How Honor Has Changed Over Time

Honor has always been a central aspect of one’s identity. People go great lengths to keep and prove their honor. Honor is a popular topic that is regularly seen throughout literature, but what exactly is honor? Honor today is seen as one’s integrity and protecting one’s values and beliefs. But it has not always been that way. Honor is a difficult concept to characterize due to the fact that the definition of honor has changed over time and varies from culture to culture. In past times, honor was very different from that of today.
The definition of honor has modified over time due to change in culture and time itself. In the past, honor was often a popular topic and that can be seen throughout the poems and plays of past writers. In the blog,
Those men and women who serve their country and risk their lives are once again placed upon the pedestal of honor. This can be seen in General MacArthur’s speech to the cadets of the U.S. Military Academy upon receiving the Sylvanus Thayer Award, he proclaims, “Their story is known to all of you. It is the story of the American man-at-arms. My estimate of him was formed on the battlefield many, many years ago, and has never changed. I regarded him then, as I regard him now, as one of the world's noblest figures; not only as one of the finest military characters, but also as one of the most stainless” (General MacArthur's Thayer Award Speech -- Duty, Honor, Country (1962)). Regarding American soldiers during WWII, General of the Army Douglas MacArthur speaks of their heroism and calls them the world’s noblest people. Because of their dedication and acts of heroism, American soldiers are viewed as some of the most honorable men and women in the world. Alongside American soldiers, firefighters are also viewed as honorable for their work. This can be seen in a blog post by Patrick Bet-David titled “The 10 Most Honorable Professions.” Patrick Bet-David states, “ Firefighters don’t do it for the money or glory; they do it because they are driven to save the lives and livelihoods of other people” (Bet-David). Firefighters do not serve others for the money or recognition; they serve
Cultures across the world vary from place to place which results in different definitions of honor throughout the world. One example of a culture influencing honor can be seen in the kamikaze pilots of Japan during WWII. In a blog post, “The last kamikaze: two Japanese pilots tell how they cheated death,” from the blog theguardian, kamikaze pilot Hisao Horiyama says, “Even if we were to die, we knew it was for a worthy cause. Dying was the ultimate fulfillment of our duty, and we were commanded not to return” (McCurry). Kamikaze pilots knew that by their death, they were fulfilling their ultimate duty to their country. These pilots, like soldiers, willingly gave their lives in the pursuit of protecting their country, but the end result was their death by suicide. Suicide in other cultures is not considered an honorable death, which is a good example of how culture influences the definition of honor. But some argue that culture does not influence the definition of honor. However, culture does influence honor and this can be seen by the numerous different views of honor based on the values and needs of a society. Examples of this range from 17th century men dueling to defend their manhood and honor to the kamikaze pilots who sacrifice themselves to fight for their country. In America itself, the cultural values of society have shifted from defending one’s self to defending one’s country. This results in honor