Chivalry: The Virtue Of Women In Medieval Times

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In medieval times, when knights fought for honor and maidens were simple spectators of matters that were deemed too demanding for them, there existed an extolled code of chivalry that men were expected to live by. Knights were supposed to be brave, loyal, honest, generous, and kind. They were expected to defend the weak, be fair to their opponents, and respect women. However, it has been a long time since the 1100s and society has changed a lot since then. And while chivalry has clung to life for a long time, it is slowly losing it’s grip. Chivalry is dying, and soon there will none left at all. Not all people agree with this statement, saying that there are still many people in the world who are chivalrous. And there are still quite a few …show more content…
Whereas once, a man would not have hesitated to give up his seat for a woman or carry her heavy bag up the stairs for her, now 85% of men will not stand so a woman can sit, and 75% will not offer to carry something for one (Rossington). It appears that men are afraid of offending a woman by being chivalrous (Rossington), because it has long been publicized that women want to be treated as equals to men. Chivalry is commonly viewed as something that favors women, which leads men to believe that women would not appreciate it. Because of this, many men do not perform acts of chivalry for women (Rossington). It is not only men though. There are too many people in the world ready to lie, cheat, or just be plain mean to get what they want. Stories, in fact, reflect this in their villains, especially when said villains are much more numerous than the hero(es). Just like in those stories, people who act chivalrous are far outnumbered by those who do not, and their numbers are shrinking …show more content…
People will drive by shouting curse words, people walking by will make rude gestures at random people, friends will pull out their phone and start texting in the middle of a conversation, and students talk over their teacher. A couple of very public examples recorded in the article “Civility in Modern Society” include, “when country music star Taylor Swift is accepting a music award, hip hop artist Kanye West jumps on stage claiming that another singer was more deserving,” and when “US congressman Joe Wilson of South Carolina shouts, “You lie!” during President Barack Obama’s address to Congress in 2009” (“Civility in Modern Society). Society has grown incredibly rude over the centuries, becoming more daring in what is commonly said or done. In many people’s eyes, this is a good thing, as they believe that being able to express yourself is very important. However, it also could lead to becoming outright rude, and through that, being unchivalrous. As seen in the examples, there are many people who act unchivalrous because they are speaking their mind without filtering what they say. Unfortunately, this behavior also rubs off on younger people, leading them to act less chivalrous as

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