Discussion on the topic of cowardice. Electronic textbooks on the Russian language. What questions are worth thinking about?

Courage and cowardice are two opposite traits of human character. Philosophers, psychologists, writers and poets have been thinking about this topic for centuries.

Being brave means being able to control your emotions, thereby actively resisting your fears. A brave person is, first of all, a self-confident person who is not afraid to face problems, looks for a way out to solve them, does not deviate from his plans and goes to the end, until his goal is fulfilled.

A brave person must also have a huge amount of patience, be purposeful, enterprising, and have willpower. It is very important that such a character trait as courage be given to a kind and sympathetic person for good purposes. It is worth noting that courage in a person can also manifest itself with a negative connotation, such as arrogance, excitement and fatalism, which can become dangerous for himself, like an inappropriate feeling of courage.

In cowardice, just like in courage, there are also positive and negative aspects of the manifestation of the human “I”. Cowardice can manifest itself as a protective reflex that saves a person from a threat - it is fearfulness and timidity. Negative traits include: cowardice, hesitation, such a person is the complete opposite of a brave person, he is afraid of any problems and avoids them in every possible way.

I believe that cowardice is a common weakness of willpower, an unwillingness to take control of one’s emotions and direct them in the right direction. A cowardly person may also have a goal, but he can easily give up on it if a small obstacle arises on the way. There are many examples of human cowardice and courage in literature; this clearly shows that cowardice, it would seem, is a trifle, but in fact it can be criminal. Because of this character trait, a person can commit both moral and legal crimes. Therefore, I believe that every person is obliged to educate himself morally, learn to balance his emotions, believe in his strength, pull himself together and not let the feeling of fear overcome him, but also, of course, know in moderation in everything.

Essay 2

When talking about such subtle qualities as courage and cowardice, we must always take into account the circumstances in which this or that person finds himself. The manifestation of courage, as such, is considered only when you showed it consciously, taking the first, unimposed step to help. There are many examples of courage and not every one of them will be appropriate from a logical and human point of view, because we have different manifestations of courage. One should feel this fine line between fanaticism and heroism in their pure manifestation. In addition, excessive demonstration of your courage may not lead to universal recognition, but will only aggravate your situation, so from here we can conclude that every person can and should show courage, but in no way mean echoes of madness by this.

And now we can touch on the complete opposite of courage, cowardice. Let's start by not confusing the natural defensive reflex, namely fear, the manifestation of which is often associated with a real danger factor, and excessive timidity in the face of any difficulties along the way. I think it’s fair to say that cowardice has no excuse, and the people themselves who had such weakness are not too happy about it. What prevents them from believing in their inner strengths and not giving in to panic? This question is difficult to answer, but some come to the same conclusion that a person is hindered by nothing more than his own fear. That very feeling, like a snake, enveloping us from top to toe, forcing us to believe in something that simply does not exist, in our imagination, which does not allow us to function normally and assess the situation sensibly. Perhaps you can get rid of this by slowly overcoming your internal fears and complexes, but unfortunately this is all only in the hands of the person himself, and the environment can only create a favorable environment for overcoming mental difficulties.

Finally, when we have figured out what courage and cowardice are and answered some important questions that ordinary people sometimes ask, we can judge which is better? Show cowardice and stay alive, or, on the contrary, show your courage and not denigrate your reputation, dignity and honor. Of course, the choice will ultimately remain only with the person himself, but still, from the point of view of morality and ethics, a person must help, must show courage in cases of injustice, otherwise we will simply cease to exist. No one wants to become an example of self-sacrifice, but everyone needs heroes so that in a difficult moment of life, no matter what, to believe in the best, to believe in themselves.

Sample 3

Most often, the feeling of courage is attributed to men, while the feeling of cowardice, on the contrary, is considered more feminine. However, such a classification is conditional and in reality these feelings are universal and are inherent in representatives of any gender. Every person can develop both.

If you look at it superficially, then courage and cowardice are understandable qualities. However, if you look a little deeper, it becomes not entirely clear what the differences are between courage and stupidity, between cowardice and caution, when to be bold and when even to be cowardly.

When the situation is viewed more prosaically, it is possible to see some very interesting facts. For example, take war, which, oddly enough, is a typical state of affairs for humanity. People have regularly organized wars throughout almost their entire history.

Who returns after the war? As a rule, they are considered heroes. However, in fact, the bulk of the heroes remain on the battlefield, since the function of the hero as such is often not only to perform heroic deeds, but also to die heroically.

