Here's to the Man That No One Likes

I would like to make a toast to one of the greatest leaders France has ever known: Napoleon Bonaparte. Born in the doorway of a house in the middle of a sketch alley in Corsica, Napoleon became a key factor in France’s success as a nation. In fact, not content with the title “Emperor of France” that was given to him, he decided to bestow the title “Emperor of Europe” upon himself. He even decided that his army was so great that they could conquer Russia in the middle of winter. What a genius! Too bad he was defeated, otherwise he really would have been the greatest leader ever. France liked him so much after that, that they arrested him and sent him to an island where he eventually died of what is believed to be stomach poison, thus ending the life of one of Europe’s finest.

This past week on our educational field trip to Corsica, we visited Napoleon’s house, because let’s be honest, what else is there to do in Corsica? The entire tour of the house was a complete joke. Our tour guide was so sarcastic that I didn’t know whether I should believe anything he said. I even heard a rumor that the house we visited was not even the real house he was born in. Later that day, after talking with Dr. Landais about her feelings of the exhibit, I found out that just about no one in France or Corsica likes Napoleon. Was this guy really that bad that not even the place he was born could like him? When you think about it, even Hitler still has people that like him and he committed the biggest genocide in the history of the world.

This brings me to question why we went to Corsica to learn about someone who wasn’t even popular in the place that we visited. Granted, the trip itself was fun, but as far as learning anything about Napoleon or Corsica, I can’t say that I learned anything. Instead, I now think that Napoleon was a big fake and that everything I learned about in elementary school was all just to make him look better than who he really was. Now I’m starting to question why he was given such a big hype and why he has remained such a major part of European history. Even the tour guides have to pretend to like Napoleon because that is the only thing that attracts tourists to Corsica besides the beach. What a shame that someone who was such a popular topic in history can't even get credit from his own country.

So it’s to you Napoleon Bonaparte that we acknowledge your accomplishments as insignificant as they may be. We remember your legacy as if it should be forgotten. We hope your story is removed from European history classes worldwide and that people will realize the lies they were told about you. So raise your glasses of French wine high and drink to the man that no one likes.