Arguments about cowardice in war. What does it mean to be brave in everyday life: arguments for writing, essay

This is the end of schooling. Now the focus of all students It's no secret that a very large number of points can be obtained by writing an essay. That is why in this article we will write in detail a plan for an essay and discuss the most common topic in the exam, the problem of courage. Of course, there are quite a few topics: the attitude to the Russian language, the role of mother, teacher, childhood in a person's life, and many others. A particular difficulty for students is the argumentation of the problem of courage.

Many talented writers have devoted their works to the theme of heroism and courage, but they do not settle so firmly in our memory. In this regard, we will refresh them a bit and give the best arguments to defend your point of view from fiction.

Essay plan

To begin with, we suggest that you familiarize yourself with the correct essay plan, which, if all the points are available, will bring you the maximum possible points.

The composition of the exam in the Russian language is very different from an essay in social science, literature, and so on. This work has a strict form, which is better not to break. So, what does the plan of our future essay look like:

1. Introduction. What is the purpose of this paragraph? We need to smoothly bring our reader to the main problem raised in the text. This is a small paragraph that consists of three or four sentences, but clearly relates to the topic of your essay.
2. Problem designation. In this part, we say that we have read the text proposed for analysis and identified one of the problems. When you state a problem, think about the arguments beforehand. As a rule, there are two or more of them in the text, choose the most beneficial for you.
3. Your comment. You need to explain and characterize it. This should take you no more than seven sentences.
4. Note the position of the author, what he thinks and how he relates to the problem. Maybe he's trying to do something?
5. your position. You must write whether you agree with the author of the text or not, justify your answer.
6. Arguments. There should be two of them (from literature, history, personal experience). Teachers still offer to rely on arguments from the literature.
7. Concluding no more than three sentences. Draw a conclusion to everything that you have said, sum it up. There is also such a variant of ending as a rhetorical question. It will make you think, and the essay will be completed quite spectacularly.

As you can see from the plan, the hardest part is the argument. Now we will select examples for the problem of courage, we will use exclusively literary sources.

"Destiny of Man"

The theme of the problem of courage is the main idea of ​​Mikhail Sholokhov's story "The Fate of a Man". Selflessness and courage are the basic concepts that characterize the protagonist Andrei Sokolov. Our character is able to step over all the obstacles that fate has prepared for him, to carry his cross with his head held high. He shows these qualities not only during military service, but also in captivity.

It seemed that the worst was over, but the trouble does not come alone, there is another very difficult test ahead - the death of people close to him. Now Andrei speaks selflessness, he gathered his last strength into a fist and visited the very place where there was once a quiet and family life.

"And the dawns here are quiet"

The problem of courage and stamina is also reflected in such a work as Vasiliev's story. Only here these qualities are attributed to fragile and delicate creatures - girls. This work tells that Russian women can also be real heroes, fight on an equal footing with men and defend their interests even in such global senses.

The author tells about the difficult fate of several women who are completely different from each other, who were brought together by a great misfortune - the Great Patriotic War. Although their lives used to develop in different ways, but the end was the same for everyone - death during the performance of a combat mission.

A story about a real person

Which is also found in many in the "Tale of a Real Man" by Boris Polevoy.

The work deals with the plight of the pilot, who loved the sky very much. For him, flight is the meaning of life, like wings for a bird. But they were cut off by a German fighter. Despite his injuries, Meresyev crawled through the forest for a very long time, he had neither water nor food. He overcame this difficulty, but more were waiting for him ahead. He lost his legs, he had to learn how to use prostheses, but this man was so strong in spirit that he even learned to dance on them.

Despite a large number of obstacles, Meresyev regained his wings. The heroism and selflessness of the hero can only be envied.

"Not listed"

Since we are interested in the problem of courage, we selected arguments from the literature about the war and the hard fate of the heroes. Also, Boris Vasilyev’s novel “He Was Not on the Lists” is dedicated to the fate of Nikolai, who had just graduated from college, went to work and came under fire. He did not appear at all in any documents, but it did not occur to him to run away like a “rat from a ship”, he bravely fought and defended the honor of his homeland.

