Materials on courage and cowardice. Arguments from literature in the direction of “Courage and Cowardice”

Courage. What it is? I think that courage is decisiveness in thoughts and actions, the ability to stand up for yourself and for other people who need your help, overcoming all sorts of fears: for example, fear of the dark, of someone else's brute force, of life's obstacles and difficulties. Is it easy to be brave? Not easy. This quality probably needs to be cultivated from childhood. Overcoming your fears, moving forward despite difficulties, developing willpower, not being afraid to defend your opinion - all this will help cultivate in yourself such a quality as courage. Synonyms for the word “courage” are “courage”, “determination”, “courage”. The antonym is “cowardice.” Cowardice is one of the human vices. We are afraid of many things in life, but fear and cowardice are not the same thing. I think that out of cowardice comes meanness. A coward will always hide in the shadows, remain on the sidelines, fearing for his own life, betray in order to save himself.

The theme of courage and cowardice is also reflected in fiction, in particular in the works of the Russian writer Maxim Gorky.

“We sing glory to the madness of the brave!” - wrote M. Gorky in his “Song about the Falcon”. This work is a hymn to courage and courage. In a battle with enemies, Falcon received his mortal wounds and is bleeding. Already, for whom the main thing is that it is “warm and damp,” does not understand what heaven, battle, real life is, and not a miserable existence. And Falcon, even in the last minutes of his life, thinks not about pain and wounds, but about a bold flight in the sky, about the battle with the enemy. Courage lives in Gorky's hero. The falcon does not want to die, lying on the rocks, bleeding. On the advice of the snake, he approaches the edge of the cliff and rushes down, making his last flight. “The madness of the brave is the wisdom of life!” - exclaims the author. Without people like Falcon, life would be dull and joyless.

In M. Gorky's story “The Old Woman Izergil” there is a legend about Danko. The image of his burning heart has long become a symbol of love for people, readiness to give his life for them. Danko's courage is manifested in the fact that he was not afraid to take responsibility for the lives of other people who had a choice: either die or go through a dense forest to save themselves. Danko stood at the head of these people. The path was difficult, many died in the forest. And when they lost faith that they would come out of the thicket, the brave Danko illuminated the path for them with his heart and led the people to freedom. But the writer is not only talking about courage. He talks about Danko's compatriots who were afraid to die so as not to lose their traditions. I think they were simply cowardly, afraid of their enemies, and who needs the traditions of cowards. After all, they did not fight for their land, but left, giving it to the enemy. Gorky calls the one who stepped on Danko’s heart a cautious person, so that it would no longer shine on people. I would call such a coward. A “cautious person” is afraid of the brave, because it is easier to live without them.

In conclusion, I would like to say that this topic of the essay made me think about what role courage and cowardice play in our lives, how to cultivate the best human qualities in ourselves, become brave and strong, and not be a coward.

in the direction of "Courage and Cowardice"

Subject:Can a brave man be afraid?

It is generally accepted that a brave person is not afraid of anything. But is it? In order to answer this question, it is necessary to define what courage means and what it is like. In dictionaries, courage is a positive moral and volitional personality trait, manifested as determination, fearlessness, courage when performing actions associated with risk and danger.

Indeed, courage is usually associated with walking on the edge, with the threat of life, but it can also manifest itself in everyday situations. Brave people are found not only in war, we meet them everywhere. One can be called brave who is not afraid to express his opinion, who has the courage to be different from the majority, and is able to perceive new things. Does courage presuppose fear? In my opinion, only a fool is not afraid. There is no shame in being afraid, but only a person who overcomes fear can be called brave.

