...U05a1- Character, Dignity, and Self-Respect This paper will explain the character, dignity, and self-respect demonstrated in the movie “Glory” by Edward Zwick. The story is based on the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, the first formal unity of the U.S. Army to be made up entirely of African-American men as told from the point of Colonel Robert Gould Shaw, its commanding officer during the American Civil War. Captain Robert Gould Shaw leads a company of Union soldiers from a Massachusetts Infantry Regiment in an attack on Confederate troops at the Battle of Antietam of September 17, 1862 (Davies, 2001). His regiment suffers many losses. Shaw is wounded and later loses consciousness. He is awakened by a black gravedigger name John Rawlins and is sent to a hospital. While at the hospital, Shaw is told that President Lincoln is on the verge of passing the Emancipation Proclamation freeing slaves in rebel held territory. While on leave in Boston, Shaw is promotes to Colonel and is given command of the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry. It is the first all-black regiment of the U.S. Army. The first character to show ethics based on Epictetus was Shaw’s friend and educated black man named Thomas Searles; Searles is the first black man to volunteer in the 54th Regiment. Epictetus believed that even though he could not control what occurred outside of himself, he could control how he responded (Sommers & Sommers, 2013). The fact that Thomas volunteered...
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...The Help: Character, Dignity and Self-Respect Rachael L. Tuminski PHI2000 Character, Dignity and Self-respect Paper Capella University February, 2015 Abstract: This paper will examine the parallels and give examples of the teachings of Aristotle, Epictetus and St. Augustine, using the motion picture The Help directed by Tate Taylor. Introduction What gives human beings their character, dignity and self-respect? What makes up them up in humans? Aristotle, St. Augustine, and Epictetus all attempted to answer this very question examining human nature very closely. Aristotle took on the subject of character; Epictetus took on the topic of dignity and St. Augustine the topic of self-respect. In the movie The Help directed by Tate Taylor each of these reasoning’s can be addressed in detail and example. Aristotle and Character Aristotle approached the subject of the virtuous character like this; the soul is in two halves one being the rational and the other being the non-rational. His definition is best discussed in Nicomachean Ethics II.7: “Excellence [of character], then, is a state concerned with choice, lying in a mean relative to us, this being determined by reason and in the way in which the man of practical wisdom would determine it. Now it is a mean between two vices, that which depends on excess and that which depends on defect.” (1106b36–1107a3) An example of this in The Help is in the character of Skeeter Phelan; in the movie Skeeter has come back home...
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...protagonist Shukov, a prisoner of a Stalinist Labor camp, is forced to withstand the nearly insufferable living conditions. By using overpowering external forces – stripping prisoners of their identities by allocating them numbers instead of names, the removal of individuality, through the character of Fetyukov who has lost his dignity, symbolism – spoon and blade, the Solzhenitsyn depicts how the protagonist, Shukov, has succeeded in maintaining his dignity. Shukov’s struggle to maintain his dignity throughout the imprisonment despite the overpowering external forces is remarkable. Solzhenitsyn portrays this dignity in two different ways, one is being treated with respect, and the other one is his own self-worth. The labor camp degrades the prisoners’ piously by substituting their names into letter and number combinations such as “Schcha-854” and grouping them into one mass such as “Gang 104”. This clearly shows that in the camp prisoners have had their identities are taken away. By eliminating their individuality of name, their individual characteristics are ultimately eradicated. The prisoners are reduced to insignificance by mere digits to represent who they are. This taking of their dignity is further exacerbated as Shukov and the prisoners are treated with such disrespect that they seem as insignificant as objects, as they are given a total lack of privacy. Although other prisoners sheepishly accept these combinations of letters and numbers as their new identity, Shukov constantly...
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...Dignity is universally essential to one's sense of self-worth, and is gained through the respect of peers, as well as one’s self. When a human is emotionally and physically stripped of their pride, it weakens his will to live. Dignity proves to the characters in both the Nazi concentration camps in Elie Wiesel’s Night, and the Japanese prison camps in Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand, to be the main source in which they use to rebound from a terrible situation. The central theme shared by both novels is the struggle to preserve one’s dignity in the face of severe adversity, trying to weaken their will to live. Mistreatment of the captives in the camps physiologically scar the men, leading to the loss of respect for others and themselves. In...