In the work “The Fate of a Man” by M. Sholokhov, Andrei Sokolov more than once shows himself to be a brave, courageous person. For example, in the episode with the German commandant. With his determination and fearlessness, the soldier struck even his opponents: with his head held high, he went to his death, boldly looked into the eyes of the enemy, knowing that this man had his life in his hands. Andrei Sokolov saves himself: the German military leaders could not shoot such a brave man, because even they respect fearlessness. That determination that reigned in the soul of a soldier at a critical moment became the highest level of courage of Andrei Sokolov.

In the work of A.S. Pushkin "The Captain's Daughter", Pyotr Grinev amazes us with his courage. During the battle for the Belogorsk fortress, he shows himself to be a brave and fearless soldier. The young man directly expresses his position to Pugachev, under pain of death, Peter remains faithful to the oath.

Grinev personifies all the courage that exists in the soul of every soldier who is ready to fight for his homeland. Pugachev releases the main character and his beloved Masha, because even being Peter's enemy, the man respects the young officer for his courage and dedication.

The epic novel by L.N. Tostoy "War and Peace" is full of bold and courageous characters. So Prince Andrei Bolkonsky shows heroism and determination in the war. Let us recall the episode when, during the battle at Prats, dozens of soldiers, seeing their enemies close by, the French, fled. But the prince was not one of those cowards. It was he who, having grabbed the staff of the banner in his hands, dragged the soldiers into the attack. The courage, dedication of Andrei Bolkonsky allowed him to fulfill his dream: to show himself in battle as a worthy warrior, to lead people on the offensive.

FIPI comment on the direction "Courage and cowardice":
"This direction is based on a comparison of opposite manifestations of the human "I": readiness for decisive actions and the desire to hide from danger, to evade the resolution of complex, sometimes extreme life situations. On the pages of many literary works, both heroes capable of bold actions and characters showing weakness of spirit and lack of will."

Recommendations for students:
The table contains works that reflect any concept related to the direction "Courage and cowardice". You DO NOT NEED to read all of the titles listed. You may have already read a lot. Your task is to revise your reading knowledge and, if there is a lack of arguments in one direction or another, fill in the gaps. In this case, you will need this information. Take it as a guide in the vast world of literary works. Please note: the table shows only a part of the works in which the problems we need are present. This does not mean at all that you cannot bring completely different arguments in your works. For convenience, each work is accompanied by small explanations (the third column of the table), which will help you navigate exactly how, through which characters, you will need to rely on literary material (the second mandatory criterion when evaluating a final essay)

An approximate list of literary works and carriers of problems in the direction of "Courage and cowardice"

The topic "Courage and cowardice" was proposed among other topics of the final essay on literature for 2020 graduates. Many great people have talked about these two phenomena. “Courage is the beginning of victory,” Plutarch once said. “The courage of the city takes,” A.V. Suvorov agreed with him many centuries later. And some even made provocative statements on this topic: “Real courage rarely does without stupidity” (F. Bacon). Be sure to include such quotes in your work - this will have a positive effect on your assessment, as well as mentioning examples from history, literature or from life.

What to write about in an essay on this topic? You can consider courage and cowardice as abstract concepts in their broadest sense, think about them as two sides of the coin of one person, about the truth and falsity of these feelings. Write about the fact that courage can be a manifestation of excessive self-confidence, that there is a direct connection between selfishness and cowardice, but rational fear and cowardice are not the same thing.

A popular topic for reflection is cowardice and courage in extreme conditions, for example, in war, when the most important and previously hidden human fears are exposed, when a person shows character traits previously unknown to others and to himself. Or vice versa: even the most positive people in an emergency situation can show cowardice. Here it would be useful to speculate about heroism, heroism, desertion and betrayal.

As part of this essay, you can write about courage and cowardice in love, as well as in your mind. Here it would be appropriate to recall willpower, the ability to say “no”, the ability or inability to defend one’s opinion. You can talk about human behavior when making decisions or getting to know something new, getting out of your comfort zone, the courage to admit your mistakes.

Other directions of the final essay.

The problems we found related to cowardice are often found in texts for preparing for the Unified State Examination in the Russian language. Arguments from domestic literature, selected for these problems, will help graduates write a high-quality essay-reasoning. All of these examples are available for download in table format. Link at the end of the article.

