The Power of Courage

The Power of Courage

         In the history of mankind, courage has been proven to be the most important driving force behind many heroic deeds. Courage can be found at the moment of crisis such as what the man from “After the Sirens” possessed when facing the nuclear attack. It can also be a courageous decision one makes at a crucial moment such as the decision Captain Oram made in “Gentlemen, Your Verdict”, or even blind courage that would eventually lead one to his end such as Paul in “All Quiet on the Western Front”. Courage has endured the test and proved itself true time and again. It is the driving force behind the actions of the characters in the above literary pieces.
         Courage is always present at the time of crisis, and it enables one to be overwhelmingly powerful or protective. It can mask the emotion of fear or anxiety, and result in powerful outcomes. In “After the Sirens”, the man and his family came face to face with a devastating and destructive nuclear attack. During the time that they hid in the shelter, he told his wife, “Lie on top of the baby and I’ll lie on top of you!” His courage had helped to cast his fear and anxiety aside to reveal overwhelming courage to help his family survive. This moment of crisis helped him discover courage as he had never known before. His rational thoughts and tranquil voice in turn calmed his wife down. After the attack had ceased, he again found courage to bring his family out of the destroyed remains of their home and neighbourhood. His courageous actions ensured the survival of his family through the devastating attack, and his courage helped him make the right decisions to further reinforce their chance of survival.
         Making the rightful decision, especially when it involves something extremely difficult and heartbreaking to accomplish, requires an immense amount of courage. In “Gentlemen, Your Verdict”, Captain Oram was required to play God and make a choice that involved morality. By deciding to take the lives of fifteen men, himself included, enabled five other married men to survive the accident. Choosing to sacrifice oneself requires a great quantity of courage. Captain Oram found enough courage in himself to perform such a difficult task. He had courage enough to believe that his and fifteen others’ deaths would mean the survival of five others, and this faith was the result of his courage.
         However, blind faith is also the result of courage. Blind courage is when one naïvely believes in something that could eventually lead to failure. In “All Quiet on the Western Front”, Paul’s courage was very admirable, even though it was blind courage. He believed that the war was a glorious thing. His blind faith and patriotism brought about the grievous result – death. Before he enlisted, everyone in his neighbourhood had the same faith for their father country, “…because at that time even one’s parents were ready with the word ‘coward’; no one had the vaguest idea what we were in for.” Everyone believed that cowards had no courage, and therefore they would not serve their homeland in battle. Courage was essential for Paul and his friends, for if they lacked courage, they would not have lasted for long on the gruesome battlefield. Although it was courage that brought about their blind confidence, which in turn brought them death, it was nonetheless the emotion which kept their hopes alive and ensured that they possessed the will to survive. It was indeed the driving force behind the actions which kept them breathing and hoping.
         The actions of the characters of the literary pieces were fuelled by the stalwart force of courage found within each and every one of them. It had helped them make the right decisions at many crucial points. Andre Norton, a famous female author, once said, “As for courage and will - we cannot measure how much of each lies within us, we can only trust there will be sufficient to carry through trials which may lie ahead.” It is indeed true that courage is immeasurable. The source of courage comes from within the individual. Courage, in all aspects, will always remain the most powerful force behind the actions of people in the past, present, and beyond.