Courage is a trait very few people in the world truly possess. In the book Staying Fat For Sarah Byrnes, Sarah is in the hospital trying to hide from her crazy dad. When Sarah was three years old her parents got into big argument and Sarah’s face got burned in the climax of the argument. Sarah now sits in a hospital hoping to stay away from her dad. Lemry, Mark and Eric all display courage or lack of courage throughout the book.
The first person I'm going to be talking about who displayed courage in the book Is Lemry. First of all, Lemry is the swimming coach for the school and a teacher of a class called Contemporary American Thought (CAT). A bunch of important characters are in that class. Lemry displays courage many, many times
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throughout the book. The first example is on page 228 when Lemry is helping Sarah find her mom. Lemry drives Sarah to Reno, Las Vegas in hopes of finding Sarah's mom.
That is an act of courage because Lemry is driving a random student to a totally different state just to help her find her mom so her mom can come back to save Sarah from her dad. There also aren't any guarantees they'll find Sarah's mom. The second example of courage is when Lemry gives up her glove that her family gave her and she gave it up to help the team. “‘I want you to give Ronnie your glove’” (Crutcher 266). At that point Lemry’s mouth dropped, she was very disappointed. After Lemry gave up her glove, coach asked her to play deep right field because it's easier to run forwards compared to running backwards. Lemry already felt like she didn't belong. She's courageous in this situation because she helped the team by giving her glove away and not quitting baseball. Lemry felt so bad, but she didn’t give up. The last example of courage Lemry shows is on page 291 “The final chapter of a family tragedy was written yesterday at the county courthouse when Cynthia and Tom Lemry signed formal adoption papers, gaining custody of …show more content…
Sarah Byrnes less than 24 hours before her 18th birthday” (Crutcher 291). This is the most courageous action in the book. Taking a child who has had a horrible life and raising her as their own. This is courageous not only because Lemry has to feed Sarah, but she also has to pay for education. It's a huge responsibility the Lemrys are taking on. Very few people adopt a child who is older. They adopted Sarah who is going off to college. Lemry is a courageous and kind person. Anyone would be lucky to have someone like Lemry in their life. The second person who displays courage and lack of courage is Mark Brittain.
Mark is a student in CAT class and one of the best swimmers on the swim team. For most of the book Mark isn't very courageous, but towards the end he's pretty brave. The first example is on page 151 “ Mark took [Jody] to the clinic, but he dropped me off two blocks away because he thought somebody might recognize him” (Crutcher 151). That was not courageous. Mark just dropping off his girlfriend to get an abortion and not staying so he isn't embarrassed or made fun of. He isn't supporting his girlfriend. A boyfriend should be brave and supporting and loving, but right then and there Mark wasn't any of those. Mark is lacking courage. The second example where Mark lacks courage is on page 212. This is a different type of lack of courage. This type is more internal. The whole CAT class found out about Jody’s abortion and what he did. Mark couldn't handle it and tried to kill himself. Committing suicide is something no one ever should have a problem with. You need courage to not even think about killing your own self. Again, Mark is lacking courage. The last example of Mark is when he does show courage. After Eric is in the hospital from getting stabbed by Virgil (Sarah's psycho dad), Mark comes in his room to check on him and get advice. This is courageous because he's wanting advice and being friendly to the person who kind of “stole” his girlfriend. Mark wanted advice on what he should do at
school about the Jody situation. This is especially courageous because Mark went from a selfish guy to a person who is starting to think of others. The last person I'm going to be talking about who displayed courage in the book is Eric Calhoune. Eric is the best friend of Sarah Byrnes. He is a student in CAT class and one of the best swimmers on the swim team. Eric shows courage many times throughout the book, mainly helping Sarah. The first example is on page 181 when Eric defies Sarah and goes to Lemry to get help. Sarah didn't want Eric to tell anyone about anything he knew about her. Eric knew what was best. His courage to stand up to Sarah and get help had a positive outcome. Sarah didn't like that he shared her secrets to someone else. At first she was furious with Eric, but almost right away Sarah and Lemry had a connection. Another time Eric was courageous was on pages 223 and 245. He stood up for the same reason. Eric was risking his life to protect Sarah. On page 223 Eric is on the phone with Virgil. Virgil wants to know where his daughter is. He knows that Eric knows where she is. Virgil threatens Eric, but Eric kept his mouth shut. On page 245 when Eric is held hostage for a good minute or two. Virgil really threatens Eric with a knife. Virgil is keen on finding where Sarah is. With a knife on his neck Virgil asks Eric where she is. He didn't tell him the truth until Virgil was on the verge of killing him. That's a pretty good job of protecting someone. When you’re at the point where you're about to die I don't even think it's worth it to protect someone. Eric really wanted to protect Sarah. This is one of the most courageous actions in the book. Eric is a special, once in a lifetime friend. In the book Staying Fat For Sarah Byrnes Lemry, Mark and Eric all show courage or lack of courage that have effects on people differently. The courageous actions affect people positively, but the not so courageous actions hurt people. Be a helpful person like Lemry, what Mark ended up being like and Eric. There are many types of courage. Find the type of courage that fits you best. Be that unique person you were meant to be.
