The Widow Douglas has a very traditional set of morals. A religious woman, she is unforgiving when it comes to Huck’s shenanigans. Not only does she discipline Huck when he misbehaves, but she also tries to reform his ways by mandating biblical studies and relating them to his life. The Widow is a virtuous woman in the most basic sense: she is a strict observer of the bible and tries to impose its lessons on what she sees as the work of the devil through Huck and his sinful ways.
Jim is maybe the most virtuous character in the novel not because of religion like the Widow, but because he is an incredibly genuine, selfless and loving individual. He shows time and time again that he is readily available to carry out any act necessary to help out Huck or Tom, no matter how stupid, in their escapades. Jim is a superstitious fellow and is partially driven by fear of spirits or ghosts. We see this countless times when in describing his motives for an action he references not wanting to anger the ghosts. Additionally, what makes Jim such a truly virtuous man is that he sincerely loves Huck. We see selfless acts on Jim’s part even after Huck or Tom have wronged him. For example, on the raft Jim stays awake to be on the lookout, depriving himself of important sleep, just to allow Huck some extra shut-eye. What makes this all the more remarkable is that Jim does these kinds of things despite Huck’s occasional mistreatment of him such as when Huck played a mean trick on Jim convincing him he had been living a dream.
Huckis probably more virtuous than his actions portray him to be. Despite the fact that he is illegally helping Jim escape from slavery, he is doing it out of love for Jim. He is not trying to break rules by taking Jim and helping him escape, but he is trying to do what is best for Jim. Huck morally thinks that slavery is wrong and he wants to help Jim become free. Although what he is doing is illegal, he is still a good person because of his intentions of what he is doing.
Rutherford Calhoun one of the most moral characters in Middle Passage. Calhoun boards this boat as an escape from Isadora, and up until the boat leaves, he has no idea that this boat is headed to Africa to pick up slaves. Calhoun is seen as a good person in the eyes of everyone on board the Republic. Calhoun earns the trust of Captain Falcon throughout the journey to Africa, and Falcon eventually gives Calhoun a ring that is used for the guns on board the ship. Calhoun also gains the reputation of being a good person amongst the shipmates, because of his education and his work ethic on the boat. They also see him as a good person because he has an inside connection to Captain Falcon, and they think that Calhoun is on their side. In the event that the crewmembers decide to take over the ship, they know that Rutherford has the trust of the Captain. Lastly, Calhoun also gains the respect of the slaves on the boat, such as Ngonyama and Baleka, because he is the only black person who works on the boat. The slaves feel a connection with Rutherford because of the similarities in race that they share.
Because the story is told from Rutherford's point of view, we see his point of view when describing all the different characters in the story. Accoring to Rutherford,Peter Cringle is a virtuous and moral man. As first mate of the ship, he does not have a choice but to do what Captain Falcon tells him to do, which makes him seem like somewhat of a pushover to the rest of the shipmates. Rutherford, on the other hand, sees that Cringle is a good man when Cringle is showing him the ropes on the boat. Cringle shows Rutherford how to be a good shipmate on the boat, and after their encounter at the beginning of the book, Rutherford seems to see Cringle as a pretty good guy.
Captain Falcon is probably seen as the least virtuous person on the boat. Aside fom being the captain of an illegal slave trading boat, he is also seen as a bad person by everyone on the boat except maybe Rutherford. The crewmembers dislike him so much that they talk about a possible takeover of the ship, but before they can, the Allmuseri slaves do so. Falcon also abuses Tom, a little cabin boy on the ship. While Rutherford might not be out to get Falcon like everyone else on the boat is, he certainly does not look at Falcon as a good person.
The man has a more hardened view of being good. Since he has to be responsible for someone else other than himself, he is forced to make certain choices that someone without the same burden might find immoral, however, in his case, he sees it necessary to do whatever it takes to keep the boy and himself alive.
The boy is more idealistic because he is not responsible for more than one person. Not only is he not responsible for someone else, he is also the responsibility of his father, so he does not really even have to look after himself. This allows him to be more idealistic in his approach to virtue. At times, this view is needed to balance out the man's tougher view of virtue. The main thing that separates the man and the boy's views on virtue is that the boy has trust in other people's virtue as well as his own. An example of this is at the end, when the boy goes off with the other man. He is very skeptical of the man at first, which mirrors his father's ideas of virtue, but the boy eventually sees the good in this man, and decides to join their group.
