Restoring Honour and Certainty

                 Throughout life every individual is forced to make a decision and will struggle with what they must do to restore honour and certainty. As with any decision there are many different outcomes that could occur after struggling with the decision. Some may not understand how to answer this difficult question due to the fact that they have not been in a situation which demands a choice like this to be made. Therefore this question is similar to a math question in which the answer is hard to obtain and getting to it seems purely theoretical instead of having any relevance to their real and current life.

                 Presently, I feel that I am in a situation very similar to this. The question posed is something that I know should occur in life but because I have yet to encounter a situation that changes my life and forces me to change my perspectives to restore my honour and certainty it doesn’t feel real to me. So, since I have not been faced with a major situation in which I have had to make such a decision I will attempt to answer this question with a minor situation that has occurred in my short life that I believe to be an example of what is to come as I continue to live my life.

                In the poem “Setting up the Drums”, written by Don McKay, music is used to restore his perspectives. In McKay’s case music was what he was passionate about and what he strived to do well at. Music was what helped him sort out his life and all the challenges that accompanied it. By having something like music that is important to you it helps you look at things in a new way, helps you understand what the right thing to do is, even in the hardest of situations. When you are passionate about something it allows you to straighten out a challenge so that it doesn’t feel so intimidating and overwhelming.

                Like with the decision that has to be made by all individuals, everyone also has something that they are passionate about to help them make this decision. Some may be interested in music, like McKay, or drama while others could be more passionate about sports or education. Every individual is unique and therefore has unique interests. I developed a passion for racing this past summer, and with this new interest came a new perspective on how to restore honour and certainty.

                I have been a very competitive person and when I do not achieve the standard that I expected of myself I am disappointed in my performance. When I was getting ready for my first 100 foot shootout my standards were not very high. It was my first car race and I was not expecting much out of the situation except for having fun and trying something new. This expectation changed very quickly after receiving my first place trophy for the weekend. Not only had I won the very first race that I had ever entered but I had fallen in love with the thrill of racing. From that point on it was my primary objective to not only attend every 100 foot shootout but to do very well in each one. This very high standard only rose with each win that I received. I was even able to win at Rocky Mountain House, an event that had rules that didn’t give the benefit to my car.

                When the season was nearing the end, I decided to try auto crossing. Since I had done so well in the 100 foot shootouts I had similar expectations to the expectations that I had developed while racing in the 100 foot shootouts. I had lowered them a bit because I knew that the auto cross would be different than what I had done so well at, however my standards were still fairly high. After completing the weekend my perspectives were completely changed. I placed second last over the weekend and it was difficult for me to be okay with that considering I’m a competitive person. This is what changed my perspectives on what must be done to restore honour and certainty.

                I had to make the decision whether I would either be disappointed with where I placed over the weekend or if I would enjoy and be proud of what I had accomplished instead of always needing to be first at whatever I did. I chose to enjoy what I had accomplished and accept the fact that I didn’t always have to be the best, accept that there wasn’t anything wrong with coming in second last. This decision changed my definition of honour and certainty. Prior to this event which changed my perspectives, my definition of honour was being the best at whatever I did, however coming in second last allowed me to understand that there was no shame in placing where I did. I knew that I had tried my hardest and just as importantly I had had the best weekend ever. I couldn’t wait for the next auto cross so that I could do it again.

                I realized that honour, for me, was not about how well I did but how much fun I had. I no longer had the pressure of meeting my high expectations, I could relax and have fun just racing not worrying about where I finished at the end of the day. Without these expectations I was even able to do better because I didn’t have the pressure on me. This also applied to my life outside of racing. If I just did the best that I could instead of worrying about having to be at a certain mark in school, for example, I could relax and take the pressure off of me that I had to be first in everything that I did to be honourable. I was able to understand that my definition of honour had changed from having to be number one to being about trying my hardest at everything that I did.

                This situation also refined my perspectives on certainty. I believed that certainty was all about knowing that I had to be number one or I hadn’t done something right. I learned that certainty could be, knowing that I was going to give my one hundred percent effort and what ever happened after that, happened; if I had tried my hardest then I couldn’t do anything else to change the outcome.

