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Keyla Martinez
Professor Altman
English 115 M/W 2:00
10/24/14

Nurture over nature

At his best, man is the noblest of all animals; separated from law and justice he is the
worst (Aristotle). Aristotles words have great meaning with the story of V. V for Vendetta is a
graphic novel set in the futuristic world of England. The world is a dystopia of a police state,
ruled by a dictatorship, filled with corruption, tyranny, propaganda, and government regulation
over the whole state. At the time there were no black people, homosexuals, religious or ethnic
minorities, most likely because they were disposed of. Everything is controlled, from The Voice
of Fate, a broadcaster used to sooth and influence every one of England, down to the exact time
it is supposed to rain. That is until V had makes a grand appearance and turns the whole system
upside down. In the past V had directly been affected by this government being an inmate at a
death camp created by the state. He eventually destroys everyone who played a part of his
capture getting his much wanted revenge. Like prisoners in Guantanamo Bay and Al Qaeda
gained new recruits due to the U.S acts of torture, V established his own plan. The entire
traumatic experience drove him to become the terrorist. V is who commits murder and
demolishes important symbols of the government. Vs actions are completely theatrical and
extreme that do create change, but in his mind all for the right purpose. Driven by his hatred of
the government and the system V is a terrorist fighting for his beliefs, like many other terrorists

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before him, of justice and freedom by bringing Norsefire down. Although V has been through
traumatic experiences caused by the government and fights for freedom he ultimately is a
terrorist of the state by his use of violence and influence against the government.
V was a result of what the state had done. In Larkhill is where Vs story began. Norsefire,
the fascist groups and big corporations, joined together and put London under control. The
Norsefire groups had people taken away and sent to resettlement camps. Here these groups tried
to eliminate all the black people, Pakistanis, homosexuals and radicals. It was never revealed
why he was taken away but V was sent away to a camp named Larkhill. Vs final encounter with
the Voice of Fate, shed some light on what had happened there. There are still special
prisoners to seethe one whod taken apart in your scientists experiment, I believed they used
to call them. You had to walk past these doors every night. Room one, room two, room three,
room fourroom five(Moore pg. 34,35). V had taken apart in experiments that had completely
ruined him and all the other prisoners who had to go through the same fate as him. They drove
him to insanity, having a psychotic break, according to doctor Surridges journal. If it wasnt
because of the terrible things administered to him while being in the camp he wouldnt have
become who he was now. The state created V and shaped him into the person he was to become.
Vs escape was the first of his many actions, and where he began to carry out his vendetta.
V wanted vengeance against all those involved with his horrific time at Larkhill. Similar
to many other terrorists in the world, retaliation is a big factor as to why one would go into
terrorism. One of the head of an elite interrogation team in Iraq, Matthew Alexander, saw the
real consequences of torture. Alexander states that it was similar to what V went through. This
did not save lives it only cost us them. Alexander explains, One of Al Qaedas goals, its not
just to attack the United States, its to prove that America is filled with hypocrites. Matthew

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Alexander also explains that Americans do not live up to the American principles. The
American principles are the rules and regulations we live by. Therefore, when America uses
torture and abuse, they are playing directly into one of their stated goals
(washingtonsblog.com). As a result of the U.S using torture as a tactic, more and more people
seek revenge. The more people seek revenge against America, the more terrorists arise. As seen
in V for Vendetta, V destroys the lives of those who destroyed his because of the torture they put
him through. He was used as a lab rat, V was experimented on in Larkhill. Torture against torture
is what proves that every action has a reaction. Vs traumatic experience broke him, and made
him become a different person. Being tortured never leaves a person the same. People who have
been through this kind of trauma eventually have a psychological change happening within.
Everything that V has been through such as the experiments, his psychotic break was caused by
the state and he wants vengeance.
Terrorism is mainly defined by violence and threat. V began with the head of the lion,
then went on to blow up Madam Justice. Scott Atran, in his article Genesis of Suicide
Terrorism, speaks of exactly this subject. He begins with different types of definitions for
terrorism. For the U.S congress act of terrorism means an activity that (A) involves a violent
act or an act dangerous to human life that is a violation of criminal laws of the United States or
any Sate, or that would be a criminal violation if committed within the jurisdiction of the United
States or of any State (Atran pg. 1534). This passage also goes into how terrorism is related
with the intimidation of others or influencing the policy of a government by assassination or
kidnapping. Governments fall at the hands of others. The system is fragile if one person stands
up they bring many with them. Terrorists want change, and in order to get it they use the tactic in
bringing others to their cause. V falls into this category because of everything he had done. V has

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murdered and hurt many involved with his time in Larkhill. The list of people he hurt include the
main people, Commander Pothero, Doctor Delia Surridge and Bishop Anthony Lilliman. V also
blew up the eyes and ears of London, the Jordan Tower and The Old Post Office, bringing all of
London to chaos. V is a terrorist because of his many actions and tactics with the mind of
bringing the government down.
Terrorism; the use of violence and threats to intimidate or coerce, especially for political
purposes. V is a terrorist but, sometimes a question arouses on whether or not what he is for is
wrong? Everyone has strong opinions in this city. One groups terrorist is another groups
freedom fighter. As said by Andrew Kydd and Barbara Walter in The Strategies of Terrorism
it often works and gets the desired effect. They gave an example of the suicide attack against the
US Marine barracks in Beirut the October of 1983 and the US withdrawing their soldiers because
of it. Another example is when The United States pulled its soldiers out of Saudi Arabia two
years after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001,even though the US military had been
building up its forces in that country for more than a decade (Kydd and Walter pg. 49). Because
of the terrorist attacks the US withdrew its soldiers from Saudi Arabia. The terrorists wanted the
soldiers out of Saudi Arabia and to get that they used violent actions. V uses violence as a tactic
because, as Kydd and Walter stated simply, it has the desired effect they want to give. In this
case it V brings chaos to London. One act of chaos is when he had people stand against the
system in the efforts to bring down the government and create a democracy. The people of
London wanted freedom so for them Vs use of violence against the state categorizes him as a
terrorist but to the people of London he is seen as a hero.
Ultimately, V has been through a lot in his life that has impacted him greatly. First with
the war, then his capture and being put through experimentation, torture, and humiliation. All

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these experiences affected him mentally and emotionally. He had a vendetta towards the people
who put him through pain and he blamed others for everything that happened. V is a terrorist
wanting to bring down the government and fighting for the freedom of the people. He made
decisions changed his life greatly in London that created chaos that then lead to anarchy. As a
result of all the experiences V went through, he felt like he needed to change the world around.
Some may confuse Vs actions as heroic or insane, but he is a freedom fighter as well as a
terrorist. The difference being only in the eye of the beholder.

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Works Cited
Atran, Scott. "Genesis of Suicide Terrorism." Science, 299.5612 (2003): 1534-1539
Kydd Andrew H. and Walter Barbara F. The Strategies of Terrorism International Security,
Vol. 31, No. 1 (summer, 2006), pp. 49-80
Moore, Alan. V for Vendetta. New York: DC Comics, 1953. Print
One of the Militarys Top Interrogators Says Torture Cost Hundreds If Not Thousands Of
American Lives.
Washingtons Blog. Web. 26, May, 2009