Answer one of the following questions. They are taken from <http://faculty.gvsu.edu/websterm/Iliad.htm>
1. What do you think would be worth fighting for, dying for?
2. Do you know anyone who follows a code of honor in certain situations? (See "The Heroic World"for a discussion of the Greek honor / glory system.)
3. Have you ever known anyone who felt that his / her life had somehow been touched by or guided by divine forces?
1. I believe many things are worth fighting for, but above all I would place happiness. I think that happiness to me seems to hold some kind of meaning in this life, and that whether it be for the general happiness of a population or the happiness of yourself, it is something which I hold above most other values. Happiness is the one thing I would die for. I would sacrifice my life if it meant making the lives of many others around significantly more happy. If one isn't happy while living they should fight to be so, otherwise life seems not to be worth living at all.
ReplyDelete2. I know many people who follow codes of honor of some kind. Mostly these codes are moral codes which they feel are true in their hearts. A moral code gives reason above all else, despite laws made by the country or state, rules set down by parents and guardians, or societal customs, a deep moral code rises above and I see people break these regulations quite frequently.
3. I know many people who believe their lives are almost completely guided by a higher being. They believe that there exists a God watching over them who is presenting them with events in their lives. They belief it is part of a plan. They belief he controls everything that takes place. They are far more than touched or guided, they are blindly led through life.
Luke MacCormick
ReplyDelete1. There are a few things that I would fight for, The first and most obvious is my family, they are the most important part of my life right now and I feel that I would not know what to do without them. I am not saying that I would only fight to save their lives, but also for them in an argument or their beliefs. The second thing that I would fight for is my friends, they are the second most important aspect of my life and I would also be lost without them. For my friends it is not a fight to save their lives but it would be to hand up for them if they are being bullied or picked on. Overall I think that the people that I would fight for are the people closest to my life.
2. I do know people who have a set of rules for themselves that they use in their day to day lives, but I have not had a lot of experience with people who use these so much that it is noticeable, but I know that they exist.
3. The only people who i know that believe that they are guided and influenced by divine forces. They are my great aunt and uncle. They don't seem different in any way from day to day, but they do believe that they are influenced. I feel like what Jules talked about was an extreme example in my experience but I don't have a very religious family anyways.
1. Something that would be worth fighting for/dying for is rescuing the lives of people around you. If there is a group of people trying to get out of a burning building and the firemen haven't arrived yet, I would risk my life trying to get the people out of there. Even if they were people I hardly knew, I would risk my life to save them. Nearly everyone deserves their life to be saved.
ReplyDelete2. One of my lacrosse coaches is a police officer. I don't know him well, but I know that he occasionally (this is Hanover, not NYC) gets into dangerous situations and he also risks his reputation in order to uphold the law. In general, this community has an honor code that everyone wants to follow. Nearly everyone takes pride in how awesome our town is in general, and everyone wants to keep it that way.
3. I personally have never met a person who was touched by a "divine force" that changed their fundamental beliefs. But I imagine that some people have felt an emotion when they encountered something too much for them or experienced something too out-of-this-world to believe.
1. For me, my family and close friends are worth fighting for and even dying for. I believe in fighting to save lives, even if it means risking your own. I would also fight for freedom if it was not something that I believe I already have. There are many more things I would fight to an extent for, such as equal education, global justice, a cure to cancer, etc., but above all I would fight for people, especially my family and close friends.
ReplyDelete2. I'm sure I know at least one person who does follow a moral code of honor when given certain situations, although I'm not sure I have picked up on a specific person doing so. Many people have codes of honor so they know how they want to act in/react to a specific situation.
3. I don't think I personally know anyone who thought they were touched or guided by a divine force, but I have definitely have heard stories. A couple years ago I remember watching some reality show on TV where a young girl whose father was recently nearly fatally shot claimed to have seen God, and he told her that her father would be okay. In the end, he was, so she felt guided by a divine force.
