Would you tuck in your friend’s shirt for them? Could you hug your classmate in the shower if they’re feeling stressed? At the Citadel, a military college in South Carolina, cadets did these acts for each other. In “The Naked Citadel”, Susan Faludi portrays the lives of these cadets in a “fourth-class system” in where they could help each other out while being tormented by upperclassmen. Their willingness to look out for one another produces a kind of selflessness discussed in Buddhist religion which is defined in Robert Thurman’s “Wisdom”. According to Thurman, selflessness is looking out for each other and becoming one with one another. However, these cadets only showcase a “kind” of selflessness; not true selflessness. In Malcom Gladwell’s …show more content…
The fourth-class system is the system which upperclassmen trained and oversaw the underclassmen. Cadets were ruled by the upperclassmen who would pull pranks, yell and torture freshman; “…The Citadel is exceptional because the college gives a handful of older student leave to ‘govern’ the others as they see fit” (Faludi 82). In this sort of situation, you must stick with fellow freshman to make it through the tough curriculum and training the school has. For example, in Air Force ROTC, we are yelled at by upperclassmen if we do not know certain knowledge or do not help another cadet out. To keep each other from getting yelled at, we help each other study. The Citadel has the same kind of system on a larger scale. Since they are away from their families and women, they can be there for each other a way a family is. One cadet describes Citadel showers, “’When we are in the showers, it’s very intimate…you’re afraid together. You can cry.’” (Faludi 97). Together they are able to relate and comfort each other the way a family or girlfriend would through the tough times of the Citadel. Another cadet states, “We’re all suffering together. It’s how we bond,’” (Faludi 75). These cadets need each other and need to become one in order to succeed not only individually but collectively in the …show more content…
The upperclassmen had an upper hand on the “knobs” because they’ve been through the training they’re suffering through. The chain effect of cadets first being tortured and yelled at continues when the knobs themselves become upperclassmen. Although cadets within the same class keep this bond throughout the four years of the Citadel, they are not selfless in the fact they continue to torture the freshmen even though they know how hard it is to be one. In the fourth-class system, cadets cannot go easy on one another or they will not learn. In this military mindset, it is hard to be truly selfless while cadets have to train and motivate each other. Older cadets may feel the pain the freshmen feel after yelling at them, but have to continue in order to complete their mission of properly training the knobs. However, they are putting the knob’s training over their feelings to make them a better cadet. The upperclassmen are not able to acknowledge the stress of the “knob” until Recognition Day, “when the upperclassmen force the knobs to do calisthenics until they drop, then gently lift up their charges and nurse them
In “Great to Watch” by Maggie Nelson, she emphasizes how the “third term” is a solution for how people should live in this age of extremity. It is a middle ground where people connect and become engaged with one another. Through the “third term” people have shared confusion and are on the same page with any situation happening. The world is in such an age of extremity where people are extremely overflowed with emotions or feel nothing at all. With the third term, an in between space is created where people must react and acknowledge things that are normally ignored and where there are no severe reactions.
The greatest virtue one can possess is being generous. The Decameron “Day 10, story 3” and “Day 10, story 4” present different perspectives of generosity. Nathan and Gentile express generosity in different ways, but Gentile lacks true generosity and possesses insincere intentions. Nathans attitude, method, and transformational results overpower Gentiles.
Before World War I, all of Europe in 1914, was tense and like a bomb or a fire was waiting to erupt. Europe had not seen a major war in years, but due to Militarism, Imperialism, Alliances, and Nationalism tensions grew high. Each country was competing to be the best by gaining more territory and growing in their military size and successful economies. World War 1 was waiting to happen and the assassination of the Archduke was the spark that lit Europe up. In All Quiet on the Western Front, by Erich Maria Remarque we see the effects of the assassination.
In August 1992, a decomposed body, presumably died of starvation, was found inside an abandoned bus beside the Sushana River in Alaska. Shortly thereafter, the dead person was identified as twenty-four-year-old Chris McCandless, who was from an affluent family in the suburbs of Washington, D.C. A tragic story, with a mix of a young man, his well-off background, and happening in the most precarious but highly noble place, always had an emotional pull on people’s minds and stirred up people’s curiosity and perplexity. The question, often asked by the people with desire to grasp the truths, was why Chris with a privileged life would have gone to Alaska’s wilderness to face the ultimate challenge of his life. Was he in search of something
Living in a modern world many people get well educated and are making good changes in the world. But are we forgetting something in our busy society? George Saunders talks about the importance of kindness in his commencement address. Saunders is an American writer and university professor who made the commencement address at Syracuse University in New York state in may 2013. This essay will focus on the style of Saunders’ language and on the values he advocates in his speech.
