The twentieth century is the century with the greatest loss of human life in the history of civilization. It was a time of mistrust and espionage. To be loyal is defined as “faithful to one's oath, commitments, or obligations” (OED). It is not easily given, yet it can easily be lost. Two books, The Human Factor by Graham Greene and The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro show that some loyalties are bought, while others are earned. Earned loyalty tends to last while loyalty that is bought tends to fade. Through the characters Stevens and Castle, they demonstrate this difference. While both characters demonstrate external loyalty, Stevens’ loyalty was purchased, and Castle’s was earned. Castle’s genuine loyalty allows him to risk his life, while Stevens’ loyalty is only compliance. Stevens, in The Remains of the Day, lives only to serve. Whoever employs him is awarded with blind loyalty. He works tirelessly to please his master. No act is too great or small to complete. All it takes is for a wealthy man to give him his paycheck and in return they get his life. Stevens is not one to take time off. He dedicates his life to the house. His mind is always on the subject of his job. His actions all concern his role as the butler of the house. He puts it ahead of family, of love, of his morals. He lets the love of his life slip through his fingers because of his devotion to the job. He believes “a butler who is forever attempting to formulate his own 'strong
The dictionary defines the word loyalty as a strong feeling of support or allegiance. Schools across the nation stand every morning, put their hands on their hearts and pledge their loyalty to their country. The novel Ship Breaker is about a young boy named Nailer who works to break ships apart in a futuristic society. His mom died and his father, Richard, became an addict leaving them very poor and reliant on Nailer’s income. One day, Nailer is walking the beach with his friend Pima recovering supplies after a hurricane, there they find a massive clipper ship with one survivor inside. The girl inside, Nita, was fleeing capture from her family’s enemies and shipwrecked. Soon after, Richard Lopez and his crew found Nailer, Nita, and Pima and captured them, planning to sell Nita to her enemies. With a stroke of luck, the three manage to escape from Richard. Nailer and Nita fled to New Orleans with an unfaithful member of Lopez’s crew. While in Orleans, the trio finds work, allies, and an escape from Nita’s enemies. Then, Nita is captured by the enemy who has allied with Richard Lopez. In response, Nailer set out on the clipper ship of his dreams to find her, and unknowingly, to find himself. True loyalty doesn't come with any ties, it is unconditional and without hesitation. In Paolo Baciagalupi’s Science Fiction book Ship Breaker, use of symbolism and conflict tell the story of Nailer Lopez and his journey to find that loyalty doesn't just lie in family, it's who has your
Loyalty is a complex concept that can be interpreted in many different ways. The understanding of loyalty depends on one’s view on life”,” which demonstrates their interpretation of the concept of loyalty. It is difficult to recognize loyal people in the world because of the uncertainty of their past and their upbringing, however, in Margaret Atwood's novel, The Year Of The Flood, she clearly demonstrates that in a world filled with betrayal and chaos, loyalty should not be disregarded, but rather it should be obligatory. This is persistent with loyalty within factors of society, oneself, and among friends. This is approached through her characters and the loyalty that is being broken along with what should have been fulfilled for it not to
Loyalty is trait that every person in the world should have. An example of loyalty is when
Anthropology and genetics are two fields that, when put together, discover some amazing things. Most of these amazing things are written in the book The Journey of Man, by Spencer Wells. In it, he explains where humans originated from, and how we came to populate the entire globe. It is both humbling and riveting, and a great start to understanding how much work truly goes in to studying our past.
Loyalty is heroic. Loyalty is defined as faithfulness or devotion to a person, cause, obligations, or duties. In Homer's Odyssey one can see loyalty in many forms. Odysseus is loyal to the gods whom he realized held his life in their hands. Penelope was loyal to Odysseus, while trying not to offend the rude suitors. Telemachus was loyal to a father whom he only knew from the stories he had been told. Time and time again we see loyalty in the strongest sense, complete fidelity in time of uncertainty.
An example of loyalty can be directly taken from William Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet”. However, Shakespeare’s play showed that loyalty can be taken to extremes and result in conflict and tragedy. The biggest case of this “extreme loyalty” was brought out in Romeo’s suicide after thinking that Juliet was dead. As Juliet was so loyal to Romeo, she faked her own death to get out of marrying Paris. Even though she was somewhat forced into that position, it was still an irrational act. Romeo makes it worse by committing suicide on seeing what he thought was Juliet’s dead body. His loyalty was so extreme that he wanted to join her in death. While pressure from both their families drove them to their final deadly decisions, it was their extreme, irrational loyalty to each other that caused the tragic deaths of both Romeo and Juliet. Although to the reader it might seem absolutely illogical to commit suicide to get out of a marriage in order to
When a person is loyal, they show allegiance to someone or an idea. An excellent example of a loyal character can be found in, “The King of Mazy May.” Walt Masters shows loyalty by protecting his neighbor’s land, even when it meant risking his own life. “Walt lay in the snow, thinking rapidly. He was only a boy, but in the face of the threatened injustice against old lame Loren Hall he felt that he must do something. He waited and watched, with his mind made up, till he saw the men began to square up new stakes. Then he crawled away till out of hearing, and broke into a run for the camp of the stampeders.” Walt shows his allegiance to his neighbor even in dangerous circumstances which is the definition of loyalty.
