Final essay on the topic: “Self-sacrifice” - arguments and examples from literature

Self-sacrifice is an individual’s disregard for personal interests in order to preserve the well-being of another. Simply put, this is the desire to refuse to satisfy personal goals, pleasures, and often even life in order to protect the benefits and interests of other individuals. Self-sacrifice is considered an extreme form of altruism. In the modern high-speed rhythm of life, in a universe where technology and an all-consuming desire for personal gain reign, where the level of stress is off the charts, where morality has receded not even into the background, but into the background, the described phenomenon is becoming less and less common. Self-sacrifice for people is a human instinct to protect family and offspring.

Definition of the concept

Self-sacrifice is the complete willingness to sacrifice one’s personal interests and feelings for the benefit of other people, without expecting anything in return . Only a strong person, who in this case is called a victim, can voluntarily give up his own pleasures and personal goals. There are a huge number of examples of self-sacrifice in literature. This is what makes the task of writing the final essay much easier. Self-sacrifice can be conscious or unconscious.

Heroism and sacrifice can be attributed to many areas of human activity and behavior. But you should clearly understand what true self-sacrifice is. After all, it can hardly be called heroism just because a soldier went to fight for his Motherland. Firstly, he is a soldier, and his duty is to defend his Fatherland. Secondly, he will not necessarily be the hero of this war. He may turn out to be a weak person and not distinguish himself in any way in combat.

For example, a girl who marries an elderly rich man cannot be called self-sacrifice. Essentially, it's just a deal. She exchanges her beautiful young body for material well-being. Another example: a young man who constantly crams his homework, exchanging difficult studies for the delights of carefree days. He also does not engage in self-sacrifice, but plans in advance his brilliant future in a promising profession. None of the synonyms for self-sacrifice can be included in these examples.

Synonyms for the word self-sacrifice include:

• heroism;
• sacrifice;
• courage;
• self-forgetfulness;
• self-denial.

Self-sacrifice can be noble, heroic, voluntary, great, similar.

Florence Nightingale. Selflessness of a woman

As historical facts testify, self-sacrifice among great women often contained a destructive element for the fairer sex themselves. But it also happened when a victim was transformed into a great idea. Then love is transformed and aimed at saving others or the whole world. In this case, the energy of compassion accumulates in a person. It helps the development of not only one’s own personality, but also of all people. This is a difficult mission.

An example of such self-sacrifice is Florence Nightingale. She was one of the best brides in Britain, who could boast of an excellent level of education and refined behavior. But after she once visited a beggar's shelter, her desire to start a family and have children faded. Another purpose became clear in her thoughts.

High society appreciated the impulse to work as a nurse for the poor in a hospital as a whim of an aristocrat who had not seen life. No one understood the powerful spiritual impulse, but the young beauty’s persistence helped her. Over the next 7 years, Nightingale, who had a deep knowledge of natural sciences, independently created a way to care for the sick, including reasonable quarantine requirements. Having completely refused to start a family, the woman spent her own life on compassion.

As a result, she became the main expert of the commission monitoring the situation of military hospitals in England. She founded a nursing school and created an award for charity.

Such an example convincingly shows that selflessness has the right to its own manifestations. If only for the reason that the feeling of happiness and understanding of it differs among people. Florence Nightingale lived a long and happy life in harmony with herself. This once again confirms the fact that her willingness to help was a true manifestation of a voluntary sacrifice of her own interests.

Examples of heroic deeds

Manifestation of sacrifice in war is quite conscious of man. In times of war, heroes often go to their death in order to save another. It is at such moments that a person feels a surge of strength, courage and bravery. Many works confirm this.

Examples of heroic deeds in literature:

1. A. T. Tvardovsky, “Vasily Terkin”. This is a brave soldier, personifying the dedication and strength of character of the Russian person. A simple soldier who tries to help people and does everything possible to brighten up their lives in the most difficult conditions of war. He is always cheerful with his fellow sufferers, ready to cheer them up at any moment with his stories and jokes. His duty is to help everyone in need in difficult times. At the same time, he does not expect any reward or praise. His dedication is completely free. It is worth noting that in those days there were thousands of people like Vasily. These brave fighters were ready to sacrifice themselves for the sake of a happy future for the younger generation.
2. L.N. Tolstoy, “War and Peace.” Pierre Bezukhov commits a heroic act, saving the girl. He is not a poor man and has the opportunity to leave the city besieged by the enemy, but does not do so. For him, sacrificing his safety is a sense of duty, which at the moment is above all else for him.
3. A. S. Pushkin, “The Captain's Daughter.” Pyotr Grinev puts his life in danger. He consciously goes to free Masha Mironova, despite the fact that he may be killed. At the cost of his own life, he is ready to rescue his beloved from captivity.

