What is courage? Is it the ability to confront fear, pain, and uncertainty (Merriam Webster Dictionary)? Is it bravery in the face of Death and physical pain, or is it the will to take a stand against popular opposition for what is right? Courage could be said to be embodied by all of these, but is courage, at its very base, something more? Is courage the determination to act rightly, to preserve one’s virtue, whether or not you consciously decide so or not? Is courage not found in the very heart and soul of an individual, rather than a calculated and deliberate decision to act so? Albus Dumbledore certainly thought so. Professor Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore (Summer 1881 – June 1997) was the Transfiguration Professor, Deputy Head and later Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Order of Merlin, First Class; Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards, Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, and Grand Sorcerer (The Harry Potter Lexicon). As a man who faced great opposition, hardships, and sadness in his long life, a man who has been said many to have been the greatest wizard who ever lived, Albus was a man who lived and died with a tremendous amount of courage in his heart. His entire moral fiber was made up of and founded upon the notions of courage, love, and altruism. Although Albus Dumbledore is a fictional character, his heroics in the Harry Potter novels are exactly the type of elements of courage described by John F. Kennedy in his modern classic, Profiles in Courage.
While Dumbledore was not a politician or a government head, he did not hesitate to make his political positions known, despite opposition, and was unafraid to pursue a unique and independent course after the return of...
... middle of paper ...
...ng world. He kept that darkness at bay by being loving, kind,whimsical and ceaselessly serving others. He may not have been a great tragic hero, or a vehement political figure that changed the world, but there are all sorts of heroes, and as Albus Dumbledore himself once said, “There are all kinds of courage”.
Works Cited
Vander Ark, Steve. "The Harry Potter Lexicon". The Harry Potter Lexicon. March 2, 2008 .
Rowling, J.K.. "J.K. Rowling Official Site". Warner Bros. Ent. April 7, 2008 .
Broussard, Shawn. "Merriam-Webster Online". Merriam-Webster, Incorporated. January 11, 2005 .
Rowling, J.K. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. New York: Scholastic, Inc.,
1998.
Rowling, J.K. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. New York: Scholastic, Inc.,
2005.
Webster's dictionary defines courage as "mental or moral strength to venture, persevere, and withstand danger, fear, or difficulty." According to Atticus Finch, one of the main characters in To Kill A Mockingbird, "Courage is when you know you're licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what." (Chapter 11, Page 124) No matter how you define it, Harper Lee definitely portrays the theme of courage in this book. It is one of the most predominant themes and is shown in many of the characters. All of the characters have a different view as to what courage is and they all show it a different way, however they do show courage in their everyday lives.
One of the best explanations of courage is the following by Maya Angelou: “One isn’t necessarily born with courage, but one is born with potential. Without courage, we cannot practice any other virtues with consistency. We can’t be kind, true, merciful, generous, or honest.” Her explanation summarizes all that courage can lead you to who you are in life. Courage is standing up for what you believe in, despite disapproval, pain, fear, uncertainty, or intimidation. Courage is challenging what is normal. Courage is giving voice to those who cannot speak for themselves. Courage is using whatever power available to educate the world about injustice. Courage is following your heart even when the path is not known. Courage is trying after failing.
In the literary work, Speaking of Courage, Tim O’Brien highlights the trying struggle of a post-war solider attempting desperately to integrate himself back into American society. Paul Berlin’s trials and tribulations exemplify the “dominance of a citizen culture in the United States,” as mentioned by Dr. Decker in class. American society does not allow for the soldiers we have sent off to fight to return as warriors.
Courage is all around the world even if it’s not known worldwide. As for in Madeleine L’Engle ‘A Wrinkle in Time’ courage is considered to be exceptionally major as it raises awareness to trust in the people close to you. Everyone doubts themselves at a point in their life but overcoming that unresolved issue with yourself is important, sometimes just staying true to yourself is the best thing you can do. Just as Meg held on to her father and believed with all her heart that he’s still out there and will come back to their family even as all hope seems lost. That indicated Meg being a strong hearted person. Meg was courageous when she trusted her friends even when most of the situation was turning against their favors. This action and many more that she did made us believe that courage is not just a term, it’s a 7 letter word filled with hope and love, telling us to never give up. As Meg considered backing off from the chaos but the love she has for her beloved brother Charles Wallace snaps her back to reality resulting her to find the
Many people have their own definition of courage some may think of bravery, daring, determination and so many more synonyms, My word to describe courage would be boldness. In the Crucible the turn of events showed the characters true colors and their weaknesses, These two characters that will be desrcribed have showed boldness in a positive and negitive way.