                Like me, every person on this planet has at least one thing that they are passionate about and it will change their perspectives and definitions of honour and certainty. For some their perspectives may change as mine did however for others it could be the opposite of how my ideas about honour and certainty changed. When you are passionate and good at something it could help you see that honour is about placing first because you are the best at whatever you are doing; it could be about trying your hardest and that landing you in first every single time.

                Certainty for some could be, knowing that because you are that best that there is you will always be able to get whatever you want. For others certainty could be, knowing that your passion is enough for you, that you don’t have to be rich and famous as long as you have something that makes you completely and utterly happy in life.

                McKay wrote about music, and how it restored his perspectives, changing his ideas about honour and certainty. Although music is not the passion of every human being, every human being will find something, at one point or another, in their life that they don’t want to stop doing, something that when they aren’t doing it they are thinking about it. These things are what shape our ideas about what it means to restore honour and certainty. These are the things that help us understand how to answer the question: In what ways do individuals struggle to restore honour and certainty? Our ideas will change as we develop our passions in life, however we will always have, even in the smallest of magnitudes, an idea about how to restore honour and certainty. Since we will always have opinions about this subject there will always be the need to ask the question, and so it will continued to be asked and the answers will develop along with the developing species of humans.

Critical Response

As the creator of Lord of the Rings: Return of the King I included examples of the ways in which individuals take responsibility for themselves. I, Peter Jackson, am here to explain these examples better for those of you who found it difficult to understand or missed these examples. I portrayed in the film that every individual takes their own amount of time, which can be long or short, to accept and act upon their responsibility.

A character that took very little to no time to know what he must do to accept his responsibility was Gandalf the White. He had his fair share of difficulties in this story especially the earlier movies, being killed and resurrected and all, but he never hesitated to carry out his responsibility. He knew that he had to be a leader and did his best, which was an excellent job, to lead everyone to the best possible outcome. He helped Pippin during the movie as well as the army at Gondor. Without the leadership of Gandalf the White the army at Gondor would have surly been defeated and the age of man would have come to an end with Gondor captured. Gandalf was able to accept his responsibility to lead these people and prevent Gondor from being taken. Had he not been able to accept his responsibility as quickly as he did the outcome of the movie would have been quite different.

Faramir was another character that I used to develop the idea that each individual takes their own amount of time to take on their responsibility. This character was faced with a difficult situation. He had to choose between acting upon his responsibility to take orders from his father, the Steward of Gondor, or ignore the orders to save many lives. With such a large decision to make he took longer to know what to do, as is expected, then Gandalf the White, for example, who knew that he had to be a great leader for the people in hard times. By having comparisons like this I was able to show the idea that every individual will need a different amount of time to know that he or she must act upon their responsibility even if it takes decades to do so.

                Another character that I included was Theoden. As the King of Rohan he had to make the hard decision of leading his people to a battle which he believed to be a lost cause, or ignoring the cries of help from Gondor. Theoden knew that his army would be out numbered but he also knew that it was his responsibility as King to lead his people to the battle since Gondor needed their help. Similar to Faramir, Theoden was not able to commit to acting upon his responsibility the instant he found out what had to be done. A large decision like the one that he was faced with deserves time to think it over and know that you have made the right choice. In the end Theoden accepted his responsibility and the fate that he was leading his army to, which would in the end take his life along with hundreds of other soldiers. I further showed that everyone will in the end have to accept and act upon their responsibility, the only question is how long before they finally take on their responsibility.

                Frodo, as the one of the main characters was faced with an impossibly large task, especially for a hobbit. He accepted the responsibility of carrying the ring and destroying it with little delay. However as time with the ring progressed he became more and more reluctant to destroy it but since it was his responsibility to destroy it, in the end he did. With Frodo I was able to portray that even one who accepts responsibility and acts on it rapidly can develop a fear or reluctance to finish acting upon that responsibility. At Mordor, Frodo was so close to finishing the task and fulfilling his responsibility but was unable to do so until attacked by Gollum. By including this twist at the end I was able to show the audience that although you may delay completing your task and fulfilling your responsibility in the end every individual will take on and finish what they are responsible for.