Heroism can be found not only on the battlefield. Often people sacrifice their personal interests for the sake of bright feelings.

Literature

• Radio control - Tachanka / . - M.: Military publishing house of the Ministry of Defense of the USSR, 1980. - 693 p. - (Soviet Military Encyclopedia: ; 1976-1980, vol. 7).
• [www.terme.ru/dictionary/522/word/SELF-DENICTION Dedication] // [www.terme.ru/dictionary/522 Dictionary of Ethics] / ed. I. S. Kona. - 1981. - 432 p. — 400,000 copies.
• Military encyclopedic dictionary / Prev. Ch. ed. commission S. F. Akhromeev, I. O. chapters ed. S. G. Shapkin. — 2nd ed. - M.: Voenizdat, 1986. - 863 p. — 150,000 copies.
• Dictionary of military terms / Comp. A. M. Plekhov, ed. S. G. Shapkin. - M.: Voenizdat, 1989. - 335 p. — 65,000 copies. — ISBN 5-203-00175-8.

Self-sacrifice for love

A person can do crazy and inexplicable things for the sake of love. Sacrifice of one's feelings for the sake of an ideal is a complex and controversial topic. Sometimes love can lead not only to despair, but even to death. There are many examples that can be given on this topic.

Actions for love:

1. A. N. Ostrovsky, “Thunderstorm”. Before marriage, Katerina is happy; respect and love reign in her family. She believes that this should be the case in every family. But after getting married, she does not find those relationships. On the contrary, lies and cruelty are the motto in the new family. A woman's dreams are shattered. Not finding understanding and love from her husband, Katerina cheats on him. Thus, she sacrifices family ties for love relationships. But deception also haunts her. Conscience torments a woman. Another final act of self-sacrifice by Katerina is suicide.
2. A. N. Ostrovsky, “Dowry”. Young beautiful Larisa is homeless. Her mother gives her last savings for her maintenance in the hope of finding her a worthy rich groom. Larisa herself loves the landowner Paratov, but she doesn’t even have one chance to walk down the aisle with him. The vain and poor Karandyshev proposes to her. After the end of the evening at Larisa’s house, Paratov invites the woman to escape with him on a boat. She agrees, although she knows that this act will be regarded as frivolity. On the ship she learns that Paratov is engaged and is marrying for money. An enraged Karandyshev kills Larisa after spending the night with Paratov.
3. I. A. Goncharov, “Oblomov”. Over the course of many years, the main character has been building his personal life ideology. But, falling in love, he is forced to sacrifice her. Before the appearance of bright feelings, his usual daily lifestyle was no different. Day after day he lies on the couch and does nothing. His usual clothing is a robe, his favorite pastime is spending time in bed. But with the arrival of love, he changes into a suit and begins to go out into the world. And he likes it. Over time, his chosen one Olga realizes that she is unable to change Oblomov and leaves him. He, in turn, returns to his previous way of life. Oblomov’s argument is useful for writing: even such a person is capable of self-sacrifice, albeit for a short time.

In foreign literary art there are also excellent examples of sacrifice in the name of love. For example, Charlotte Bronte's novel Jane Eyre. The girl sacrificed herself when she became the hands and eyes of her lover after he went blind.

Tristan Ludlow as an example of true selflessness

As stated just above, directors and screenwriters love spectacular scenes. Here our interests coincide with them: to clearly remember new information, we need emotional involvement. When choosing a film to illustrate, we chose “Legends of the Fall” (1994), where the main character, Tristan Ludlow, is an example of selflessness (there is no need to explain what such a personality quality means). Tristan was always brave when he fought with a bear as a boy, when he watched and failed to save his younger brother from the claws of the First World War, and when he shielded his father from a bandit’s bullet.

Let the reader not be angry with us, we did not say a word about the plot, and those details that are mentioned here will only say something to those who have already seen the film. Valor really cannot be developed artificially by setting oneself the goal of being brave, but it can be cultivated by focusing on correct, noble ideals. Yes, parents have a decisive role in upbringing, but the films and books that a person absorbs throughout his life also play an important role in the development of personality.

The reader can finally wish only one thing - courage. Moreover, he is already aware of the meaning of the word “dedication” and its synonyms, which means the first step has been taken.

Mother's feelings for children

Sacrifice is often shown through examples of the relationship of a mother and father to their child, who are ready to do anything for him. Parents initially have the quality of caring for their child from childhood. They protect him from conflicts, solve children’s problems, and protect him from troubles. Therefore, they themselves are forced to endure any inconvenience and some hardships. Not only parents, but also ordinary people are ready to sacrifice themselves for the sake of their children.

