Option 1:
We often hear from everywhere that there is nothing dearer than human life. I totally agree with that. Life is a gift that everyone should accept with gratitude. But, often plunging into life with all its advantages and disadvantages, we forget that it is important not just to live life, but to do it with dignity.
Unfortunately in modern world, concepts such as honor, nobility, justice and dignity have lost their meaning. People often behave in such a way that they feel ashamed of our entire human race. We have learned to fly like birds, swim like fish, now it remains to learn to live like real people, for whom honor is dearer than their own lives.
Numerous dictionaries give different definitions of the word honor, but they all boil down to describing the best moral qualities that are highly valued in normal society. A person who values \u200b\u200bhis own dignity and his reputation is more afraid of losing honor than dying.
Many writers, including Mikhail Sholokhov, addressed the question of honor. I am reminded of his story "The Fate of a Man" and the main character Andrei Sokolov, who for me is one of the best examples of a man of honor and dignity. Having survived the war, terrible losses, captivity, he remained a real person for whom justice, honor, loyalty to the Motherland, kindness and humanity became the main principles in life.
With trepidation in my heart, I remember the moment when, in captivity, he refused to drink to the German victory, but drank to his death. With such a gesture, he even aroused the respect of his enemies, who let him go by giving him a loaf of bread and butter, which Andrei divided equally among his comrades in the barracks. For him, honor was more precious than life.
I want to believe that most people value honor, more than their life. After all, such an attitude to the key concepts of morality makes us human.
Option 2:
How often do we hear words like "honor", "honesty", and think about the meaning of these words? By the word "honesty" we most often mean actions that are honest with us or with other people. We missed the lesson due to illness, but we were not given a grade? This is fair. But "honor" is different. Servicemen often say "I have the honor", parents insist that honor must be cultivated in oneself, and literature says "take care of honor from a young age." What is this "honor"? And what do we need to protect so much?
In order to answer the questions posed, it is worth looking into the literature and find a lot of examples there. For example, AS Pushkin and the novel "The Captain's Daughter". Alexey Shvabrin, the main character of the novel, easily goes over to the side of Pugachev and becomes a traitor. In contrast, Pushkin cites Grinev, who, on pain of death, does not step on the role of "dishonor". And let's remember the life of Alexander Sergeevich himself! The honor of his wife was more important to him than his own life.
In the story "The Fate of a Man" by MA Sholokhov there is a real Russian warrior who will never betray his Motherland - this is Andrei Sokolov. Many trials fell to his lot, as well as to the lot of the entire Soviet people, but he did not give up, did not slip into betrayal, but steadfastly endured all the hardships and hardships, not defiling his honor. Sokolov's spirit is so strong that even Müller notices it, inviting the Russian soldier to drink to the victory of German weapons.
For me, the word "honor" is not an empty phrase. Of course, life is an amazing gift, but it needs to be disposed of in such a way that future generations will remember us with respect.
Option 3:
Today, people increasingly notice that the concept of honor is depreciating. This is especially true of the younger generation, because it grew up in conditions of a decrease in the importance of conscience, honor, and hard work. Instead, people have become more vain, selfish, and the one who retained high moral principles in himself and his children is considered by the majority as strange, “unacceptable”. The material gradually came to the fore. Is the expression “take care of your honor from a young age” outdated?
As you know, it is impossible to build yourself a reputation as an honest and correct person in one day. This is a long process in which the inner core of an honest person is formed in insignificant actions. And when this core is the basis of human existence, then the loss of honor is worse than death.
A vivid example of how people give their lives for their honor, for the honor of their family, country and people, is the dark time of the Great Patriotic War. Millions of young people gave their lives for what they believed in. They did not go over to the side of the enemy, did not surrender, did not hide, no matter what. And today, after so many years, we remember and are proud that our ancestors defended their beliefs and honor.
The theme of honor is also raised in the work of A.S. Pushkin's "The Captain's Daughter". Petrusha's father wants to instill in his son a sense of officer honor and gives him to serve not "through connections", but on an equal basis with everyone. The same message is preserved in Father's parting words to Peter before leaving for the service.
Later, when Grinev will have to go over to Pugachev's side on pain of death, he will not do this. It is this act that will amaze Pugachev, show the high moral principles of the young man.