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ReplyDelete1. I can't say if I actually would die fighting for a cause, but I would like to think so. I think it is worth fighting for those I love, family, and friends. I would also be willing to sacrifice myself for justice. In countries in states of oppressive fascism, neo-nazi government and tyranny it is worth dying for. Knowing that the lives of others are threatened should be the determining factor here. If we can’t die to save others then there is no one to die for, we can’t die for our own life.
ReplyDelete2. I know many people who follow codes of honor, many religious. Some people have at least some standards that they live by, I think that it’s fair to say that most do. It takes a sociopath to have no social standards, a psychopath to have no mental ones. So while there are exceptions, most of the people I know have a sense of honor in how they perceive themselves and how they are perceived. An example is the honor code we sign on tests at the school, we are held to our honor in many cases and most of the people I know respect that.
3. I have met many people who believe deeply that there is a God and that God is guiding them. For many religious people this is the foremost important part of life, being a good christian and to reach heaven, or to follow the way and reach enlightenment. They feel they have a connection to God or a deep understanding of the world which is guided by divine forces.
1. In life, I believe, there are many things that are worth fighting for. However, dying for is a different story. Everyone likes to think that if someone, anyone, was in danger they would do everything in their power to help them regardless of what it would do to them. Everyone likes to think that they would be a hero but you can’t really know until you are put in the situation. There is one thing that I know for a fact and that is I would do everything in my power to fight for my friends and family. Family is what grounds you, friends provide joy and discussion. Without either of them I’d be lost.
ReplyDelete2. I think many people have a code, in fact I believe most people do. Whether they are aware of it or not most people have a line, things they would do and things they wouldn’t. I’ve never met someone who has an actual “code” how ever. I’ve never met someone who has an outline of what they would or wouldn’t do in any situation I think for the majority of people it is a subconscious moral system that guides them through life.
3. I’ve only ever met one person who thought they were touched or guided by some sort of divine force in a large way. When my uncle was younger he was sick so he turned to religion. He slowly began to get better and as he did he swore that it was due to his faith. Ever since that time in his life he has believed that a higher power has influence over his life. He has used it to help him through his life and it comforts him.
1. I believe that there are many things worth fighting for and dying for, but for me the most important thing is family. My family is very important to me because i trust and love them the most and i know i can always ask them for guidance.
ReplyDelete2. My uncle believes that everyone should have a fair chance in life and that one man or woman's say is as valuable as another. He try's to help the people who might have trouble helping themselves. Now he owns a volunteer organization called "Tsu Tzi" in Taiwan that helps many people in need every year. I believe my uncle follows a chivalric code.
3. Yes, I sometimes feel that there is a higher force guiding me. For example, my house ran out of butter one day, so i went to the Co-op next to the school to buy some more, but when i got to the store, there was none left, so i went to the other Co-op, and there i found an old friend that i hadn't met in a long time. I felt that someone greater than me had made it so i could reunite with my friend.
1. I've never been in the situation where I've had to throw a few punches for my friends and family, let alone die for them, but that doesn't mean I would. My family is annoying and can talk to loud and are sometimes downright insane, but I still love them. To put it simply, my family, whether we're related by blood or not, is always there when I need them, and so, I will always be there when they need me. Even if that means fighting or dying for them, there's not a doubt in my mind that I would because that's what you do when you love someone.
ReplyDelete2. Although I don't see a person's code of honor in action very often, I believe everyone has a set of rules and limits for themselves that can change. I know my code of honor has changed a lot since I was in elementary school. In fact, I was more aware of my code of honor when I was little than I am now. I used to have a whole set of rules that couldn't be broken. For instance, breaking a pinky-promise was like breaking the law and it just wasn't done, nobody could back down from a "double-dog dare," being "jinxed" meant no speaking until someone said my name, and of course, I always held my breath whenever I drove by a cemetery so that the ghosts wouldn't come after me. These things all seem a little ridiculous now, but I remember when it seemed unthinkable to break any of these rules.
3. I've never been really religious, but I know that one of my neighbors firmly believes that God is apart of who he is. He and his family believe that they are guided by God and take comfort in that. I don't really know too much about what it means to be touched or guided by a divine force, but I imagine it gives a person comfort to know that they are being watched over.