For the most part, cowards return from war. For the most part, cowards survive, and if we take the factor of evolutionary selection, then, probably, it was cowards, and not daredevils, who could avoid predators and not eat some poisonous berries. Often cowardice prevailed over curiosity and it was this factor that allowed people to survive.

Thus, a significant part of modern humanity is the descendants of cowards, and not daredevils. This raises the question of what behavior is generally more reasonable and appropriate and whether people often confuse courage with stupidity, and cowardice with caution.

In my opinion, there really is courage and true courage, which is an independently developed internal quality that is significantly related to the self-education of the individual and a deep understanding of the world. On the other hand, there is absurd cowardice, which can only be a sign of an undeveloped personality and stupidity. However, in order to understand all these aspects, you need to deeply understand yourself and this world.

Unified State Exam. 350 words

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Courage and cowardice are two different, opposite qualities, manifestations of character, which, meanwhile, are closely related to each other. Both a coward and a daredevil can live in the same person. This problem has been raised frequently in the literature.

Thus, the girls showed real heroism and courage in Boris Vasiliev’s work “And the dawns here are quiet...”. All the characters in the story - five fragile girls: Zhenya Komelkova, Rita Osyanina, Sonya Gurvich, Galya Chetvertak, Liza Brichkina and foreman Vaskov - are depicted in the struggle, giving all their strength in the name of saving the Motherland.

It was these people who brought our country’s victory closer in this terrible war.

Another literary example is the story of Maxim Gorky “The Old Woman Izergil”, namely its third part - the legend of Danko. He was a brave and fearless young man who sacrificed himself for the sake of the people. He decided to help his people and took leadership over them in order to lead them out of the impenetrable forest. The path was not easy, and when people, having lost their fortitude, fell upon Danko, he rips his heart out of his chest to illuminate the path and give people the warmth and goodness that came from his flaming heart. And when the goal was achieved, no one even noticed his death and that “his brave heart was burning next to Danko’s corpse.” Danko saw the meaning of life in helping people.

And secondly, this is the problem of cowardice. In Mikhail Bulgakov’s novel “The Master and Margarita,” Pontius Pilate, out of fear of condemnation, commits a terrible act; he sent an innocent man, the philosopher Yeshua Ha-Nozri, to execution. The procurator did not listen to his inner voice. And cowardice in making the right decision became a punishment for Pilate. He will look for an excuse for his action, but will not find it.

Also, the hero of Nikolai Gogol's story "Taras Bulba" - Andriy - did not show the best quality. For the sake of love for a woman, he was able to renounce everyone. Having not forgiven his son for betrayal and cowardice, Taras Bulba himself kills him. The payback for Andriy turned out to be too expensive - his own life.

Updated: 2017-09-12

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Useful material on the topic

• Is it possible to say that courage and cowardice are two sides of the same coin? Courage and cowardice. Essay Unified State Exam Arguments, examples from literature

in the direction of "Courage and Cowardice"

Subject:Can a brave man be afraid?

It is generally accepted that a brave person is not afraid of anything. But is it? In order to answer this question, it is necessary to define what courage means and what it is like. In dictionaries, courage is a positive moral and volitional personality trait, manifested as determination, fearlessness, courage when performing actions associated with risk and danger.

Indeed, courage is usually associated with walking on the edge, with the threat of life, but it can also manifest itself in everyday situations. Brave people are found not only in war, we meet them everywhere. One can be called brave who is not afraid to express his opinion, who has the courage to be different from the majority, and is able to perceive new things. Does courage presuppose fear? In my opinion, only a fool is not afraid. There is no shame in being afraid, but only a person who overcomes fear can be called brave.

Many writers have addressed this topic. Thus, E. Ilyina’s story “The Fourth Height” is dedicated to overcoming fears. Gulya Koroleva is an example of courage in all its manifestations. Her whole life is a battle with fear, and each of her victories is a new height. In the work we see the life story of one person, the formation of a real personality. Every step she takes is a manifesto of determination. From the first lines of the story, little Gulya shows real courage in different life situations. Overcoming her childhood fears, she takes the snake out of the box with her bare hands and sneaks into the cage with the elephants at the zoo. The heroine grows up, and the challenges encountered in life become more serious: the first role in a movie, the admission of being wrong, the ability to take responsibility for one’s actions. Throughout the entire work he does what he is afraid of. Having matured, Gulya Koroleva gets married and has a son. It seems that all fears have been conquered, she can live a calm family life, but the biggest test awaits her: the war begins, and her husband goes to the front. She is afraid for her husband, her son, the future of the country, but fear does not paralyze her, does not force her to hide. The girl goes to work as a nurse in a hospital to make her contribution. Unfortunately, her husband dies, and Gula has to fight alone. She goes to the front, unable to look at the horrors happening to her loved ones. The heroine takes the “fourth height.” She dies, having defeated the very last fear living in a person, the fear of death. On the pages of the story we see how the main character is afraid, but overcomes her phobias.