“Look out for the people who look out for you. Loyalty is everything.” In the book, Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes by Chris Crutcher, Ms. Lemry is loyal. Ms.Lemry is a teacher and a swim coach for a school. She is a teacher who stays loyal to her students. She is loyal because she cares for her students who are in her class. Ms. Lemry stands by Sarah at all times and is there for her. Sarah is a girl who got abused by her dad when she was younger. Sarah’s father when she was younger out her face on the stove. Sarah was always scared of her father and she still is because she is afraid of her dad coming back and killing her. Sarah was about to go on the train and Lemry was there to inform her to not get on the train. Her class is called CAT known
Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes, written by Chris Crutcher, is about being an outcast, friendship, and standing up for what is right. The main character Eric, or Moby, whose best friend is Sarah Byrnes, find themselves going through a series of events of dark secrets, violence, betrayal, and more. In the book, these two best friends learn that friendship and sacrifice are vital in order to help find themselves.
Courage is an attribute that someone has when they stand up for what they believe in. In the novel, Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, by Mildred D. Taylor, Cassie shows some acts of courage. Cassie faces some challenges and she handles them in different ways. Cassie shows courage by standing up for Little Man, volunteering to be splashed by the bus for revenge, and standing up to Lillian Jean. I think that she did the right thing when she stood up for Little Man. She was trying to make things right.
I think the main character from Staying Fat For Sarah Byrnes is Sarah Byrnes. I created a pic collage with a bunch of pictures that I think represent Sarah and her characteristics. In my pic collage two of the pictures I added were a picture of a pot of boiling water and a picture of a wood burning stove. I put a line connecting the two pictures because they have to do with each other and they are a big part of the book. Sarah Byrnes has burn scars all over her face and a lot of book is about her and her scars. Everyone thinks that her scars were caused by a pot of boiling water that she pulled off the stove and onto her, but her scars were actually caused by her father pushing her into the wood burning stove. I also added a picture of scars because that’s what mostly made Sarah’s life the way it is now.
Courage is having to stand up for people who are being treated unfairly or if they have different skin color. In Mildred Taylor’s book Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry Stacey has to show courage by standing up for his friends and family. Stacey is a seventh grader at Great Faith Elementary School and is the oldest Logan kid. when Papa is gone he feels like he needs to be the man of the house and watch out for his younger siblings. Stacey had to show courage when he helped Little Man get back at the bus, takes the blame for the cheat notes, and took T.J. home when he was injured.
Mark Twain best described courage when he said that, “Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear - not absence of fear” (Twain). Both in The One Who Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey and Watership Down by Richard Adams, the authors deal with the topic of courage and each share a similar view on it as this quote. Indeed, both authors suggest that courage is not accumulated simply by acts of heroism, but rather by overcoming fears and speaking one’s mind as well. These books are very similar in the way that bravery is displayed through the characters in an uncommon way. Firstly, an example of bravery
Courage is a deed that can be portrayed in many ways. In the Historical Fiction novel To Kill a Mockingbird written by Harper Lee, there are many acts of racism and problematic cases where acts of courage are demonstrated in different and unique ways that can only be deciphered if one reads in between the lines of the words. There are three characters in particular who show courage in diverse ways. First, there is Arthur Radley who anonymously shows courage by performing tasks that cause him to face the outside world where he’s been isolated from for so long. Secondly, there is Scout Finch who demonstrates courage through her adolescent age. Lastly, there is Atticus Finch who displays courage through his selfless and kind actions. Therefore, in the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee uses diverse characters to represent different acts of courage.
