Free Essays on Pride

Pride Can Be a Fatal Trait Sometimes a person ¹s pride can overshadow their good judgment, in turn effecting their actions. The result of this over zealous pride can mean death for the person. In Edgar Allen Poe ¹s  ³The Cask of Amontillado ², Fortunato is a prime example. Through his own desire to show his skill as a wine connoisseur, he causes his own demise. Fortunato ¹s pride becomes evident when he and Montresor first meet. When Fortunato learns of Montresor ¹s cask of Amontillado, he says  ³Luchesi cannot tell Amontillado from Sherry, ² (pg 116) of the other connoisseur. He will not allow this other connoisseur to show him up. Fortunato had no reason to demean Luchesi except to keep his own pride intact. He continues throughout the story to demean the skills of Luchesi for the sole purpose of making himself look more skilled. Fortunato ¹s good judgment is also clouded by the amount of alcohol he accepts from Montresor.  ³A draught of this Medoc will defend us from the damps. ² ( pg 117) Montresor says to Fortunato who decides to stay in the damp and starts to drink because his pride will not let him leave. Montresor offers him one final chance to turn back. Once again Fortunato ¹s good judgment is overshadowed by his pride. He insists that he is fine, and furthermore, asks for more alcohol.  ³I broke and reached him a flagon of De Grave. He emptied it at a breath. ² (pg 118) Although Montresor was planning to trap Fortunato once they were deep in the catacombs, he does not force him to go. In fact, several times during the story Montresor offers a way out for Fortunato but Fortunato ¹s pride wouldn ¹t allow him to give up. Several times it was Fortunato that urges Montresor to take him to the Amontillado pipe. When Montresor says  ³My friend, no. I will not impose upon your good nature. I perceive you have an engagement, ² (pg 117) Fortunato is quick to respond that he has no engagement. He his desperate to reach the casks an... Free Essays on Pride Free Essays on Pride Pride There are several different definitions for pride. Pride can be referred to as a type of plant, a form of body decoration, or even a group of lions. The most commonly used definition of pride is being proud, or having a feeling of great accomplishment. Throughout history the word pride, (positive and negative) has had an effect on how we feel about ourselves. In 1297 AD, pride was described as â€Å"An awareness or feeling of what is befitting or due to oneself or one's position, which prevents a person from doing what he considers to be beneath him or unworthy of him; esp. as a good quality, legitimate, ‘honest’, or ‘proper pride’, self-respect; also as a mistaken or misapplied feeling, ‘false pride’.† (World Book Encyclopedia 377) This type of pride is personal pride and is an image a person must maintain to keep. A person cannot allow himself or herself to act in such a way that would be demeaning. An example of personal pride is a drill sergeant getting down with his recruits and performing the same demeaning drills. The sergeant’s years of hard work and service would not be taken seriously if he were to lower himself to the level of his recruits, as a result, lowering his sense of pride. Too much pride can lead to smugness or what we commonly call a â€Å"big head†. By 1340 AD, pride was comparable to arrogance. Later, during the Middle Ages, there were seven sins listed as the worst sins of all. These sins were called, â€Å"the seven deadly sins†. (The seven Deadly Sins) The first on the list was pride. Pride is believed to be â€Å"a high or overweening opinion of one’s own qualities, attainments, or estate, which gives rise to a feeling and attitude of superiority over and contempt for others.† This usage of the word pride gives it a negative cynical connotation-describing people as vain, arrogant. An example of a vain person could be when someone famous jokingly thanks â€Å"all the little... Free Essays on Pride Pride Webster’s New World Dictionary defines pride as â€Å"an unduly high opinion of oneself.† Flannery O’Connor uses pride in her short stories. O’Connor’s characters position themselves higher in society until someone comes along to lead them to their mistakes. In most cases, the main character is the one having an abundance of pride. One of the best examples of this is A Good Man is Hard to Find. In this short story, the grandmother is the main character. As the family leaves for their vacation the grandmother remembers to dress like a lady in case something were to happen to her. She is a racist and loves to talk about her youth when she was a maiden lady. During their trip the grandmother leads the family down an old dirt road to see a house from her childhood. Minutes into the journey she realizes that it is the wrong road. She doesn’t tell her son, who is driving, because she was embarrassed. The grandmother’s cat jumps after being startled by the grandmother. The cat lands on the son and he wreaks the car. After the wreck, The Misfit, an escaped convict, pulls up next to the family. The grandmother recognizes him, and tries to talk him out of doing any harm to the family. When she realizes that her family is in trouble, she tries to offer The Misfit her grace. She begs with him tha t a person from a good family wouldn’t do anything bad to others. She offers one last attempt at redemption as she utters, â€Å"Why you’re one of my babies. You’re one of my own children† (O’Connor 1439). In the end of the story, the entire family is killed. Because the grandmother was too ashamed to tell her son that she was wrong about the house, her family was shot (O’Connor 1428-1439). The Mays from Greenleaf also value position in society. Mrs. May is furious that her workers, the Greenleafs, might be moving up in society. The Greenleaf boys had joined the military and made something of themselves: ï ¿ ½... Free Essays on Pride Pride Can Be a Fatal Trait Sometimes a person ¹s pride can overshadow their good judgment, in turn effecting their actions. The result of this over zealous pride can mean death for the person. In Edgar Allen Poe ¹s  ³The Cask of Amontillado ², Fortunato is a prime example. Through his own desire to show his skill as a wine connoisseur, he causes his own demise. Fortunato ¹s pride becomes evident when he and Montresor first meet. When Fortunato learns of Montresor ¹s cask of Amontillado, he says  ³Luchesi cannot tell Amontillado from Sherry, ² (pg 116) of the other connoisseur. He will not allow this other connoisseur to show him up. Fortunato had no reason to demean Luchesi except to keep his own pride intact. He continues throughout the story to demean the skills of Luchesi for the sole purpose of making himself look more skilled. Fortunato ¹s good judgment is also clouded by the amount of alcohol he accepts from Montresor.  ³A draught of this Medoc will defend us from the damps. ² ( pg 117) Montresor says to Fortunato who decides to stay in the damp and starts to drink because his pride will not let him leave. Montresor offers him one final chance to turn back. Once again Fortunato ¹s good judgment is overshadowed by his pride. He insists that he is fine, and furthermore, asks for more alcohol.  ³I broke and reached him a flagon of De Grave. He emptied it at a breath. ² (pg 118) Although Montresor was planning to trap Fortunato once they were deep in the catacombs, he does not force him to go. In fact, several times during the story Montresor offers a way out for Fortunato but Fortunato ¹s pride wouldn ¹t allow him to give up. Several times it was Fortunato that urges Montresor to take him to the Amontillado pipe. When Montresor says  ³My friend, no. I will not impose upon your good nature. I perceive you have an engagement, ² (pg 117) Fortunato is quick to respond that he has no engagement. He his desperate to reach the casks an...