1. Many things are worth fighting for. You fight for what you believe is right. You fight for love, for happiness, for success. You fight for freedom, for equality and for justice. Wether these things are worth dying for is another question completely. Of course wether or not I would die for the cause changes according to the situation. I like to think that I would die for my family and my loved ones. Maybe that I would even jump in front of a bus to save the stranger walking across the street. Ultimately I like to believe that anything thing worth living for is worth dying for and anything worth dying for is worth living for.
ReplyDelete2. Everyone follows some kind of honor code everyday. When people obey the law they are honoring some kind of code. The law happens to be an honor code that is the basis of our society. Without law and order nothing can function, even is basic science, nature and math. When people are truthful they are obeying their inner compass, their "honor code." When people make decisions they are consulting their "honor code." When people judge one another or a situation they compare it to their "honor code" and their morals.
3. I know people who believe they have been guided and touched by a divine force. A woman I worked with believed that she was able to cope with her husbands death because God was guiding her through it. Priests believe they have a direct connection to the divine force and to God. They believe God speaks directly to them and guides them and gives them advice and reasoning.
1. I think no matter what the cause is; I think that in order for you to be willing to die for it you have to actually care about it. I think that sometimes soldiers just go along with what their leaders tell them. For me personally, I think I would be willing to fight and to die for my family, especially my sister. They mean everything to me and I value their lives over mine. I think that it is also important to fight in order to defend your honor.
ReplyDelete2. Most athletes at Hanover High School follow the Code of Conduct in season. My team and I sign the code to say that we won’t use any substances in season. Because we know the consequences, we follow the code and wouldn’t risk it at all.
3. I don’t think I know anyone personally but last year a YouTube video came out that had a boy in it that talked about how he believed in God and in a heaven. He talked about how his heart stopped beating and he was taken to a place where it was all white and a celebrity told him that his time wasn’t up. I think that his life was forever changed and that he now remembers that moment forever.
1. Since the typical answer to this question is family, I tried to think of another cause or person I would be willing to die for. I could come up with many things that are important to me, which I would be willing to work hard for and risk other things, but I really could not come up with something as meaningful to me as my family. They are the most important thing to me, and I cannot imagine living without them. The more I think about it, I think that the reason I would be willing to die for them is that they are the one thing I need in my life. I don't want to even think about living without them, so it makes sense that I would be willing to die in order to keep them alive.
ReplyDelete2. I think that everyone has a moral code that may not be written down or even conscious, but they attempt to follow it every day. The best example of a decision made under a code is one my dad made last year. Because of his position at the college, a client offered him free tickets to a Bruins Stanley Cup game. These are really hard to get, and he would have loved to go to the game. However, he had promised himself when he got his job that he would never accept anything he was offered because of it. Keeping this promise was easy when the gifts were not as great, but when something as amazing as Stanley Cup tickets came along it must have been a lot harder. After struggling with the decision, he ended up turning down the offer. Although I would have loved to go to the game, I am more proud that my dad was able to stick with his moral code, and I know I'll always respect him for that.
3. I'm not able to name a specific person, but at my church there are plenty of people who believe in a higher being--that is the basis of faith. While they may not be able to name one single moment when they felt especially touched (however, some of these people do have these moments), they are confident that God is present in their life every day. They pray all the time at Church--it's one of the most important parts of religion--and it is based on the belief in a divine force that can give them a helping hand or sense of direction in their life. Without the belief that this force touches their life and tries to guide it in the right direction, no one would pray.
1. I think that in order to die for something, you need to believe so powerfully in it that you are willing to never experience it again just to keep it alive. I would like to say I would die for my family, but knowing my parents, they would want to die before I ever did because they have “less left to live for”. Luckily this question is only asking about me, and so I would still say that I would die for them. My mom has fought through so much adversity already that it would be a waste for her life to be thrown away. My brother, annoying as he is, deserves to continue his life and experience more important aspects of life before his time is up. Lastly, my dad is the most hardworking and supportive person I know and he only betters the people he is around. If I could die for anybody it would be my family.
