Theme Of Bravery In Literature

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Historically, bravery has been a popular theme in literature. The theme likely began from the Anglo-Saxon to Elizabethan period when rising monarchs clashed for rule over England. These influences infused later literature, which has often encouraged bravery. Bravery motivates difficult action when it triumphs over action-paralyzing fear. Max Brand’s “Wine on the Desert”, Edgar Allen Poe’s “Pit and the Pendulum”, and Yann Martel’s Life of Pi respectively reveal this thesis. However, the authors’ views on the nuances of bravery contrast.
I’m aching with tiredness. With the bit of energy I have left, I look up along the trail. I see scattered bones in front of me. These dots lead across the desert and point towards the promising blue mountains. I can do this! I can gather enough courage to continue this difficult journey.
Max Brand’s “Wine on the Desert” uses imagery to contrast bravery and fear; bravery provokes action, whereas fear induces inaction. Brand uses the encouraging blue mountains to depict this dichotomy; these mountains symbolize Durante’s bravery as he continues on the painful hike. However, as Durante begins to lose grip on his courage, fear takes the pilot’s seat and entices fatigue: “He faced the blue of the mountains again. His heart raced in his breast
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The narrator exercises a calm and calculating bravery, which motivates his difficult action to survive in the face of the “darkness” of fear. However, unlike Brand, Poe depicts the antithesis of fear - bravery - as a choice to employ reason: “I still lay quietly, and made effort to exercise my reason”(Poe 3). While the imprisoned narrator understands his terrifying situation, he controls his panic and bravely utilizes reason to find solutions. Later on, the narrator’s grip on bravery loosens as he struggles, submitting to

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