A characters courage is not measured by how an action will be accepted by others, but by how their actions stay true to themselves even in the face of a pressured surrounding. Colin McDougall’s The Firing Squad a story about a young soldiers attempt at redemption and George Orwell’s Shooting an Elephant an essay about Orwell’s days in a British colony where he was called to handle the situation with an aggressive elephant are two pieces of literature that demonstrate the effects of courage. Courage takes many forms and in these two great pieces of literature it can be measured by looking at the characters and how they use courage and lack of courage as a driving factor in different ways throughout their story’s.
Captain John Adam and George Orwell, the two protagonist’s show how their characters are driven by how courageous they opt to be. When Captain Adam was put into battle he acted cowardly and ran away. With the Brigadier’s chance to redeem himself Adam saw this as a chance, a chance to show everyone he was not a coward but in fact a courageous soldier. This is true to be because of his reaction when he was given a chance to redeem himself:
Brigadier Hatfield spoke softly. “If that report goes forward from here you’ll be in a bad way- at least returned to Canada for Adjutant General’s disposal, some second-rate kind of discharge, the reputation always clinging to you…” The Brigadier shook his head. “That would be a pity”
If the report goes forward…A pulse of excitement beat in Adam’s throat. What did he mean-was there any possibility that the report could be stopped here, that in the eyes of the world he could retain some shreds of self-respect? Adam’s breath came faster; he sat up straight.
This was the type redemption n...
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...d courage.
Both Captain John Adam and George Orwell demonstrated how their character drove their courage to be deciding factors for major decisions, whether it be negatively or positively. While Adam thought what he chose was a better decision and leading to the end he continued to being a coward until his finale and Orwell failed to be as courageous as he could have been, they both showed how their courage was a driving factor to make the most difficult decisions. Their courage was undisputed displayed in their actions throughout the stories, Orwell failed to find the courage to speak against what happened while John Adam was strong enough to find the courage to go against the pressure of people around him. Both of these stories display the importance of courage, and facing your fear of being shunned by criticizing surrounding and to stand up for what is right.
“The war correspondent is responsible for most of the ideas of battle which the public possesses … I can’t write that it occurred if I know that it did not, even if by painting it that way I can rouse the blood and make the pulse beat faster – and undoubtedly these men here deserve that people’s pulses shall beat for them. But War Correspondents have so habitually exaggerated the heroism of battles that people don’t realise that real actions are heroic.”
An example of courage, as the judgment that something else is more important than fear, is through the character of Kak in B for Buster by Iain Lawrence. In this novel, Kak is characterized as a young, determined boy, desiring to turn himself from a comic book reading boy into a World War II hero. Planning to escape his drunken, abusive father, Kak enlists himself in the Canadian Air Force although he is underage and only sixteen years old. During his first mission, he is becomes frightened of the risk of not coming home alive, but doesn?t show his emotions because of his austere, intrepid crewmen. During this mission, Kak did not have an absence of fear, but he felt that becoming a hero like the ones in his comic book, and accomplishing his dream of fly, was more important than his fear of dying.
Bates, Milton J. “Tim O’Brien’s Myth of Courage.” Modern Fiction Studies 33.2 (summer 1987): 263-79
...a of his "red badge" of cowardice known only to him, he earned his "red badge of courage." However, the necessity of a turn in character to create the final hero is still evidenced. By showing the close relationship between the negative and positive aspects of a single characteristic--in this case confronting battle with either courage or cowardice--Crane opens the door for an infinite understanding of what makes a hero by demonstrating that perfection is not a necessary characteristic.
Crane, Stephen. A Mystery of Heroism. Elements of Literature: 5th Course - Pennsylvania Edition Essentials of American Literature. Holt Rinehart & Winston, 2004. 435-31. Print.
In Harper Lee’s novel Atticus Finch is represented as a very courageous person whose courageousness the author of the novel brings to our attention all throughout the book but since our time is limited the student needs only to highlight three situations where they feel Atticus Finch is courageous for example he accepts a criminal case that involves a Black...
Richardson, Mark. “The Red Badge of Courage.” American Writers. Ed. Jay Parini. Vol. 1. New York: 2003. 237-255. Print.
