荣誉的意义《what is honor?》

The novel The Key to Honor is about a fifteen-year-old American boy Nate whose father was impressed by Royal Navy once saved the captain of Constitution and was promoted as midshipman of Chesapeake. He determined to fight against British Navy in order to get his father back and to regain honor for being a coward hiding in the bottom of the boat during the Constitution’s war. He fought for honor trained his men trying to prove that he was not a coward. However he commanded to strike the star and stripe flag to surrender to Royal Navy in the way he thought was right to show responsibility for his men.

The whole book talks about what honor is and it gradually shows us about what the author thinks. “There’re three kinds of cowards. There are the coward who hides behind wood and stone. There are the cowards who hide behind women and children. Then there are those who hide behind orders and regulations. Because they're hiding from duty from responsibility for their own actions.” (Wanttaja 1996 p.38) second lieutenant Westcott blamed him like this for being drunk at night watch. Honor means to do the right things and to refuse any no rational orders from your superior. And it was the first time Nate touched the definition of honor. Afterwards Nate received a duel from a militia officer for an argument of unflattering descriptions of each others forces. He was ensured by Captain Lawrence’s words” Honor demands satisfaction; the Navy’s honor not only yours. I must allow the duel.” (Wanttaja 1996 p.121) Honor also means the force you serve wherever you are you are standing for your force. It’s another lesson Nate learned from duel. Nate released his ordeal by telling his entire secret to Becky a lovely girl who was clever enough to know all. And also from this point on Nate determined to fight against British Navy to regain his honor. He tried hard to reach the goal and so he did. He regained the “honor” by striking the flag to Royal Navy in the situation of being outnumbered. American style of honor makes me confused how can that kind of coward being praised as the Captain while the real captain fought until his death? And I found the American answer:” Duty ends where humanity begins. Knowing where that point lays the key to honor.” (Wanttaja 1996 p.194) Obviously this answer is quite against our understanding of honor. Surrender equals to being a coward in a Chinese dictionary and we’ve got so many heroes in history. Take The Battle of the Yalu River in 1894 for example which was also a definitive sea warfare between China and Japan after the Chinese flagship Ding Yuan was seriously damaged by a series of severe gunshots admiral Ding Ruchang commanded a suicidal collision towards the enemy’s ships paying off nation’s culture and showing a soldier’s honor. And that is the definition I hold ever since. Honor is what people gives you as a symbol of trust they trust you and give their life and fate to you and that’s what you should swear to protect. “Est Sularus oth Mithas” (honor is my fate)( Weis& Hickman2002p.35) as one of the paladin’s creeds is the opinion I appreciate and I believe this kind of belief will never die in Chinese army!

References

Margaret Weis/Tracy Hickman. (2002). Dragonlance Chronicles. Shanghai: Longmen Books

Ronald Wanttaja (1996). The Key to Honor. New York: Royal Fireworks Press