Many writers have addressed this topic. Thus, E. Ilyina’s story “The Fourth Height” is dedicated to overcoming fears. Gulya Koroleva is an example of courage in all its manifestations. Her whole life is a battle with fear, and each of her victories is a new height. In the work we see the life story of one person, the formation of a real personality. Every step she takes is a manifesto of determination. From the first lines of the story, little Gulya shows real courage in different life situations. Overcoming her childhood fears, she takes the snake out of the box with her bare hands and sneaks into the cage with the elephants at the zoo. The heroine grows up, and the challenges encountered in life become more serious: the first role in a movie, the admission of being wrong, the ability to take responsibility for one’s actions. Throughout the entire work he does what he is afraid of. Having matured, Gulya Koroleva gets married and has a son. It seems that all fears have been conquered, she can live a calm family life, but the biggest test awaits her: the war begins, and her husband goes to the front. She is afraid for her husband, her son, the future of the country, but fear does not paralyze her, does not force her to hide. The girl goes to work as a nurse in a hospital to make her contribution. Unfortunately, her husband dies, and Gula has to fight alone. She goes to the front, unable to look at the horrors happening to her loved ones. The heroine takes the “fourth height.” She dies, having defeated the very last fear living in a person, the fear of death. On the pages of the story we see how the main character is afraid, but overcomes her phobias.

The problem of overcoming fear is also explored in Veronica Roth's novel Divergent. Beatrice Prior, the main character of the work, leaves her home, the Abnegation faction, to become Dauntless. She is afraid of her parents' reaction, afraid of not going through the initiation rite, of not being accepted in a new place. But her main strength is that she challenges all her fears and faces them. Tris puts herself in great danger by being in the company of the Dauntless, because she is “different”, people like her are destroyed. This scares her terribly, but she is much more afraid of herself. She does not understand the nature of her difference from others, and is horrified by the thought that her very existence could be dangerous for people.

The fight against fears is one of the key problems of the novel. So, Beatrice’s lover’s name is Faure, which means “four” in English. This is exactly the number of fears he needs to overcome. Tris and For fearlessly fight for their lives, justice, and peace in the city they call home. They defeat both external and internal enemies, which undoubtedly characterizes them as brave people.

I would like to complete my thoughts with M. Twain’s statement: “Courage is resistance to fear, not its absence.” Indeed, there is no need to be afraid of fear and associate it with cowardice; you need to fight it, overcoming not only external circumstances, but also resolving internal conflicts.

Essay “Courage and Cowardice.”

Each person has two sides fighting each other: cowardice and courage. Science has been asking this question for quite a few years. Psychologists, philosophers and poets began talking about this several centuries ago.

I think being brave means being able to overcome your fears when necessary. But they are inherent in every person on Earth. Courageous people have self-confidence that is difficult to envy. Also, people are not afraid of obstacles in their path. Even to be more precise, they bravely overcome these fears. They will undoubtedly find a way out of any situation. Such a person always, no matter what, achieves the goal he has set for himself. Brave individuals have a large reserve of patience, which is also important, and have enormous willpower.

I think it is very great when a benevolent and compassionate person has such a quality and will use it for charitable purposes. It will be much worse if courage is shown in a negative light. Such a manifestation can pose a threat to the person himself who has courage. Cowardice is similar to courage in that it also has two sides of the same coin. There are favorable manifestations of this quality, but, unfortunately, there are also negative manifestations. Sometimes cowardice works reflexively, as a defense when a person feels in danger. And then she saves a person from something bad. This is on the positive side. But the other side is a person who cannot make decisions, constantly doubts his actions, and is afraid of difficulties. People are also insecure.

It seems to me that timidity is simply insufficiently developed willpower. This is the inability to control yourself. Unfortunately, these people do not have goals in life, because they are afraid of difficulties, and even if they do, they give up at the first problem that arises.

People must develop mentally, learn to control their emotions and be able to pull themselves together. You need to learn to overcome all obstacles and not let fear control you. A brave person always relies on his own strength, and not on the help of other people, and certainly not on the will of chance.

Final essay on literature 2018. The topic of the final essay on literature. "Courage and cowardice."

FIPI comment: 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 avoid resolving difficult, sometimes extreme life situations. The pages of many literary works present both heroes capable of bold actions and characters demonstrating weakness of spirit and lack of will.