American Beauty http://www.soundonsight.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/american_ Despite cultural norms, Lesterhas come to terms that to be good and virtuous one must first be happy with themselves. In order to start out on his dream, he quits his well paying job and works at a fast food restaurant. Although this decision disappoints Carolyn he knows it is better for himself. Although this change of careers pulls him away from the corruption of his other job it does not free him of all forbidden love. He sees his love for Angela as a form of happiness and in his mind is a way of being good to the world.
With an abusive childhood in his past, Ricky strives to find the balance of maintaining a "good" healthy relationship with his family while having the opportunity to escape from it. Knowing what can occur when he does not show respect to his parents, he works hard to impress his father and show him that he can be a responsible young man however small impurities to his character such as drugs and film cause General Fitts to doubt his sons true intentions.
Carolyn's ideal of being virtuous is living a successful suburban mother. Within this lifestyle comes the stresses of a appearance social class, and happy family. With a husband like Lester, who strives striving for happiness rather than success and a daughter like Jane who wears unfashionable clothes and searches for the outside of the social scene Carolyn finds herself restricted from fufilling her personal dream. Unable to control other members of her family she fails to create her ideal supportive family in a flourishing home.
As an only child, Jane holds a tremendous amount of responsibility to being good to her family. With parents who want to care and be present in her life she must create the healthy balance between freedom and support. Although she tries to find virtue and good among her close group of girl friends the place where she finds the most virtue in her life is through Ricky. Ricky equips her with a new sense of purpose and place in her life and allows her to pursue her own desires without the restrictions of parents.
From the outside, Gatsby also appears to be an honest man. In time, we see that he is operating on his own agenda, and is using the parties as a way to mask his insecurities. Gatsby loses his virtuous qualities when the reader finds out his motives and shady background are filled with corruption.
Mr. Wilsonappears to be the most genuine character. However, it is possible that his virtuous behavior only seems normal because he is surrounded by extreme circumstances of unethical acts
Six Degrees of Separation http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51BQE1FN2ZL._SL500_AA280_.jpg Flan and Ouisa- They seem to be good people, because they take Paul in when he comes to their doorstep with a stab wound. They let Paul stay with them, cooks for him, and gives him $50 to use until his "father" gets there. They change their night plans to eat at home with Paul. They seem genuinely interested Paul's story and backround. They welcome Paul into their house, without many questions about his past. They see the good in Paul, and they see him as a good person up until they catch him with the other guy in their appartment.
Paulappears to almost everyone in the story to be a virtuous and good hearted person. He is a well dressed, well spoken, and polite person who shows up on the doorsteps of other people, knowing that he will be accepted into their homes. He offers to cook and clean up in the house, which in almost all other circumstances would be the sign of a good person. Paul's morals are questioned, however, when we find out Paul's real identity, and the reason for him doing what he is doing. While he does not steal anything from any of the families that he meets, he does deceive them into believing that he is someone that he is not. He does lie to the families, which makes him seem immoral in the eyes of the viewers.
In their efforts to support and provide for their family,Ennis and Jack get distracted by their other relationship. Although they feel most comfortable in this secondary relationship they only expose this side when they are alone as to not destroy their virtuous character. Both characters struggle to determine whether or not their homosexual relationship fits inside the categories of being good. The narrator illustrates this relationship as more of a weakness which pulls them away from their primary fatherly position. They two characters must balance the tensions of acting as the “good” male figure and pursuing their own desires.
2. Talks about the theme of honor and being good in Huck Finn.**http://www.bookrags.com/wiki/Virtue_ethics**
This article talks about virtue, and how it relates to ethics. It says that this idea of virtue may have originated from ancient Greek philosophy. It also says that today, virtue is one of the three dominant approaches to normative ethics. This article talks about the history of virtue, as well as contemporary views on virtue.
Fiona, Alex and Mike
Characters who try to be virtuous in the following stories:
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
http://images.amazon.com/images/P/0142437174.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg
The Widow Douglas has a very traditional set of morals. A religious woman, she is unforgiving when it comes to Huck’s shenanigans. Not only does she discipline Huck when he misbehaves, but she also tries to reform his ways by mandating biblical studies and relating them to his life. The Widow is a virtuous woman in the most basic sense: she is a strict observer of the bible and tries to impose its lessons on what she sees as the work of the devil through Huck and his sinful ways.
