Understanding the Two Faces of Bravery
Bravery can be split into two separate variants: everyday bravery and heroic bravery. Only a small group of people will run into a burning building to save someone, which is heroic bravery. This is special because not only is it rare, but it is so easily mimicked. Anyone can say they are brave and will run into a fire to save someone, but you only know how they will react once the situation comes upon them. Every day, everyone has bravery, and everyone shows in different ways. Whether asking a girl out on a date or applying to a college, it all takes bravery.
Unpredictable Moments of Heroism: Officer Scott Quate’s Story
One thing that makes bravery such a complex trait for people is that any situation can happen at any time. You never know when you will be in danger or need to be brave. One example of this comes from a New Zealand man caught off guard by a dangerous situation. Officer Scott Quate was on bereavement leave after losing his wife’s mother, and they were on the way to the funeral. While on the way, they were crossing a bridge near Cambridge, and suddenly, traffic stopped… everyone was out of their cars, and someone was screaming.
Our writers can help you with any type of essay. For any subject
Order now
A car had gone off the bridge, and Quate saw one woman floating face up and a man screaming in the water for someone to help. The article says,” While others watched, or worse, took photos and did nothing else, Quate dived into the cold, fast-moving waters of the Waikato River…. All three were brought out of the water within 10 minutes”(de Lore). Quote showed great bravery that day while sitting and waiting for someone to. That is the thing with bravery, not everyone is willing to put themselves on the line for others, but Quate was a hero and a great example of bravery.
The Complexities of Heroism: Bravery’s Unacknowledged Moments
Another thing that makes bravery so hard for people is that it is not always rewarded or acknowledged. For example, in the same story of Scott Quate, he dove into the water and saved both the man and woman that went into the river. However, the article says,” Quate and the man survived, but the woman died two days later in hospital”(de Lore). It is always hard to see or hear someone’s death. However, when you did everything you could to save that person and the bravery it took to save them, it is hard to hear that it was almost all for nothing besides the man that survived.
Secondly, bravery is unique because it takes ‘guts’ to be brave takes a person who is not worried about their well-being… even though it could be your life that you are saving. A book by the name Wintergirls has a character called Lia, and Lia suffers from anorexia nervosa, a very deadly eating disorder. It is a very gut-wrenching and mind-spinning story. However, the end of the story is where bravery saves her life. Lia spends the entire book being pushed around by her disorder and hallucination of her best friend. Lia is scared and does what it takes to keep herself sick.
Along with that, she cuts herself whenever she gets the chance. She feels that anytime she eats, she has failed and takes extreme measures to negate what she has done. She has gone into treatment twice but lied her way through it. She is scared to go to her therapist and lies when she does. She is controlled by this disorder and her best friend’s toxic hallucinations. These two things force Lia to try and keep herself sick. However, at the end of the book, she stands up to her hallucination, trying to pull her across the border of life and death. The dialogue says,” ‘Relax. It does not hurt that much….I want to go home….Look both ways before you cross….I have to teach Emma how to knit. I promised.’ “(Halse Anderson).
Overcoming Personal Demons: Lia’s Fight with Anorexia in “Wintergirls”
Lia shows excellent bravery in standing up for herself. She is saving herself, and after spending months being controlled by this hallucination, she fights back with great courage. She was minutes from death, and she thought of her sister, which powered her to save herself. She was brave in fighting back her hallucination, finding her way to a phone, and getting help called before his heart stopped. Like at the beginning of the paragraph, Lia may have saved HER life, but she did it for her family. She did it because she promised to teach her little sister to knit. Lia was brave; she cared about not herself but her family and the promise she made to her little sister.
