Life and Its Lessons Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Life and Its Lessons - Essay Example Socrates said that he doesn’t want to flee, though he was to be sentenced. He wants to be sentenced even though he doesn’t believe in the ways on how the government sentenced him. He would like that the public know of his ideas rather than flee. He was a philosopher and he stood with his beliefs even if it meant he had to die for it. He further stated in Apology that â€Å"A good man cannot be harmed either in life or in death† and since he believed that he did the right thing, then he knew that even if he died then he would not be harmed.It was also in the text â€Å"Apology† wherein the â€Å"Strong Promise of Defiance† showed that Socrates was willing to defy the Athenian court whether it was a legal or illegal order if it stops him from being what he is which is a philosopher. In addition to this, another example is in the story â€Å"The Lesson† by Toni Cade Bambara, one of the characters Miss Moore is a college educated woman who has co me to live in a poor African−American neighborhood and took the responsibility to teach the children living in it about the community outside and the problems that African Americans and poor people face in the world. Miss Moore was not afraid to be different from the other members of the community where she lived. She was college educated, does not go to church like the rest of the community and wore her hair in curls that was different from the African-American descent who had their hair straightened out. . This just shows that she’s comfortable with her ancestry and does not conform to what was expected of their race. She was not afraid to share her ideas even if others think she is weird. Another example came from the play â€Å"A Raisin in the Sun† by Lorraine Hansbury, Beneatha was a feminist, her ideas and the way she thinks were that of a modern African-American woman. She even wants to works as a doctor which in his brother’s eyes was a job for a m an and wanted her to be a nurse instead. She was not afraid to speak of her ideas and what she feels (Domina, 3). In order to make right decisions people have to determine first who they really are. Because if they deny everything that they stand for, then the decision making capabilities may be hindered by conflicts within themselves. Another question that a person asks in life is â€Å"what can I know†, what people know in their lifetime came from what they learned from childhood and reinforced as they grow old. The lessons in life â€Å"what we can know† are influenced by people met in school, work, and the society. In addition, some lessons are results of the decisions or choices that are made. The story â€Å"The Things we Carried† by Tim O’Brien depicts and shows the things that soldiers carry both physical and emotional issues. It sets an example on what can one know in the workplace and the people they work