The problem of overcoming fear is also explored in Veronica Roth's novel Divergent. Beatrice Prior, the main character of the work, leaves her home, the Abnegation faction, to become Dauntless. She is afraid of her parents' reaction, afraid of not going through the initiation rite, of not being accepted in a new place. But her main strength is that she challenges all her fears and faces them. Tris puts herself in great danger by being in the company of the Dauntless, because she is “different”, people like her are destroyed. This scares her terribly, but she is much more afraid of herself. She does not understand the nature of her difference from others, and is horrified by the thought that her very existence could be dangerous for people.

The fight against fears is one of the key problems of the novel. So, Beatrice’s lover’s name is Faure, which means “four” in English. This is exactly the number of fears he needs to overcome. Tris and For fearlessly fight for their lives, justice, and peace in the city they call home. They defeat both external and internal enemies, which undoubtedly characterizes them as brave people.

I would like to complete my thoughts with M. Twain’s statement: “Courage is resistance to fear, not its absence.” Indeed, there is no need to be afraid of fear and associate it with cowardice; you need to fight it, overcoming not only external circumstances, but also resolving internal conflicts.

How will brave and hesitant characters help you get "pass"?

Text: Anna Chainikova, teacher of Russian and literature, school No. 171
Photo: frame from the cartoon “The Wise Minnow”, 1979

There are only a few days left until the final essay, and we continue to analyze the main directions, this time we’ll talk about “Courage and Cowardice.” Is it easy to be brave in everyday life? How are fear and betrayal related? Can a coward be happy? Graduates will have to find answers to these difficult questions in literary works.

FIPI comment:

This direction is based on a comparison of opposite manifestations of the human “I”: readiness for decisive actions and the desire to hide from danger, to avoid resolving difficult, sometimes extreme life situations.

The pages of many literary works present both heroes capable of bold actions and characters demonstrating weakness of spirit and lack of will.

Vocabulary work

According to the explanatory dictionary of D. N. Ushakov:
COURAGE – courage, determination, courageous behavior.
COWARDNESS – timidity and timidity characteristic of a coward.

Synonyms
Courage - courage, fearlessness, courage, valor, intrepidity, determination, bravery.
Cowardice- cowardice, indecisiveness.

In what situations does a person show courage or cowardice?

• In extreme situations (in war, during natural disasters and catastrophes)
• In peaceful life (in relationships with other people, in defending views, ideals, in love)

Quite often we come across examples of courage shown in extreme situations: in war, during disasters, natural disasters, in a critical situation when someone needs help and protection. Then a person, without thinking about his own life, rushes to save someone who is in trouble.

However, you can be brave or cowardly not only in such moments; in everyday life there is also a place for such concepts as courage and cowardice.

How will courage be manifested in everyday life? Do you need to be brave every day? What does fear push a person to do? How are fear and betrayal related? Is it possible to attribute to “time” the fact that a person commits a cowardly and vile act? It makes the reader think about these questions. Yu. Trifonov in the story “House on the Embankment”.

Glebov, the main character of the story, grew up in a poor family, all his life he strived to become one of the people, to overcome the inferiority complex that formed in his childhood, spent in the neighborhood of the famous “House on the Embankment”, next to the children of the Soviet elite: party workers and professors. The main character puts his well-being above all else, therefore, when fate confronts him with a choice: at a meeting to speak in defense of his future father-in-law, Professor Ganchuk, or to slander him by supporting the campaign launched against him, Glebov does not know what to do. On the one hand, he is held together by family ties and conscientiousness: he is Ganchuk’s future son-in-law and has seen only good things from this family, the professor himself has repeatedly assisted Glebov, and the hero cannot betray his scientific supervisor. On the other hand, at stake is the Griboyedov scholarship promised to him, which opens all doors and gives prospects for career growth.

Glebov’s father was a cautious, frightened man who saw some hidden dangers even in his son’s harmless friendship with children from party families. Caution in itself is not cowardice, but a principle instilled in childhood as a joke: “My children, follow the tram rule - keep your head down!”- bears fruit in Glebov’s adult life. At a critical moment, when Ganchuk needs help, Glebov goes into the shadows. Some demand that he support the professor, others demand that he denounce him. Ganchuk’s friends appeal to Glebov’s conscience and nobility, they say that an honest person simply cannot do otherwise, has no right, while in the academic department the hero is promised a Griboyedov scholarship and career advancement.

