Definition Of Courage Essay
Fear. Something we know about all too well. Consuming us, we could run from fear or we could rise above it. A new hobby, joining a new school with a smile, answering a question in class, even something as small as getting out of bed when it’s especially hard can be a large step for anyone. They’re overcoming their fears. Having courage means even when someone is scared–wanting to turn around and go home–they still choose to face the situation. All ages can show it. And even though it’s daunting, it either pushes a person further in life or keeps them where they are.
As someone is pushed further into different aspects of life, others may notice a significant result. Usually seen as a huge feat, we assume our small accomplishments don’t matter, but they require as much willpower as the large ones. Since everybody has different …show more content…
levels of comfort, we should acknowledge all achievements. No matter how small these victories may seem to the next person—it’s not silly. They didn’t give in to their weakness. Courage is not fearless; it is quite the opposite. Often, it drives someone to do great things they have been too afraid to attempt, or scares them into not completing their goals. It’s what gives the act significance. Whether they’re climbing the tallest mountain in the world or joining a new club, recognition is deserved; most likely, backing down seemed like the easier choice. At any size, courage is displayed with perseverance when choosing to face exactly what scares them the most. When a person feels fear or nervousness, it’s felt in beats or aching of the heart, and according to the Online Etymology Dictionary, courage derives from the Latin word for heart.
This shows exactly where the attribute comes from (Online Etymology Dictionary). Similar to our everyday lives, it can be separated into categories. Right off the bat, there are large feats such as going on a daring adventure: the least commonly executed but are first thought when thinking of courage. Stepping down from that, there are situations not as commonly thought of. Such as, standing up to a bully. And, lastly, there are the small things that one might not consider courageous but aren’t any less condonable including, making a new friend, sleeping with all the lights off, or trying an unfamiliar food. These situations would normally go unnoticed. What makes them meaningful is the fact that all them are important to the person: they are from the heart. Of course, courageous acts vary from each person as they fit anxieties of each individual. That’s what makes courage a difficult trait to notice or acknowledge. But that doesn’t mean it’s any less
important.
On the other hand, some examples are obvious displays of courage. In the Odyssey when Odysseus and his men are trying to return home, Circe the nymph tells him that they will to face either Scylla, the siren, or Charybdis, the whirlpool, and Odysseus would be the only survivor (Fitzgerald 8). Deciding to be up front, he tell his men (Fitzgerald 7). He tells them, “Dear friends, more than one man, or two, should know these things Circe foresaw for us and shared with me, so let me tell her forecast: then we die with our eyes open, if we are going to die, or know what death we baffle if we can” (Fitzgerald 718-723). Odysseus is telling his men that even though there’s no right choice, they’ll need to face the problem wholeheartedly (Homer). After hearing that death is inevitable, the men are certain to be scared, but Odysseus chose to face their situation instead of turning around; he didn’t give up. Continuing to row, the men tie Odysseys up to control his urges toward the siren (Fitzgerald 9). When Odysseus says, “we die with our eyes open”(Fitzgerald 721), it shows that no matter how terrible the situation gets, they will persevere and keep their dignity until the end: a final display of strength. Even though none of them fully understand what danger they’re in, they’re willing to fight through (Fitzgerald 723). Another time, the crew was trapped in a Cyclops’ cave (Fitzgerald 3). With quick thinking and an exact plan, the group was capable of running a stake through the Cyclops’ eye—blinding him (Fitzgerald 4). Frustrated, the Cyclops talks to his rams. Unknowing that Odysseus’ crew were strapped to their undersides in order to escape, Cyclops says, “That carrion rogue and his accurst companions burnt it out when he had conquered all my wits with wine. Nohbdy will not get out alive, I swear. Oh, had you brain and voice to tell where he may be now, dodging all my fury! Bashed by this hand and bashed in this rock wall his brains would strew the floor, and I should have rest from the outrage Nohbdy worked upon me.”(Fitzgerald 451). Hearing all this, the crew was likely to be frightened. If they were caught, surely none of them would make it out alive, and being so close to the Cyclops at the time the risk of them being caught was high (Fitzgerald 5). But Odysseus allowed his men to stay calm in order to escape. In order to save his men, he invented a plan (Fitzgerald 5). Guiding them through perils such as these, Odysseus shows true courage when facing him and his crew’s fears—between monsters, angry gods, and unfamiliar lands. Most would choose the easy way out. Although, it should be considered that these deeds may not have always been from the heart–but more in favor of protecting his reputation (Homer). Either way, Odysseus set an example for his men. He showed them that people are capable of being bigger than their fears–not physically, no, but in their hearts. Even if it’s not the choice they wished for.