                As I developed the character of Aragorn I showed another reason for why an individual might delay in taking on their responsibility. As the heir to the throne of Gondor, Aragorn was responsible for becoming King and leading the people of Gondor to greatness. This however took him a long time to accept. Aragorn was a strong character who had little to be physically afraid of, however there was the great fear of failure like the man he was descendant to, Isildur. He was afraid of making the same mistakes and letting down Gondor like Isildur did. With such a heavy burden placed on his shoulders Aragorn delayed in becoming King and taking on his responsibility for as long as he possibly could but when Gondor needed him the most he came through for them. I developed this character as such to show that individuals will always know when they can no longer put off their responsibility, and when this time comes they will accept the responsibility that was placed on them and act upon it.

                I included The Dead Army in this movie to show that responsibility can be ignored for a very long time, however in the end it will be carried out. Although the Dead Army was many soldiers and not and individual it acted as an individual. The army never wavered in its choices; if a choice was made the entire army acted upon that choice. The Dead Army had ignored their responsibility to Gondor for hundreds of years but when the time came again that Gondor required their assistance they finally were able to act upon the responsibility that they had ignored many years ago. Even though in our lives it would be impossible to ignore responsibility for hundreds of years, with this drastic amount of time that responsibility was delayed I showed the audience that eventually all of us will fulfill the responsibility we are faced with in life.

                I hope that this explanation has further developed your understanding of the ways in which individuals take on responsibility. Although the main reason for creating the film was not to showcase this idea I felt the need to include it. I wanted to present the idea that we will all have to accept and take on our responsibility in life to my audience and by doing so I hope that I have made things clearer in your life or at the very least entertained you with the film Lord of the Rings: Return of the King.

Personal Response

Throughout life everyone must accept responsibility for something at one point or another. Each person does this differently considering everyone is unique. Some take longer to realize what they must do to accept responsibility for their actions while others feel that they must accept responsibility not only for themselves but also others. After reading a few entries from my journal I found two examples that demonstrate how and why individuals accept responsibility for themselves and others.

July 11 / 09

                Living on the farm means that I must accept many responsibilities and last week I gained another. I found a kitten without her mother and have decided to care for her so that she won’t die. I feel that it is my responsibility to make sure that she stays healthy and survives without her birth mother. Since similar occasions have occurred in my life and the kittens haven’t survived I am nervous about taking on such a high responsibility, but know I must. However, after a whole week I think I have made some progress. I know how hard it is to not only know what to do but also just to do it. After reading an excerpt from Snow Falling on Cedars I was comforted to know that it isn’t just me that has difficulty knowing what to do. It explained how a mother felt responsible for caring for her daughter. The mother thought that she had to accept responsibility for her daughter’s actions because her daughter was still young and foolish, but in the end the daughter was able to grow up and take on her own responsibility. I can connect this experience to the one I am in right now. It is my responsibility to keep this kitten alive but I also am aware that one day, and by the looks of her it will be soon, she will be able to take on the responsibility of surviving on her own. She will be able to feed and clean herself without my help. After a whole week of caring for this kitten I know that I will be reluctant to accept that she doesn’t need me anymore. Although I am scared of not being needed by her I will be relieved that she has made it through hopefully the hardest time of her life.

January 18 / 11

                As diplomas are approaching I become more aware of the responsibility I have to keep my marks high. I place a high standard on my marks and know that it is my responsibility to keep them at the level that I have them at. Recently I read a poem called The Lather and was able to connect it to my current situation with keeping my marks high. The expectations that the young man has to fulfill his obligations to his father mirror those that my parents and I have placed on me to achieve such high marks. One line in the poem reads “fiendish smears that won’t rinse out” which I can connect to a bad mark. I feel the disappointment of my parents and myself before I have even told them about it. I know that I should have tried harder or done something differently but the mark can’t be erased. I know that it is my responsibility to achieve a good mark and know that it is my mistake for not doing so. However, when I achieve a good mark I don’t hesitate to let my parents know. I feel proud that I have achieved the mark and in doing so have taken on the responsibility to achieve it. In the poem the writer, David Barber, talks about how meeting expectations becomes a routine and how hard and large a task it is to live up to those expectations. I found it very easy to relate to that. Achieving the marks that I do means putting a large amount of work into my projects and studying; it means that I have to put a high level of responsibility on myself to put this work in. Since I have been doing this for such a long time it has become a routine for me like the poem talks about. I will continue to put in the effort and accept the responsibility I must to achieve the marks that I do especially since diplomas are right around the corner.