But honor can be shown not only in war. This is what is a person's life companion every day. For example, Pugachev helps Grinev to save Masha from captivity, thereby showing universal human honor. He did this not out of selfish motives, but because he firmly believed that even his ally could not offend a girl, let alone an orphan.
Honor has no age, gender, status, or financial position. Honor is something that is inherent only in a reasonable person, personality. And it's really worth taking care of it, because it is much more difficult to restore a stained name than to live honestly and decently every day.
In our time, dishonor is perceived much easier. A dissolute life does not oblige you to anything. But earlier it would not be so. Previously, people watched over their words and deeds. They were afraid to fall in the eyes of society and family. More than once there have been cases when honor was more precious than life.
To understand whether honor can be more precious than life, it is worth considering two examples from the literature. In Pushkin's poem "Eugene Onegin" the main character decides to invite Lensky's bride to dance. He wanted to prove her debauchery, so he actively flirted. Lensky himself could not bear that the honor of his lady was under threat. He decided to challenge Onegin to a duel. It was a very brave act, since life was at stake.
As a result, Lensky died. He gave his life, but the honor remained with him.
Another example is described in Lermontov's poem "Mtsyri". Main character all his life he was in captivity. His confinement was unbearable, and thoughts of his native lands haunted. One day he decided to run away and spent several days in the wild. It was an amazing time. When they found him, Mtsyri did not return to his former life. He chose honor and death.
All this suggests that there are situations with which the human soul cannot tolerate. And then you have to make a choice.
Updated: 2017-05-04
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A finished essay in the second direction.
Have we ever really thought about the meaning of the words "honest", "honest" in childhood, adolescence? More likely no than yes. More often we said the phrase “it’s not fair” if one of our peers acted badly towards us. This was where our relationship with the meaning of the word ended. But life more and more often reminds us that there are people who "have honor", and there are those who are ready to sell their homeland, saving their own skin. Where is the line that turns a person into a slave to his flesh and destroys a person in him? Why doesn't that bell that Anton Pavlovich Chekhov, a connoisseur of all the black nooks and crannies of the human soul, wrote about? These and other questions I ask myself, among which one is still the main one: is honor really more precious than life? To answer this question, I turn to literary works, because, according to academician D.S. Likhachev, literature is the main textbook of life, it (literature) helps us understand the characters of people, reveals epochs, and on its pages we will find a great many examples of the ups and downs of human life. There I can also find the answer to my main question.
The fall and, even worse, betrayal, I associate with Rybak, the hero of V. Bykov's story "Sotnikov". Why did a strong person, who initially only made a positive impression, become a traitor? And Sotnikov ... I had a strange impression of this hero: for some reason he annoyed me, and the reason for this feeling was not his illness, but the fact that he constantly created problems during the execution of a responsible assignment. I frankly admired the fisherman: what a resourceful, decisive and courageous person! I don't think he was trying to impress. And who is Sotnikov for him to get out of his skin for him ?! No. It was just that he was a man and performed human deeds until his life was in danger. But as soon as he tasted fear, he seemed to be replaced: the instinct of self-preservation killed the person in him, and he sold his soul, and with it his honor. Betrayal of the homeland, the murder of Sotnikov, an animal existence for him turned out to be more expensive than honor.
Analyzing Rybak's act, I cannot help asking myself a question: does it always happen that a person does not act according to honor if his life is in danger? Can he commit a dishonorable act for the benefit of another? And again I turn for an answer to literary work, this time to E. Zamyatin's story "The Cave" about besieged Leningrad, where in a grotesque form the author talks about the survival of people in an ice cave, gradually driven to its smallest corner, where the center of the universe is a rusty and red-headed god, a cast-iron stove, which first devoured wood, then furniture, then ... books. In one such corner, the heart of one man breaks with grief: Masha, Martin Martinych's beloved wife, who has not gotten out of bed for a long time, is dying. It will happen tomorrow, and today she really wants it to be hot tomorrow, on her birthday, and then she might be able to get out of bed. Warmth, a piece of bread became a symbol of life for cave people. But there is neither one nor the other. But there are neighbors on the floor below, the Obertyshevs. They have everything, who have lost their conscience and turned into females, wrapped around.
