Professional Documents
Culture Documents
a
True
Gentleman
By:
Matthew
Mendez
In
our
society,
the
majority
of
people
you
will
encounter
will
blend
into
a
sea
of
grey
emotion,
containing
a
lack
of
differentiation.
But
then
every
so
often
you
come
across
a
person
with
such
strong,
well-‐defined
charisma
that
they
leave
a
burning
image
of
themselves
in
your
mind.
Have
you
ever
thought
about
what
makes
these
certain
people
stand
out
from
the
rest?
What
makes
them
so
brilliant,
exceptional,
and
well
worth
knowing?
Through
my
confidence
and
unique
personality
I
have
not
only
found
out
what
was
so
exceptional
and
different
about
those
outstanding
people,
but
I
have
become
one
myself.
Throughout
my
time
spent
at
Louisiana
State
University
I
have
learned
several
life
lessons
that
have
shaped
me
into
who
I
am
today.
What
makes
me
different
though?
What
sculpted
my
personality
into
the
unique,
distinctive
nature
that
it
is
today?
The
answer
is
The
True
Gentleman,
by
John
Walter
Wayland.
I
have
based
my
life
and
morale
code
around
the
message
of
this
poem
and
have
embraced
the
role
of
a
true
gentleman.
It
explains
who
I
am,
and
what
I
aspire
to
become.
Whenever
I
say
the
word
"gentleman"
it
is
important
to
put
the
emphasis
on
the
"man."
Ones
impression
of
what
a
man
is
may
be
most
critical
in
understanding
the
message
of
The
True
Gentleman.
Of
course,
the
opinion
as
to
the
nature
of
man
is
by
no
means
unanimous—it
never
has
been.
Some
envision
man
as
being
just
an
animal,
a
beast
in
the
world,
while
others
treat
man
as
if
they
are
a
step
below
the
gods.
No
matter
your
standpoint
on
what
is
a
man,
everyone
must
agree
that
all
history
is
the
history
of
man.
Every
civilization
has
been
a
civilization
constructed
by
man,
run
by
man,
and
eventually
destroyed
by
man.
The
characteristics
of
a
man
have
changed,
but
the
underlying
essentials
that
it
takes
to
be
a
true
gentleman
has
not.
The
definition
of
a
true
gentleman
is
extensively
hard
to
understand;
however
when
understood
and
followed,
it
can
make
anyone
into
a
better
person.
The
true
gentleman
is
known
as
“a
man
whose
conduct
proceeds
from
good
will
and
an
acute
sense
of
propriety,
and
whose
self
control
is
equal
to
all
emergencies”
(Wayland,
2007).
What
that
means
to
me
is
a
person
whose
behavior
is
polite
and
helpful
to
others,
yet
non
intrusive.
Propriety
is
the
almost
automatic
sense
of
doing
the
right
thing
at
the
right
time.
Let's
make
one
thing
clear
however.
The
true
gentleman
has
a
level
headedness
to
him,
he
doesn’t
over-‐react,
nor
does
he
get
upset.
Yes,
he
takes
problems
seriously,
but
life’s
too
short
to
over
react
about
things.
The
poem
continues
to
explain
that
“a
true
gentleman
does
not
make
the
poor
man
conscious
of
his
poverty,
the
obscure
man
of
his
obscurity,
or
any
man
of
his
inferiority
or
deformity”
(Wayland,
2007).
The
True
Gentlemen
is
not
saying
that
all
men
are
equal,
nor
that
some
people
aren’t
better
than
others,
rather
it
approaches
that
face
on
by
saying
yes,
you
may
be
better.
Your
life
may
be
greater
than
everyone
else’s,
but
boasting
about
your
own
possession
or
achievements
will
get
you
nowhere.
This
outlines
the
traits
of
maturity
and
humbleness;
two
of
my
most
prevalent
characteristics.
My
favorite
part
of
The
True
Gentleman
is,
“[a
man]
who
does
not
flatter
wealth
or
cringe
before
power…
who
speaks
with
frankness,
but
always
with
sincerity
and
sympathy,
whose
deed
follows
his
word”
(Wayland,
2007).
This
section
is
so
important
to
me
because
it
defines
some
of
my
best
traits;
confidence,
interpersonal
communication
skills,
and
honest.
The
message
is
that
no
matter
how
big
a
challenge,
no
matter
how
much
authority
someone
has
over
you,
you
must
be
able
to
not
only
complete
your
tasks,
but
to
excel
through
them.
This
goes
hand
in
hand
with
when
Wayland
talks
about
“whose
deed
follows
his
word”
(Wayland,
2007).
I
am
committed
to
giving
my
best
at
all
times,
and
am
willing
to
give
my
word
because
I
know
I
have
the
confidence
and
perseverance
to
overcome
any
obstacle.
The
final
lines
of
this
poem
may
be
the
most
important
and
are
the
core
requirements
of
becoming
a
true
gentleman:
“a
man
who
appears
well
in
any
company,
a
man
with
whom
honor
is
sacred
and
virtue
safe”
(Wayland,
2007).
It
is
often
said
that
honesty
is
the
best
policy
for
not
only
the
true
gentleman,
but
for
anyone
in
life,
but
to
the
true
gentleman
it
is
more
than
just
the
best
policy—
honesty
is
the
only
policy.
Through
channeling
The
True
Gentleman,
I
have
developed
an
honesty
that
can
be
seen
by
anyone,
an
honesty
that
prevails
under
all
conditions.
When
someone
is
honest
they
will
almost
always
be
rewarded
with
friendship
and
respect.
I
take
this
last
part
very
seriously
and
cannot
simply
define
"virtue
safe"
by
its
exact
denotation
of
moral
chastity;
rather
to
me,
the
word
virtue
means
strength
and
courage.
It
means
to
live
with
excellence,
a
sense
of
merit,
and
worth.
More
than
all
else,
"virtue"
describes
the
ideal
man.
It
is
only
suitable
that
the
definition
of
a
True
gentleman
ends
with
the
idea
of
virtue—
for
the
True
Gentleman
is
a
man
of
virtue
in
its
richest
sense.
Citations
Wayland,
J.
(2007,
April
3).
The
true
gentleman.
Retrieved
from
www.daytoncircus.org