patriotism

    love of one's country

  • lack confidence

    not feel sure of oneself

  • furlough

    leave from military duty

  • one after another

    in unbroken succession

このシーンのメモ一覧

49 行のセリフに 20 件のメモ

表現 · A2think of something

have an opinion about

- What do I think of what, sir? - The Anthill.
表現 · B2make it possible for someone to do something

enable someone to do something

and by doing so make it possible for others to get through.
表現 · B2anticipate something

expect in advance

What sort of casualties do you anticipate, sir?
表現 · B1more than half of something

over fifty percent

General, you're saying that more than half of my men will be killed.
表現 · B1depend on someone

rely on someone

- But will we, sir? - I'm depending on you, Colonel.
表現 · A2in front of someone

facing someone

I'm not a bull, General. I don't need a flag waved in front of me to get me to charge.
発音not a bull

Not a links into no-ta, with bull stressed.

I'm not a bull, General. I don't need a flag waved in front of me to get me to charge.
表現 · B1be old-fashioned

out of date

Patriotism may be old-fashioned, but show me a patriot, and I'll show you an honest man.
文法 · B2show me a patriot, and I'll show you an honest man

imperative plus and: An imperative followed by and turns the condition into a confident consequence.

Patriotism may be old-fashioned, but show me a patriot, and I'll show you an honest man.
表現 · C1the last refuge of someone

someone's final hiding place

He said it was the last refuge of a scoundrel, sir.
スラング · B2scoundrel

a dishonest man — Old-fashioned and literary; an insult without swearing.

He said it was the last refuge of a scoundrel, sir.
文法 · B2It's you who are exhausted

cleft sentence: The cleft It's you who focuses the blame on Dax rather than his men.

It's you who are exhausted, not your men.
表現 · B2one ... after another

in unbroken succession

Mireau pretends to blame himself for piling one impossible task on Dax after another.

And it's my f ault. I've given you one impossible task after another.
スラング · B2say-so

the right to decide — Casual for the right to decide; rare in formal writing.

And you never would either. Therefore, you're not going to have any say-so about it, Colonel.
発音As from

Link As from together; stress the first syllable of furlough.

As from right now, I'm ordering you on indefinite furlough.
表現 · B2lack confidence

not feel sure of oneself

Mireau justifies the removal by claiming a doubting commander demoralises his men.

If a commanding officer lacks confidence, what can we expect of his men?
表現 · C1relieve someone of duty

remove someone from a post

Naturally, I don't want to relieve you, but I must have your enthusiastic support.
文法 · B2Not once have you said

fronted negation: Fronting the negative Not once forces inversion and makes the charge emphatic.

Not once have you said that your men can take the Anthill.
発音Not once

Stress both words in Not once to hammer the point.

Not once have you said that your men can take the Anthill.
表現 · A2get a rest

have a good break

And when you do, your men will be relieved and get a long rest.

「Mireau Orders Dax to Take the Anthill」を読み解く

What's really going on

The scene is the film's moral engine. Mireau wants a victory and treats men as the price of it: 'Oh, naturally, men are going to have to be killed. Possibly a lot of them.' When Dax asks what support he will have, the answer is none; the attack is designed to be impossible, and the commander knows it. The argument then becomes a duel about language: Mireau says patriotism makes a man honest, and Dax answers with Johnson's line that it is 'the last refuge of a scoundrel.' The general's reaction is telling — he cannot rebut the quote, so he calls Dax tired and removes him on indefinite furlough. Defeated but not broken, Dax still promises to take the Anthill, and the promise is the tragedy: he will send men to die for a hill he does not believe can be held.

Theme

PowerMireau uses rank to force an impossible attack, then removes Dax for doubting it, proving that the order matters more than the men.
DutyDax's duty pulls both ways: he owes obedience to a general he despises and protection to the soldiers he commands.

このチャプターで学べること

  • A quotation can cut deeper than an insult.
  • Numbers turn an order into a death sentence.
  • Dax refuses to be baited like a bull.
  • Removal from command is dressed up as care.

発音のポイント

  • not a bull — Not a links into no-ta, with bull stressed.
  • As from — Link As from together; stress the first syllable of furlough.
  • Not once — Stress both words in Not once to hammer the point.
I'm not a bull, General. I don't need a flag waved in front of me to get me to charge.

Dax refuses to be manipulated: he will do his duty, but he will not be goaded into it like an animal by patriotic display.

He said it was the last refuge of a scoundrel, sir.

Dax's quotation of Samuel Johnson, implying that appeals to patriotism are the last excuse of a dishonest man.

Patriotism may be old-fashioned, but show me a patriot, and I'll show you an honest man.

Mireau's claim that love of country equals moral character, which Dax immediately undercuts with Johnson's line.

General, you're saying that more than half of my men will be killed.

Dax spells out the arithmetic of the order, forcing the general to hear the human cost as a plain fact.

It's you who are exhausted, not your men.

Dax rejects the general's excuse that he is tired, turning the charge back and pointing to who really cannot face the truth.

Not once have you said that your men can take the Anthill.

Mireau's real complaint: he does not want a soldier's honesty but a commander's enthusiasm, no matter how hollow.

このシーンについての質問

Why does Mireau order an attack he knows will fail?

He wants a victory for its own sake and treats the men as the price of it. When Dax asks what support he will get, the answer is none, which shows the attack is knowingly suicidal.

What does Dax mean by 'I'm not a bull'?

He means he will not be provoked into charging by patriotic symbols. He resents being treated like an animal that needs a flag waved at it.

Why does the patriotism argument anger Mireau?

Dax quotes Samuel Johnson's remark that patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel, which lands as a personal insult and attacks the general's own rhetoric.

Why does Mireau send Dax on furlough?

He claims Dax is exhausted and lacks confidence, but really he wants a commander who will support the attack without doubt. The leave is a way of removing him.

Does Dax defy the order?

No. He protests, but in the end he says the men will take the Anthill, choosing obedience to the mission over his own judgment of the general.

突撃 · 全 17 章

すべて見る →
次のチャプター · 第 4 章my word against yoursParis Accuses Roget After the Patrol
第 1 章out of the questionBroulard Pitches the Anthill Offensive第 2 章armchair officerBroulard Visits Dax at the Front再生中 · 第 3 章the last refuge of a scoundrelMireau Orders Dax to Take the Anthill第 4 章my word against yoursParis Accuses Roget After the Patrol第 5 章as clear as mudThe Night Before the Attack第 6 章take responsibility forMireau Orders Fire on His Own Men第 7 章set an exampleGenerals Choose Three Scapegoats第 8 章draw lotsDax Prepares the Accused Soldiers第 9 章no-man's-landFerol Testifies at the Court-Martial第 10 章you mean to tell meArnaud Testifies at His Court-Martial第 11 章a stain on somethingDax's Final Plea at the Court-Martial第 12 章prepare for the worstThe Condemned Men Eat Their Last Meal第 13 章harden your heartFather Dupree Visits the Condemned第 14 章nothing to itDax Makes Roget Command the Firing Squad第 15 章a perfect tonicDax Bargains for the Condemned Men第 16 章brace yourselfThe Priest Comforts the Condemned Men第 17 章make me the goatBroulard Makes Mireau the Goat
第 3 / 17 章 · 残り約 44 分