Why honor is more precious than life arguments. An essay on the theme of honor is more precious than life

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 the 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 man for whom justice, honor, loyalty to the Motherland, kindness and humanity became the main principles in life.

With trepidation in my heart, I recall the moment when, in captivity, he refused to drink to the German victory, but drank to his death. With this 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 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 deuce? 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, A. 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 to him, Pushkin cites Grinev, who, on pain of death, does not step on the role of "dishonor". And let us 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.

The dark time of the Great Patriotic War is a vivid example of how people give their lives for their honor, for the honor of their family, country and people. 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, a person. 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.

Living your life right is not an easy task. It is natural for a person to constantly make mistakes, do wrong things. Some of these mistakes are minor and very quickly forgotten. In life, the main thing is not to make a mistake that would change your whole life, turning it into a nightmare.

The greatest value of a person is his honor. Any shortcomings can be forgiven to a person if he retained his honor, although he suffered because of this. In our time, the concept of honor is slightly different than in the last century or in the days of our great-grandfathers and great-grandmothers. However, human values \u200b\u200balways remain the same. Pure and spotless honor has always adorned a person, making him worthy and respected. To preserve his honor and his name pure and innocent is the task of every person who has pride and understands the meaning of life. Modern youth does not live a very correct life. Very often he violates the prohibitions and rules of conduct that have been preserved for centuries.

Several decades ago, any girl Was ready to commit suicide if her name and honor were threatened with pollution, if any young man could prove to accuse her of indecent behavior. As for today's young girls, they care very little about their good name. Which of course is wrong. After all, everyone around until the end of their days will remember and know what moral qualities this or that person has. Nothing in the world can blot out the once committed misconduct. Young guys should watch their behavior as well as girls.

Such personal qualities as devotion to a friend and loved one, the fight for justice, protection of the weak and innocent. If a young man lives by this principle, he is not in danger of losing his honor. He will always walk with his head held high and will not be afraid of anyone. The same cannot be said about a vile and deceitful person.

Several interesting compositions

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No family is unthinkable without a child in the family. All of these children are in need of care, support, attention and protection. But from whom and what do they need to be protected?

• The image and characteristics of Grushnitsky in the novel Hero of our time by Lermontov composition

  The hero of M. Yu. Lermontov Grushnitsky, first appears in the episode entitled "Princess Mary". In general, this episode is the last in which this character is generally mentioned, since in this part he dies at the hands of Pechorin.

• The image and characteristics of the Governor in the poem Dead Souls by Gogol

  Nikolai Alekseevich Gogol tells about the governor, starting with the seventh chapter of the poem Dead Souls. He is a minor character and very little of the text is assigned to the person at the head of the city.

"Honor is more valuable than life" (F. Schiller)

“Honor is conscience, but conscience is painfully sensitive. It is respect for oneself and for the dignity of one's own life, brought to an extreme degree of purity and to the greatest passion. "

Alfred Victor de Vigny

Dictionary of V.I. Dahl, defines honor and how "The inner moral dignity of a person, valor, honesty, nobility of soul and a clear conscience." Like dignity, the concept of honor reveals a person's attitude towards himself and the attitude towards him on the part of society. However, in contrast to the concept of dignity, the moral value of a person in the concept of honor is associated with a specific social position of a person, the type of his activity and the moral merit recognized for him.

But is honor a fundamental and vital trait of a person, or is it something originally embedded in it? There is the concept of "dishonest", which defines a person without principles, that is, not responsible for his actions and following contrary to the general rules. But, each person has his own moral norms and rules, which means that honor is inherent in all people, without exception. As Anton Pavlovich Chekhov said: "We all know what a dishonest act is, but what honor is - we do not know."You can talk about honor, dignity and conscience based on your own worldviews and experiences, but the concept of honor remains unchanged. “Honor is the same among women and men, girls, married women, old men and women:“ do not deceive ”,“ do not steal ”,“ do not drink ”; it is only from such rules, which apply to all people, that a code of "honor" is formed in the truest sense of the word "-nikolai Gavrilovich Chernyshevsky spoke. And if honor is inextricably linked with life, moreover, is a component of existence, then can it be more precious than life? Is it possible to lose inner qualities only because of some "unworthy" act that will make life itself impossible? I think yes. Honor and life are two interconnected and inseparable concepts that complement each other. After all, the place of "dwelling" of these properties is the individual. What is confirmed by the words of Michel Montaigne : “The value and dignity of a person is contained in his heart and in his will; it is here that his true honor is based. "Honor is not more expensive than life, but not cheaper either. It outlines the scope of what one can afford to oneself and what attitude one can tolerate from others. A synonym for this quality is conscience - the inner judge of the spiritual essence, its guide and beacon. And only everything together constitutes a personality, everything depends on all-round development, because "... although the principle of honor is something that distinguishes man from animals, it does not in itself contain anything that could put man above animals."- Arthur Schopenhauer. A different understanding of honor relates to the current definition of reputation. This is how a person shows himself to other people in communication and business. In this case, it is important not to “drop dignity” in the eyes of other people, because few people want to communicate with a rude person, do business with an unreliable person or help a heartless curmudgeon in need. In general, the concepts of honor and conscience are very conditional, very subjective. They depend on the system of values \u200b\u200badopted in any country, in any circle. In different countries, with different people, conscience and honor have completely different interpretations and meanings. It is worth listening to the opinion of the famous British novelist George Bernard Shaw: "It is better to try to be clean and light: you are the window through which you look at the world."conscience is dignity reputation

Honor and conscience are one of the most important characteristics of the human soul. Compliance with the rules of honor gives a person peace of mind and lives in harmony with his conscience. But no matter what, then, nothing should be dearer than life, because life is the most precious thing a person has. And taking a life just because of some prejudice or principle is terrible and irreparable. And not to make an irreversible mistake will help the education of moral principles in oneself. We must try to live in harmony with nature, society and ourselves.

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?

This is our conversation with the head of the sector of museum pedagogy of the All-Russian Museum of A.S. Pushkin E. B. Dobrovolskaya.

- 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 used to die for their honor?

- 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 random and isolated, but as a link in a historical chain. He cherished 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 replied 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, having avoided 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 fights, 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, it is a manifestation of the herd instinct or inner weakness. Individuals are worthy of respect. And personality is inconceivable 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. How can you explain to schoolchildren the importance of self-esteem?

- 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 is 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

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 ?! Not. 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 a literary work, this time to E. Zamyatin's story "The Cave" about the besieged Leningrad, where in a grotesque form the author talks about the survival of people in an ice cave, gradually driven into its smallest corner, where the center of the universe is a rusty and red-headed god, a cast-iron stove that first consumed firewood, 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 the 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 police, 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.