… What can't you do for your beloved wife ?! The intelligent Martin Martinych goes to bow to nonhumans: there is heat and heat, but the soul does not live there. And Martin Martinich, having received (kindly, with sympathy) a refusal, decides to take a desperate step: he steals firewood for Masha. Tomorrow will be everything! God will dance, Masha will get up, letters will be read - that which was impossible to burn. And there will be ... poison will be drunk, because Martin Martinych will not be able to live with this sin. Why does this happen? The strong and courageous Rybak, who killed Sotnikov and betrayed his homeland, remained to live and serve the policemen, and the intelligent Martin Martinych, who, living in someone else's apartment, did not dare to touch someone else's furniture in order to survive, but was able to step over himself to save a person dear to him , dies.
Everything comes from a person and is closed on a person, and the main thing in him is a soul, pure, honest and open to compassion and help. I cannot help but turn to one more example, because this hero of the story "Bread for a Dog" by V. Tendryakov is still a child. Ten-year-old boy Tenkov secretly from his parents fed "kurkuli" - enemies. Did the child risk his life? Yes, because he fed the enemies of the people. But his conscience did not allow him to eat calmly and in plenty of what his mother put on the table. So the boy's soul suffers. A little later, the hero with his childish heart will understand that a person can help a person, but who, in a terrible time of hunger, when people die on the road, will give bread for the dog. “Nobody,” logic suggests. “I,” the child's soul understands. Sotnikovs, Vaskovs, Iskras and other heroes, for whom honor is more precious than life, emerge from people like this hero.
I gave just a few examples from the world of literature, proving that always, at all times, conscience has been and will be honored. It is this quality that will not allow a person to commit an act, the price of which is loss of honor. Fortunately, there are many such heroes, in whose hearts honesty and nobility live, in their works and in real life.
The value of human life is undeniable. Most of us agree that life is an amazing gift, because everything that is dear and close to us, we learned once we were born ... Reflecting on this, you involuntarily wonder if there is at least something dearer than life?
To answer this question, you need to look into your heart. There many of us will find something for which they can accept death without hesitation. Someone would give their life to save their own loved one... Someone is ready to die heroically, fighting for their country. And someone, faced with a choice: to live without honor or to die with honor, will choose the latter.
Yes, I think that honor can be more precious than life. Despite the fact that there are many definitions of the word "honor", they all agree on one thing. A man of honor has the best moral qualities that are always highly valued in society: self-esteem, honesty, kindness, truthfulness, decency. For a person who values \u200b\u200bhis reputation and good name, loss of honor is worse than death.
This point of view was close to A.S. Pushkin. In his novel "The Captain's Daughter" the writer shows that the ability to preserve one's honor is the main moral criterion of a person. Alexey Shvabrin, for whom life is dearer than noble and officer's honor, easily becomes a traitor, going over to the side of the rebel Pugachev. And Pyotr Grinev is ready to go to death with honor, but not to give up his oath to the empress. For Pushkin himself, protecting his wife's honor also turned out to be more important than life. Having been mortally wounded in a duel with Dantes, Alexander Sergeyevich washed away the dishonorable slander from his family with blood.
A century later, MASholokhov in his story "The Fate of a Man" will create the image of a real Russian warrior - Andrei Sokolov. This simple Soviet chauffeur will face many trials at the front, but the hero always remains true to himself and his code of honor. The steely character of Sokolov is especially clearly manifested in the scene with Muller. When Andrei refuses to drink to the victory of German weapons, he realizes that he will be shot. But the loss of honor of a Russian soldier scares a man more than death. Sokolov's strength of spirit commands respect even from the enemy, so Mueller abandons the idea of \u200b\u200bkilling the fearless prisoner.
Why are people for whom the concept of "honor" is not an empty phrase are ready to die for it? They probably understand that human life is not only an amazing gift, but also a gift that is given to us for a short time. Therefore, it is so important to dispose of your life so that future generations will remember us with respect and gratitude.
What is more important: think or feel? [Example of the final essay 2017 in the direction "Sense and Sensibility"]
There are questions that humanity has not been able to answer for centuries. Philosophical disputes about what should be in priority: thought or feeling - do not subside today.
At first glance, the answer is simple. If the presence of consciousness and the ability to think is the main difference between humans and animals, then the rational principle should be a priority. But even plants are endowed with the ability to feel.
