Under Pressure
As humans, we make sacrifices every single day for many different reasons with many different intentions. According to the Cambridge dictionary, compromise is defined as “an agreement between two sides who have different opinions, in which each side gives up something it had wanted”. And sacrifice can be defined with “giving up something for something else considered more important.” Two similar definitions for two very different words. These choices are seen throughout literature, for instance, Lev and Conor, in Neal Shusterman’s Unwind struggle with this idea of sacrifice- as do Lincoln and Jordan in Michael Bay’s film The Island. In Ayn Rand’s Anthem, the protagonist Equality 7-2521 and the Golden One both have to make sacrifices. There are different circumstances when people are actually justified in sacrificing their morals or beliefs. Some people are willing to go through any circumstance or against any authority, even go as far as putting their own life on the line to protect someone they love. …show more content…
Like when Lincoln goes against all of the rules to reach jordan to tell her the fantasy island does not exist. (The Island) Lincoln was fully aware of what could happen if he were caught but he didn’t care. He needed to get to jordan before it was too late. Not only was Jordan a special friend to Lincoln but it was clear he had deeper feelings for her. He went to the absolute extreme and sacrificed himself and his own freedom to protect her. What are you willing to do to protect the ones you love? The Golden one went again the society and followed Equality 7-2521 into the uncharted forest which was not only forbidden to go to but forbidden to even speak of in order to be with him (Anthem 81-83). Maybe some people make sacrifices to potentially help the person they care about, some to it out of the kindness of their heart, and maybe some just do it to feel that moment in time. The Golden one knew what he faced if he were to go against his society but he did it anyway at the cost of himself. What if the person you loved more than anything was being accused of something he didn’t understand? A teenage boy with severe autism is being charged with unlawful sexual contact after hugging a female friend and his hand slipping and touching her bottom. His mother states “Many parents-- in fact, it’s safe to say most-- will instinctively fight for their children when they feel they’ve been hurt, wronged or otherwise need protecting.” Tiffany Carlson’s 15 year-old daughter, a sophomore in highschool sent her mother a text telling her how a fellow student touched her in an inappropriate place (Article- John Kekes). Caleb tidwell’s arms went around her to give her a hug, one of his hands slipped down and touched her bare bottom for a second or two. The article then begins to explain that Caleb is afraid to return to school due to these allegations. He is now in a homebound learning program. While his mother is not only defending her son, she’s also doing what mothers are supposed to do, protect their children at all costs. This is a mother who is watching her son suffer and is desperate for someone to understand and see it from where she stands as his mother. Two mothers in two completely different understandings, with the same intentions of protecting their children. Not everyone is willing to compromise something as fragile as morals, but I’ve seen it done on more than one occasion. You see it on the news, at school, even at work. Lev was once a caring, sweet kid who would never had done anything to hurt anybody. Pain and struggle can do a lot to anybody, especially a kid. It completely alters your mind and heart, sometimes of the good and sometimes for the bad. When Lev went into that pawn shop he was going in determined to survive, determined to walk out with more than what he came in with. A selfish act of manipulation completely gained the pawnbrokers trust and took advantage of him. No matter how evil you may be, these kind of things will haunt you. There wasn’t a day that went
As humans, we make sacrifices every single day for many different reasons with many different intentions. According to the Cambridge dictionary, compromise is defined as “an agreement between two sides who have different opinions, in which each side gives up something it had wanted”. And sacrifice can be defined with “giving up something for something else considered more important.” Two similar definitions for two very different words. These choices are seen throughout literature, for instance, Lev and Conor, in Neal Shusterman’s Unwind struggle with this idea of sacrifice- as do Lincoln and Jordan in Michael Bay’s film The Island. In Ayn Rand’s Anthem, the protagonist Equality 7-2521 and the Golden One both have to make sacrifices. There are different circumstances when people are actually justified in sacrificing their morals or beliefs. Some people are willing to go through any circumstance or against any authority, even go as far as putting their own life on the line to protect someone they love. …show more content…
Like when Lincoln goes against all of the rules to reach jordan to tell her the fantasy island does not exist. (The Island) Lincoln was fully aware of what could happen if he were caught but he didn’t care. He needed to get to jordan before it was too late. Not only was Jordan a special friend to Lincoln but it was clear he had deeper feelings for her. He went to the absolute extreme and sacrificed himself and his own freedom to protect her. What are you willing to do to protect the ones you love? The Golden one went again the society and followed Equality 7-2521 into the uncharted forest which was not only forbidden to go to but forbidden to even speak of in order to be with him (Anthem 81-83). Maybe some people make sacrifices to potentially help the person they care about, some to it out of the kindness of their heart, and maybe some just do it to feel that moment in time. The Golden one knew what he faced if he were to go against his society but he did it anyway at the cost of himself. What if the person you loved more than anything was being accused of something he didn’t understand? A teenage boy with severe autism is being charged with unlawful sexual contact after hugging a female friend and his hand slipping and touching her bottom. His mother states “Many parents-- in fact, it’s safe to say most-- will instinctively fight for their children when they feel they’ve been hurt, wronged or otherwise need protecting.” Tiffany Carlson’s 15 year-old daughter, a sophomore in highschool sent her mother a text telling her how a fellow student touched her in an inappropriate place (Article- John Kekes). Caleb tidwell’s arms went around her to give her a hug, one of his hands slipped down and touched her bare bottom for a second or two. The article then begins to explain that Caleb is afraid to return to school due to these allegations. He is now in a homebound learning program. While his mother is not only defending her son, she’s also doing what mothers are supposed to do, protect their children at all costs. This is a mother who is watching her son suffer and is desperate for someone to understand and see it from where she stands as his mother. Two mothers in two completely different understandings, with the same intentions of protecting their children. Not everyone is willing to compromise something as fragile as morals, but I’ve seen it done on more than one occasion. You see it on the news, at school, even at work. Lev was once a caring, sweet kid who would never had done anything to hurt anybody. Pain and struggle can do a lot to anybody, especially a kid. It completely alters your mind and heart, sometimes of the good and sometimes for the bad. When Lev went into that pawn shop he was going in determined to survive, determined to walk out with more than what he came in with. A selfish act of manipulation completely gained the pawnbrokers trust and took advantage of him. No matter how evil you may be, these kind of things will haunt you. There wasn’t a day that went