Critical Lens

Juliannah Vining March 26, 2012
Critical Lens English

“The bravest of individuals is the one who obeys his or her conscience”–J.F.Clarke

J.F. Clarke once stated, “The bravest of individuals is the one who obeys his or her conscience.” To me, this statement means that any individual who follows their conscience, and what they find to be right or wrong, is most brave, or strong, because they step away from society’s opinion and go with their own feelings whether it be what they need or desire. I agree with this statement because I also feel that an individual who listens to their conscience shows bravery. In my opinion someone who follows their conscience rather than society’s standards shows a lot of strength. It takes a lot of character for a person to leave their comfort zone to do the right thing, especially when that person has no support. Two literary works that support my opinion are The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain and The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. In both of these literary works the protagonists are faced with life altering decisions where they must make choices and differentiate right from wrong while having no support from other characters. In The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, the character Huckleberry Finn supports this quote by showing his courage and strength through his decisions. The story starts off with Huck, whom is neglected and lives with Miss Watson, and his attempt to escape “civilization”. When he leaves Miss Watson he ends up on an island where he meets up with Jim, Miss Watson’s slave who has runaway as well. He and Jim work together to survive and while doing so they create a strong bond. As their adventures go on the two run into con artists, slave hunters and the occasional angry townspeople. After getting separated multiple times throughout the novel, Huck and Jim realize how risky their adventure is. Huck comes into conflict over and over with himself, as he battles his conscience and tries to make the right decisions. Huckleberry Finn displays true human virtue and strength when Jim is sold to the Phelps family. Here he must make the decision whether or not to free him. He weighs the pros and cons and comes to the conclusion that although he will be risking his own life and soul, he must come up with the courage to follow his heart and free Jim. He concludes his decision by saying, “All right, then, I’ll go to hell.” He steps aside from the racial slurs he has been surrounded by his whole life and goes with his conscience. This is courageous because he does what is right although it is risky. The setting in this story is also important and shows how Huckleberry Finn is a brave individual. It takes place along the Mississippi River during the 1830s and 1840s. During this time period different races are not accepted. Whites are taught how poor, worthless and unimportant blacks are and blacks are taught how stubborn, inconsiderate and arrogant whites are. Whites are the superiors. Huckleberry Finn steps aside from the lessons and comments he has heard his whole life. Instead he follows his conscience and heart. He learns that blacks are just like the whites by befriending Jim. Jim teaches him that blacks have feelings and are equal to whites although the time period and location disagrees. Another book I chose to show that the bravest people are those that follows their conscience is the book The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. The story takes place in the future of North America, after a civil war has separated the continent into 13 districts under the Capital’s control Each district majors in a different industry and together they fund the Capital. Since the Capital came into control they have hosted the Hunger Games, a televised event where each district elects two children, at random, to fight to death. Katniss Everdeen, the protagonist in the novel, shows bravery through following her conscience. When her younger sister is chosen at the reaping to go and compete in the Hunger Games, Katniss immediately volunteers herself. This shows an excessive amount of bravery. Here, Katniss follows her conscience and knows it is the right thing to do because she has a much better chance of survival, after hunting and spending time in the woods after her father died. She volunteers and risks her life. During the Hunger Games, as the children kill one another, Katniss shows bravery multiple times. After befriending and coming close to her teammate Peeta, she risks her life for him. The Capital throws twists into the games to make them more exciting for the outside audience. When Peeta is hurt, and nearly dies, Katniss goes into a battle to get medicine for Peeta. By doing so, she risks her own life. Setting is also important because is sets the plot and storyline for the entire novel. The Capital is a controlling empire, which runs Panem, the new North America. Bravery is shown through each district in the annual competition of the Hunger Games. As each district sends children to compete for their lives, they represent bravery. The Hunger Games are held to prevent another civil war between the districts. As each child goes into the games, themselves and their families put a lot on the line. Inside the games, every move the children make determines their fate and more importantly their lives. The characters created by Mark Twain and Suzanne Collins express that the bravest individuals are those who follow their conscience. Huckleberry Finn follows his conscience when making his decision to help Jim based on his ethics and morals. He steps aside from society’s standards and chooses to help free Jim, although they have racial differences. By helping Jim, Huck chances his life and risks getting in trouble with the law. Katniss Everdeen shows her courage also by following her conscience. When her frail younger sister’s name is pulled during the Hunger Games reaping, Katniss steps up volunteering herself to enter the games. By entering the games, Katniss risks her life for the life of her younger sister because her conscience tells her not only that it is the right thing to do, but that she has a much better chance of survival.