Pride in Greenleaf" and Spotted Horses
Pride is a feeling that most people in the world have always shared. Pride can be a great thing to have, but when a person has too much pride, the situation becomes very different. Pride can cause a person to do things he would not do under normal circumstances, and it can cause a person unhappiness. Mrs. May in "Greenleaf" and Henry Armstid in "Spotted Horses" both have a sad type of pride that leads to untimely death and demise. In Henry's case, his pride is the direct cause of his injuries done by the horses, and Mrs. May's is somewhat more indirect.
In "Greenleaf," Mrs. May thought that she was a blessing to the world. She thought that everything good that happened was her doing and that everything she did was good. At one point in the story she says, "I work and slave, I struggle and sweat to keep this place for them and as soon as I'm dead, they'll marry trash and bring it in here and ruin everything. They will marry trash and ruin everything I've done." Although she hates the dairy farm and her two sons do not live up to her standards, she still has a sense of pride about them causing her to be so preoccupied with what she has done for them. The bull, a prominent symbol for what Mrs. May cannot control, meanders throughout the story and clashes and conflicts with her pride. The two are intertwined: she constantly visualizes and hears the bull in the day and sleep. In one of her dreams she talks of being "aware that what ever it was had been eating as long as she had the place and had eaten everything from the beginning of her fence line up to the house and now was eating the house and calmly with the same steady rhythm would continue through the house, eating her and the boys, and then on, eating everything but the Greenleafs." The bull symbolizes what she cannot do in life, what she cannot control, and what she has not done, and it is what makes her take the last step before her death by bringing out her pride and causing her to try and take control over the unknown, over itself. She is then gored to death by the bull, and this proves the point that she should not have concerned her whole life with her pride and what she had done and what she could not ultimately control.
Pride is something that is essential in human life. Due to pride, we are able to see the joys
Pride frequently has terrible results. For example, as a result of Brothers pride, he left Doodle in the storm. Brother did this because he is angry that Doodle failed, and that his dream of having an “ordinary brother” is over. Doodle realizes that he failed his brother, and feels useless. In addition, after being left in the downpour, Doodle dies. At the point when Brother discovers Doodle dead, he thinks it’s his fault that Doodle dies because he pushed him too hard. After this happens, their family feels like they should’ve been more protective and love Doodle more. In conclusion, while pride can have devastating effects, it can also result in fulfillment.
The narrator reflects,”I did not know then that pride is a wonderful, terrible thing, a seed that bears two things life and death,”(Hurst 3).This quote showed that at first the narrator thought pride was good but later he became self centered and ashamed of his disabled brother and pushed him far beyond his limit.The short story called The Scarlet Ibis by James Hurst is a drama where the narrator, or older brother, wishes his younger brother wasn’t disabled. Because he is so fueled by pride, the older brother ends up pushing his brother beyond his capabilities to his death. In this story, we will learn how the narrator’s pride led to the tragic death of Doodle.
Bull is what psychologists call an alpha male. Bull Meechem has a self-confidence problem he must constantly establish his dominance over his family. When Mary Anne tries to condone Bull on his loss instead of saying thank your or just ignoring her he tell her “ Get out of here before I start knocking every freckle off your face” This comment was obviously unnecessary and offend Mary Anne deeply. Another horrible side to Bull is his physical abuse to Lillian and the kids. Countless times Bull has struck either Lillian or the kids. Though Lillian denies it Ben reminds her and the reader that Bull has struck her in the past. “‘Your nose was bleeding and that’s how I ruined this T-shirt. I’ve kept it, Mama, because I wanted it as proof. This is your blood, Mama. Your blood’” “ ‘He never hit me’ Lillian insisted”. These tantrums by Bull only alienate his children and his wife from him but he can still obtain their utmost respect and discipline.
Pride of the narrator teaches a physically deprived little boy Doodle how to walk and gives him the same amenities as every other normal child. The pride of the narrator, "I [he] am going to teach Doodle how to walk" (170). Pride, in this instance, gives the narrator enough courage and vigor to help another human being in a positive way. The world needs more people such as the narrator, who is willing to benefit other's lives in a tenderhearted way, to make another's life better and happier. For example, "It's so pretty, so pretty, pretty, pretty" (170). One's pride can truly take the simple pleasures in life and make someone happy. The narrator does a simple task by taking his brother down to the swamp. By that action, Doodle is enthralled in happiness because he sees something he has never seen before. Having pride can be beneficial in many ways; however, having too much pride can be pernicious.
Mrs. May is a character in this short story that really should not have received much blame. She had lost her husband and still raised her two sons, but they did not show her much respect, nor did they make much if any attempt to maintain their farm despite being educated. However, she was able to get through this, but the issue is her worker’s family. A family that to her should not have been nearly as wealthy or successful as her own, much less actually be better in any way. She secretly envied the Greenleafs’ sons, but she would never dare admit such a thing. They served in the military and were honored, got married, and even now helped their parents with their duties. This is in stark dissimilarity to her own sons, one of which had these feelings about the matter: “He hated the country and he hated the life he lived; he hated living with his mother and his idiot brother and he hated hearing about the damn dairy and the damn help and the damn broken machinery.” Furthermore they do not respect their mother’s contributions or really care much for her, evident by their last words with her. They did not share the same level of regard for the values that Mrs. May held so close to. As for her, she was much too proud to think that her sons could be failures, and refused to accept the facts of her own life, and that really was her downfall; the bull just finished the
Pride is a very relevant issue in almost everyone's lives. Only when a person is forced to face his pride can he begin to overcome it. Through the similar themes of her short stories, Flannery O'Connor attempts to make her characters realize their pride and overcome it.
