Definition Essay: What Is A Sacrifice?

sacrifice of a relationship, a character's faith, or the more literal sacrifice of a person, in each

The main theme of the a lesson before dying is sacrifice and how it can lead to better outcomes. A lesson before dying is a novel by Ernest Gaines that takes place in a fictional town in Louisiana in the 1940’s or pre-civil rights. One of the characters, Jefferson, is going to be put to death for a crime he did not commit, and the main character Grant is being forced by Jefferson’s godmother to teach him to be a man before he dies. Sacrifice is the act of giving up or surrendering a person or value for a better object but does it mean more than that in “A Lesson Before Dying”?

Sacrifice is “an act of giving up something valued for the sake of something else.” -Anonymous. The Outsiders, by H.E Hinton is a book where Ponyboy and friends live life in a gang. You can see sacrifices being made in order for them to better the lives of each other. One theme evident in the novel is people make sacrifices for the things they care about.

Even though some sacrafices are not neccesary, they hardest ones are made for those who you love. Sacrifice plays a major role as one of the main themes in the Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan. Sacrifices were made for the mothers and daughters which were fueled by love and honor, such as when An-Mei sacrificed her own flesh and blood for her dying mother, Suyuan giving up her children so they could live a happy life, and An-Mei risking her life and sacrificing a sapphire ring from her mother. These were all made for the sake of somebody else's good and for love of somebody else.

Sacrifice is a prominent part of human living. In order to get what is needed or wanted, sacrifice is necessary, whether it is small or great. In the novel, Les Miserables by Victor Hugo, he shows that in society, those with less must often sacrifice more. Hugo conveys sacrifice through the characters Fantine and Jean Valjean, by showing how they sacrifice in order to gain and also how their poverty makes their sacrifice even greater.

The epic drama that really seems to focus on the origins of human sacrifice would be “A Raisin in the Sun.” One of the main characters was named Mrs. Younger. Mrs. Younger was a woman in her late 20’s that lived within the Southside of Chicago with her in-laws. She had a son named Willy and a husband named Walter. Mrs. Younger lived her life like most mothers do. She tried her best to provide and nurture her family members. Mothers usually have to give up a lot for their families, and in “The Raisin in the Sun”, this was no different.

In life, everyone must sacrifice something important, and doing so takes guts. Something I sacrificed in my life are snickers. This sacrifice might not be as big as George's sacrifice, but it is still something that I adore. Due to my braces, I am not allowed to eat anything that has caramel. Not eating my favorite candy disappointed me, but I knew that the sacrifice will be worth it. This is because the braces will help straighten my teeth, and will make sure I would not have any dental problems in the

The term sacrifice is defined as giving an important gift to a god or goddess. Sacrifice was normally performed in order to try and receive a benefit of create a closer relationship with the

Within The Torah are many different stories that support this theme, one of the most well-known being the story of God telling Abraham to sacrifice his son. God said to Abraham, “Take your son, your favored one, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the heights that I will point out to you” (The Torah 54). This was a huge sacrifice God was asking Abraham to make; he was asking for the life of his child, whom he treasured immensely. One might think that such a request would warrant careful

Self-sacrifice is an act done by many, specifically Roselily. “Roselily” by Alice Walker is a story about Roselily, a woman getting married for her children to have a better life. Because of this marriage, Roselily sacrifices numerous aspects of life for her children. Alice Walker shows that self-sacrifice is a life-changing decision through various aspects of Roselily’s marriage, such as religion, cultural norms, and having to leave everything she’s known, all for the sake of her children’s well being.

When one thinks about sacrifice their minds tend to think of it as noble deed that highlights what they value. They view it as the person has sacrificed something that is important for the greater good. However, this is not always the case and sometimes sacrifice can take people down some very dark paths and not only ruin their own life, but the lives of others around them. In The Poisonwood Bible, multiple characters made sacrifices that were sometimes good and sometimes bad. The bad instances caused a lot of problems in the book. Throughout the book Nathan Price sacrificed his family’s life in America which showed how far he was willing to go to display his values, which would turn out to be his hamartia.

Particular situations that assess an individual’s identity often mirrors the beliefs and morals they prominently value. Due to the overwhelming significance that sacrifice plays in life, writers and artists have often displayed this theme through various forms of artwork, such as novels, plays, and paintings. Adding it as a theme within pieces of literature and art encourages individuals to reflect on their own sacrifices and how it affects their values. As a result, writers such as Arthur Miller, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and William Shakespeare utilized the concept of sacrifice to emphasize the important values of reputation, unconditional love, and loyalty.

In the melodramatic novel, A Tale of Two Cities, by Charles Dickens, the author uses the theme sacrifice. He shows that sacrifice is important in his story because some of his characters must give up their lives for another. Miss Pross dedicates herself to Lucie because she wants Lucie to have a brighter future than she did. Then, out of his love and devotion for Lucie Manette, Sydney Carton sacrifices his life to save a life she loves. The sacrifices Miss Pross and Sydney Carton make express that mankind will give everything for what they love and believe in.

The most common type of sacrifice was the fulfillment of a vow. Through this method, a person is requesting an action from a god a promise of a sacrifice is made. The next method, a thank offering was a result of a favor granted freely. Offerings made in the expectation of favours is a sacrifice would be made to a god and with anticipation of the request being granted, usually the request would be for the health of a given person. Unlike the vow method the person doing the sacrifice is not expecting a guaranteed fulfillment. Sacrifices made at the instigation of gods are preformed when a person felt that a sacrifice was necessary through a dream or another sign from a specific god. Sacrifices as a result of divination, “were a result of consulting oracles.” A person

the benefits of this sacrifice are not confined to those who respond to it with an explicit act of faith” (Nash, 1994, p. 103). Nash breaks down the definitions and uses Scripture to back up his points very well.