Morals of Dawson

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Morals of Dawson Morals; what are they? Morals are defined as a person’s standards of behavior or a belief concerning what is and is not acceptable for them to do. Loyalty; what is it? When does it mean to be loyal? Loyalty is giving or showing firm and constant support or allegiance to a person or institution. In A Few Good Men- written by Aaron Sorkin- Lance Corporal Harold W. Dawson is convicted of murdering Private First Class William Santiago and is correct in his belief that he did the right thing by performing the Code Red because both honoring morals and staying loyal to what you believe are important. Upholding morals is important and is respected by Dawson when he states that he believes he did nothing wrong and did the best for the Corps without regret. In an article called, AUTHORITY AND SECOND-PERSONAL REASONS FOR ACTING, it is stated that “In the Second-Person Standout, I argue that a distinctive reason for acting, a second-personal reason, is an ineliminable aspect of many central moral categories, including rights, moral responsibility, moral obligation, respect for and the dignity of persons, and the very concept of moral agent or person itself” (Authority and Second-Personal 1). It expresses a reason for the way people act is because of their morals and because of what they feel they have to do to honor their responsibility. There is a flashback to Dawson and Downey in Santiago’s room and Dawson explains, “This is my job, Private okay? It’s my responsibility. I’ve gotta train you how to be right. You’re a Marine and you’ve got honor…” (Sorkin 43). Dawson believes that what he did was right in the sense that he honored his job and responsibility as a Marine and honored his unit. He tells Downey that is what they are trained to do despite the consequences they receive. Staying loyal and firm in what you believe is not always easy to do. Using

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