Only one thing is required from Glebov - a decision about who he is with, and he just cannot decide: “Glebov was one of a special breed of heroes: he was ready to stagnate at a crossroads until the last opportunity, until that final second when they fall dead from exhaustion. The hero is a waiter, the hero is a rubber puller. One of those who do not decide on anything themselves, but leave it to the horse to decide.”

Why can’t the hero make a decision that would seem obvious to an honest person? It’s not so much a matter of reluctance to miss potential opportunities, says Yu. Trifonov, but rather fear: “What was there to be afraid of at that time of stupid-eyed youth? Impossible to understand, impossible to explain. In thirty years you won't get anywhere. But a skeleton emerges... They rolled the barrel towards Ganchuk. And nothing else. Absolutely nothing! And there was fear - completely insignificant, blind, formless, like a creature born in the dark underground - fear of unknown what, to act contrary, to stand in defiance.”. Glebov unconsciously follows the same paternal principle of “keep your head down.” He wants to “come and keep silent” in order to preserve relations with the Ganchuks as much as possible and not block his path “forward and upward.”

“Why are you silent, Dima?” - the main question asked of Glebov.

The “waiting hero” wants to delay the moment of making a decision with all his might, he waits for the situation to somehow resolve itself, dreams of a heart attack or loss of consciousness, which would save him from the need to speak out, make a decision and bear responsibility for his choice. The death of his grandmother saves Glebov from the need to attend the meeting, however, despite the fact that he did not denounce Ganchuk, his cowardice and cowardly silence are betrayal and complicity in a crime. "Yes, if before your eyes<…>they attack a person and rob him in the middle of the street, and they ask you, a passerby, for a handkerchief to shut up the victim’s mouth...<…>Who are you, I ask? Accidental witness or accomplice?- Kuno Ivanovich, a friend of the Ganchuk family, denounces Glebov on the eve of the meeting.

Cowardice and cowardice push Glebov to betrayal. “Sometimes silence can kill one’s own,” says Kuno Ivanovich before the meeting. Glebov will have to suffer from memories of his cowardly act, the betrayal of his teacher, throughout his life. A reminder of him will be a recurring dream about crosses, medals and orders, Glebov’s “thirty pieces of silver”, which he, trying not to rattle, sorts through in a monpensier box.

Glebov wants to relieve himself of responsibility for the fact that he did not find the strength to stand up in front of everyone and tell the truth, for being a coward, so he calms himself with the phrase: “It is not Glebov’s fault and not the people, but the times.” However, according to the author, the responsibility lies entirely with the individual. After all, finding himself in exactly the same situation as Glebov, Professor Ganchuk behaves differently: he defends his colleague, his student Asturgus, even though professionally he disagrees with him in many respects. “When people are undeservedly humiliated, he cannot stand aside and remain silent,” the author writes about Professor Ganchuk. “He will fight for others like a lion, go anywhere, fight anyone. So he fought for this insignificant Asturg", - says Kuno Ivanovich about him. It is also important that it was by actively defending his student that Professor Ganchuk brought disaster upon himself. This means, Yu. Trifonov concludes, it’s not a matter of “times”, but a choice that everyone makes for themselves.

It cannot be said that Glebov commits betrayal only because he is a cold pragmatist, a calculating and unprincipled person, as Yulia Mikhailovna, Ganchuk’s wife, says about him (“... an intelligent man, but his mind is icy, useless, inhuman, it is a mind for himself "), because betrayal is not easy for him; he suffers from the realization of what he has done for many years. Glebov is a coward and a conformist who did not find the strength to “act contrary, stand in defiance.”

Even in everyday life, sometimes a person is faced with situations in which fearlessness is required from him, for example, the courage to raise a voice, go against everyone, or protect the weak. This everyday, everyday courage is no less important than courage on the battlefield. It is this that allows a person to remain human, to respect himself and to command the respect of others.

