What Does Character Mean Essay

Eric Mares

Period 7

August 13, 2012

Prompt 3

What is Character? Some say it’s the way you act when no one is watching, which is true. I believe character is what makes you, You. What individualizes you are your beliefs, your choices, your struggles, and your priorities. Of course there are many more things that make different from others but these are my personal ideas. Your virtues can add to your character; which virtues you believe in and which you hold yourself the most strongly to and the ones you struggle with.

Character is very important in today’s society because you need character if you want to get your name across. It makes you an individual and not some clone follower that is no special from the next. For example, when trying to run for say, president, the people look for what makes you different, better or worse, from the next candidate. We look for your beliefs on what should be done to help us as a nation and how you would like to approach the problem. When they say character is how you act when no one is looking it is meant, how do you do things when no one is there to judge you? Do you do it the right way or with short cuts that only hurt yourself? It’s what you think is right and what is wrong and who you truly are. Character can be defined as “the aggregate of features and traits that form the individual nature of some person or thing (Dictionary.com).” Character can be built by joining sports, clubs, life events, and so much more. You develop it by the way you act and see things happen. If you grow up in a military family, chances are you will build a good foundation for a great character because you are taught to listen and be disciplined.

A virtue as defined by dictionary.com is “moral excellence; goodness; righteousness (Dictionary.com).” this gets down into a topic that really needs thinking. A virtue a rule you follow and believe in, for example, justice. I believe justice should be universal. Where if someone commits...