TKAM Pride Theme

FINAL DRAFT

Austin Rosenberg
English 8
Mr. Salsich
September 23, 2009

To be Proud:
It is Good or Bad and Develops Your Character

Throughout my life, pride has persisted in challenging me with its negative and positive features, and these challenges are presented to me in inconspicuous ways. They are challenges where I have to decide whether or not using pride would benefit myself and anyone else involved in the situation. Pride is stimulating in both its negative and positive characteristics, but when people act on pride, other people find it hard to notice.
An intriguing theme in the second chapter of To Kill a Mockingbird is pride. It’s an interesting theme because the reader has to pay attention to know it’s there. This theme only transpires a couple of times in the chapter, and the times it does occur it’s not conspicuous. I think that is interesting because it is also hard to pick up on when someone is being proud in real life. When someone won’t accept an offer, most people won’t consider it to be because of pride. At first they might believe that they’re simply being polite by not accepting a gracious offer. However, just like the kid Walter Cunningham in the book, people won’t accept offers they know they won’t be able to repay because they are too proud. In this case, I consider pride to be a good thing because it’s a sign of integrity. However, in other cases pride can be a sign of selfishness. When someone won’t accept an offer they need to help their family and they are able to repay it, that is a sign of arrogant and selfish pride. There is a time to have pride and a time to not have it, and being able to discern between those two builds good character in a person.
Pride has its positive and negative aspects, and both features have manifested in my own life. Unfortunately for me, I act out on pride’s negative sides often. I try not to but I sometimes act like a know-it-all, and I am not willing to accept correct answers even when I know I’m wrong. I would also be embarrassed to drive an old junkyard car to school because I am too proud to let my friends see me in such a degrading car. Although embarrassment is one of the negative characteristics of pride, selfishness is an even worse one. It’s the worse kind of pride since it usually comes about when someone else is involved in your dilemma. One time my mother wanted to come to a lecture I was attending, but I said no; I was selfish and didn’t want to be embarrassed by anything she might do even though she would enjoy the lecture. Even though my negative displays of pride are often, I do have rare positive displays of pride, and my positive portions of pride are typically associated with honor. These are the times when I act honorable because I have decided that I cannot afford to repay whatever deal is being made with me. Even though my life is filled with negative pride, I will always strive to act towards what I think is the positive side of pride.
When pride challenges me, I have to notice that it is and act on it in a way I think is best. The best way to act on it can be affected by the type of situation I am in and whether or not anyone else is involved. In certain cases, pride can show how well your character has developed because by demonstrating your pride, you have shown how honorable you can be. Pride occurs unnoticeably often in our lives, and it is fascinating to see how a circumstance containing pride will conclude.