Compromise and the Fight for Freedom

One of the most interesting facets of this film seemed to be the compromise that many of the freedom fighters chose after the treatise was signed. To me, those people who compromised trivialized their fight and dishonored those who had lost their lives in the struggle. It seems to me that it is human nature to have a certain point of compromise. Damien embodied the heroic figure who never compromised, even in the face of death. The conflict is very strong throughout the movie, even among the freedom fighters. I think that the execution of the young man was a tough decision to make. However, I think that his death has to be viewed on the same level as the execution of the wealthy landowner. The young man had the opportunity to lie to the British soldiers, and he decided to give up his fellow freedom fighters. If he had done nothing wrong, his death would have been a terrible thing. Killing British soldiers is not any different than killing the young man. He was younger, but he had to have known what was going to happen if he betrayed his friends.