| |
| | Jebediah Springfield - Embigenner? |
 | | In this episode, however, Lisa discovers that the supposed hero’s hero, Jebediah, was in fact born Hans Sprungfeld, a self-dubbed “murderous pirate,”¹ would-be presidential assassin, and all around bad man. His true character known to her, Lisa still chooses to conceal his evil past and maintain the myth of Jebediah Springfield. |
 | | When confronted with the chance that Jebediah Springfield might not have been as heroic as all claim him to be, everyone³ in the episode invariably retreats to the most primitive levels of cognition, displaying a marked lack of desire to even pause and wonder if their beliefs may be faulty. |
 | | Jebediah Springfield is credited with saying, “A noble spirit embiggens*; the smallest man.” Indeed, the idea of a noble, unifying spirit keeps Lisa from revealing the disheartening truth about Jebediah, and the episode ends on a happy note with Lisa joyously marching in the bicentennial parade. |
| www.people.virginia.edu /~dtr4b/writing/simpsons/paperthree.htm (1133 words) |
|