Crime is Pride

I agree with the assertion made by Teiresias that, “all men make mistakes but a good man yields when he knows his course is wrong, and repairs the evil: The only crime is pride.”  This assertion makes a realization that is so very true but is often over looked. This statement wouldn’t be the same if it didn’t start with, “all men make mistakes.”

Having the quote start with that phrase creates even ground and a closer distance between Teiresias and the reader. It declares that no man is perfect and no man lives life without ever doing something he shouldn’t.  Then the quote sates, “but a good man yields when he knows his course is wrong.” This states that even when those guys who seem to be perfect mess up, they catch themselves. They stop in their steps and do not continue the unaccepted act. This leads right into the next part of this quote, “he knows his course is wrong, and repairs the evil.” In this section it is showing that that so called perfectly good man who just messed up is now going back to make what was known as is unacceptable act an act people will appreciate. Although the initial act cannot be erased, it can be mended. And mending is exactly what the phrase, “repair the evil” means.

The very last phrase of the excerpt is the most difficult to interpret. “The only crime is pride.” That phrase alone could be the whole excerpt. How I viewed it is that having pride in yourself and your actions is what can sometimes get you into trouble. For example, if I go out and do graffiti on the side of a bridge, I might be very proud and prideful in my art work, when in all reality, I committed a crime. Therefore, pride can be crime.

One thing I feel really gives this statement validity is that fact that like I said before, it reaches common ground. It doesn’t just say that all men make mistakes and do nothing about it. It brings out the good side and the bad side. The good side being that a good man goes back and mends his mistake where as a bad or undesirable man would be too proud of himself and his actions to go back and make anything better.In his mind he did nothing wrong. In a good man’s mind, he stops the act, and makes it better. Because the statement touches on both good and bad, I fell it holds a lot of validity. (WC 430)