The Value of Sacrifice

this to prevent them from shutting the house down and taking away the only thing they cared

"The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas" demonstrates how happiness can’t exist without moral sacrifice through its use of symbol. The child being kept alone in a locked room underneath the most beautiful building of the city is a symbol of how someone’s happiness in Omelas depends entirely on that child’s misery: "they all understand that their happiness, the beauty of their city, the tenderness of their friendships…depends wholly on this child’s abominable misery" (246). This passage makes it clear that happiness can only occur if Omelas’ citizens act like they constantly forget the child’s existence and let it "live" in its constant suffering. It’s evident that this symbol illustrates the delicate relation between happiness and moral sacrifice.

Religious people often sacrifice their beloved items such as food, jewelers, and even animals in order to impress God, so they can fulfill their wishes and desires. In the novel Life of Pi by Yann Martel, the author tries to relate individual’s life’s goals and sacrifices through the characters of his story. In order to survive, the main character of the novel- Pi - sacrifices his beliefs and integrity. The young, bookish, and religious boy faces the harsh truth of reality. He stays with Richard Parker-a Bengali tiger-on the dangerous journey of his life. Throughout the novel, he learns about sacrifices and he himself gives sacrifice. One of the major themes is sacrifice; Martel argues that sacrifices are often essential in order to gain higher goals.

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 seen throughout the Les Miserables, because it is a prominent part of human living. Sacrifice is greater in those who have less. Hugo conveys sacrifice through the characters Jean Valjean and Fantine, showing how they sacrificed in order to gain a better life, self-forgiveness

Sacrificed the truth, beauty and the right to think, happiness and comfort is just indulgent, it is the discomfort brought by the misery, responsibility and the bonding give us the weight of life. The world is full of people who try hard to gain happiness, and we all have at least one time the idea of living in a perfect world, a world without pain, without misery, without getting old and without cancers. We always ignored the importance and the beauty of uncomfortableness, just as a quote in this book said, “Stability isn’t nearly so spectacular as instability. And being contented has none of the glamour of a good fight against misfortune, none of the picturesqueness of a struggle with temptation, or a fatal overthrow by passion or doubt. Happiness is never grand”. After read this book, I started to be more objective at those bad things I used to hate, to understand the significance of art and to be grateful to this imperfect world we are

Topic: Discuss the ideas developed by the text creator about the individual’s capacity for self-sacrifice in the face of compelling circumstances.

“What we value can be determined only by what we sacrifice”. This quote has been relayed often from person to person, and not to mention it can be a great factor into some literature. As a matter of fact, the book The Poisonwood Bible is a remarkable example of this quote in literature. After all, many sacrifices by the characters were made, not to mention lack of thereof.

Many people are willing to sacrifice for what they desire, whether out of selfish or selfless motives they are willing to sacrifice themselves or others. This sacrifice is a costly and even puzzling act. One must wonder, is this sacrifice for better or for worse? Here are two stories that will show two different sides to this query.

* How does the ritual seek to change the participants? –Protect them from future sufferings, provides more insight into meditation

Although remembered by many as foremost a philosopher, Søren Kierkegaard was quite the theologian in his time, with his own unique approach to theology and Christianity in general. In a time that was ruled by objective methodology in every aspect of acquiring and summarizing knowledge, Kierkegaard sought to bring Christianity back into the realm of the subjective, thereby making it much more interactive and personal. What this paper focuses on is Kierkegaard’s requirement of sacrifice that all Christians must be willing to make in order to be considered true Christians, followed by both a critique and a praise for his contagious notion.

The practice of bloodletting and human sacrifice ritual is undoubtedly important in the life of the Mayans. The bloodletting allows the ruler the ability to communicate with the Gods and their ancestors. While the human sacrifice is connected to the continuation of the cosmos and the resurrection of the agricultural seasons. A summary and a discussion of the book Popol Vuh is presented, on the topic of reassurance theme of human sacrifice is addressed in this paper. The examination of how bloodletting and human sacrifice is crucial to the Mayan culture, and how these rituals provided the stability of social and political aspect of the Mayan society.

The Rood communicates to the dreamer that God recognizes this type of faith. For its tremendous self-discipline and submission to the Lord 's will, the Rood gains a rich reward. Just as Christ 's obedience to his Father was recognized by God, the Rood 's faithfulness is also acknowledged. He stresses the notion that the gift of salvation is so great that it transcends human understanding. The gift of redemption, which assures man pardon of his sins and never-ending happiness in the presence of his creator, is so immense that it cannot be fully understood in human terms. On the basis of cultural and ethical concepts valid in this life, man may be able to comprehend part of the mystery of Christ 's self-sacrifice, but not the fullness of God 's grace. By twisting the theme of service, the poet urges his audience to give to God the return gift that he demands,

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.

Would you be willing to sacrifice something that you really care about for the greater good? Utilitarianism is the theory that we should do what is best for the world as a whole, even if that means that there will be some unhappiness. It is the ethical theory that I believe I base most of my moral judgments on, but as with anything, there are flaws to this theory.