The reason why I argue courage is because the youngest brother leaves his family to start a new life and that requires courage. He also is too rebellious to be like his older brother. Immorality is a given theme in this book. The mistreatment of servants and the 66th birthday party that was overtly sexual, concubines argue that their society is full of lewdness and that they lack any morals. An interesting observation is that all of the women they love are pure and virtuous and 2 of them die horribly which goes to show how immoral the author viewed his society. Another point to be argued is that inequality is also a common theme of this novel. The author describes this by the treatment of the young women and how they are treated and unable to have a normal education. (Gale, www.bookrags.com/Family, 2014)
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.
Based on the Merriam Webster dictionary, courage is defined as the,“mental or moral strength to venture, persevere, and withstand danger, fear, or difficulty.” In the play, the characters are tested and forced to make life or death decisions, with
Courage is when you know you’re beaten. The character Atticus, for instance, who was a seasoned lawyer acted courageous defending Tom Robinson. Tom Robinson was a black man who was accused of raping a white girl. Atticus was appointed to defend him. Jem was happy because he thought his father had won the case but Reverend Sykes loathed telling Jem “Now don’t you be so confident, Mr. Jem, I ain’t ever seen any jury decide in favor of a colored man over a white man…”(Lee 208). Atticus was sure he wasn’t going to win the case, nevertheless he gave it a try. That didn’t stop Atticus from trying to defend his client Tom Robinson. Another part in the novel when Atticus was courageous was when he shot at the man street dog. Heck Tate the Maycomb Sheriff was not as courageous as Atticus so he handed Atticus the air rifles and with one shot Atticus took down the street dog. Miss Maudie says “I saw that, One Shot Finch” (Lee 97). Atticus was referred to as one-shot finch because of his shooting skills. The other incidence in the novel when Atticus portrays courage was when he was not scared when Bob Ewell threatened him. Bob Ewell was the man who accused Atticus’ defendant Tom Robinson of raping his daughter Mayella. Atticus thought Bob Ewell threatened him as some sort of revenge, but unfortunately Atticus was wrong because when Bob Ewell said ...
Courage is not something that we are born with, it is a skill that takes time to learn and only a few are lucky enough to have it. To Kill a Mockingbird is not only about life in a world full of hate, it is about standing up for anyone’s beliefs being brave enough to do it. In this story, Harper Lee says “Courage is not a man with a gun in his hand. It's knowing you're licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what. You rarely win, but sometimes you do” (Lee 112). In To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee illustrates courage through Atticus Finch, Mrs. Dubose, and Arthur Radley.
Courage is a well-used theme throughout many important novels, this specific theme is a very important aspect of any good story. For example, In, Miss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Children, the theme of courage is most definitely a salient focus. It is of frantic use throughout this novel and is shown in many different ways. In the novel, Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children, the theme of courage is displayed through the characters of Emma Bloom, Millard Nullings, and Jacob Portman.
Courage is ‘the ability to do something that frightens one; bravery.’ I thought that at the start of the novel that charlie was a bit of a wimp that couldn't stand up for himself and was too afraid and didn't have enough courage to do anything for himself. I thought that charlie wished that he could overcome his fear and gain some courage, he sees some of the adults in his community and they are his only role models and they also do not have much courage. This novel has showed me that courage has become a bit of a rarity and it takes a lot of courage to stand up for someone such as when Miss Lu who is vietnamese gets bullied because of the war that was going on in vietnam and nobody stood up for her, this was partly because a lot of people
The best character best to choose for courage in this situation is Atticus, the lawyer. One of the key moments of him displaying courage is when he decided to defend a black man named Tom Robinson for the rape of Mayella Ewells. One example is in particular this time blacks and whites didn’t really get along especially in Maycomb, Alabama. What was so significant was that Atticus did defend Tom and everyone thought he was crazy except the black folk they loved him. Atticus sighed. “I’m simply defending a Negro—his name’s Tom Robinson. He