Dignity

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Dignity
From the novel, there is a paragraph in which the author questions what dignity is. Such a query is essential before one can start to analyze people’s conduct.
“…this merely begs the further question: of what is ‘dignity’ comprised? And it was on this point that the likes of Mr. Graham and I had some of our most interesting debates. Mr. Graham would always take the view that dignity was something like a woman’s beauty and it was thus pointless to attempt to analyze it. I, on the other hand, held the opinion that to draw such a parallel tended to demean the ‘dignity’ of the likes of Mr. Marshall. Moreover, my main objection to Mr. Graham’s analogy was the implication that this ‘dignity’ was something one possessed or did not (Ishiguro 26).”
As it can be noted throughout the book, the theme of dignity is crucial and brought up severally. The different description of dignity by Graham and the writer is a reflection of how most people’s view. There are those persons that presume everyone is dignified from birth whereas others have a contrary opinion. According to Graham’s comparison of dignity to women’s beauty, he presupposes that just like there are ladies who are beautiful and those who are not, the same principle applies to dignity. Also, it is said that beauty lies in the sight of the beholder. Therefore what individual A might consider being pretty person B might have a distinct attitude. The implication of this is that a particular person might seem to have the self-respect to other and lack it when presented to a different group of people.

The above passage is short, but it goes deep as far as one is trying to understand the concept of dignity. Individuals that believe dignity is almost similar to beauty will not see the essence of trying to nurture self-respect in a person that lacks it. According to the author of the novel, the most vital ingredient for greatness is how a man portrays himself even under no supervision. One notable aspect of the story was that the author avoided sharing his definition of ‘dignity.’ He tactfully criticizes what others have to say by presenting reasonable questions. He also concurs whenever he sees sense in an ideology. For instance in the above paragraph to some extent, he agrees to what other scholars have to say.
Works Cited
Ishiguro, Kazuo. The Remains of the Day. Faber and Faber, 1996, Accessed 22 Feb. 2018.