https://padlet.com/cgorman2022/xj7vktf5lla7tc4d en-us 2022-05-25 15:09:41 UTC 2025-09-25 04:13:00 UTC hello@padlet.com cgorman2022 https://padlet.com/cgorman2022/xj7vktf5lla7tc4d/wish/2199568120 The song "Grenade" by Bruno Mars tells the story of someone whose significant other treated them poorly, betrayed them, and never appreciated anything. Even though they were grossly mistreated by their significant other, they still love them, remain loyal, and would do anything for them. It's a great example how loyalty can be detrimental to a person and relationships, and how even people who don't deserve loyalty receive it. It also explores the idea of the bounds of loyalty. For some, their loyalty does not have a single bound, whereas others have their limits.

]]> 2022-05-25 15:33:54 UTC https://padlet.com/cgorman2022/xj7vktf5lla7tc4d/wish/2199568120 cgorman2022 https://padlet.com/cgorman2022/xj7vktf5lla7tc4d/wish/2199580069 For my text set, I explored themes of loyalty, betrayal, and friendship. I asked about the value of friends, and how much can we rely on them to have our backs?
Out of everything I value, loyalty and friendship are near the top. I have a very high respect for my friends, and I have an unwavering loyalty toward them. Especially for my closest friends, I would do absolutely anything. No matter where I am, or what they need, nothing is too much. To me, betrayal is one of the lowest, most awful things you can do to a person. It is a violation of a person's dignity, and that is unforgivable. 

This makes me think, who is worthy of loyalty? Is loyalty ever owed? Can loyalty ever be detrimental? What is the value of friendship?

This topic is absolutely worthwhile, because it is ever present in our world. While the majority of people have not have to choose between their life and another person's, almost everyone has been in a situation where we've lied, betraying someone's trust, for our own benefit. For example, as children we often lied confronted with an accusation, because we did not want to get in trouble. Whether we know it or not, most of us have been lied to by someone. 
Since we've all been confronted with making decisions between loyalty and betrayal, it is very important that we study these topics, because it can help us learn, and make better decisions.

The anchor text in this text set explores the themes of loyalty and trust, when a character is accused of betrayal, when in fact, it was someone else. Characters are faced with choosing their own lives over others' in order to protect themselves. Some try to justify it, while others insist that the right thing to do is to choose the lives of others instead of betraying them.

There are works of art and short stories that can help simplify these ideas. If a song were to be written about these themes, Grenade by Bruno Mars would be perfect. This song perfectly sums up the ideas of betrayal versus steadfast loyalty. Dimittis Nunc by Roald Dahl is a great short story that similarly explores the themes presented in Grenade. 

This text set has changed my perspective on the ideas of loyalty and betrayal. It made me challenge my own answers to certain questions. For example, my answer to whether or not it is morally acceptable to save your life over another persons' used to be yes. You have the right to life. But now I wonder, if you gave someone your word that you would be loyal, and protect them, it is not morally acceptable to go back on your word, even if your own life is on the line.
I truly learned a lot while creating this text set, because it showed me new perspectives of things that I thought were obvious, and made me challenge my own beliefs.]]> 2022-05-25 15:42:49 UTC https://padlet.com/cgorman2022/xj7vktf5lla7tc4d/wish/2199580069 cgorman2022 https://padlet.com/cgorman2022/xj7vktf5lla7tc4d/wish/2199582788 In Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, a man named Sirius Black has escaped from the wizard prison, Azkaban. He is a convicted murderer. He has been accused of betraying Harry Potter's parents, Lily and James, by revealing their whereabouts to the main antagonist, Lord Voldemort, to save his own skin, and then subsequently killing his friend Peter Pettigrew. This book presents several moral dilemmas, such as the morality of committing bad acts to save your own life, whether or not another person's life is worth yours, and how loyalty can be detrimental to a person.


]]> 2022-05-25 15:44:47 UTC https://padlet.com/cgorman2022/xj7vktf5lla7tc4d/wish/2199582788 cgorman2022 https://padlet.com/cgorman2022/xj7vktf5lla7tc4d/wish/2199679676 The Tragedy of Macbeth revolves around ideas such as loyalty and betrayal. Macbeth is presented with several dilemmas, most involving betraying others for his own personal gain. Shakespeare uses Macbeth to represent how selfishness and betrayal can drive a person mad, and how some people are more interested in their own selfish desires than being loyal to those who are owed loyalty.]]> 2022-05-25 16:59:14 UTC https://padlet.com/cgorman2022/xj7vktf5lla7tc4d/wish/2199679676 cgorman2022 https://padlet.com/cgorman2022/xj7vktf5lla7tc4d/wish/2199781355 Roald Dahl's short story Nunc Dimittis describes a man who seeks revenge against his girlfriend for allegedly insulting him behind his back. It explores the idea of how far a person's loyalty goes, and what can cause them to strip it away, and how quickly a person can turn against another person for any reason. It also explores themes of forgiveness after betrayal, and the detriment of loyalty, such as sacrificing your own dignity for another person's approval.]]> 2022-05-25 18:22:24 UTC https://padlet.com/cgorman2022/xj7vktf5lla7tc4d/wish/2199781355 cgorman2022 https://padlet.com/cgorman2022/xj7vktf5lla7tc4d/wish/2201018085 1984 by George Orwell tells the story of a man in a dystopian society. He has nothing but hatred for the world around him. In this novel, we see the theme of betrayal when characters defy the government that demands their submission. We see lessons about the value of loyalty to a cause, the limits of a person's loyalty, and betrayal under enough pressure. Loyalty is tested when characters are threatened by the government, and they must choose whether or not to abandon their cause to save their own skin, or remain loyal, even if it costs them everything.]]> 2022-05-26 15:26:13 UTC https://padlet.com/cgorman2022/xj7vktf5lla7tc4d/wish/2201018085