Although struggles are never wished for, Odysseus and his men aren’t the only ones who face them. The first well-known, minority woman sculptor, Edmonia Lewis faced many adversities in her life; in her time—around the 1840’s—neither minorities nor woman received rights(Sun 1). White men were the superior (Wilson 1). Along with her societal setbacks, Lewis became an orphan at the age of five. During her college days she was wrongfully accused of stealing paint brushes and poisoning two Caucasian students—defeating her chance of graduation (Sun 1). She was beaten by angry students, and left without much of an education (Freedman 1). Despite this, Lewis continued to pursue her love of art. Beginning with clay, she sculpted busts and medallions of the people who inspired her. Some of these people include Benjamin Franklin, John Brown–a famous abolitionist, and Colonel Robert Gould Shaw–leader of the African American Massachusetts’ 54th Volunteer Infantry Unit: but all of these people had one thing in common—they fought for those without rights (Wilson 1).
Edmonia Lewis’ works featured themes that were controversial for her time: Abolition, sexism, racism, religion (Freedman 1). These topics were important to her, so she stepped out to express them. ‘The Death of Cleopatra’, one of Lewis’ most famous sculptures, shows the Egyptian queen holding a snake in her right hand, her left hand hanging lifelessly, and her head held back in rest (Freedman 1). In this sculpture, Lewis depicted the idea that women weren’t expected to be successful (Freedman 1). Not many accepted Lewis for her work (Wingate 3). But did that stop her from pursuing her goals and passions? No. Giving up her dream of becoming an artist would’ve stopped her from ever impacting people—even if it wasn’t the entire world. Persevering, despite being told she couldn’t, and because of that, the art world community has been influenced for the better. She gave minorities a voice. Showing us that even today in our cultures and society, we can use our passions to speak out for what’s right (UPI News 1). Teaching us to not conform to the rest of the world’s opinion: just as Lewis didn’t (Wingate 2). Experiences unique to her inspired her art. To make a difference she used her passions—similar to Odysseus’ passion for changing him and his men’s fate for the better. Both of these people faced their fears: whether in their passion or a life-threatening challenge. They followed their heart, despite anything else—exuding courage.
As someone is pushed further into different aspects of life, others may notice a significant result. Usually seen as a huge feat, we assume our small accomplishments don’t matter, but they require as much willpower as the large ones. Since everybody has different …show more content…
levels of comfort, we should acknowledge all achievements. No matter how small these victories may seem to the next person—it’s not silly. They didn’t give in to their weakness. Courage is not fearless; it is quite the opposite. Often, it drives someone to do great things they have been too afraid to attempt, or scares them into not completing their goals. It’s what gives the act significance. Whether they’re climbing the tallest mountain in the world or joining a new club, recognition is deserved; most likely, backing down seemed like the easier choice. At any size, courage is displayed with perseverance when choosing to face exactly what scares them the most. When a person feels fear or nervousness, it’s felt in beats or aching of the heart, and according to the Online Etymology Dictionary, courage derives from the Latin word for heart.
This shows exactly where the attribute comes from (Online Etymology Dictionary). Similar to our everyday lives, it can be separated into categories. Right off the bat, there are large feats such as going on a daring adventure: the least commonly executed but are first thought when thinking of courage. Stepping down from that, there are situations not as commonly thought of. Such as, standing up to a bully. And, lastly, there are the small things that one might not consider courageous but aren’t any less condonable including, making a new friend, sleeping with all the lights off, or trying an unfamiliar food. These situations would normally go unnoticed. What makes them meaningful is the fact that all them are important to the person: they are from the heart. Of course, courageous acts vary from each person as they fit anxieties of each individual. That’s what makes courage a difficult trait to notice or acknowledge. But that doesn’t mean it’s any less
important.
