And damn you for making me defend Egwene.
It's okay. Your argument is sufficiently weak that it is no real defence. You are free of this burden, and may remove the curse.
But don't fault her for putting an end to 50 BA. She learned her lesson from Moggy's escape.
If she'd waited to collar the known BA in her own camp, it's very likely she would have lost ALL of them, and not just those in the tower.
If she'd waited to collar the known BA in her own camp, it's very likely she would have lost ALL of them, and not just those in the tower.
Why "very likely"? This is a preposterous assertion.
What evidence is there that the BA plans an attack? NONE
What evidence that they could carry out an attack if they planned it? NONE
What evidence that she could protect herself in such event? GOOD
Moggy's situation was rather unusual, don't you think? Not too many parallels. Chosen, a'dam, being used as a teacher by accepted, can implicate girls as phoney AS, released by a male.
I think that fact that none of the 50 Salidar AS even twigged is actually more interesting. Shows their uselessness.
Egwene had no idea that the WT AS were going to name her Amyrlin that very day.
Because she MADE NO ATTEMPT TO FIND OUT. Had she sent spies she may well have.
Irrespective, she did not even contemplate the possibility. Which is odd, given that this was all she has been working for.
Ignorance is not generally the best of defences.
She thought Elaida was still in charge in the tower.
But a false assumption. See previous.
She had no way to know otherwise. If there were some feasible method for spying on internal tower doings, the rebels would have been doing that from day one of the siege.
Yeah right. Are you suffering Graendel compulsion?
They could travel into tower and look about. Use Accepted/kin. Use AS with a brain. The Aes Sedai have A RIGHT to be there anyway.
Travel in some smart soldiers, washerwomen etc to TV or grounds and get intelligence.
Travel to the dungeon where the BA hunters are holding prisoners and talk to guards. Unlikely they will betray anyone.
Travel into Elaida's Office and ask her.
Use T'AR to spy. (Egwene and any with the last ring)
Given that Tower AS can travel into Tower, the assumption that the Salidar AS would-have-if-they-could-have-so-thus-they-can't seems cavalier. The AS are not perfect, you know.
I'm not arguing that it wouldn't have been better if she'd waited and enacted her plan after the tower was united, but she had to act on the information and situation she was facing AT THE TIME. She did not have access to our omniscient reader's POV, or the advantage of hindsight.
My point was that Egwene is not perfect because her command decisions were sub-optimal.
Yes, she had to guess. As do all commanders. And hers were (in hindsight) poor. There is no other way to judge such things, but in hindsight!!! The Allies won WWII. We still say "in hindsight, appeasing Hitler was a mistake". We still say "Churchill was a lone voice in opposing appeasement". In hindsight, was Chamberlain right? Or Churchill? Surely they can't both be?
Egwene's deadlines were her own. She was not compelled to reveal her BA knowledge. She was not compelled to march on tower. These were CHOICES.
As readers we are not omniscient. If we were, this site would be irrelevant. We have but snippets of information.
Most readers seem to think BA were about to attack or flee en masse. Why?
Most readers seem to think marching on Tower made sense. Why?
The fact that Siuan made a mistake in "saving" Egwene seems to be also accepted. Why?
These are my 3 examples of Egwene being a sub-optimal leader. Thus showing she is not "perfect" but flawed - no less so than, say, Rand. Just because RJ/BS fawn over EaV does not mean we have to.
Semirhage and Egwene
04/12/2009 02:31:45 PM
- 1660 Views
I agree with all of that.
04/12/2009 02:58:48 PM
- 898 Views
Re: I agree with all of that. *NM*
04/12/2009 03:22:49 PM
- 432 Views
Re: I agree with all of that.
04/12/2009 03:29:46 PM
- 846 Views
The entire cast is full of Perfect Sues and Stuarts (I may have just made latter up)
04/12/2009 03:14:27 PM
- 904 Views
If you plan to write that review before the last two books are out, you better get re-reading now. *NM*
04/12/2009 03:20:31 PM
- 377 Views
about Semirhage
04/12/2009 03:21:32 PM
- 1215 Views
but
04/12/2009 03:26:29 PM
- 805 Views
She was never THAT person.
06/12/2009 01:22:39 AM
- 775 Views
Alas, Semirhage was actually an idiot
04/12/2009 05:03:48 PM
- 932 Views
Re: Alas, Semirhage was actually an idiot
04/12/2009 06:42:41 PM
- 793 Views
If one compares the characters...
05/12/2009 11:24:16 AM
- 725 Views
Did I miss Rand's marriage ceremonies? I always thought the three girls only bonded him *NM*
05/12/2009 11:27:36 AM
- 378 Views
Egwene had the best mix of teachers and a desire to learn. Most believable, IMO. *NM*
04/12/2009 10:17:56 PM
- 401 Views
That's really nonsense
05/12/2009 11:13:20 AM
- 730 Views
And yet Egwene is still a fool regarding Gawyn.
04/12/2009 05:44:49 PM
- 864 Views
Egwene has a long way to go ...
05/12/2009 06:16:31 PM
- 776 Views
Hardly a blunder
06/12/2009 01:43:54 AM
- 736 Views
Re: Hardly a blunder? Send Egwene back to Silviana.
07/12/2009 04:03:08 PM
- 760 Views
Or she her rescue forced her hand. She lost her advantage
07/12/2009 04:47:56 PM
- 664 Views
She should have attacked when they first arrived
07/12/2009 09:35:33 PM
- 687 Views
Don't damn me, damn Graendal
09/12/2009 12:51:18 PM
- 722 Views
Yes, the Aes Sedai need to rediscover the meaning of "servants of all" *NM*
06/12/2009 05:03:19 AM
- 718 Views
I'm re-reading the series now for the first time in years. Egwene has always been a weak character.
07/12/2009 01:12:15 AM
- 754 Views
I think you'll find few people who agree with you on both of those counts...
07/12/2009 01:53:58 PM
- 708 Views
Irritating teen spirits ...
07/12/2009 04:32:51 PM
- 783 Views
You must not have been reading the same series I have.
07/12/2009 10:33:23 PM
- 817 Views