Aphorisms and sayings of famous people

• When you are afraid, act boldly, and you will avoid the worst troubles. (G. Sachs)
• In battle those most exposed to danger are those who are most possessed by fear; courage is like a wall. (Sallust)
• Courage is resistance to fear, not the absence of it. (M. Twain)
• Scared - half defeated. (A.V. Suvorov)
• A person fears only what he does not know; knowledge conquers all fear. (V. G. Belinsky)
• A coward is more dangerous than any other person; he should be feared most of all. (L. Berne)
• There is nothing worse than fear itself. (F. Bacon)
• Cowards die many times before death, the brave die only once. (W. Shakespeare)
• Cowardice is very harmful because it keeps the will from useful actions. (R. Descartes)
• Cowardice in its prime turns into cruelty. (G. Ibsen)
• You can never live happily when you are always trembling with fear. (P. Holbach)
• You cannot love either the one you fear or the one who fears you. (Cicero)
• To be afraid of love is to be afraid of life, and to be afraid of life is to be two-thirds dead. (B. Russell)

What questions are worth thinking about?

• What does it mean to be brave in everyday life?
• What does cowardice push a person to do?
• How is fear related to dishonor?
• What actions can be called courageous?
• What is the difference between arrogance and courage?
• Who can be called a coward?
• Is it possible to cultivate courage in yourself?
• What are the causes of fear?
• Can a brave person be afraid of anything?
• What is the difference between fear and cowardice?
• Why is it important to have courage when making decisions?
• Why are people afraid to express their opinions?
• Why does creativity require courage?
• Do you need courage in love?
• Can a coward be happy?

I feel the unspoken question: were you afraid? Of course I was afraid. Maybe sometimes he was a coward. But, generally speaking, there are many fears in war, and they are all very different. Fear of the Germans - they could be captured or shot; fear of enemy fire, especially artillery raids and bombings. If the gaps are nearby, the body itself - without the participation of the mind - falls to the ground, and the heart is ready to burst from painful forebodings. But there was also another fear, coming, so to speak, from behind - from the authorities, from all those punitive bodies, of which there were no less during the war than in peacetime. Maybe even more. When the commander threatens to shoot you if you do not take the abandoned farm, height or trench (and this threat was quite real), then it is not yet known who you will be more afraid of - the Germans or the commander. Enemies may miss. And their own - the commanders (or the tribunal, if it comes to it) - these will not allow mistakes. Everything here is definite and categorical.
Vasil Bykov. Memoirs

Stupid courage will not give you victory. But if you mix it with military cunning, then it can be called the art of war.
Alexander Suvorov

To become a man, it’s not enough for them to be born,
How to become iron - it is not enough to be ore.
You must melt down. To crash.
And, like ore, sacrifice yourself.
How difficult it is to walk in boots in July.
But you are a soldier and you can accept everything:
From a woman's kiss to a bullet,
And learn not to retreat in battle.
Willingness to die is also a weapon,
And you will use it once...
Men die if necessary
And that is why they live for centuries.
Mikhail Lvov

Captain Grivtsov, this is cowardice and betrayal, he told himself. You should be stripped of your shoulder straps and shot by a field tribunal. Yes? Let those who shoot first drink their war with me. Let fate give them five minutes of standing in the rain with the woman they love, so that they can then take her to almost certain death. How do you know what they drank and what fate gave? Everyone has favorite women, everyone has war. Is it better for those who don’t have loved ones? Easier. But no better. And for those who no longer have them? They don't care. Still, it would be best if they didn’t find those fires today. And your conscience will be clear. But the point is not that you want to save Katya. You still can't save it. Tomorrow you will take it and drop it off yourself. You just want to stay with her for a day.
...
And Grivtsov realized that by morning they would return with their chilled native Katya in the bomb bay and hug, and the understanding Nikodimych would run up with a flask, and the whole day, from morning to night, would be theirs. And for the next day like this, we can fight for another two years. And then I realized that everyone understood this. And Pasha, lying in the tail with a machine gun, and Sashka in his plexiglass cap on top, and even the regiment commander probably understands this too. And everyone even sympathizes. And no one will dare to reproach with the slightest suspicion. And the entire regiment will understand perfectly well that the commander of the second squadron, Captain Grivtsov, spat on the combat mission in order to spend the day with the woman. And you won't dig it. He was sweating. He still has to send crews to their deaths many times. And they will look at him with understanding eyes: “You yourself, of course, played a great role once, but well, you’re a commander...” Worse than that. Even if they couldn't actually find the fires, no one would believe him. Sewn with white thread. Like, we know, we understand, we believe, we remain silent. You're in trouble, Captain Grivtsov. It’s both bad and bad. Eh, Grivtsov said to himself and ran his gaze over the dashboard. We will carry out the task conscientiously. What can you do, Katenka...
Mikhail Weller. Ballad of a bomber.