On the other hand, some examples are obvious displays of courage. In the Odyssey when Odysseus and his men are trying to return home, Circe the nymph tells him that they will to face either Scylla, the siren, or Charybdis, the whirlpool, and Odysseus would be the only survivor (Fitzgerald 8). Deciding to be up front, he tell his men (Fitzgerald 7). He tells them, “Dear friends, more than one man, or two, should know these things Circe foresaw for us and shared with me, so let me tell her forecast: then we die with our eyes open, if we are going to die, or know what death we baffle if we can” (Fitzgerald 718-723). Odysseus is telling his men that even though there’s no right choice, they’ll need to face the problem wholeheartedly (Homer). After hearing that death is inevitable, the men are certain to be scared, but Odysseus chose to face their situation instead of turning around; he didn’t give up. Continuing to row, the men tie Odysseys up to control his urges toward the siren (Fitzgerald 9). When Odysseus says, “we die with our eyes open”(Fitzgerald 721), it shows that no matter how terrible the situation gets, they will persevere and keep their dignity until the end: a final display of strength. Even though none of them fully understand what danger they’re in, they’re willing to fight through (Fitzgerald 723). Another time, the crew was trapped in a Cyclops’ cave (Fitzgerald 3). With quick thinking and an exact plan, the group was capable of running a stake through the Cyclops’ eye—blinding him (Fitzgerald 4). Frustrated, the Cyclops talks to his rams. Unknowing that Odysseus’ crew were strapped to their undersides in order to escape, Cyclops says, “That carrion rogue and his accurst companions burnt it out when he had conquered all my wits with wine. Nohbdy will not get out alive, I swear. Oh, had you brain and voice to tell where he may be now, dodging all my fury! Bashed by this hand and bashed in this rock wall his brains would strew the floor, and I should have rest from the outrage Nohbdy worked upon me.”(Fitzgerald 451). Hearing all this, the crew was likely to be frightened. If they were caught, surely none of them would make it out alive, and being so close to the Cyclops at the time the risk of them being caught was high (Fitzgerald 5). But Odysseus allowed his men to stay calm in order to escape. In order to save his men, he invented a plan (Fitzgerald 5). Guiding them through perils such as these, Odysseus shows true courage when facing him and his crew’s fears—between monsters, angry gods, and unfamiliar lands. Most would choose the easy way out. Although, it should be considered that these deeds may not have always been from the heart–but more in favor of protecting his reputation (Homer). Either way, Odysseus set an example for his men. He showed them that people are capable of being bigger than their fears–not physically, no, but in their hearts. Even if it’s not the choice they wished for.
Although struggles are never wished for, Odysseus and his men aren’t the only ones who face them. The first well-known, minority woman sculptor, Edmonia Lewis faced many adversities in her life; in her time—around the 1840’s—neither minorities nor woman received rights(Sun 1). White men were the superior (Wilson 1). Along with her societal setbacks, Lewis became an orphan at the age of five. During her college days she was wrongfully accused of stealing paint brushes and poisoning two Caucasian students—defeating her chance of graduation (Sun 1). She was beaten by angry students, and left without much of an education (Freedman 1). Despite this, Lewis continued to pursue her love of art. Beginning with clay, she sculpted busts and medallions of the people who inspired her. Some of these people include Benjamin Franklin, John Brown–a famous abolitionist, and Colonel Robert Gould Shaw–leader of the African American Massachusetts’ 54th Volunteer Infantry Unit: but all of these people had one thing in common—they fought for those without rights (Wilson 1).
Edmonia Lewis’ works featured themes that were controversial for her time: Abolition, sexism, racism, religion (Freedman 1). These topics were important to her, so she stepped out to express them. ‘The Death of Cleopatra’, one of Lewis’ most famous sculptures, shows the Egyptian queen holding a snake in her right hand, her left hand hanging lifelessly, and her head held back in rest (Freedman 1). In this sculpture, Lewis depicted the idea that women weren’t expected to be successful (Freedman 1). Not many accepted Lewis for her work (Wingate 3). But did that stop her from pursuing her goals and passions? No. Giving up her dream of becoming an artist would’ve stopped her from ever impacting people—even if it wasn’t the entire world. Persevering, despite being told she couldn’t, and because of that, the art world community has been influenced for the better. She gave minorities a voice. Showing us that even today in our cultures and society, we can use our passions to speak out for what’s right (UPI News 1). Teaching us to not conform to the rest of the world’s opinion: just as Lewis didn’t (Wingate 2). Experiences unique to her inspired her art. To make a difference she used her passions—similar to Odysseus’ passion for changing him and his men’s fate for the better. Both of these people faced their fears: whether in their passion or a life-threatening challenge. They followed their heart, despite anything else—exuding courage.