1. Courage and cowardice as abstract concepts and properties of a person (in the broad sense). Within this section, you can reflect on the following topics: Courage and cowardice as personality traits, as two sides of the same coin. Courage/cowardice as personality traits determined by reflexes. True and false courage/cowardice. Courage as a manifestation of excessive self-confidence. Courage and risk taking. Courage/cowardice and self-confidence. The connection between cowardice and selfishness. The difference between rational fear and cowardice. The connection between courage and philanthropy, philanthropy, etc.

2. Courage/cowardice in minds, souls, characters. In this section, you can reflect on the concepts of willpower, fortitude, the ability to say no, the courage to stand up for your ideals, the courage needed to stand up for what you believe in. You can also talk about cowardice, as the inability to defend one’s ideals and principles. Courage or cowardice when making decisions. Courage and cowardice when accepting something new. Courage and cowardice when trying to leave your comfort zone. The courage to admit the truth or admit your mistakes. The influence of courage and cowardice on the formation of personality. Contrasting two types of people.

3. Courage/cowardice in life. Pettiness, inability to show courage in a specific life situation.

4. Courage/cowardice in war and in extreme conditions. War exposes the most basic human fears. In war, a person is able to display previously unknown character traits. Sometimes a person surprises himself by showing heroism and unprecedented fortitude. And sometimes even good people, contrary to their expectations, show cowardice. The concepts of heroism, feat, as well as desertion, betrayal, etc. are associated with courage/cowardice within this section.

5. Courage and cowardice in love.

COURAGE– a positive moral-volitional personality trait, manifested as determination, fearlessness, courage when performing actions associated with risk and danger. Courage allows a person to overcome, through volitional efforts, the fear of something unknown, complex, new and achieve success in achieving a goal. It is not for nothing that this quality is highly revered by the people: “God controls the brave,” “The city takes courage.” It is also revered as the ability to speak the truth (“Dare to have your own judgment”). Courage allows you to face the “truth” and objectively assess your capabilities, not be afraid of darkness, loneliness, water, heights and other difficulties and obstacles. Courage provides a person with a sense of self-worth, a sense of responsibility, security, and reliability of life.

Synonyms: courage, determination, courage, heroism, enterprise, self-reliance, self-confidence, energy; presence, uplifting spirit; spirit, courage, desire (to tell the truth), audacity, boldness; fearlessness, fearlessness, fearlessness, fearlessness; fearlessness, determination, daring, heroism, courage, riskiness, desperation, audacity, innovation, daring, audacity, audacity, daring, poverty, valor, novelty, courage, masculinity.

COWARDLY - one of the expressions of cowardice; a negative, moral quality that characterizes the behavior of a person who is unable to perform actions that meet moral requirements (or, conversely, refrain from immoral actions) due to the inability to overcome fear of natural or social forces. T. can be a manifestation of calculating selfishness, when it is based on fears of incurring unfavorable consequences, someone’s anger, fear of losing existing benefits or social position. It can also be subconscious, a manifestation of spontaneous fear of unknown phenomena, unknown and uncontrollable social and natural laws. In both cases, T. is not just an individual property of the psyche of a particular person, but a social phenomenon. It is associated either with selfishness, rooted in the psychology of people over the centuries-old history of private property, or with the powerlessness and depressed position of a person generated by a state of alienation (even fear of natural phenomena develops into T. only under certain conditions of social life and the corresponding upbringing of a person). Communist morality condemns terrorism because it leads to immoral actions: dishonesty, opportunism, unprincipledness, deprives a person of the ability to be a fighter for a just cause, and entails connivance with evil and injustice. The communist education of the individual and the masses, the involvement of people in active participation in building the society of the future, man's awareness of his place in the world, his purpose and capabilities, and his submission to natural and social laws contribute to the gradual eradication of terrorism from the life of individuals and society as a whole.

Synonyms: timidity, timidity, cowardice, suspiciousness, indecision, hesitation, fear; apprehension, fear, shyness, cowardice, timidity, fearfulness, capitulation, cowardice, cowardice.

Quotes for the final essay 2018 in the direction of “Courage and Cowardice.”