ReplyDelete2. There are many different versions of what a code of honor could be. A moral code, something that guides someone internally, is often followed everyday, even if it be subconsciously. One rule I have made for myself is not using the word retarded. As I got older and realized the real meaning of the word and how it is being used incorrectly, I understood the impact it had on those that actually were slow or mentally ill. Another code I follow is the code of conduct, a written out code for all student athletes. One of the reasons that I follow the code is because of my moral code and I believe that it is important to my team that we all follow this code.
3. I don’t personally know somebody that believes they have been touched by a higher power. Though many of my relatives go to church every Sunday, I am not sure whether they really believe in such a higher power. Though different, when my mom has been sick, she has meditated and prayed. I don’t know whether or not this was for comfort or she really believed that this would help heal her, but I know that she gained something from this experience and it made her very calm.
1. I think there are many things I would be willing to fight for and a few things that I would be willing to die for. I think one of the easiest things to fight for would be the safety and well-being of my family. I think it is important to be able to put those around you above yourself. I think it is more important to sacrifice yourself if it is going to make the lives of those around you better. I believe that backing down and not standing up for what you believe in is not an honorable thing to do and I hope I wouldn’t do that if I was even in a difficult situation.
ReplyDelete2. I think a lot of people follow a code of honor in one way or another. I believe that following a code in certain situations helps keep people honest and sets a higher moral standard. As an athlete at Hanover you are required to follow the Code of Conduct and agree not to drink or do drugs while in season. A lot of people have some sort of unofficial honor code that they set for themselves as a set of standards they try to uphold.
3. I have met a lot of people who believe that God has played a role in their personal development or life. I think there are varying degrees of belief in God and religion in general and therefore varying degrees of how “guided” people feel in their lives. I have never met anyone who says they have been touched by a divine force.
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ReplyDelete1. Many things in my life are worth fighting for. The ideas that I believe in will always be worth the struggle to support. If I cannot uphold my beliefs, then the life I live has no foundation, is hypocritical and unstable. Some people are also worth fighting for, to gain companionship and other benefits that go along with sharing life with others. Dying is another matter however. I don't think anything or anyone is worth death. Maybe it is because I live for myself, and my life is the most important thing to keep. I don't believe in leaving an impact or sacrificing myself for the greater good, for what would that gain me? I would be dead and there is nothing that can cross that barrier. Essentially, I do not believe in karma or an afterlife.
ReplyDelete2. Codes of honor are prevalent in my life, from academics to social situations to athletics. For these, though, there are always consequences for breaking the code, besides just ostracization. Either through penalties and fouls or failing grades and college notification, one cannot be caught breaking the code and survive unscathed. Moral codes are also common, and these are followed more often than the others, because they come within the person. However, there is always a breaking point for these codes, and at some point all codes of honor are broken, and guilt sets in. Some care less or never believed in the first place, but some are effected drastically by a situation in which they had to seize control of their life and throw rules out the window.
3. I often myself feel as if there is some power above (or below) me controlling my actions and the actions of those around me, but with closer looks, a rational reason can often be found as the cause of any action taken. In the end of things, free will and determinism cannot be distinguished, because a first person view will think their actions are free will though they could have been predetermined. The opposite also applies, and one can only do the best one can. To paraphrase Sophocles and Euripides, "G-d helps those who help themselves."
1) I would fight or die for my freedom and the right to fair trial. I'm a strong believer in equality and I think everyone deserves to have their own individual rights. We all have different views on certain things and it is important to hear what someone has to say and evaluate the multiple opinions and reasoning. With the freedom we have, allowing us our rights of speech and a fair trail we are able to learn from one another and grow as a democratic nation.
ReplyDeleteI would personally also fight/die for my loved ones.
--I would fight for my right to....PAAAARRRR-TTTTAYYY!
1. In my life I do believe that there are things that are worth fighting for. I am not much of a fighter but given the right circumstances I would fight for what I believe is right and to defend those that I love and care for. In order to die for someone there must be very drastic circumstances.
ReplyDelete2. Even just looking around our school I can see many students following an academic code. The teachers expect students to follow a code of honesty by doing their own work. Students that have a code for themselves that requires academic excellence also helps them to appeal to the code of the teachers at school.
