The Theme of Dignity in The Remains of the Day
The novel, The Remains of the Day, contains a recurring theme of dignity. This theme is stated and restated throughout the novel. Dignity, according to the Oxford Dictionary, is "a composed and serious manner/style, the state of being worthy of honor or respect". In the novel, dignity is exoterically found in the form of proper gentlemen, as well as butlers who allow nothing to distract or faze them from doing their duty.
What about the everyday definition in the modern world. This dignity today is rarely encountered other than in the higher levels of old fashioned society, politics and perhaps serious business matters. With all our upbringing, culture and modernization, few have retained what was known as the dignity of even a half century ago. No one has the time any more to nurture and develop their dignity to a reasonable potential, as they find increasingly less and less reason to do so, relying instead on pure wit, instinct and professional tact. What I think is meant when one talks about dignity is the following. Take an imaginary case. You are confronted with a difficult or abnormal situation, yet you can maintain the same level of thinking and can attempt to deal with the situation. Or, you are forced to respond to a matter, and there is the possibility of your letting it get out of hand, but you control yourself and respond instead while focused and maintaining a civilised manner. That is dignity.
As is evident throughout the novel, it is a quality inherent in all people. The author’s intention and a below the surface view become clear: during his car journey. Mr Stevens becomes acutely aware of the dignity present in the people he meets, for example the family who takes him in when he runs out of gas. These are hardly the upper crust folk, yet their demeanour warms him and places them all on an even level. From there, communication tends to become easier. Thanks to the dignity in these people, Mr Stevens has little trouble adapting to his situation and manages to make the most out of it. Herein, I believe, lies the author’s intention with regard to dignity. He is saying we should look further that where we perceive dignity to lie; we should look closer, at the common folk; we should look closer yet, find it within ourselves.
Lennie appeared out of the brush by the deep, green pool of the Salinas River. He had been running. He knelt down quietly by the pool’s edge and drank barely touching his lips to the water. He finished drinking and sat down embracing his knees on the bank, facing the trail entrance. He became very skittish and jumpy. Every little noise prodded for his attention. He knew he had made a huge mistake and George would be mad at him. He had remembered though, that George told him to hide here and wait for him.
What is honor? Honor coins an individual’s nature. A principle that exists on the purpose of perception, a martyr willing to conform and accomplish. In the case of Shakespeare's play, The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, Brutus was the most honorable of men. A brother to Caesar, but a father to Rome, he persist and perish for the future of his child. The idea of ignorance, and the belief of a false faith, turns this noble man toward a vulgar grave, with virtuous notions.
The most important aspect of the chivalric code is honor. Without honor a man is
amount of respect that have for the codes of chivalry and honor, which is often rewarded in the
With so many words making up the content of plays, it is difficult for one, single word to make much of an impact. However, the word ‘honor’ does just that in the play Titus Andronicus. Honor means different things to different people, and this is quite evident in the tragedy that is Titus Andronicus. The definition of honor has changed throughout the history of man. The character for which the play is named, Titus, puts his honor and the honor of Rome before anything else. In the play, honor is used as justification for wrongful actions. There are murders that happen in the name of honor. Honor is also lost by some and taken from others. Although small in size, the word honor plays a large role in Titus Andronicus.
Notably, before the walls creation, Germany was a political mess. It was a mess for many reasons, but the main being that “West Germany (governed by the Allied powers- the United States, the United Kingdom, and France) and East Germany (governed by the Soviet Union)” (“Cold War”). Of course, the Allied Powers and the Soviet Union were polar opposites; the Soviet Union was Communist while the Allies were anything but, and despised the very idea of Communism. Therefore, The Wall was constructed in 1961 by the East German government. The walls main purpose was to stop the emigration of East German citizens, because in “1953, the number of refugees doubled- more than 400,000 people left”, all of whom were heading to West Germany (Dowling). They wanted to stop the “skilled workers and professionals”, which were in high demand at this time, from leaving (“Berlin Wall”). These young men were valuable to the economy, because of the various products and services they could provide. However, they were trapped against their will in East Berlin;...
In conclusion Berlin Wall was an important milestone in the growth of the Cold War. It was the expansion that represented the thinking of a determined Communist system. Western Capitalism, which was more powerful, eventually defeated the system. The massive wall that did so much harm to a country was finally destroyed, and the people of Germany could now live the way they all wanted to live. They could live the life of freedom. Since the fall of the Berlin Wall East Germany has went through a lot of changes, and it still is not easy for all of the people in East Germany. But no matter how hard it is for the people of East Germany now, it is better than being alone and separated from their families, friends and rest of Europe.