Be bold with the truth

He who dared ate (and mounted a horse)

Courage is the beginning of victory. (Plutarch)

Courage, bordering on recklessness, contains more madness than fortitude. (M. Cervantes)

When you are afraid, act boldly, and you will avoid the worst troubles. (G. Sachs)

To be completely devoid of courage, one must be completely devoid of desires. (Helvetius K.)

It is easier to find people who voluntarily go to death than those who patiently endure pain. (Yu. Caesar)

He who is courageous is brave. (Cicero)

There is no need to confuse courage with arrogance and rudeness: there is nothing more dissimilar both in its source and in its result. (J.J. Rousseau)

Excessive courage is the same vice as excessive timidity. (B. Johnson)

Courage, which is based on prudence, is not called recklessness, but the exploits of a reckless person should rather be attributed to simple luck than to his courage. (M. Cervantes)

In battle those most exposed to danger are those who are most possessed by fear; courage is like a wall. (Sallust)

Courage replaces fortress walls. (Sallust)

To be brave means to consider everything that is scary as distant and everything that inspires courage as close. (Aristotle)

Heroism is an artificial concept, because courage is relative. (F. Bacon)

Others show courage without having it, but there is no person who would demonstrate wit if he were not naturally witty. (J. Halifax)

Real courage rarely comes without stupidity. (F. Bacon)

Ignorance makes people bold, but reflection makes people indecisive. (Thucydides)

Knowing in advance what you want to do gives you courage and ease. (D. Diderot)

It is not for nothing that courage is considered the highest virtue - after all, courage is the key to other positive qualities. (W. Churchill)

Courage is resistance to fear, not the absence of it. (M. Twain)

Happy is he who boldly takes under his protection what he loves. (Ovid)

Creativity requires courage. (A. Matisse)

It takes a lot of courage to bring bad news to people. (R. Branson)

The success of science is a matter of time and courage of mind. (Voltaire)

To use your own reason requires remarkable courage. (E. Burke)

Fear can make a daredevil timid, but it gives courage to the indecisive. (O. Balzac)

A person fears only what he does not know; knowledge conquers all fear. (V. G. Belinsky)

A coward is more dangerous than any other person; he should be feared most of all. (L. Berne)

There is nothing worse than fear itself. (F. Bacon)

Cowardice can never be moral. (M. Gandhi)

A coward only makes threats when he is sure of safety. (I. Goethe)

You can never live happily when you are always trembling with fear. (P. Holbach)

Cowardice is very harmful because it keeps the will from useful actions. (R. Descartes)

We consider a coward to be a coward who allows his friend to be insulted in his presence. (D. Diderot)

Cowardice in its prime turns into cruelty. (G. Ibsen)

He who fearfully worries about losing his life will never rejoice in it. (I. Kant)

The difference between a brave man and a coward is that the first, aware of the danger, does not feel fear, and the second feels fear, not realizing the danger. (V. O. Klyuchevsky)

Cowardice is knowing what you should do and not doing it. (Confucius)

Fear makes the smart stupid and the strong weak. (F. Cooper)

A fearful dog barks more than he bites. (Curtius)

More soldiers always die when fleeing than in battle. (S. Lagerlöf)

Fear is a bad teacher. (Pliny the Younger)

Fear arises due to the powerlessness of the spirit. (B. Spinoza)

Scared - half defeated. (A.V. Suvorov)

Cowards speak most about courage, and scoundrels speak most about nobility. (A.N. Tolstoy)

Cowardice is inertia that prevents us from asserting our freedom and independence in relationships with others. (I. Fichte)

Cowards die many times before death, the brave die only once. (W. Shakespeare)

To be afraid of love is to be afraid of life, and to be afraid of life is to be two-thirds dead. (Bertrand Russell)

Love doesn't go well with fear. (N. Machiavelli)

You cannot love either the one you fear or the one who fears you. (Cicero)

Courage is like love: it needs to be fueled by hope. (N. Bonaparte)

Perfect love casts out fear, because in fear there is torment; he who fears is not perfect in love. (Apostle John)