Art, like morality, consists in drawing the line somewhere.
-Gilbert K. Chesterton
From Value to Morality.
By reflecting on the Dignity they possess, Americans can use this developing-virtue to help initiate and determine morality-questioning decisions. Ethan Cook and The Things We Carry psychological advancement organization believe that through their understanding of dignity and worth, Americans are then able to rethink the Morality of their past-actions to determine right from wrong, otherwise known as the sense of morality. This dignity-derived virtue will allow the success-developing American to establish a consciousness of moral guidelines to implementation in their day-to-day lives, and to distinguish the necessity of specific actions.
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On the notion of morality, it is best to approach this subject with a basic knowledge of the work of renowned Psychologist Lawrence Kohlberg, from the University of Chicago. Kohlberg explains through his intricate research that morality is a sense of understanding of the social customs and practices of a society and/or culture that is evolved through experience, much similar to Cook's theory of success-trait development.
According to Kohlberg's theory, an individual may not be a moral human being at first, however, there is always room for moral-development with potential opportunities for experience. This explains why young children may take the cookie from the cookie jar when instructed not to. However, as that very same child matures and ages, the child learns through experiences in life that there are societal and cultural expectations and practices to follow to maintain a healthy sense of conformity to society. As a matter of fact, Cook's success-trait development theory highlights specific notions of this phenomenon through the famous American literary works: "The Great Gatsby," and "The Things They Carried."
Americans rethink the Morality of their past-actions as a sense of moral guidance for their current, and contemporary-present lives, and the issues they all will inevitably encounter.
According to Kohlberg's theory, an individual may not be a moral human being at first, however, there is always room for moral-development with potential opportunities for experience. This explains why young children may take the cookie from the cookie jar when instructed not to. However, as that very same child matures and ages, the child learns through experiences in life that there are societal and cultural expectations and practices to follow to maintain a healthy sense of conformity to society. As a matter of fact, Cook's success-trait development theory highlights specific notions of this phenomenon through the famous American literary works: "The Great Gatsby," and "The Things They Carried."
Americans rethink the Morality of their past-actions as a sense of moral guidance for their current, and contemporary-present lives, and the issues they all will inevitably encounter.
Morality and Gatsby:
Returning to F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel, "The Great Gatsby," Jay Gatsby is yet another fantastic symbol of moral-development in American literature. Reiterating the sentiments of this novel from the previous stage, Gatsby hurt people his entire life, while Daisy, on the other hand, unintentionally played a part in the pseudo-surrogate-suicide of Myrtle Wilson. With a properly developed sense of dignity and value for other in his life, Gatsby was able to rationally conclude that it would be unjust for Daisy to be punished for something she did not deserve to be involved in in the first place.
Bolstering this claim, it would be necessary to receive even further insight into Gatsby's early life, as mentioned in his history growing up with his mentor, Dan Cody, and Gatsby executing the skills he mastered with his help, such as professionalism and cunningness, to benefit his life as a con, for personal gain, while at other's expense. Fitzgerald, from the perspective of Nick, writes in chapter six:
Bolstering this claim, it would be necessary to receive even further insight into Gatsby's early life, as mentioned in his history growing up with his mentor, Dan Cody, and Gatsby executing the skills he mastered with his help, such as professionalism and cunningness, to benefit his life as a con, for personal gain, while at other's expense. Fitzgerald, from the perspective of Nick, writes in chapter six:
"The truth was that Jay Gatsby of West Egg, Long Island, sprang from his Platonic conception of himself. He was a son of God--a phrase which, if it means anything, means just that--and he must be about His Father's business, the service of a vast, vulgar, and meretricious beauty. So he invented just the sort of Jay Gatsby that a seventeen-year-old boy would be likely to invent, and to this conception he was faithful to the end (Fitzgerald, 98)."
"It was indirectly due to Cody that Gatsby drank so little. Sometimes in the course of gay parties women used to rub champagne into his hair; for himself he formed the habit of letting liquor alone. And it was from Cody that he inherited money--a legacy of twenty-five thousand dollars. He didn't get it. He never understood the legal device that was used against him, but what remained of the millions went to Ella Kaye. He was left with singularly appropriate education; the vague contour of Jay Gatsby had filled out to the substantiality of a man (Fitzgerald, 101)."
