Everyday Canvas

Pride

Prompt: "A person may be proud without being vain. Pride relates to more to our opinions of ourselves, vanity to what we would have others think of us." Jane Austen
What are your views on this?

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I think, here, the word pride is used instead of self-respect. A person can be proud of who he or she is inside himself or herself without showing off and bragging to other people. Vanity shows its venomous head when bragging enters the arena. I think this is what Jane Austen meant to say.

People may say pride goes before the fall, but the word pride carries and implies several different meanings. A group of lions is a pride for example. At first, the word pride brings to mind a negative meaning, which is a high, overpowering opinion of one’s own qualities, successes, and riches, which implies superiority and even contempt for other people.

In Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen shows the different types of pride and the importance of having the correct pride as she presents those two different kinds in the manners and morals of the characters of Mr. Darcy and Mr. Bennet in a satirical social comedy that is also full of sensitivity and feeling.

Pride is prevalent in all orders of society since there is no other passion more universal than pride. Every individual or group at some point may show haughtiness and imaginary superiority over the less advantageous. Only in more civilized societies, this negative kind of pride is somewhat tamed. Even countries and certain groups may value themselves over other countries and groups as a matter of honor.

Imaginary or real, the positives we believe we possess should never make us act conceited and self-important to offend other human beings. That would be arrogance and vanity and not self-esteem or pride in its positive meaning.