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...pages of his work, he uses this tenet to tie together his diverse characters in a diverse city. Both these things are as present inside the heart of the educated judge as well as the seedy prostitute. They lift up and beat down these characters, completely surrounding them. They dominate their lives, and is as recognized as the turbulence of the 1970s New York City in which this novel is set. They serve to fulfill the clichéd statement “Love conquers all”, and make sense of many of the actions characters in the book. In this case, misery and love make sense of the decisions of a prostitute named Tillie in the book. Tillie is an aging black hooker who dearly loves her daughter. Near the beginning of the book, Tillie is portrayed as a seemingly generic prostitute peddling her wares in the dark alleys of Gotham City and overseen by a seemingly omnipresent pimp who seems to be lurking around every dark corner. As the story progresses, however, a special dimension is added to this generic character. She is shown to exhibit many characteristics in common with other struggling single parents. She is a mother burdened with the responsibility of creating a better life for her daughter, who is also a prostitute like her mother. However, this creation of a better life draws upon her only source of income: selling her body. Torn between her love for her daughter and her self-respect, she chooses to sacrifice her self-respect for the sake of her daughter. Sadly, her labor is in vain. Day...
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...having a strong character can play a significant role in overcoming racism and distress. In the course of the story, it is evident that Maya changes from being a casualty of racism to become a young woman with self-dignity and identity that helps her to overcome prejudice. The context of I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings focuses on the problems associated with racism that was prevalent in the southern states. Racist oppression is a common theme in the book that is portrayed by all the major characters; in fact, all the other themes in the book are closely related to racism, identity and segregation. In addition, the style and genre, and the structure of this literary work make significant contributions towards its thematic development, which focus on resistance to racism, the significance of the family, self-identity and definition and independence. Walker (95) argues that I Know Why the Cage Bird Sings is characterized by thematic unity, which is achieved using the structure adopted in the text that takes more of a thematic form rather than a chronological form. In addition, Angelou managed to emphasize on the universal ideas in her literary work irrespective of its periodic quality. In I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Maya Angelou used the major characters of the book to facilitate its thematic development identity, racism and literacy throughout the text. Basing on this assertion, this essay uses evidence from the book to affirm the role that the major characters played in the...
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...themes is dignity as Harper Lee presents a clear picture of which characters are dignified. She does not clearly state which characters are dignified, but she utilizes actions to differentiate between the dignified and the undignified. Amongst the poor folk, the Cunninghams have dignity and the Ewells lack it. The Cunninghams pay back everything they borrow. One Cunningham turned the racist mob away from Atticus and Tom Robinson; another almost voted for Tom’s innocence at his trial. This virtuous behavior proves the Cunninghams to be dignified. While the Cunninghams’ good deeds demonstrate their dignity, the Ewells’ actions prove them undignified. They live unhealthily off the town’s welfare and the father, Bob Ewell, selfishly causes the death of an innocent man and tries to kill two innocent children. Of the rich people in Maycomb, Atticus holds dignity while Miss Stephanie lacks it. Miss Stephanie lies, exaggerates, and gossips about the town’s affairs. Harper Lee whispers Miss Stephanie’s dignity deficiency through her undignified actions, but never labels Miss Stephanie as undignified. Although the author does not describe him as dignified, Atticus is a moral man who considers all possible implications before he acts. He also undertakes the responsibilities that everyone else refuses and shuns such as defending Tom Robinson. Harper Lee whispers the theme of dignity through the characters’ actions; their actions are clear, but the theme of dignity is subtler...