"It was indirectly due to Cody that Gatsby drank so little. Sometimes in the course of gay parties women used to rub champagne into his hair; for himself he formed the habit of letting liquor alone. And it was from Cody that he inherited money--a legacy of twenty-five thousand dollars. He didn't get it. He never understood the legal device that was used against him, but what remained of the millions went to Ella Kaye. He was left with singularly appropriate education; the vague contour of Jay Gatsby had filled out to the substantiality of a man (Fitzgerald, 101)."
Fitzgerald begs the reader to understand that although Gatsby was cheated out of Cody's inheritance by Cody's estranged son, Gatsby did, however, inherit a set of skills taught to him by Cody for survival and prosperity in the professional world of the wealthy; but Gatsby executed these exact same principles into the world of illegitimate business and organized crime. It was during this time following his mentorship under Cody that Gatsby began selling grain alcohol with Wolfsheim out of their drug-stores in Chicago and New York, embracing the life of organized crime and quite possibly the mob.
Yet, Gatsby gained more from Cody's teachings and his experiences in the criminal underworld with Wolfsheim than money, he gained a vast collection of experience that would soon be used to complete the second stage of Doctor Cook's success-trait development theory of morality. This is exemplified perfectly when Nick Caraway recognizes Gatsby's significant transformation to morality for his decision to take the fall for Daisy.
Yet, Gatsby gained more from Cody's teachings and his experiences in the criminal underworld with Wolfsheim than money, he gained a vast collection of experience that would soon be used to complete the second stage of Doctor Cook's success-trait development theory of morality. This is exemplified perfectly when Nick Caraway recognizes Gatsby's significant transformation to morality for his decision to take the fall for Daisy.
"We shook hands and I started away. Just before I reached the hedge I remembered something and turned around.
'They're a rotten crowd,' I shouted across the lawn, 'You're worth the whole damn bunch put together.'
I've always been glad I said that. It was the only compliment I ever gave him, because I disapproved of him from the beginning to end (Fitzgerald, 154)."
'They're a rotten crowd,' I shouted across the lawn, 'You're worth the whole damn bunch put together.'
I've always been glad I said that. It was the only compliment I ever gave him, because I disapproved of him from the beginning to end (Fitzgerald, 154)."
Carrying Morality
In Tim O'Brien's emotional, semi-autobiographical novel, "The Things They Carried," Tim writes about the experiences of novel's main character, Tim, and how Tim learns to cope with the war through storytelling and other means to symbolically relieve himself, and others, of the emotional weight bestowed upon them by the Vietnam War. Throughout the story, Tim pieces together what it means to tell a war story, how to tell if a war story is fiction or not, and tying the main premise of storytelling to the symbolical weight he must bear. In this story, Tim bears-witness to several awfully traumatizing experiences throughout his time spent as a GI soldier in Vietnam; he witnesses his fellow soldiers desecrate and disrespect the Vietnamese people, a first-hand experience of his best friend dying in a field of shit, soldiers being blown to bits, and responsibility of death on his hands.
However, towards the end of his deployment, Tim get shot in the butt and is tended to by a new medic, Bobby Jorgenson; who, needless to say, botches the treatment, accidentally allowing Tim to catch gangrene on the wound.
However, towards the end of his deployment, Tim get shot in the butt and is tended to by a new medic, Bobby Jorgenson; who, needless to say, botches the treatment, accidentally allowing Tim to catch gangrene on the wound.
![Picture](/uploads/2/4/2/1/24218731/5210230.jpeg)
In Tim O'Brien's emotional, semi-autobiographical novel, "The Things They Carried," Tim writes about the experiences of novel's main character, Tim, and how Tim learns to cope with the war through storytelling and other means to symbolically relieve himself, and others, of the emotional weight bestowed upon them by the Vietnam War. Throughout the story, Tim pieces together what it means to tell a war story, how to tell if a war story is fiction or not, and tying the main premise of storytelling to the symbolical weight he must bear. In this story, Tim bears-witness to several awfully traumatizing experiences throughout his time spent as a GI soldier in Vietnam; he witnesses his fellow soldiers desecrate and disrespect the Vietnamese people, a first-hand experience of his best friend dying in a field of shit, soldiers being blown to bits, and responsibility of death on his hands.