3. Personally I am not a very religious person and do not thank divine forces for good things that happen to me in life, but I do know many people who do rely on divine forces to keep them motivated. A friend of mine recently got in a pretty serious car accident. My friend was a very religious person and thanked God for being able to walk away from the accident that day. To my friend believed that their life was touched by God on that day.
1. I think family is worth fighting for and in some situations also worth dying for. In my case, my family is incredibly important to me, though I know that’s not the same for everybody. My family has always been around for me, no matter what I’m going through, and I for them. I don’t mean just immediate family either, but extended to grandparents, aunts, uncles, and first cousins as well. If I were put in a situation where I had to choose between family and something else, I would choose family, no matter what the consequences. Though I can say I would die for my family, I don’t know if that’s entirely true because I’ve never been in a situation where I would have to make that decision. I think dying for something is a spur of the moment decision based on emotion and consequence, something I have never experienced.
ReplyDelete2. Many people I know who are against drinking, drugs, cheating, etc. I’m unsure of whether or not that counts as a code of honor, but if so here is an example. If somebody were to be taking a test, and saw that the person in the period before them had written answers on the desk, they would tell their teacher and not use the answers on their test. In a different example, if somebody was at a party and everybody else was drinking or smoking, and they didn’t believe doing those things was right, they wouldn’t participate, no matter how many people tried to get them to join in, purely because they believe it is wrong. Again, I don’t know if those count as codes of honor but they are certainly beliefs that can be followed at will.
3. My oldest cousin, who is from Israel, takes his religion very seriously. I’m not sure if he believes Allah guides him, but I know he feels like he has a connection with Him and also probably that He has touched his life. My cousin spent a couple years memorizing the Quran, one of the biggest ways to show how much his religion and his God means to him. I think he believes that he created a very strong connection with his God during that time. I am not saying he doesn’t have a strong connection with Allah, just that I don’t know for sure if that’s how he feels. He is more religious than almost any other person I know, definitely the most outwardly religious person I know, and even though I have never talked to him about it very much, I get the feeling that he believes very strongly in his connection with Allah.
1. Some might say that they would die for their country, but there would not be a chance that I would, I mean if I lived in a different country then sure. But I feel like the US has glorified war to such a point that serving your country hasn't had the same impact as it actually should. I would die for anyone in my family though, if I knew that where they lived was going to get greatly impacted by war, I would die for them.
ReplyDelete2. Almost everyone has their own kind of code of honor what they respect and what they stride for. If there is no honor code, there there would be chaos. Everyone has their own morals that they follow, to a point, they don't pressure them selfs to do different things. They don't really like to push themselves outside of their comfort zone, unless they were in a certain situation that they needed too.
3. I can tell you that I do not know anyone who has been touched by a divine spirit. Or if they told me it went into one ear and then went out the other. I often wonder what it would be like if I were to be touched by god. How would it change my life? And exactly what would happen. The world may never know.
Konrad Mitchell
JJ Daniell
ReplyDelete1.) I would die for a cause that would help somebody else. If the cause is right and would better the world and my death was necessary, I would give my life. If the outcome could help others, I don't think that I could value my life more than theirs. Some causes I am more passionate and informed about, and I think I would want to know why I am giving my life before I do.
2.) I know many people who have codes of honor that help regulate them in day-to-day life. Honor codes are important to keeping the structure of society in place, because without an honor code, the world would descend into chaos. What the honor code is and what a person's morals differ person to person. Honor codes and morals are good as wrong as they do not harm others.
3.) I have known people who feel very strongly about a divine presence guiding them and shaping the world. Most people feel that their God exists, but haven't necessarily had a direct interaction with that deity. However, everyone seems to have a god they don't believe in.
1: I feel like I could fight for a cause. I'm not sure which cause, but I could definitely see myself fighting for one. I am not sure what I would die for. I don't know if I would have the guts to die for a cause, for I haven't found a cause that I could believe in so strongly. Perhaps I could die if it meant saving another, but at the same time I'm not sure if I could.
ReplyDelete