On the other hand, opponents of this opinion rightly point out that human feelings are much more complex than the feelings of other living beings. It is impossible to imagine an animal experiencing pangs of conscience or burning envy. No one, except a person, can feel the thrill of contemplating the beauty of nature or a work of art.
So maybe there is no priority? Maybe both thought and feeling are equally important? To try to answer this question, let us turn to Russian literature, especially since this topic has been repeatedly raised by the classics.
Getting acquainted with the first pages of the comedy "Woe from Wit" by A.S. Griboyedov, the reader immediately draws attention to the blindness of the mind of Sophia, who completely surrendered to the feeling for the unprincipled careerist Molchalin. "Blinded" by falling in love with the scoundrel Anatol Kuragin and Natasha Rostov from the epic of L.N. Tolstoy's War and Peace. Both heroines were unable to see unworthy young people, because they temporarily lost the ability to think soberly.
And in Pushkin's novel in verse "Eugene Onegin" the ardent Lensky, stung by the fact that Onegin dances with Olga all evening, recklessly challenges his yesterday's friend to a duel and as a result dies.
But relying only on reason also leads to tragic consequences. We see an example of total denial of feelings in the main character of the novel "Fathers and Sons" I.S. Turgenev. Bazarov believes that love does not exist, so he finds himself trapped in his own nihilistic ideas when he passionately falls in love with Olga Odintsova. The writer shows that such a contradiction is insoluble, so Eugene dies. You cannot give up feelings, because it is tantamount to death.
In Masha Mironova from "The Captain's Daughter" by A.S. Pushkin, on the contrary, we see an example of a happy combination of reason and feeling. The girl loves Grinev, but refuses to become his wife without the blessing of Peter's parents. Masha understands that their marriage will not be happy against the will of the groom's father and mother. As we remember from the further development of events in the novel, the girl's decision turned out to be correct.
In my opinion, thought and feeling should be harmoniously combined in the personality. The more accurate the balance between the rational and the sensual in a person, the happier and fuller his life. It is for the harmony of mind and heart that each of us should strive.
(372 words)
Friends shouldn't tell.
“Of all the enemies, the most dangerous is the enemy who pretended to be a friend” (Sh. Rustaveli) [Example of the final essay 2017 in the direction of “Friendship and Enmity”]
September 29th, 2016 teacher
Probably, each of us thought about how it should be a true friend... And whatever the outcome of our reflections, we all agree that true friendship can only be called relationships full of sincerity, trust, emotional closeness, willingness to help in difficult times ... He who has found such a faithful comrade in the person of another person and he himself corresponds to the high rank of a friend, he can safely call himself a lucky one.
But, unfortunately, the one or the one who was called our friends is not always them. Opening our innermost thoughts or extending a helping hand to another person, we always take risks, since "someone else's soul is darkness." And the enemy, skillfully hiding under a friendly guise, is, of course, the most dangerous, because he knows a lot about you.
Russian writers have repeatedly turned to plots where yesterday's friend turned out to be the most terrible enemy, causing the hero to suffer. Let's remember “ Captain's daughter"A.S. Pushkin. The insidious Shvabrin, who at first seemed to Pyotr Grinev as a friend, more than once commits meanness towards a young nobleman. Alexey Ivanovich, having slandered Masha Mironova, forces Grinev to defend the girl's honor in a duel. But even in a duel, Shvabrin behaves far from noble. Taking advantage of the fact that Peter was distracted for a second by Savelich hurrying to them, he inflicts a serious wound on Grinev. Throughout the entire work, we see how Shvabrin, who recently pretended to be a friend not only of Peter, but also of the Mironov family, easily renounces them, of noble honor, of the empress ...
In the novel by M.Yu. Lermontov "A Hero of Our Time" we get acquainted with another character who only simulates a friendly disposition. Pechorin is unable to be a friend, but in order to play with human destinies, he pretends to be an attentive comrade of Grushnitsky, as well as passionately in love with Princess Mary. Having convinced the naive young man that the girl is in love with him, Grigory Alexandrovich weaves a web of intrigues, into which the inexperienced Mary, who fell in love with Pechorin, and the narcissistic Grushnitsky, stung by the princess's cooling to him because of Grigory Alexandrovich, fall into it. To dispel boredom, Pechorin becomes the director of a bloody performance, the denouement of which will be the broken heart of a young girl and the death of the unfortunate Grushnitsky, who really loved Mary ... Lermontov understood well what the meanness of an imaginary friend was and left the descendants with the transcription of the wise lines of Abdurrahman Jami:
What do you want to hide from enemies
Friends shouldn't tell.
