Pride Essay: The Positive And Negative Aspects Of Pride

In the essays “Pride” by Dagoberto Gilb and “Pride and Humility” by Thomas A. Tarrants, III, D.Min., The authors discuss the same topic but they have a different conclusion. In “Pride,” Gilb conclude that we are all shaped by a strong sense of pride, so we should still be proud of ourself. However, in “Pride and Humility,” Tarrants conclude that pride is basically a sin and it’s the devil’s most effective and destructive tool. Although both authors addressed the same topic in their essay writing and both use their methods to explore the forms of pride, they do so by using viewpoints and different attitudes toward pride.

Every person has taken pride in their accomplishments whether it is overcoming adversity or being admired by peers. Having pride provides confidence and belief that any challenge in their lives can be overcome. On the other hand, excessive pride can be detrimental. It may lead a person to become overconfident in their abilities or beliefs and unaware of the harm they may cause towards others with their actions. In the three short stories, “Two Kinds” by Amy Tan, “The Scarlet Ibis” by James Hurst, and “The Possibility of Evil” by Shirley Jackson, the authors convey the perils of exorbitant pride. In the story “Two Kinds”, a mother places unyielding demands on her daughter to become a prodigy, causing the child to become defiant, which creates

As John C. Maxwell once stated, “There are two kinds of pride, both good and bad. ‘Good pride’ represents our dignity and self-respect. ‘Bad pride’ is the deadly sin of superiority that reeks of conceit and arrogance.” Pride is not always a harmful attribute. People just have to understand the difference between ‘bad pride’ and ‘good pride’.

Pride brings fulfilment to people's lives on the surface, but below the surface it only brings destruction. In the short story, “The Necklace” by Guy de Maupassant, the author present this idea through his excessively prideful character, Mathilde Loisel. Mathilde Loisel, an unsatisfied woman, takes all of her perfectly valid possessions to be proud of and throws them away resulting in years of hardship for her and her husband. Mathilde Loisel’s pride is disguised by lovely experiences and luxurious belongings only to be revealed as something of pure destruction. Pride will bring bliss only to later bring destruction.

“Pride is a wonderful, terrible thing, a seed that bears two vines, life and death” (Hurst 2). This is how James Hurst describes pride in his heart-wrenching short story, “The Scarlet Ibis.” What speaks to me most about this quote is its profound truth. For the majority of people, pride is either a positive or negative thing, but what Hurst and I seem to agree about is the fact that pride can be both. It is an undeniable symptom of the human condition, a tool that can either create or destroy, and is responsible for the best and worst parts of history.

Bear Grylls once said “ A man’s pride can be his downfall, and he needs to learn to turn to others for support and guidance.” Gryll’s wise advice can be applied to nearly everyone in society. For example, a man might refuse to use government welfare to buy groceries for his family and let his children starve instead. His pride would destroy the family physically. Pride is a dangerous virtue and can be used to fulfill dreams or destroy them.

One of the seven deadly sins is the act of having too much pride. Pride in general is not an evil feeling to have. It is human to have pride in oneself, but having too much pride is unhealthy and will cause problems somewhere along the way. Two characters who show a harmful amount of pride are Sylvia from Toni Bambara’s “The Lesson” and Sammy John Updike’s “A&P”. A famous quotation states “Pride (arrogance) comes before Destruction... and a haughty spirit, before a fall.”

In the stories “Good Country People”, “ The Life You Save May Be Your Own”, and “The Displaced Person” Flannery O’Connor had believed that pride was the root to all evil, and those who had to much would have their pride lead to their utter demise due to temptation. A quote that really ties into what O’Connor had been thinking was one by St. Cyril or Jerusalem. She had written that “ The dragon is by the side of the road, Watching those who pass. Beware least he devour you. We go to the father of souls, but it is necessary to pass by the dragon”. This entailed that one needed to leave their pride at the door and recognize reality and limitations on ones self and not be overtaken by the temptations in life. If one hadn't left their pride at the curb, they were going to experience a rude awakening in Mrs. O’Conner’s short stories.

Pride. Pride never changes. It has come in the same way since day one and every human and even animals experience the feeling of pride. The emotion starts from something little like getting an “A” on a test but grows a large as the pride of winning a war and living free. In Pride, by Dagoberto Gilb, readers are given both hidden and concrete examples of what pride is and people who have experienced grave amounts of it at once.

Pride is something that must be second when it comes to potential change and

    In conclusion pride can mean many things and can be shown in many ways. At some point we may be humble. On our way there it may be be more difficult. The concept of pride is like a explantion of how theuniverse started.

Every individual is born with purpose and passion; however, one is also born with pride. Many people are worrying about this self-image, pride, thus letting their dreams and

Perception. Manipulation. Respect and Authority. These are qualities one uses when striving for privilege and capital, in order to control those around them. However, the concept of an ideal is constantly evolving based off one’s previous achievements and surroundings, which ultimately results in greed and dissatisfaction.

This is comparable to the pride Greeks had in their respective

A Raisin in the Sun To be prideful is human nature, even when it hasn't been earned. Being proud of who you are and what you have accomplished is an important part of everyone's life, but sometimes we are prideful without something to be proud of. This kind of pride is shown in the play A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry through the character Walter Younger. He enters the play with a false sense of pride in being a man, despite the fact that he is a chauffeur who is struggling to support his family.