Courage = Illogical

Courage is Illogical

, as a word, has no meaning. It is just a word, like any other. It’s the color behind the word that makes all the difference. One can not truly know what the real meaning of the word is, and it may be different for every individual. Courage is most often related to being heroic, and doing something that is risky. This is not so far off from the truth. Courage is actually an illogical, impulsive act devoid of self-preservation, a natural human instinct, as shown in “A Mystery of Heroism” by Stephen Crane, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, and “Speech to the Virginia Convention” by Patrick Henry.

Courage is most often associated with what men in the military exhibit while in combat. The heat of the battle disorients them. The drilling from their superiors to protect their comrades becomes a muscle-reaction. And, when it comes down to it, the men have no choice but to be courageous. In “A Mystery of Heroism,” Collins is a man who is thirsty as he seemingly grows more and more anxious as a battle progresses. He sees a well nearby, but he knows it’s in the line of fire. He can‘t get over the constant reminder of how parched his mouth is, so he requests permission to retrieve water. He is given canteens, and no one believes he’ll actually do it. “”Are yeh sure a-goin’?” they demanded again and again” (Crane 180). They know that it is completely needless to go out and obtain water for the company, because nobody was in dying need of water. But Collins is a determined man. So when he goes out, he has a brief epiphany. “He was then a hero” (Crane 181). He did make it to the well, and filled the canteens in a hurry. His brain was trying to push past the muck that was courageousness. He finally makes a break back to the safety of his factions’ ranks, but he sees an officer lying, nearly dead, on the ground. He asks for a drink, but Collins continues on, his brain now working full force against this foolish courageous feeling. But, courage is a strong adversary, and is a tough fighter. It plunges past even the toughest of psychological barriers; and Collins is turned into a true hero when he turns back to help the man, who is right in the line of destruction. Courage is a term for the brief moments of selflessness that is experienced in the direst of situations.

Courage is doing what is right. And what is right is usually what is not in the best interests of one’s self. Self-preservation is one of the most base, primal instincts a human being harbors. It is locked securely in the back of the psyche, making adjustments to all actions and thought-processes as it is needed. It protects and preserves. This is exactly what happens in The Great Gatsby. As Daisy Buchanan drives herself and Jay Gatsby home, they literally run into a woman named Myrtle Wilson. Daisy, losing control of herself, tries to get away without consequence. This was self-preservation flooding her mind. Contrarily, Gatsby was a man with a moral character that was of a higher caliber. He says, “I tried to make her stop but she couldn’t so I pulled on the emergency brake” (Fitzgerald 151). He wants to stop, to take responsibility, but Daisy’s gone into a metaphorical primal coma that pulses of self-preservation. So, out of concern for Daisy’s well being only, Gatsby takes her home. Jay Gatsby has a hopeless love obsession of Daisy, and is determined to take the blame for the incident, should the need arise. He just wants to keep her safe from the repercussions of what she had done, no matter the effects on him. And he gets his chance, when George Wilson, Myrtle’s husband and widower, murders him. Jay Gatsby was loving to a fault, and his courage did nothing but cause trouble for him. Had he had any real sense, he would not have been ended as he was.