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...JaKia Russell Expository Essay 2 The new generation has a different aspect on self-respect now. People no longer have the save respect for themselves as they did centuries ago. It is something that you can see everywhere you go and in everything you do, you will always see self-respect or lack of self-respect somewhere. Have you ever noticed that the self-respect has changed dramatically in younger and older people today? People do not realize the real meaning of self-respect today and that is a sad situation. If you don’t have respect for yourself who is going to respect you? What exactly is self-respect? Self-respect is when you value yourself whether it’s your mind; way of thinking, or the way you carry yourself. Self-respect would be having proper esteem or dignity of your character. By that I mean your character is defined by your own moral values how you came up in life has a lot to do with this. When you look at what is going on in the world today, you can see all kinds of people with the lack of self-respect for themselves. On the Internet, on the streets, no matter where it is that you may go. For example: on the internet you will find teenage or some women who claim to love themselves so much but they degrade themselves over the internet by putting unnecessary pictures of themselves on websites for attention. This is not self-respect at all. Self-respect is based on what you do and can be an ongoing effort. It is not about what you did in the past it is really...
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...of the UCMJ, as well as our own Soldiers Creed illustrate how a military service member should conduct themselves on a daily basis, on and off duty. All military soldiers regardless of branch have an obligation to conduct themselves with dignity and in such a manner as to reflect credit on the military service that they are in. Dignity exists only where the individual has a proper sense of his or her own worth and of the worthiness of their cause. The person who possesses true dignity also will respect the dignity of others. Military bearing is dignity within military relationships. It exists when the individual is proud of his military organization and of there. Dependability is a major aspect of military bearing. Without dependability, one can neither perform properly in the workspace nor be depended upon by their coworkers, or chain of command to carry out their military duties properly. A military member is required to be punctual, and reliable. Lack of this in a service member not only hinders the mission of the command but of the entire Army. Honor, Courage, and Commitment, are three key values that are instilled in each soldiers life the instant that the oath of enlistment is pledged. Honor is the integrity that one takes upon their self in order to responsibly carry out the orders of the officers and non commissioned officers appointed over the service member. Courage is the ability to stand up for ones beliefs and ethics that the army has ground in them. Commitment is...
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...What is Human Dignity? By Mette Lebech, Faculty of Philosophy, National University of Ireland, Maynooth The English expression ‘human dignity’ consists of the predicate ‘human’ and the noun ‘dignity’. The adjective qualifies the noun, thus determining the kind of dignity in question as the human kind. The adjective has a similar function in the expression ‘human being’: Here it qualifies the noun ‘being’, to determine the kind of being in question as a being of the human kind. ‘Human’ is etymologically related to the Latin for earth, humus, so that ‘human’ means what is ‘earthly’ (as an adjective), or an ‘earthling’ (as a substantive). Generally speaking it means what is proper to the kind that ‘we’ are, or to the species of rational animals, referring in particular to their kindness (humanity) and their fallibility (‘all too human’). ‘Dignity’ comes from the Latin noun decus, meaning ornament, distinction, honour, glory. Decet is the verbal form (which is impersonal), and is related to the Greek δοκειν − to seem or to show. The Latin participle form decens, -tis, has survived in the English language in the adjective ‘decent’. But dignity means, generally speaking, the standing of one entitled to respect, i.e. his or her status, and it refers to that which in a being (in particular a personal being) induces or ought to induce such respect: its excellence or incomparability of value. Paradoxically, dignitas translated the Greek αχιομα, when Latin was adapted so as to deal with...
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...A Man of Justice Eng/147 December 15 2014 Ms. Shelagh Smith Martin Luther King Jr was a person with dignity and courage, and he was a powerful black leader that showed an took a positive stand for what he believed in without the act of violence. He began his life as a preacher who led the community and started the Montgomery boycott. He did everything he could to bring equality to America and to ensure civil rights for all people regardless of race. Martin Luther King states "Justice is check (by force, if neces sary) upon ambitions of individuals seeking to overcome their own insecurity at the expense of others" (Mattson, K., 2002). Even though, he bought equality to America, Martin Luther King Jr. is one of the most inspirational leaders in history of our nation. He led by example, and used non-violent protest for change. Martin Luther King Jr was a true leader that many people looked up to for so many reasons. He wanted equality among African Americans. He led the Montgomery Boycott to gain justice on city buses days after Rosa Parks was arrested for not giving up her seat. She was the secretary of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. The Montgomery Boycott lasted 381 days, and during this time he had many telephone threats and his house was bombed. Many blacks were able to get to and from work and they were no longer...