Several people may define courage as a simple act of bravery or stepping out of one’s comfort zone. In To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee uses Atticus Finch, Mrs. Dubose and Arthur Radley, to define courage. Atticus Finch, the protagonist’s father, presents courage as he defends Tom Robinson, a black man accused of raping a white woman, despite what others in the community say. Mrs. Dubose, an elderly neighbor, shows audacity in her fight against morphine and battle with death. Arthur Radley, the reclusive neighbor, reveals bravery in his protection of the protagonist, Scout and her brother Jem. Through Atticus Finch, Mrs. Dubose, and Arthur Radley, Lee establishes courage as a deep moral integrity and the willingness to do what is right, even
True bravery comes from facing situations with courage. Courage takes more than just doing something out of love or admiration for someone or something. It’s about one being confident and brave to do what’s right. Even if one were to be afraid of the consequences. Also, seeing difficult tasks through till the end is a perfect way to show courage and that’s exactly what Rosa Parks did.
The highest level of courage is staying true to yourself. Being honest to yourself and standing up for what you believe in takes great courage. Unfortunately, being courageous comes at a high cost and you may not always be rewarded for it. In To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, many characters show courage at the topmost level. Their acts may seem foolish and immoral to others, but they do what they believe in. The book shows that true courage is fighting in what you believe no matter what the consequences. We see this type of courage in Jem, Scout, Atticus and even Boo Radley throughout the course of the book.
In the novel to kill a mockingbird the story has a lot to say about courage. Courage was really a hard thing to have when you have a lot of people against you. You can show courage in many ways. Courage to me is something that can inspire a lot of people and it shows true colors in a person's character. The main person in this novel to me who had the most courage was Atticus. The reason why I say that is because back then segregation was going on . Blacks and whites couldn’t get along, mostly white people took over the town and treated black people like they wasn’t nothing. But all white people wasn’t the same. Atticus took courage and showed equality to Tom Robinson. A men who he had to defend in the courtroom because of a white women accusing that he rapped her. No matter what people thought or what people thought about the situation Atticus still took on his word about equality and still did his job like he was supposed to do. He took on a hard case , mainly because he knew that the
Courage is the ability to do something that frightens one. Nelson Mandela once said, “I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.” To accomplish anything, one must overcome his fears. Atticus Finch thinks courage is to know that you are going to lose, but continue follow through the entire way. His mindset is to never give up, even when you know and everyone else knows you are not going to succeed at what you are doing. I agree with Atticus Finch’s definition of courage of that even though all odds are against you, you have to follow through and persevere.
Courage is having the strength to do something that is frightening to most people. It can be something large scale like the responders on 9/11 risking their lives for hundreds of people. Courage can also be something of smaller scale but just as significant like standing up for a black man in a town of racial prejudice. In Harper Lee’s novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, many of the characters she has initiated show courageous qualities. One of those characters is Atticus Finch, father of Jem and Scout who demonstrates courage many times throughout the novel. Standing up for his beliefs, restraining from the negligent tauntings of his neighbors and defending a man whose innocence will not be proved, all show Atticus is the most courageous character
“Courage - a perfect sensibility of the measure of danger, and a mental willingness to endure it.” Courageous people understand the danger that they face when they act how they do. That is what courage is all about. Many historical events occur due to people having the courage to do what they think is right, or because of those who use their courage to do what they want. Having the courage to stand alone in one’s beliefs may be one of the hardest thing a person can do.
Baldick, Chris. The Concise Oxford Dictionary Of Literary Terms , New York: Oxford University Press, 1990.
Courage can be described as the ability to do something fearful or going against the majority. Abraham Lincoln showed courage throughout his presidency. Lincoln was famous for standing up for people who were repressed; “It took courage to stand up for what he believed in, and make no mistake that what he believed was on target
Within the novel "to kill a mocking bird" the character Atticus finch defines courage as, "Courage is when you know you're licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what." Atticus takes the first step by being courageous to take the Tom Robinson case, defying the towns liking of prejudice, even his own sister thinks that he is disgracing the family by taking the case he explains with concern