Qualifications of a Proud Man “Pride, then, seems to be a sort of crown of the virtues; for It makes them greater, and it is not found without them. Therefore It Is hard to be truly proud; for It is Impossible without nobility and goodness of character (ARISTOTLE)” writes Aristotle In chapter 3 of his Melancholy Ethics. In this excerpt, Aristotle describes the pride and characteristics of a “proud man” or “great-soulless man. ” Considering the characters of Howard Roars and John Keating, the two seem to be exemplary examples of Aristotle proud man.
Although different in many ways, these two men qualify greatly for the ole of a proud man because of their similar basic beliefs of not aiming at things commonly held in honor, to ask for nothing but to give help readily, and to believe that life should be worth living. To begin, Aristotle states that it is characteristic of the proud man not to aim at the things commonly held in honor, or the things in which others excel. Both characters, John Keating and Howard Roars display this characteristic in their lives. Howard Roars Is an architect known for buildings that suggest his personality.
His designs are always Innovative and ascetic, a style In which others do not succeed or agree with. Roars faces criticism against every design he submits but never does this stop him. He will never compromise his principles to please someone else. TLS Is a grand display of his escalates to Aristotle proud man. To continue, John Keating in the Dead Poets Society is a man who also does not aim at things commonly held in honor. Through the lessons in his class, Keating teaches his students the importance of being unique and to not fall into conformity.
To get his students to understand this idea, he proclaimed “Now we all have a great need for acceptance but you must trust that your beliefs are unique, your own, even Hough others may think them to be odd or unpopular. ” This statement is a great example of how Mr.. Keating qualifies as an example of the proud man. Overall, through the similarities In striving to be unique and characteristic of independence, Howard Roars and John Keating are both outstanding examples of Aristotle proud man.
Next, Aristotle states that It Is a mark of a proud man to ask for nothing or scarcely anything, but to give help readily. Both men share this mark as It greatly describes the generous personalities of Roars and Keating. Roars is very passionate towards his work and he loves doing it. This passion along with great generosity led Roars to hand his designs over to Peter Keating, a fellow architect, without asking for a single thing in return. He is a man who always helps as long as his principles and beliefs are not compromised. Mr..
John Keating is also a man who is very passionate about his work. When a student walks into Seating’s quaint room, he asks noon can go anywhere. You can do anything. How can you stand being here? ” Keating simply replies with “Because I love teaching. I do not want to be anywhere else. ” This dialogue exemplifies Settings sheer desire to teach and help his students even If he test nothing In return. In all, the two men desire to give help and do what they love without asking for anything In return. This Is a strong trait that a proud man possesses.
Lastly, a proud man believes that life should be worth living. Aristotle says when he is in danger he is unsparing with his life, knowing there are conditions in know how to live their life to the fullest or not live it at all. When Roars discovered his designs were changed, he risked his life to blow up the building because to him that was a condition in which life was not worth having. Mr.. Keating on the other hand seed one of his students to read an excerpt to the class in order to express his feelings on life.
The excerpt read, “To put to route all that was not life; and not, when I had come to die, discover I had not lived. ” Keating stressed to his students the importance of living your life to the fullest. He taught them that if they aren’t doing what they love to do then life wasn’t worth living. Neil Perry, a student of Mr.. Keating, took this lesson to heart and took his own life when his father forbid him from doing what he loved. He felt that his life should not be lived if he could not pursue his love or acting. Concluding, by doing what he loved, Mr..
Keating taught the boys to do what they love in their life and to seize the day. Howard Roars risked his own life because he couldn’t live if his principles were going to be compromised. Overall, Roars and Keating are extraordinary characters of a proud man in the way that they live their life to the fullest potential. To conclude, pride is concerned with honor on the grand scale, as has been said by Aristotle. Howard Roars and John Keating qualify as examples to be Aristotle “proud man” or “great-soulless man” because of their undeniably similar characteristics.