The Consequences of Conforming to Society in A Few Good Men

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What does it mean to be your own person? In every aspect of life, people have their own morals and values, but what if the rest of society does not have mutual feelings? Does that mean staying on your own path or choosing the path that society has chosen? When conforming to society, there are always consequences, but when following morals of your own, there are also prices to be paid. The play, A Few Good Men, perfectly demonstrates how following the rest of the society can ruin a person, but it also displays how when one has their own morals, the consequences are foul. The play is about two military men who are being accused of murdering a fellow marine, after being told not to touch him. These two marines go to court, and their lawyers, Kaffee, Jo, and Sam, must hash it out with the military jurors and judge to find out what really happened. It turns out that they were fooled by the head honcho Colonel Jessep. These two marines, Dawson and Downey, were only following their orders, but what if they had not? Would their lives be any better? Probably not, but at least they would have been doing what was moral. In the military, it is especially important to follow orders like a robot, if necessary, but this leads to the demolition of the careers of two stepford marines. In a Few Good Men, conforming to society can ruin your career and honor; having different morals can result in great burdens. However, when a character knows what they believe in, honor will never be lost.
In military and every day society, there is always a figure who is more powerful than all the rest. In A Few Good Men, the prominent, intimidating character is Lieutenant Colonel Nathan Jessep. He runs the show at Guantanamo Bay, and is about to be appointed the ...

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...nants were loyal to the military, while also being moral and telling the truth, they will forever have true honor. Dawson, after the trial, in the movie, said, “We were supposed to fight for Willy.” In the movie, Dawson comes to the realization that he should have fought for his comrade, Willy Santiago, as he did with Curtis Barnes. Because the men followed someone else’s path, they faced the consequences. However, to display true allegiance and honor, one must take the blows as they come, just as Dawson and Downey did. In the film, Dawson realizes that what he did was wrong, and to accept wrong-doing shows true valor, courage, and honor. Dawson displays devotion, but he also displays true bravery and honor. A person with their own morals and beliefs are always the ones with the most honor, while those who conform to society will never learn who they truly are.

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