Yes, an enemy is a very dangerous person, but an enemy who has put on a friend's mask is a hundred times worse. Faced with such a hypocrite who ruined life, a person can stop trusting people for many years and decades and remain lonely. But still, no matter how great the risk of being betrayed, the happiness of having sincere friends is much greater.
An example of the final essay 2017: "Why is it recommended to make difficult decisions with a cold head?" [Sense and Sense]
Each person in his life can get into an extreme situation, which he is able to cope with only if he makes pre-thought decisions. But why difficult decisions are recommended to be taken "with a cool head"?
It is obvious that making an important decision under the influence of feelings can be dangerous for a person, since in the heat of the moment he risks drawing hasty conclusions and taking actions that can turn out to be disappointment and even tragedy for him.
A vivid example of a deplorable outcome due to a rash act is the story of Nikolai Mikhailovich Karamzin “ Poor Lisa". The main heroine of this story, the peasant Liza, fell madly in love with the nobleman Erast. Young people swore to each other in eternal love and wanted to be together all their lives, however, after intimacy with Lisa, Erast's feelings began to gradually fade away. The hero soon announced that he had to go to fight. The girl felt the bitterness of longing, but she was looking forward to her lover and dreamed of a quick meeting. And suddenly, having arrived in Moscow on business, Lisa meets Erast, who suddenly confesses to her that he is engaged to another. It turns out that the young man lost at cards, and in order to improve his affairs, he decided to marry a rich widow in love with him.
What were Lisa's actions? Captivated by a sense of despair, she threw herself into a pond, near which the girl often saw her lover, and drowned. Did she think about how much pain she would inflict on her mother and how a sick elderly peasant woman would support herself without her daughter's help? Did she think about what Erast would experience, who still had some feelings for the young beauty? Oh, if only Liza thought about the consequences of her spontaneous act. But no…. Feelings turned the head of the unfortunate girl and drove her crazy. As a result, not only Liza suffered: the girl's mother, having learned about the death of her daughter, could not bear the loss and died, and Erast, hearing about Lisa's death, began to grieve and blame himself for everything. This is how a rash decision can destroy several lives at once ...
Sometimes people, driven by strong feelings, commit acts that they later greatly regret. To avoid serious mistakes, we must be able to control ourselves in difficult situations and make decisions "with a cool head", because only in this case we can avoid troubles.
Russia celebrated two sad anniversaries inextricably linked with each other in February. On February 8, 1837, a duel took place between Alexander Pushkin and Georges Dantes. Two days later, on February 10, the poet, mortally wounded in a duel, died. It was 175 years ago.
The history of the Russian duel of the 19th century itself is a history of human tragedies, painful deaths, high impulses and moral falls. Thus, then they "sorted out the relationship", defending their honor and dignity.
Today? Does our society have the concept of "honor"? If we are talking about individual people, then among us there are both people of honor and dishonorable people. If we are talking about society, it is difficult to say whether it is possible in our time to truly preserve dignity, or whether today's way of life has left it in the distant past. Is the concept of "honor" relevant in the modern world?
Our conversation with the head of the sector of museum pedagogy of the All-Russian Museum of A.S. Pushkin E. B. Dobrovolskaya is about this.
- Ekaterina Borisovna, you study the life and work of A.S. Pushkin, in particular, the history of the duel and death of the poet, tell the students about it. Why do you think people were willing to die for their honor before?
- This topic is very serious, and it is difficult to answer this question shortly. Honor is a generic concept of a Russian nobleman who perceived his life not as something accidental and isolated, but as a link in a historical chain. He valued his surname, the memory of his ancestors and the opinion of himself not only of those who live nearby, but also of those who will live later. He had to pass on his name to his children, spotless, he dreamed of glorifying his family, his name. This is how they were brought up from childhood. "The road of honor and glory is open before you!" - the teacher Alexander Petrovich Kunitsyn said, addressing the young lyceum students, on the opening day of the Lyceum. And they, very young, dreamed of not living their lives in vain, leaving their name in history.