The Berlin Wall was put up for one of the most historically common reasons any country would do anything radical: political and economical gain. East Germany was controlled by communist Russia. In contrast, West Germany was controlled by the U.S., France, and Great Britain. Germans who lived in East Germany wanted to move to West Germany to seek better living styles. Approximately 2.7 million Germans escaped from East Germany to West Germany. As a result, East Germany had an astonishing lack of population. Of course, that was a detrimental blow to the economy of East Germany, including a scarce work force. To put a stop to escaping Germans, East Germany constructed the 103 mile, 12 foot high Berlin Wall. To increase East Germany’s population, people were allowed entry into East Germany by means of the Berlin Wall. However, people were not allowed to depart from East Germany by means of the Berlin Wall. Basically, once people entered East Germany, they were not departing. Building the Berlin Wall was a complete violation of the Germans’ right to freedom, all for political gain.
...pics we can get at least a partial picture of how the ancient civilizations regarded the concept of honour and come to a few conclusions about what it is and how it functions. At times it seems like a commodity that is traded around, and it is certainly attached to material goods. One’s birth and fate, and more importantly how they act and what they do with their fate, adds to one’s honour, but it is most important to be courageous and show excellence through great deeds, especially military victory.
Viewing on the term, “Gentleman”, a gentleman as explained is, “one who sported an uncommonly polished manner and affluent lifestyle, and one who presented himself as prosperous, politically conservative, and properly schooled in the art of et...
He uses human dignity to give support for outlining general moral principle. The General moral principle is defined as a group of principles that are either right or wrong, and favorable by a person or group. Pullman comes to explain that human dignity is still being used in national and international moral codes. I believe in order to have human dignity we need to have respect for ourselves individually, and as a whole in the human race. Pullman also brings up a point that health care and health research still abides by these principles. He uses an example from Downie + Telfer referring to the principles that exercises actions as truth telling and promise keeping. Which are necessities for morality. He also uses the term particularism which believes that there are no general universal moral codes that apply to every culture. Particularists look at things the opposite way saying what is right or wrong is related culturally or
HONOR CAN BE DEFINED IN SO MANY WAYS CAN mean respect and esteem shown to another. HONOR may ALSO apply to the recognition of one's right to great respect or to any expression of such recognition IN SOME SITUATIONS IT implies profound respect mingled with love, devotion.There is a priceless respect that everyone in the world possesses, and that is the. respect of a person?s honor. A person?s honor is something that can not be bought, sold,. or traded it?s something that must be gained by the respect of your peers. An example of. how honor is seen in everyday life in through a persons word. The standard dictionary definition of honor first lists public regard and esteem under the word, with ethical conduct or high standards of justice and responsibility appearing much further down the list. This is reflected in the way the modern world treats the issue of honor. In ancient times, honor was the manner of being that we now describe as having integrity. In plain language, an honorable person avoids deception whenever possible, treats others with respect and sticks to her beliefs no matter how others think or act. People generally do not seem to behave very well toward each other any more.Honor determines the hierarchy of an individual while revealing his loyalty and true intentions. Reward comes for those at the top whose honor does not diminish, while a false or fleeting honor of a lesser mortal causes destruction. Exploring and discussing how to act honorably toward each other is a place to start.The greatest way to live with honor in this world is to be what we pretend to be. How can you be a person of integrity? First, figure out what integrity (honor) is. My mother used to say to treat others the way you wanted to be treated. Does anyone do that these days? Well, I know that I don't want to be cut off in traffic, or yelled at, or bumped into rudely at the grocery store, or left picking up garbage all over my yard from the street. So I could try not to do those things to other people. I won't cut off others in traffic, or yell, or act rude at the grocery store, or throw garbage in the street. That's just a place to start. Treat others the way you want to be treated.
When the Berlin Wall was constructed, East Germany went into a state of panic, fell into poverty, and adopted a communist government. The citizens of the GDR were filled with terror and anxiety when the border separating them from friends, family, and lovers was constructed. Many attempted to escape but every passing day, the wall became more and more menacing. Trapped, the people of East Germany were forced to cope with the shortage of goods, accept the fact that anybody could be a spy for the STASI, and follow the rule of an oppressive government. Although conditions were grim, the people of the East united together in order to survive. The wall is but a thing of the past, but it will always be remembered by every individual in Germany and the rest of the world.
how honor is seen in everyday life is through a person’s words. A person’s honor is
Sincerity: there will always be conflict within a relationship and you need to be able to apologise and realise when you are wrong. The sooner there is an apology the sooner the relationship can advance.