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...and the moulding of attitudes which are directed to: (a) The strengthening of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms; (b) The full development of the human personality and the sense of its dignity; (c) The promotion of understanding, respect, gender equality, and friendship among all nations, indigenous peoples and racial, national, ethnic, religious and linguistic groups; (d) The enabling of all persons to participate effectively in a free society; (e) The furtherance of the activities of the United Nations for the Maintenance of Peace." (Adapted from the Plan of Action of the United Nations Decade for Human Rights Education (1995-2004), paragraph 2) During this Decade, the UN is urging and supporting all member states to make knowledge about human rights available to everyone through both the formal school system and through popular and adult education. Human rights education teaches both about human rights and for human rights. Its goal is to help people understand human rights, value human rights, and take responsibility for respecting, defending, and promoting human rights. An important outcome of human rights education is empowerment, a process through which people and communities increase their control of their own lives and the decisions that affect them. The ultimate goal of human rights education is people working together to bring about human rights, justice, and dignity for all. Education about human rights provides people with information about...
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...After reading the crucible, I chose to write about John Proctor for my three character traits. John Proctor is a very self-respected character throughout the book, and though maybe he made some choices that were not exactly preferred, especially in the puritan religion and during that time period, he was very in-tune with himself enough to know what he stands for. In the eyes of god, and his wife Elizabeth, he thinks he is permanately damaged for his affair with Abigail Williams. John Proctor lacks the ability to forgive even himself for what he did. Elizabeth, John's wife is very resentful towards John throughout the play because it has become difficult for her to trust him again, let alone forgive him. John Proctor hides away and seems very stressed throughout the play because he is very tormented to confess his sins and sign his name....
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...Death of a Salesman, Character analysis By Henry Cord Willy Loman, the main character in Death of a Salesman is a complex and fascinatingly tragic character. He is a man struggling to hold onto what dignity he has left in a changing society that no longer values the ideals he grew up to believe in. While society can be blamed for much of his misfortune, he must also be blamed himself to an equal extent for his bad judgement, disloyalty and his foolish pride. Willy Loman is a firm believer in the "American Dream:" the notion that any man can rise from humble beginnings to greatness. His particular slant on this ideal is that a man succeeds by selling his charisma, that to be well liked is the most important asset a man can have. He made a living at this for 30 years, but as he enters the later stage of his life, people have stopped smiling back and he can no longer sell the firm's goods to support himself. His ambition was one of greatness, to work hard and to be a member of the firm; and if he could not succeed in this respect, that he should at least be well-liked and be able to sell until the day of his death: When his friends would flock from all over the country to pay their respects. Willy's main flaw is his foolish pride, this it what makes him such a tragic hero. Yet there are many facets to his personality that contribute to the state he and the family are in during the play. His upbringing of the boys is one major issue, he raised them with the notion that if...
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... October 3, 2009 MIDTERM EXAMINATION 8. Discuss briefly why you believe character is necessary for ministry, how it is for good character and bad character are manifested in ministry. I believe a person should have good character because how can a person help others if he or she cannot make good decisions for themselves. As a leader in the ministry, a person should be humble, compassionate towards others, have a love for God and people, and he or she must be a trustworthy person. Character reveals the person’s inner self. What is his or hers motives, feelings, attitude and dispositions. Who a person is on the inside will reveal how he or she acts on the outside. Good character is formed by our listening to our parents. Parents taught their children right from wrong. Family members help in the raising of the children. Mentors are people that take an interest in others helping a person to learn right from wrong. The perfect role model is Jesus, Our Lord and Savior. Good character is produce when a person develops the fruit of the Spirit. (Found in Galatians 5:22). The fruit the Spirit are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Living a godly life with values and morals, and being a caring, generous, and trustworthy person produces good character for oneself and others. Bad character is when a person is self-centered, motivated by greed, egotistical, help others for personal gain. 9. Jesus was...
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