Over forty years has passed since the United States inducted the last draftee through the Selective Service System. The Selective Service System is an independent agency of the United States, which gives the President the right or power to conscript men for military service. There have been different Acts passed by congress since 1917 that require men of various ages to register for service. Although, the name of each Act and the age requirements of the registries changed, the Acts were all similar in nature. They all gave the President the right to call men to war when he deemed necessary. In January 1973, Secretary of Defense Melvin Laird announced the creation of the all-volunteer service, retracting the need for the draft (GAO.gov). Under current law, all men between the ages of 18-25 must register within 30 days of their 18th birthday, however this information is used mostly for recruitment purposes and in case of any future crisis. There has been much controversy over this matter since the Vietnam War, when people started to realize the draft was unfair due to loopholes and draft exemptions making the draft unfair for working men. At one point in time the military draft may have been necessary, but today’s all-volunteer military has eliminated the need for a draft.
Animals are often used by authors of novels and short stories as literary symbols. In "Greenleaf," a short story by Flannery O'Connor, a bull is used to represent Jesus Christ. O'Connor does this according to how the bull looks, how it is rejected, and how it seems to offer grace to Mrs. May.
In the story "The Scarlet Ibis" by James Hurst, an important theme is pride. Pride is what keeps the story going. The theme is expressed in the story in many ways. An example is when the narrator teaches Doodle to walk and shows the family. The narrator is so proud of what he did that he wanted to continue to make Doodle "more of a person." I think that this pride that the narrator has can cause readers to get angry. It was that pride that caused Doodle to die in the end. The narrator lost his pride when Doodle could not succeed and left him. Doodle died because the narrator ran away and did not help him. If he didn't let his pride get to him then Doodle wouldn't have died.
In August Wilson’s drama, “Fences,” a man named Troy struggles with feelings of unfulfilled dreams and extreme pride. Troy is unable to come to terms with his own fallacies throughout the play, and he fails to see the world through other points of view. He becomes prideful and arrogant because he feels he knows exactly how the world works, or should work, and he inadvertently destroys the lives of everyone around him. Troy’s pride causes him to believe dreams and hopes are useless in the real world. This belief causes him to ruin his own son’s dreams and causes his wife to despise him for the rest of his life. Pride is a harmful thing. Being too prideful can ruin one’s own life and the lives of his or her loved ones.
In James Hurst's short story “The Scarlet Ibis” the author describes the life of Doodle and the relationship he shares with his brother. During the story he has some happy moments with his brother, but his brother is also very selfish. Doodle pushes himself to his limits to try to please his brother. Doodle’s brother lets his pride get the best of him and forgets about the wellbeing and feelings of Doodle. (Summary) Throughout the entire story the central message is, Pride can lead people to do terrible as well as wonderful things.(thesis)
People who support the military draft will say that it is the obligation of every citizen of the United States, and every other person residing in the United States, who is between the ages of 18 and 42, to perform a period of national service. Aren?t there many other ways--less deadly ways--to contribute to the country?s well being? Should we, as citizens, be allowed to evade this ultimate obligation by turning it over to the poorer members of society, those who can't find good-paying jobs or training except in the military? In "A War for Us, Fought by Them," William Broyles, a Vietnam war veteran and the father of a young man who is a soldier in the Marines, argues that the military draft should be brought back, and this time it should be done right: everybody should be drafted, not just ?the profoundly patriotic or the economically needy" (Broyles 695).
For instance, at the beginning of the novel in Chapter 5, Austen argues that “vanity and pride are different things…a person may be proud without being vain”. She claims that “pride relates more to our opinion of ourselves…[and] vanity to what we would have others think of us.” Austen presents a very intriguing and thought-provoking claim about pride and the self. She claims that being proud of oneself is different than being nefariously vain. The pride that we hold is not validated by accolades or outside compliments. Pride is rather built and nurtured through a sense of personal inner peace and fulfillment. Pride, in essence, is a tool that helps an individual in our society recognizes his or her own competence and efficiency. Austen advocates for pride and self-improvement and she believes that pride builds self-esteem. She deems that pride encourages one to value the talents and gifts that individuals bring to this society and to this world. Moreover, Austen also gives great insight on life regarding happiness. In the end of the book, Austen argues that one must learn to be content with being happier than one deserves. Austen encourages us to accept the happiness in our lives. She believes that happiness must be appreciated and accepted. We must accept the fact that we do not have to earn happiness; rather we must enjoy it while we
The word pride in itself isn’t an important word but it’s meaning implies many things. There are several different definitions for pride. Pride can be referred to as a type of plant, a form of body ornamentation, or even a group of lions. The most commonly used definition of pride is being proud, or having a feeling of great accomplishment and feeling self-satisfaction. The word pride both positive and negative meanings that can be seen throughout history.