Bandits and Outlaws

Jesse James was one of the worlds most legendary outlaws. He was born in missuri and was the son of a baptist minister. many people saw him as an american version of robin hood when in reality, he was a cold blooded murderer. rumour has it that it was the barbaric treatment he suffered at the hands of the union soldiers during the civil war that turned him to 'fight the system' through theft, dishonesty and murder. The robin hood image was given to him by a man called John Norman Edwards. he was a reporter for an american newspaper. his powerful and elaborate reporting made jesse into a symbol of rebel defiance. I do not understand how anyone can admire Jesse James who was reported to have shot at least fifteen people in cold blood before stealing from their dead bodies. this to me seems the actions of an evil individual, not a hero.

Robin Hood was famous for steeling from the rich to give to the poor.Like jesse james, he stole, but for the benefit of other people rather than himself. He too was rebelling against an unfair dictatorship headed by the sherrif of Nottingham. He though that the only way to rebel against this was to break the laws they set. He had been away fighting for his country in the crusades only to come back and find it everything he was fighting to keep away. He never set out to murder and so it is understandable why he is seen as a hero in folk lore. However, i am not sure that just because he gave what he stole to the poor, he should be seen as a hero. In the stories the people he stole from are seen as greedy undeserving people but this we do not know for sure. surely these stories will be biased towards Robin Hood because he was Such a prominant idol for the people of that time. Rich people do not deserve to be stolen from just because not everyone is as wealthy as them. If they do not wish to give to those who do not have anything it is their choice no matter how selfish we think they are.