                These two entries show us a lot about how individuals accept responsibility for themselves and others. It can’t tell us everything since it is only the experiences of one person and each individual will do things a little differently than the next person, however, coupled with the texts we can conclude that at least some if not many will accept responsibility in the ways explained in the journal entries.

The first entry shows us why individuals accept responsibility. The situation described tells us that the individual accepted responsibility because she cared about the well being of the kitten, whose life was dependent on her taking responsibility for it. The text that she talked about also revealed that the individual accepted responsibility for someone who she deeply cared about. There are many other situations in which an individual accepts responsibility for someone that they care about, and although they are not discussed in this paper, I feel comfortable concluding that individuals accept responsibility for others because they care about that particular individual.

The second entry told us how individuals accept responsibility. The individual was faced with meeting expectations and accepting the responsibility so that she could meet those expectations. She explained to us how she put tremendous effort into working hard and meeting those expectations by accepting her responsibility. The text that was mentioned also explained how hard it is to meet expectations and the responsibility you must accept to meet them. It told us that hard work must be put in to accomplish such a task. Since these two examples tell us the same thing, that hard work and accepting the responsibility to do that work gives us these accomplishments I am confident in saying that individuals who accept responsibility work hard to do so.

The King's Aside Continued

It is the poison’d cup: it is too late.
Perhaps it was too late the second King Hamlet died, but the rewards I have received for committing the act, still and will always possess me. My crown, mine own ambition and my queen that once belonged to my brother prevent forgiveness of my foul murder. Now I lose my queen in the same way I took my brother. O, the sorrow. Yet I must not reveal what I have done, for losing my queen outweighs losing everything I have worked so hard for. I fear the nights will be long and cold without her. The rain from the sweet heavens would drown Denmark if there were enough to wash these cursed hands as white as snow. This would not have happened had Hamlet simply arrived at England as planned. The suffering of tonight would have been the imagined nightmares of children. Hamlet must die if I am to remain King. O, how I wish he was as easy to kill as his father. Laertes will succeed. How can he lose when his point is uncapped and envenom’d while Hamlet’s remains dull and harmless. The cup, should he escape the venom’d sword as he escaped England shall do the trick. One sip and he shall be done for. But how can I keep the loyalty of Denmark should Laertes win the duel. They will be expecting the winner to drink from the cup. What I must say then? A sleight of hand after Hamlet has been struck. There is another cup I can switch it for yet I fear that someone may see me. I can do nothing should that happen. I cannot explain why Hamlet must drink from the cup while Laertes must not. Alas, it is too late and what will be, will be.

Poem to Film Comparison Visual

Iran: Rejections of Liberalism

Bibliography

CIA- the World Factbook. CIA, 14 Feb. 2011. Web. 1 Mar. 2011. <https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ir.html>.

Egypt, the most populous country in the Arab world, erupted in mass protests in January 2011, as the revolution in Tunisia seemed to inflame decades worth of smoldering grievances against the heavy-handed rule of President Hosni Mubarak. After 18 days of angry protests, Mr. Mubarak resigned and turned over all power to the military on Feb. 11, 2011, ending his 30 years of autocratic rule and bowing to a historic popular uprising that has transformed politics in Egypt and around the Arab world. The announcement, delivered during evening prayers in Cairo, set off a frenzy of celebration, with protesters shouting “Egypt is free!” The popular protest, peaceful and resilient despite numerous effort by Mr. Mubarak’s legendary security apparatus to suppress it, ultimately deposed an ally of the United States who has been instrumental in implementing American policy in the region for decades.

This article (found at The New York Times) provides a brief summary that helped make things a little bit clearer for me. The website also had further in depth information for each day that was available if more detail was required. After reading several different articles, blogs, video clips, and much more about the current situation occuring in not only Egypt but the Middle East and North Africa I thought that this one was able to simply state what has been happening in Egypt which is very simmilar to what is effecting and happening in many other places around Egypt.