According to Karl Marx, a famous German philosopher, came up with the theory that the higher class, known as the bourgeoisie, enslaved and exploit the working class, known as proletariat. This theory relates to the two novels A Brave New World by Aldous Huxley and Legend by Marie Lu. There are many similarities that take place between these dystopian novels and it is evident that everything is predetermined and controlled by the state, causing conflict and chaos. This is demonstrated by the caste system, abuse of drugs and power within the government.
Loyalty has always been seen as a commendable trait, not only in human beings but in any creature, all through history. Soldiers have admired their enemies for their loyalty to fallen comrades, thousands of stories have been written about the intense loyalty animals portray for their owners, and even companies in the workforce look for loyalty in potential employees. Loyalty has been seen as something that distinguishes the trustworthy from the untrustworthy, and something that sets the great apart from the good. The archetypal hero commonly has a cause, whether it be another person or personal beliefs, that they are loyal to, and this unwavering loyalty is what makes them appear so highly in the eyes of the reader. Loyalty can be found in practically any work of literature, but within The Torah, The Odyssey, and Inanna is the idea that true loyalty, although a rare attribute, is the key to a successful relationship.
Not everyone possesses the quality of loyalty, but those that do are worth having a relationship with. The author of Cue for Treason, Geoffry Trease, demonstrates this trait in many of the characters. The most loyal bond in this book, which took place very early on in the novel, was Peter and Kit’s. One of the most significant bonds has to be amongst the Secret Agents, the Queen, and all of England. Lastly, the most heroic form of loyalty is portrayed by Tom Boyd, Peter, and Kit. Each one of these characters do not betray each other once. So, several characters in the novel show loyalty to one another throughout.
Loyalty is perhaps the most important characteristic a person can possess. Loyalty is defined by Google as “giving or showing firm and constant support or allegiance to a person or institution.” In the books Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight by Stone , this definition is exploited both in a positive and negative way. In Romeo and Juliet loyalty is a characteristic that both characters acquire along their journey and it has an ennobling effect on them. While in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight , Sir Gawain is displayed as being a loyal man, but then he becomes perfidious because of his selfish way and it cost him his respect and nobleness.
During the late 19th century and early 20th century, America increased drastically in industrialization, consumerism, and urbanization. With these increases a “Mass Consumerism” movement began and effected the middle class more than others. From the increase in consumerism, Thorstein Veblen introduced a new phrase called conspicuous consumption. This was indicated towards wealthy Americans that the best way to prove superiority is to show off their wealth. This negatively effected Americans and their perception on others. With the massive increase in industrialization and urbanization, Americans living in poverty and with poor jobs were mostly effected negatively than others. In Jacob Riis’s book, How the Other Half Lives, and Upton Sinclair’s book, The Jungle, it opened the eyes of Americans not living and working in these conditions. After the government and American people witness the horror some citizens must deal with, changes will occur and improve conditions.
Embedded in the human spirit is the notion that people possess an innate sense of being an individual, free to think, act, and understand the world surrounding them. In George Orwell’s 1984, individuality is removed to support the Party’s abilities in controlling and exploiting the masses. Yet, despite their success in suppressing the citizens of Oceania there is something rooted in humanity that although can be repressed, still remains implanted within the deepest parts of a person’s mind. In the novel, while the Party attempts to annihilate all human instincts in order to acquire pure and absolute power, it is unknown to them that despite their best efforts there lies something much more dominant in the human mind which although can be inhibited may never be entirely eliminated. As Winston ponders revolutionary ideas, his physical body unknowing to his conscious mind, is complacent with his innermost thoughts to rebel in any way possible. Winston’s thoughts of unorthodoxy become enhanced through Julia because he discovers someone who desires and understands him, conjuring up something instinctual in him which has been waiting to be released. To care and protect someone else becomes instinctive when he/she experiences suffering or pain and this kind of understanding is acknowledged through the only people Winston believes express any sanity in a corrupt world: the proletarians. A person’s impulse to resist an oppressive nature is instinctual and this is validated through
Loyalty to another person or to a cause may be an admirable trait, but it
Throughout William Shakespeare’s play Julius Caesar and Homer’s epic poem The Odyssey, loyalty is strongly presented as a major motif. In both texts, loyalty is highly valued as one of the most important traits to a person’s character. Not only do the loyal characters receive better fates, but those who are not loyal are punished for the actions, usually through revenge. In Julius Caesar, the characters that remained loyal to Caesar are the few who wind up alive at the end of the play, and in The Odyssey, those who remained loyal to Odysseus were rewarded by Odysseus, and those who weren’t were killed.