“Honor is above the oath,” one of the participants in the Decembrist movement answered to the emperor's question why he did not report the existence of a secret society. A sense of honor turned out to be the core of character, something that did not allow to commit meanness or to be cowardly.
"Death is not terrible, but dishonor is terrible," - this is how the director Yegor Antonovich Engelhardt admonished the graduates of the Lyceum. I am sure that we, today, also internally agree with this statement, but we were raised differently, and therefore it is difficult for most of us to conform to this pattern of behavior. And yet I think that even today a life without a sense of self-respect leads to the destruction of the personality.
- What do you think is more important: to defend honor in a duel or, avoiding it, to save your life? Is it worth defending honor at the cost of life?
- I repeat: a duel is a historical concept. This is a way of protecting honor, which was common among the nobility, and especially young officers, in the early 19th century. But even at that time, everyone gave their own answer to this question. Pushkin, who participated in several duels, said that he considered the duel "a bitter necessity." The source of this is a heightened understanding of one's own honor. Much and interesting information about duels is described in the books by Yu. M. Lotman "Conversations on Russian Culture", by Ya. A. Gordin "Duels and Duelists".
If we talk about modernity, should we preserve our dignity at the cost of life? I believe that there is nothing more precious than life. But I have a bad idea of \u200b\u200ba happy life with outraged honor. This means that we must not lead to such a situation, and if a conflict has already happened, we must find a way to prove our case, to achieve justice. It is not necessary to strive for this immediately, here a good adviser is time and good friends.
- What is the reason for the loss of honor among today's youth, in your opinion?
- The question is too general and categorical in its formulation. Who will define what is "modern youth"? Young people from 15 to 25 years old, they are so different! But there are so many talented among them! They know languages, speak a computer, travel a lot. They do not take "on faith" what they are told about, they know how to analyze, they are able to defend their opinion. These are all wonderful qualities; people of my generation in their youth were, in my opinion, more helpless, naive and suggestible. Yes, there are some young people whom I do not understand at all, for example, groups of "fans" or drug addicts. For me, this is a manifestation of the herd instinct or inner weakness. Individuals are worthy of respect. And personality is unthinkable without self-respect. In my opinion, this is how the sense of honor manifests itself at the present time. I do not think that it is lost.
- You communicate a lot with young people during classes and lectures. Your opinion, how can you explain the importance of self-esteem to schoolchildren?
- I think it's too late to explain this to schoolchildren! This feeling is absorbed with "mother's milk" and is brought up in the family. At school age, either a person has it or not. Moreover, the majority have. And those who allow themselves to be humiliated, trample on their personality are deeply unhappy people. But it is human nature to want to be happy! So, in my opinion, there is a direct connection: if you want to be happy, respect yourself.
- If there was a chance to change the views on the life of today's youth, what would you try to change?
- I consider it impossible and unnecessary either for myself or for someone to "change someone's outlook on life." I can’t imagine how you can change the views of "modern youth". I don't know how to think in such categories at all. For me, the usual number of interlocutors is 30 (this is how many students were once in the Lyceum), and even less! So, at every lesson in the Lyceum Museum where I work, I try to tell the children exactly how people lived "before us" in the hope that this, albeit alien, but important spiritual experience can be useful to them. Our knowledge, our historical memory, our conscience - this is what will keep you in a moment of weakness and help you in trouble. And I am sure that self-esteem at all times remains the inner core of a person. To develop such a core in yourself is what I would wish for everyone, everyone!
And I also consider reading to be a very important way of forming a worldview, my own life position. Precisely reading, not referring to a TV screen or computer. They provide a picture of modern life, often embellished, and sometimes terrifying. The viewer-listener is at the mercy of the director, editor. When a person reads a book, he himself creates the "world" about which he reads, he acts as a creator, not a consumer. I would advise reading history books, reading memoirs - after all, life did not begin with each of us. By studying history, you live hundreds of lives and gain the most important spiritual experience. And finally, I invite young people to direct their creative energy to creation, and not to denial (it's always easier to deny!) And to good deeds for those who are close to you - then you will definitely feel that your life is needed.
Interviewed by Nastya Shmakova, grade 8
Photo by A. Bobyr and photographs from the personal archive of E. Dobrovolskaya