1. In the novel by M.A. Bulgakov "The Master and Margarita" Pontius Pilate was the victim of his own cowardice. Before him was a choice: listen to reason or heart, save the poor philosopher Yeshua or doom him to death, while maintaining authority and balance in the city. The fear of the Sinendrion and the high priest Kaifa turned out to be stronger than his own will and desire to save the innocent. Because of cowardice, Hegemon's fear of his future, Ha-Notsri is subjected to unfair punishment. After the execution, Pontius Pilate is tormented by remorse and does not find peace of mind for two thousand years.
2. Main character novel by A.S. Pushkin "Eugene Onegin" despite his inconsistency and ambiguity, it can be quite called a cowardly person. Eugene could easily refuse a duel with his close friend, Vladimir Lensky, but did not. He, as a secular man, was afraid to shake the respect of society by his refusal to duel. The protagonist could not present himself in secular circles as a weak, weak-willed person who was afraid of battle. He did not want to be the object of ridicule and gossip. Actually, because of his cowardice in front of society, quite another person died. Eugene himself did not know how to forgive himself for this, therefore he did not find happiness in life.
3. If your problem concerns cowardice in love, then we have a whole one for it.

Fear in War

1. In the story of V. Bykov "Sotnikov" the antipode of the protagonist - Rybak, being a coward, agrees to join the ranks of the policemen - henchmen of the invaders. Hoping to return to the partisan detachment at an opportunity, he made a deal with his conscience. “There is an opportunity to live – this is the main thing. Everything else - later, ”the partisan reasoned. Without thinking at all about the future fate of his homeland, he does everything to survive. Survive at any cost. It does not wake up a sense of patriotism, duty and responsibility to the fatherland. The fisherman lost faith, failed to accept suffering for his people, as Sotnikov did. Shameful cowardice and cowardice - these are the main features of this hero, which led him to a moral decline.
2. Main character V. Rasputin's story "Live and Remember" also unable to cope with the difficult period of the war. He deserts from the front. Passing by his native home, an honestly fought soldier cannot stand it. He succumbs to the fear of death, becomes a deserter and a coward, dooming to death all those for whom he went to fight: his wife Nastya and the child they had been waiting for so long. And the girl, whose soul is too pure and innocent, cannot withstand the weight that has fallen on her fragile shoulders. Deep morality and spiritual strength do not allow her to hide the deserter, to betray the Motherland with him. And she goes under the waters of the Yenisei with an unborn child.

Consequences of cowardice

1. IN the work of A.S. Pushkin "The Captain's Daughter" one of the defenders of the Belgorod fortress - Alexei Shvabrin - turns out to be a coward and a traitor. At the first opportunity, he goes over to the side of Pugachev in order to save his life. Shvabrin is ready to kill those whom until recently he could have considered friends and allies.
   The price of his own life becomes for him higher than the life of his comrades, higher than the oath and the fate of the fatherland. Because of the fear of possible death, he completely abandons any moral principles and easily goes over to the side of the enemy.

Pontius Pilate is a cowardly man. And it was for cowardice that he was punished. The procurator could have saved Yeshua Ha-Notsri from execution, but he signed the death warrant. Pontius Pilate feared for the inviolability of his power. He did not go against the Sanhedrin, ensuring his peace at the cost of the life of another person. And all this despite the fact that Yeshua was sympathetic to the procurator. Cowardice prevented saving a man. Cowardice is one of the most serious sins (based on the novel The Master and Margarita).

A.S. Pushkin "Eugene Onegin"

Vladimir Lensky challenged Eugene Onegin to a duel. He could cancel the fight, but he chickened out. Cowardice manifested itself in the fact that the hero reckoned with the opinion of society. Eugene Onegin thought only about what people would say about him. The result was sad: Vladimir Lensky died. If his friend had not been afraid, but preferred moral principles to public opinion, tragic consequences could have been avoided.

A.S. Pushkin "The Captain's Daughter"

The siege of the Belogorsk fortress by the troops of the impostor Pugachev showed who was considered a hero, who was a coward. Aleksey Ivanovich Shvabrin, saving his life, betrayed his homeland at the first opportunity and went over to the side of the enemy. In this case, cowardice is a synonym