The quest for power is one which has been etched into the minds of men throughout history. However, it can be said that true power is not a result of one’s actions but comes from the following one’s own beliefs without being influenced by others. This principle sets up the story for Shooting an Elephant by George Orwell. The protagonist, Orwell himself, is a sub divisional police officer in Burma, a British colony. Orwell must try to find and use his inner power when he is faced with the decision of whether or not to kill an elephant which has ravaged the Burman’s homes. The state of power established through the imperialistic backdrop show that Orwell, as a colonist, should be in control. As well, the perspective and ideas given by Orwell show his true character and lessen the overall power set up for him. Lastly, the symbols shown are representations of traditional forms of power, but take on different implications in the story. In Shooting an Elephant, George Orwell uses setting, characterization and symbols to show that true power comes from following the dictates of one’s conscience.
A police officer in the British Raj, the supposedly 'unbreakable'; ruling force, was afraid. With his gun aimed at a elephant's head, he was faced with the decision to pull the trigger. That officer was George Orwell, and he writes about his experience in his short story, 'Shooting an Elephant';. To save face, he shrugged it off as his desire to 'avoid looking the fool'; (George Orwell, 283). In truth, the atmosphere of fear and pressure overwhelmed him. His inner struggle over the guilt of being involved in the subjugation of a people added to this strain, and he made a decision he would later regret enough to write this story.
Courage is something that is not integrally human, particularly in times of war where one’s existence is in peril. During the time of war, this is conveyed when one’s integrity is being tested the most: there are few who desire to conserve this integrity and their humanity through selfless acts in the time that generosity is a fantasy. When most individuals are occupied of thoughts of their own self preservation, selflessness preserves and fortify one’s integrity and humanity when one risks their life for others. In the novel The Cellist of Sarajevo, Steven Galloway emphasized the moral crisis that people faced when they were challenged with their own mortality and the hardship of those worse off. He
Courage exists in several forms in Harper Lee’s novel, To Kill a Mockingbird. As defined by Atticus Finch, real courage "…when you know you're licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what” (149). The novel explores the how this real courage can be shown in different ways through the lives of many characters in Maycomb, particularly, Tom Robinson, Mrs. Dubose, and Atticus. Their courage is evident through their lifestyle, actions, and beliefs.
This theme is the driving force behind the two films 12 Angry Men, written by Reginald Rose, and A Time to Kill, written by John Grisham. In 12 Angry Men, courage is represented mostly by Juror 8, who stood alone in a supposed open-and-shut case and defended his ideas with evidence and reason. Similarly, Jake Brigance from A Time to Kill accepted the challenge to defend Carl Lee Hailey, an African American man who murdered two white men who were going to court for raping his daughter. These are two prime examples as to how courage can be utilized to both express one’s opinion, but to help those in need.
... inhumane act he just committed. Orwell gives into his pride too much when he conforms to the group, so now he must live with that guilt. Orwell’s pride and how it is destroyed is often a focus in his writing. The strength to move on is the driving force behind his pride.
Throughout "Shooting an Elephant" by George Orwell, he addresses his internal battle with the issues of morality and immorality. He writes of several situations that show his immoral doings. When George Orwell signed up for a five-year position as a British officer in Burma he was unaware of the moral struggle that he was going to face. Likewise, he has an internal clash between his moral conscious and his immoral actions. Therefore, Orwell becomes a puppet to the will of the Burmese by abandoning his thoughts of moral righteousness. This conflicts with the moral issue of relying upon other's morals, rather than one's own conscience.
"Shooting an Elephant" is perhaps one of the most anthologized essays in the English language. It is a splendid essay and a terrific model for a theme of narration. The point of the story happens very much in our normal life, in fact everyday. People do crazy and sometimes illegal moves to get a certain group or person to finally give them respect. George Orwell describes an internal conflict between his personal morals and his duty to his country to the white man's reputation. The author's purpose is to explain the audience (who is both English and Burmese) about the kind of life he is living in Burma, about the conditions, circumstances he is facing and to tell the British Empire what he think about their imperialism and his growing displeasure for the imperial domination of British Empire.