Jim is maybe the most virtuous character in the novel not because of religion like the Widow, but because he is an incredibly genuine, selfless and loving individual. He shows time and time again that he is readily available to carry out any act necessary to help out Huck or Tom, no matter how stupid, in their escapades. Jim is a superstitious fellow and is partially driven by fear of spirits or ghosts. We see this countless times when in describing his motives for an action he references not wanting to anger the ghosts. Additionally, what makes Jim such a truly virtuous man is that he sincerely loves Huck. We see selfless acts on Jim’s part even after Huck or Tom have wronged him. For example, on the raft Jim stays awake to be on the lookout, depriving himself of important sleep, just to allow Huck some extra shut-eye. What makes this all the more remarkable is that Jim does these kinds of things despite Huck’s occasional mistreatment of him such as when Huck played a mean trick on Jim convincing him he had been living a dream.
Huck is probably more virtuous than his actions portray him to be. Despite the fact that he is illegally helping Jim escape from slavery, he is doing it out of love for Jim. He is not trying to break rules by taking Jim and helping him escape, but he is trying to do what is best for Jim. Huck morally thinks that slavery is wrong and he wants to help Jim become free. Although what he is doing is illegal, he is still a good person because of his intentions of what he is doing.
Middle Passage
http://www.longitudebooks.com/images/book_large/ATL02.jpg
Rutherford Calhoun one of the most moral characters in Middle Passage. Calhoun boards this boat as an escape from Isadora, and up until the boat leaves, he has no idea that this boat is headed to Africa to pick up slaves. Calhoun is seen as a good person in the eyes of everyone on board the Republic. Calhoun earns the trust of Captain Falcon throughout the journey to Africa, and Falcon eventually gives Calhoun a ring that is used for the guns on board the ship. Calhoun also gains the reputation of being a good person amongst the shipmates, because of his education and his work ethic on the boat. They also see him as a good person because he has an inside connection to Captain Falcon, and they think that Calhoun is on their side. In the event that the crewmembers decide to take over the ship, they know that Rutherford has the trust of the Captain. Lastly, Calhoun also gains the respect of the slaves on the boat, such as Ngonyama and Baleka, because he is the only black person who works on the boat. The slaves feel a connection with Rutherford because of the similarities in race that they share.
Because the story is told from Rutherford's point of view, we see his point of view when describing all the different characters in the story. Accoring to Rutherford, Peter Cringle is a virtuous and moral man. As first mate of the ship, he does not have a choice but to do what Captain Falcon tells him to do, which makes him seem like somewhat of a pushover to the rest of the shipmates. Rutherford, on the other hand, sees that Cringle is a good man when Cringle is showing him the ropes on the boat. Cringle shows Rutherford how to be a good shipmate on the boat, and after their encounter at the beginning of the book, Rutherford seems to see Cringle as a pretty good guy.
Captain Falcon is probably seen as the least virtuous person on the boat. Aside fom being the captain of an illegal slave trading boat, he is also seen as a bad person by everyone on the boat except maybe Rutherford. The crewmembers dislike him so much that they talk about a possible takeover of the ship, but before they can, the Allmuseri slaves do so. Falcon also abuses Tom, a little cabin boy on the ship. While Rutherford might not be out to get Falcon like everyone else on the boat is, he certainly does not look at Falcon as a good person.
The Road
http://bradleyparker.blogs.com/wheres_travis_mcgee/images/2008/05/27/the_road.jpg
The man has a more hardened view of being good. Since he has to be responsible for someone else other than himself, he is forced to make certain choices that someone without the same burden might find immoral, however, in his case, he sees it necessary to do whatever it takes to keep the boy and himself alive.
The boy is more idealistic because he is not responsible for more than one person. Not only is he not responsible for someone else, he is also the responsibility of his father, so he does not really even have to look after himself. This allows him to be more idealistic in his approach to virtue. At times, this view is needed to balance out the man's tougher view of virtue. The main thing that separates the man and the boy's views on virtue is that the boy has trust in other people's virtue as well as his own. An example of this is at the end, when the boy goes off with the other man. He is very skeptical of the man at first, which mirrors his father's ideas of virtue, but the boy eventually sees the good in this man, and decides to join their group.
American Beauty
http://www.soundonsight.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/american_
Despite cultural norms, Lester has come to terms that to be good and virtuous one must first be happy with themselves. In order to start out on his dream, he quits his well paying job and works at a fast food restaurant. Although this decision disappoints Carolyn he knows it is better for himself. Although this change of careers pulls him away from the corruption of his other job it does not free him of all forbidden love. He sees his love for Angela as a form of happiness and in his mind is a way of being good to the world.