However, towards the end of his deployment, Tim get shot in the butt and is tended to by a new medic, Bobby Jorgenson; who, needless to say, botches the treatment, accidentally allowing Tim to catch gangrene on his wound. Tim's despise for Jorgenson exponentially-increases as the days pass by, each filled with subtle jokes, teasing, and pestering from other soldiers about his disgusting wound. Eventually, Tim, along with his friend Azar, decides to exact his revenge upon Bobby Jorgenson to show him how it feels to be humiliated. Tim's sheer hatred towards Bobby Jorgenson is particularly noted in the story when O'Brien writes:
However, towards the end of his deployment, Tim get shot in the butt and is tended to by a new medic, Bobby Jorgenson; who, needless to say, botches the treatment, accidentally allowing Tim to catch gangrene on his wound. Tim's despise for Jorgenson exponentially-increases as the days pass by, each filled with subtle jokes, teasing, and pestering from other soldiers about his disgusting wound. Eventually, Tim, along with his friend Azar, decides to exact his revenge upon Bobby Jorgenson to show him how it feels to be humiliated. Tim's sheer hatred towards Bobby Jorgenson is particularly noted in the story when O'Brien writes:
"The nights were miserable. Sometimes I'd roam around the base. I'd head down to the wire and stare out at the darkness, out where the war was, and think up ways to make Bobby Jorgenson feel exactly what I felt. I wanted to hurt him (O'Brien, 184)."
Although Tim possesses a seemingly-unbreakable hatred for Bobby Jorgenson, Tim eventually comes to the realization that Bobby Jorgenson choked up the night Tim was wounded simply because it was his first experience in a firefight. But, Tim also remembers how he choked amidst a firefight when his best friend, Kiowa was blown up by a mortar and he failed to pull his sinking friend from the field of shit, allowing his friend to undoubtedly perish in the muck. Tim recounts his regards to Jorgenson, stating:
"[Azar] looked out at Jorgenson, then at me. His eyes had the opaque, spiritless surface of stone. He moved forward as if to help me up. Then he stopeed. Almost as an afterthought, he kicked me in the head.
'Sad,' he murmured, and headed off to bed.
'No big deal,' I told Jorgenson. 'Leave it alone.'
But he led me down to the bunker and used a towel to wipe the gash at my forehead. It wasn't bad, really. I felt some dizziness, but I tried not to let it show.
It was almost dawn now. For a while we didn't speak.
'So,' he finally said.
'Right.'
We shook hands. Neither of us put much emotion into it and we didn't look at each other's eyes. . .
'We're even now?' he said.
'Pretty much.'
Again, I felt that closeness. Almost war buddies (O'Brien, 206-207)."
'Sad,' he murmured, and headed off to bed.
'No big deal,' I told Jorgenson. 'Leave it alone.'
But he led me down to the bunker and used a towel to wipe the gash at my forehead. It wasn't bad, really. I felt some dizziness, but I tried not to let it show.
It was almost dawn now. For a while we didn't speak.
'So,' he finally said.
'Right.'
We shook hands. Neither of us put much emotion into it and we didn't look at each other's eyes. . .
'We're even now?' he said.
'Pretty much.'
Again, I felt that closeness. Almost war buddies (O'Brien, 206-207)."
At this point in the novel, Tim and Azar finally executed their dastardly prank on Jorgenson, which involved simulating a firefight with gunpowder noises and explosion-sounding noices, to simply scare and humiliate him. However, Tim notices that Azar had taken the prank too far, and refused to lay off of him and finally cut off the prank, mostly in part of Tim remembering what it was like to botch your assignment because of his first experience in battle. Azar refused cease the prank, and Tim ended it by force. Azar kicked Tim in the head out of anger, referring to him as soft and weak. Ironically, Jorgenson emerges to tend to Tim's head-wound inflicted by Azar, where upon they finally call it even, and move on with their lives.
Here, Tim applies his experiences from the past to make a judgment on whether it's just to exact revenge on Jorgenson because he was new, as Tim recognizes he was once the new guy too. This is a clear-cut example of morality derived from evaluation of past experiences; thus, providing Tim O'Brien the basis to pursue his professional, future career as a successful writer.
Here, Tim applies his experiences from the past to make a judgment on whether it's just to exact revenge on Jorgenson because he was new, as Tim recognizes he was once the new guy too. This is a clear-cut example of morality derived from evaluation of past experiences; thus, providing Tim O'Brien the basis to pursue his professional, future career as a successful writer.
Americans develop a sense of empathy for others as they age and mature. This sense of understanding is crucial for their strengthening of their comprehension of morality, which then in-turn provides them with yet another vital determining factor for their success in the professional world of American business and other fields. Bearing all of this in mind, their insight on morality will then grant Americans the opportunity to comprehend the ethics of their actions to further maintain their professional integrity in their professional career field, particularly involving their work-time decisions and management.