Bravery Against Societal Norms: Atticus Finch’s Moral Stand in “To Kill A Mockingbird”
Finally, bravery is unique because no matter what others will think or believe, it is what the one person trying to be brave believes. In the book To Kill A Mockingbird, Atticus is a lawyer, and he fights for a black man in a trial that was unheard of in the ’60s (the time the book took place). At this time, racism was a massive problem in the United States, and Atticus received very harsh criticism for his decision. However, Atticus knew what was right and stood up for it. He would not leave this man to dry because he was black; he would fight for him because he was innocent. Atticus knew the risks of taking this action; he knew helping this man would cause criticism and hardship for him.
The book says,” I am simply defending a Negro—his name’s Tom Robinson…. but there have been some high talk around town to the effect that I should not do much about defending this man…. The main one is, if I did not, I could not hold up my head in town, represent this county in the legislature, or even tell you or Jem not to do something again”(Lee). Atticus says it well in this quote if he did not do this, if he let this be because others thought he should not defend this man, he would not be able to live with himself. He believed it was right to help Tom (the Negro), and he was brave enough to do it, even with everyone else’s opinions on his actions. It takes bravery to stand up for someone, knowing your life will be threatened and criticized.
Bravery’s dictionary definition is “brave spirit or conduct; courage; valor.” This clearly shows the meaning of bravery, and I think it corresponds with its emotional feeling (connotation) well too. Bravery is a positive word; it has a positive emotion. It stands for saving someone or helping someone that needs it. It also means doing what is right in your mind and not letting others’ opinions control your actions. Bravery is a particular trait, and many people think it is because you save someone’s life; it has to be remarkable. However, it truly is because bravery is in the things we do every day. Asking a girl to prom, your first job interview, or proposing to the one you love the most. These all seem like second nature in our society today, yet they all use a character trait we think you can only find in a superhero. So, are you ready to be brave?
References
- Halse Anderson, L. (2009). Wintergirls. Viking Books for Young Readers.
- Lee, H. (1960). To Kill A Mockingbird. Harper & Row.
The School Dress Code Argument: Balancing Expression And Uniformity In Middle Schools
Middle Schools around the country have been neglecting the standards and have controversial rules for students. Schools do not let kids express themselves with clothing, and the lunches they serve are barely edible. Studies have proven that students need to triumph more regularly with the restrictions.
First, the meals that schools give their students might not be that bad, but for some schools, there is not enough food, healthy food, and expired foods. Many students have resorted to bringing lunch from home daily, but those who cannot have to eat the lunches. An article by Ginny Graves states in paragraph 4,’ Getting kids to eat more vegetables and fruits is something we can all get behind,’ Brown says. ‘Salad bars are usually a huge hit because kids like to choose what they eat.’ She also writes in paragraph 9, ‘You will also likely find lots of uneaten food.
Our writers can help you with any type of essay. For any subject
Order now
Moreover, this raises an important point: Serving healthy meals is only half the battle. It needs to taste good, too. Revamping the menu with input from a talented local chef can significantly increase students’ consumption of fruits and vegetables, according to 2015 research at Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health. Wellness in the schools has chefs that will come to schools in New York, New Jersey, Florida, and California and teach the existing kitchen staff how to create nutritious fare that kids will gobble up.’ Kids’ food needs to give them the energy to focus on school work.
The dress code for middle schools should still be present but very simple. Students should be able to wear what they want every day. Of course, there would still be rules enforced, but they need to be able to express themselves. Steven C. Markoff has written an article in paragraph 4,’ The First Amendment of the United States Constitution guarantees that all individuals have the right to express themselves freely.’ He writes in paragraph 6, ‘Uniforms take away the ability to use clothing to express support for social causes. Students at Friendly High School in Prince George’s County, MD, were not allowed to wear pink shirts to support Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and 75 students received suspensions for breaking the school’s uniform restrictions.’ Students’ dress attire should make us feel comfortable and confident. Schools focus on kids’ creativity and individuality if they have uniforms.
In conclusion, students should be able to wear what they want, with minor restrictions, and have good, well-made food for lunch. If students do not feel like themselves or are hungry, they cannot perform to the highest of their ability.