Connections Between Tecumseh’s Quote and I Through the many years of the American Revolutionary War and as the leader of the Shawnee native tribe, Chief Tecumseh’s has acquired much wisdom and offers this to others in the poem Act of Valor (University, 2000). This insightful quote by Tecumseh tells its readers not to have any regrets when death awaits them. This passage speaks to me as it talks about being guiltless, grateful, and acceptance to the forthcoming events in our lives. To begin with, Tecumseh has nothing to feel guilty for with the choices he has made in his life.
The Children’s Blizzard shows many acts of selflessness. Selflessness means, steadfastness in doing something despite difficulty or delay in achieving success. However, selflessness has some connotative definitions as well such as: death, sacrifice, heroism, protecting, bravery, endurance, or
Even through trial, hardship, and pain, selfless individuals will exhibit their abiding
In the culture we live in today, we are bombarded with ideas and images of “what we should be”. We are expected and obligated to modify ourselves in order to live up to social expectations and to feel accepted by others. It is the fear of being an outcast that pressures us to mask our true identity. Therefore, in an American culture, one can form an identity and still remain true and authentic to oneself through nonconformity and self-reliance. Jon Krakauer’s novel Into the Wild portrays Chris McCandless’s journey of discovering his true identity through the idea of nonconformity.
Within any particular system, there is present an underlying motive for success in every sense of the word. While in some scenarios, that motive can be hidden beneath the desire to fit in, above all this, the idea of prosperity is the main factor in motivating individuals toward their goals. Susan Faludi, the author of “The Naked Citadel”, explores how at the all-boys college, students are pressured into conforming to the “Whole Man” standard where they develop brotherhood, a sense of structure, and belonging. When these men are able to develop such strong bonds with one another, several flaws come about. The majors issues at The Citadel, lie in their denial of women into the school, and the traumatic hazing new students endure.
‘’I was a coward. I went to the war’’ Pg187. In the short story, ‘’On The Rainy River’’ by Tim O’Brien, The protagonist faces a difficult life decision, he did not want to conform to society the way others wanted him to. He wanted to keep his personal beliefs. Tim O’Brien does not want to conform no matter how vital it is that he should.
The chapter “Friends,” is a very good chapter showing friendship. There are many details of how good of friends people can become during a war. Dave Jensen and Lee Strunk weren 't good buddies for a while but they eventually started to trust each other. “In late August they made a pact that if one of them should ever get totally fucked up- a wheelchair wound- the other guy would automatically find a way to end it,” (O’Brien, 62).
In this world, there’s learning things the hard way and the easy way; in Jeannette Wall’s world, there’s only learning things the hard way. The Glass Castle is an adventurous story that reveals the painfully miserable story of Jeannette Walls. A selfish mother, a careless father, and terrible social encounters- these are some of the elements of a harsh reality Rex and Rose Mary Walls failed to shield their children from. Growing up poor was already difficult, but growing up with a selfish parent, specifically an unfeeling mom, made life hell for the Walls children. The family barely had one source of income from Rex Walls, and instead of helping out with the family’s finance issues, Rose Mary spent her days at home painting.
Ralph Waldo Emerson once said that, “envy is ignorance; imitation is suicide.” (370). John Knowles’ A Separate Peace is set during World War I at Devon School, a boarding school for boys. The book centers on Gene Forrester, a student at Devon, who could be described as an intelligent, but jealous, conformist. A Separate Peace illustrates Gene’s envy and imitation of his friend, Finny, and how it affects himself and his relationship with Finny, and also how Gene eventually finds peace.
Looking into a crowd, a soldier without a uniform blends in with everyone else. Simply, the explanation for this is that soldiers are like everyone else, but with a different job than most. It is not the soldier who is different, but people’s perception of them. Prejudice, ignorance, and an anti-war movement contributed to these biased views of soldiers. Making a distinction, between the civilian and the soldier, reduces the soldier’s humanity.