Austin Pitts
Dr. Irvin
Advanced Composition
24 October 2014
Necessary Evil
“Anger is the enemy of non-violence and pride is a monster that swallows it up.”-Mahatma Gandhi
What is pride? Pride can be many things; in perspective of “The Scarlet Ibis” by James Hurst however pride is bitter-sweet. The narrator says “But all of us must have something or someone to be proud of, and Doodle had become mine. I did not know then that pride is a wonderful, terrible thing, a seed that bears two vines, life and death.” (Hurst para 16) this illustrates that all of the actions he takes out of pride will bring both happiness and pain. Pride is necessary and bitter sweet, as it shows self-complacency, but also vanity.
Pride is defined as “pleasure or satisfaction taken in something done by or belonging to oneself or believed to reflect credit upon oneself”. Doodle’s brother feels a very prominent sense of satisfaction when he teaches Doodle how to walk. He felt confident in his abilities to teach his handicapped younger brother. “Once I had succeeded on teaching Doodle to walk I began to believe in my own infallibility…” (Hurt Para 26). After helping Doodle overcome one of the biggest obstacles in his life he felt more important and capable. Pride in some cases can be a motivator to do what may seem impossible. However, if pride gets to you emotionally; it can do more harm than good. Vanity is defined as “excessive pride in or admiration of one's own appearance or achievements.” As the