With an abusive childhood in his past, Ricky strives to find the balance of maintaining a "good" healthy relationship with his family while having the opportunity to escape from it. Knowing what can occur when he does not show respect to his parents, he works hard to impress his father and show him that he can be a responsible young man however small impurities to his character such as drugs and film cause General Fitts to doubt his sons true intentions.
Carolyn's ideal of being virtuous is living a successful suburban mother. Within this lifestyle comes the stresses of a appearance social class, and happy family. With a husband like Lester, who strives striving for happiness rather than success and a daughter like Jane who wears unfashionable clothes and searches for the outside of the social scene Carolyn finds herself restricted from fufilling her personal dream. Unable to control other members of her family she fails to create her ideal supportive family in a flourishing home.
As an only child, Jane holds a tremendous amount of responsibility to being good to her family. With parents who want to care and be present in her life she must create the healthy balance between freedom and support. Although she tries to find virtue and good among her close group of girl friends the place where she finds the most virtue in her life is through Ricky. Ricky equips her with a new sense of purpose and place in her life and allows her to pursue her own desires without the restrictions of parents.
The Great Gatsby
http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://bioinfo.mbb.yale.edu/~mbg/dom/fun3/great-gatsby/im.jpg&imgrefurl=http://bioinfo.mbb.yale.edu/~mbg/dom/fun3/great-gatsby/&usg=__G7WYQoqpnO50XNW2pDXmaAnOq3w=&h=800&w=534&sz=77&hl=en&start=1&um=1&tbnid=cTAxvXya3rDjpM:&tbnh=143&tbnw=95&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dgreat%2Bgatsby%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Dactive%26sa%3DN%26um%3D1
Nick strives to appear to be virtuous though remaining on the outside of the social scene. He tries to refrain from interacting in fraud relationships. He also judges other people's virtuous acts and constantly places himself above others. Thinking himself as an honest man boosts his perspective in comparison to others around him.
From the outside, Gatsby also appears to be an honest man. In time, we see that he is operating on his own agenda, and is using the parties as a way to mask his insecurities. Gatsby loses his virtuous qualities when the reader finds out his motives and shady background are filled with corruption.
Mr. Wilson appears to be the most genuine character. However, it is possible that his virtuous behavior only seems normal because he is surrounded by extreme circumstances of unethical acts
Six Degrees of Separation
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51BQE1FN2ZL._SL500_AA280_.jpg
Flan and Ouisa- They seem to be good people, because they take Paul in when he comes to their doorstep with a stab wound. They let Paul stay with them, cooks for him, and gives him $50 to use until his "father" gets there. They change their night plans to eat at home with Paul. They seem genuinely interested Paul's story and backround. They welcome Paul into their house, without many questions about his past. They see the good in Paul, and they see him as a good person up until they catch him with the other guy in their appartment.
Paul appears to almost everyone in the story to be a virtuous and good hearted person. He is a well dressed, well spoken, and polite person who shows up on the doorsteps of other people, knowing that he will be accepted into their homes. He offers to cook and clean up in the house, which in almost all other circumstances would be the sign of a good person. Paul's morals are questioned, however, when we find out Paul's real identity, and the reason for him doing what he is doing. While he does not steal anything from any of the families that he meets, he does deceive them into believing that he is someone that he is not. He does lie to the families, which makes him seem immoral in the eyes of the viewers.
Brokeback Mountain
http://www.impawards.com/2005/posters/brokeback_mountain.jpg
In their efforts to support and provide for their family,Ennis and Jack get distracted by their other relationship. Although they feel most comfortable in this secondary relationship they only expose this side when they are alone as to not destroy their virtuous character. Both characters struggle to determine whether or not their homosexual relationship fits inside the categories of being good. The narrator illustrates this relationship as more of a weakness which pulls them away from their primary fatherly position. They two characters must balance the tensions of acting as the “good” male figure and pursuing their own desires.
How to Breathe Underwater
See Article in Love Page
External Links
1. http://www.gradesaver.com/the-adventures-of-huckleberry-finn/study-guide/major-themes/
2. Talks about the theme of honor and being good in Huck Finn.**http://www.bookrags.com/wiki/Virtue_ethics**
This article talks about virtue, and how it relates to ethics. It says that this idea of virtue may have originated from ancient Greek philosophy. It also says that today, virtue is one of the three dominant approaches to normative ethics. This article talks about the history of virtue, as well as contemporary views on virtue.
3. http://changingminds.org/explanations/values/seven_virtues.htm
This article talks about the idea of virtue in religion. It talks about the Seven Virtues, which include faith, hope, charity, fortitude, justice, prudence, temperance.