Examples of such sacrifice in the literature:

1. V. Rasputin, “French Lessons”. The teacher has a great desire to financially help the unfortunate proud boy. He doesn't accept help. Necessity forces him to gamble. To help the child, the teacher begins to play with him for money. She soon loses her job because of this. Self-sacrifice is evident here. Even if she is not related by blood to the child, the woman loses her job for the sake of his well-being.
2. N. D. Teleshov, “Home”. The little migrant Syomka is heading home from the barracks to his native land. On the way he meets an unfamiliar grandfather. On the way, the child is overcome by illness, and a fellow traveler decides to take the baby to the city hospital. Grandfather himself is a convict refugee, and returning to the city threatens him with arrest. But the man doesn’t think for a minute, because the life of a child is more valuable.
3. I. A. Bunin, “Lapti”. The servant fell in love with the master's boy so much that he sacrificed his life for him. The child, near death, becomes delirious and asks to bring him red sandals. The mother is tossing around and doesn’t know what to do. An old servant is called to help her. He offers to buy ordinary bast shoes in the shop and paint them red. In his opinion, this will ease the child’s torment. But on the way back from the shop, the servant freezes.
4. F. M. Dostoevsky, “Crime and Punishment.” Sonya Marmeladova is forced to sell her body in order to feed her unfortunate drunkard father, his wife and children, although they are not her blood relatives. Oddly enough, the type of her work activity does not confuse the reader at all. She commits a sacrificial act. It would be a different matter if she sold her body for her own pleasure.

Self-sacrifice for high goals can rightly be called heroism, especially if the child really needs help at the moment.

Based on examples of self-sacrifice in literature, we can draw a small conclusion: this quality is contradictory. Some consider it the highest manifestation of heroism, others - on the contrary, a meaningless and stupid lifestyle. Sacrifice can be observed in various areas of a person’s life, and is also manifested in differences in behavior. To understand what self-sacrifice is, you need to learn to distinguish it from concepts such as deal and debt.

Examples of selfless behavior of people

Fear of people and society - what is this phobia called and what is it

Examples of professions and activities that require dedication:

1. Volunteer work. A person helps others absolutely free of charge because he wants to benefit society. Volunteer activities often begin to be paid for. Many world-class specialists started out as volunteers. Therefore, this activity is not always an example of selfless behavior. People can go help others for free to practice their skills.
2. Rescuers. Every person can find himself in a life-threatening situation (for example, begins to drown). The rescuer helps him, risking his own life.
3. Firefighters. They help pull people and animals out of the fire, also at risk.
4. Military. They sacrifice their lives to protect the country. Moreover, they do not always receive due gratitude, which greatly depends on the political situation.
5. Social workers are people who professionally help others overcome difficult life circumstances. Abroad, this is a well-paid profession, but in the CIS countries people go there only by vocation.
6. Doctors and teachers. Also, in post-Soviet countries, people go into these industries not because the salary is good, but because they want to help people or raise children. This is selfless work.

People behave selflessly, actively expressing their opinions in order to direct people's consciousness in a positive direction. Moreover, they tell the truth, even if the majority does not like it. For example, if in a totalitarian society a person decides to publicly criticize the authorities with the real goal of making the country better, and is ready to go to prison or even die for this, then he is behaving selflessly.

Mothers also show devotion and selflessness. They are able to sacrifice anything for the good of their child. To distinguish such behavior from false readiness to sacrifice oneself, it is necessary to determine the purpose of such behavior. A mother may pay a lot of attention to her child because she is afraid to face her fears and desires. In this case, this is a private manifestation of selfishness.

When people are ready to go to the ends of the earth for their loved one, this may be an example of codependency, not selflessness. An example is Juliet, who decided to die when she saw Romeo. This is an example of a non-selfless person whose action only harmed both. She literally couldn't live without him. This is a symptom of addiction.

So what does “selfless” mean? This is a person who is able to sacrifice himself for the benefit of others, but to a reasonable extent and when there is really a need for it. If you had to write a school essay, you could express the composition of this term in one short word: altruism.

What does selflessness look like?

What does “selflessness” mean? This quality is manifested in such traits as personal responsibility for the results of one's group, feelings of friendship and camaraderie. At the macro level, selflessness is manifested in heroism and patriotism in things that are significant for the country

An important condition for the formation of selflessness is the conviction that the goals are worthy of such sacrifices

Note! Selflessness is one of the important psychological qualities for military personnel, firefighters, doctors, and police officers. They have to overcome fear, uncertainty

They are able to mobilize themselves even in the most difficult situations, even to the point of deciding to sacrifice their own lives in order to achieve a goal or save the lives of people.