Courage Essay : What Is The Meaning Of Courage?

We all have opportunities to display courage in our life, but if we actually do is our decision. Courage is being able to do what is right even if it can be hard. In the book Speak by Laurie Halle Anderson I found three different examples of courage. In this book Melinda Sordino, David Petrakis and Melinda, again all show courage.

Depending on the person, the idea of courage has many different meanings. In Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird's, the definition of courage is “when you know you’re licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what. You rarely win, but sometimes you do” (149). The novels definition explains that one needs to do the right thing even if one doesn’t win.

“Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.” ~ Winston Churchill. This quote defines what it is to be courageous, to be courageous is to persevere even if you know you will fail. This kind of courage is the courage which both Harold Crick in Stranger Than Fiction and Jean Louise “Scout” Finch in To Kill A Mockingbird. In Stranger Than Fiction, an IRS agent, Harold Crick, with a monotonous life learns that you must not only survive, but you must truly live. This lesson is taught through a series of events that lead to his breaking out of his shell and truly living his life. The events are preliminarily put into action through Harold hearing the voice of the author of a book about his life. In To Kill A Mockingbird, a tomboyish six-year-old, Jean Louise “Scout” Finch, discovers the true meaning of camaraderie and bravery. Her friendships are strong but her definition of courage is flawed. In the end, she realizes a great truth, that to really know someone, you have to imagine yourself in their shoes. Courage is important to these two characters, as they both discover what it really means to be brave and what the true definition of courage is. Courage is not always outspoken, sometimes courage is knowing that you will fail, but trying and failing anyway and then accepting your failure.

“Courage is not the absence of fear. Courage is being afraid and doing it anyway.” This quote said by Lou Gehrig explains that courage isn't about having no fear; but rather, it is about one being filled with fear and deciding that something or someone is greater than that fear. In the book, The Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, by Jamie Ford, the protagonist, Henry Lee, turns against the will of his father and his own country values to run after forbidden love. Even though Lee is afraid, he courageously proceeds to follow his heart.

Courage is defined as "the quality of mind or spirit enabling one to meet danger or opposition with fearlessness." 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." (pg.121). Harper Lee clearly portrays the theme of courage in her novel, To Kill a Mockingbird. One likes to think of a hero, as strong, brave, and meeting all challenges head on. All the characters in this book have a different view as to what courage

Courage is the ability to do something in the face of pain, grief or fear. In To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Atticus serves as an example of true courage to the town when he shoots the sick dog Tim Johnson, defends Tom Robinson in his legal troubles and allows Mr. Ewell spit in his face.

One good example of courage is in Homer's epic poem, “The Odyssey,” when Odysseus enters the Cyclops’ cave. In the epic poem Odysseus and his men enter the Cyclops cave and the text states “We climbed, then, briskly to the cave. But Cyclops had gone afield..." (Homer 157-158). This example demonstrates that Odysseus enters a Cyclops cave and is not fearful. Odysseus enters the cave because he sees treasure and wants to get it for him and his crew. Odysseus chooses to enter the cave even though he knew the cave was the Cyclops home and this demonstrates courage, and this is why the trait should be encouraged. Another good example of courage that sticks out is Newton Knight, who chooses to help slaves even though he lives in the south during the Civil War. In the Biography.com Editors’s article, “Newton Knight,” Knight chooses to stop fighting for the Confederate Army and goes back to his hometown to help slaves, as the text states “They saw themselves as defending the residents of Jones County from the Confederacy” (Biography.com Editors 1). Therefore, this example demonstrates that Knight chooses to fight against the Confederate Army even though he lives in Mississippi. It takes a lot of courage to go up against the Confederate Army even though he lived in the south and almost everyone was against him. It should

Courage (noun): the ability to do something that frightens one, the strength in the face of pain or grief. In the novels Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck and To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee the two characters Atticus and George both show courage throughout both novels. Atticus and George define courage by fighting alone when no one else supports them. “I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand. It’s when you know you're licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and see it through no matter what. You rarely win, but sometimes you do...” This quote states “you’re licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and see it through no matter what.” Meaning even though you start with a disadvantage you still push through and fight!

Courage is the ability to do something that frightens one. It could also mean being brave or standing up to do something that you did not want to do. I’ve been reading short stories such as The Necklace by Guy De Maupassant, The Scarlet Ibis by James Hurst and etc. And out of all these stories I feel like the short story The Scarlet Ibis shows the most courage in my eyes. Not only does it show great courage, but it is a humble to me.

Bethany Hamilton once said “ courage doesn’t mean you don’t get afraid”. Courage means you don’t let fear stop you”. Hamilton gives a great description of what it takes to be courageous. Although some people face individual issues, others face racism throughout the society. Courage has no restriction, anybody can be courageous. Harper Lee uses one of her main characters Atticus Finch in To Kill A Mockingbird, to show how courage can help anyone overcome trials and tribulations.

In To Kill A Mockingbird, there is a lot of racism and prejudice events that happen. Courage means being able to face your fears. Courage is also a person who stays true to their values and defend what they believe in. Atticus Finch and Mrs. Dubose both show acts of courage despite facing obstacles in To kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. Arthur Radley, also known as Boo Radley, also shows an act of courage despite what everyone says and thinks about him.

People use courage all the time. Courage is shown in 9/11 videos with the first responders running into the buildings to save the people suffering, in the military when men and women go fight for the freedom and safety of our country, and sometimes in ordinary people in their everyday lives. In "The Hobbit", J.R.R Tolkien demonstrates how an ordinary person can be very couragous when faced with difficult obstacles. In Bilbo Baggins ordinary world, he lives in a shire called Hobbiton.

A literary example of courage is in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird. Atticus Finch put his reputation and safety on the line to help a wrongly accused black man back when black people were not respected. Animal Farm by George Orwell exemplifies courage in a non-human story, making of relate with humanized animals.

Courage or the act of being courageous is something that can depict if a person is being weak. This act ties into the classic tale when identifying the strength it took Sundiata to walk. Sundiata was at an age where other young boys were gathering objects for their mothers and he simply could not, due to the fact that he was unable to walk. However, “In a great effort he straightened up and was on his feet at one go, but the great bar of iron was twisted and had taken the form of a bow.” (Page 21) A boy who once couldn't walk was now walking. He who once had to depend on his mother can now be the one his mother depends on. Thus, “ When Sogolon saw her son standing she stood dumb for a moment, then suddenly she sang these words of thanks to god who had given her son the use of his legs”. (Page 21) Sogolon was so discouraged to the point where the sight of her son’s slow development became an embarrassment. She soon became joyful of the courage

Courage is a necessity to overcome fears and achieve a desired goal. Fear is something that exists in all of us. There is no hero or any particular courageous figure that is without fear. Being fearless is not required to be courageous, one simply has to look past or overcome their fears to possess this great quality. When overcoming fears and going against the norm, there are always risks involved. There are different types of risks that come about. Someone could risk life or limb, while others risk their reputation. Either risk is serious enough that a person must have courage to endure that particular risk. Courage can occur anytime, anywhere, and often in our everyday lives. Everyone will experience courage no matter how young,