Is Chivalry Dead?

Last week my Lit class had a lively discussion about whether or not chivalry is dead. I wanted to share my thoughts with you as well as my responses to the thoughts of others. I argued that chivalry is NOT dead, nor can it change with the times. In addition, I strongly recommended that the concept of chivalry be viewed as a verb rather than a noun (it's dictionary denotation). The discussion question was:

"A Rose for Emily" portrays a Southern town in decline. The elegance and chivalry that marked Emily Grierson's young adulthood appear to be gone by the time of her old age and death.

Looking at today's society, why do you agree or disagree with the notion that chivalry is dead?

After posting your response, read and respond to the posts of your classmates.

My discussion post was the following:

Chivalry as a Verb

Is chivalry dead? The affirmative statement is the most commonly promoted statement on the subject of chivalry. Taking a quick glance over the definition of the word 'chivalry', it reads: "the sum of the ideal qualifications of a knight, including courtesy, generosity, valor, and dexterity in arms". While we do not exactly have knights riding round our cities and defending our honor, the premise of this definition is clearly understood.

While the word 'chivalry' is considered a noun, I would consider it to be a verb. Words are simply words if they have no substance; the turning point between an idea and an action. Courtesy is meaningless if it is not acted upon as is generosity, valor and even dexterity in arms.

I have been examining our culture thoroughly and deeply for many years and have come to the conclusion that chivalry is NOT dead. To say that it is, would be to concede that there are no honorable men in this world and to deny the few who do exist. I do not believe that would be proper or respectful to proclaim. I know first hand that chivalry is not dead. I also know first hand how rare it is.

Looking at our current literature, film, television, internet and other methods of influencing today's youth, I do indeed see a horrifying pattern in the way parents are allowing their children to behave. There is a complete lack of accountability for children and young adults and the result is a self-centered, self-serving generation. In their lives, chivalry is history and will continue to be until we begin expecting humility and maturity from the generation of future leaders, pastors, politicians, waitresses, teachers, lawyers, and doctors; the servants of tomorrow.

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One of my classmates posted the following thought on the topic:

Chapter 2 Discussion (pardon the spelling and grammar errors as I copied this directly from the discussion board)

I do not think chivalry is dead, I just think as the generations come along, certain things are not taught the way they were a long time ago. I think that men need to be reeducated on how to do simple things such as opening the door for women, helping older women with their groceries, etc. I think there is also a different with times as well because women are different in this generation. Before, women were very dependent and were not as hard of workers as they are today. Today, women want the same respect as men, and don't want to be dependent, they want to be independent and show that they are capable of doing just as much as men. As I said, I don't think chivalry is dead, it is just different with the times.

To this post, I responded:

Mikeisha,

You bring up the cultural paradox of our feminist society. Women want both independence and chivalry. I would propose that the definition of chivalry has not changed, nor should it. Rather the expectation of men is being lessened and women are allowing it to happen in their quest for independence. A result is the utter confusion of good men because women seem to want both independence and chivalry in a way that causes the two to combat each other in practice.

Chivalry can NOT change with the times. It is when we accept actions such as honking a car horn to summon a girl from her home as chivalry that we threaten to stoop to a new level of disrespect.

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I greatly desire to honor those men, young and old, that have proven to me that chivalry is not dead! The following are men that I have gotten to know who embody this call (first names only). When I think of chivalry today, these men immediately come to my mind:

Dale
Collier
Allen
Ron
Tyler
Daniel
Bradley
Peter
Jeff
Jarrod
Sawyer
Cam
Josh
Craig
Rich
Luke
Paul
Isaac
Chris
Zachary
Joshua
Carl
Kevin
Nathan