Written Justification: I decided to sketch this picture to represent Honor in the novel The Honor Code:How Moral Revolutions Happen. Specifically, I wanted to capture the chapter in relation to dueling among British gentlemen. A quote that stuck out to me in this chapter was on page 48 when Kwame Anthony Appiah said “A duel was an affair of honor. It depended on the existence of a powerful class whose members could establish their status by getting away with a practice contrary to law that others could not.” I found it interesting that dueling began as away to defend one’s honor as someone who was rich and powerful in the upper class. However, later on we find out that this practice that went on for so long died because of honor.
As dueling became a practice of more middle to lower class citizens in Britain, it lost its value. A gentleman became not someone who defended their honor, but someone who never inflicted pain. This inspired me to sketch this picture. I decided to recreate a basic finish to a duel,however, I labeled the dead body as ‘dueling’ and the sword that killed this man as ‘honor.’ Quite clearly, I wanted to show how the value that started this practice is what ended up killing it in the end.
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