Chivalry . We’ve all heard this word. But what does it mean exactly? Most would tell you that it’s an ancient way of life for men back in the medieval times. That’s certainly what first comes to mind when I hear this word. We would be right by saying this in a sense, but what happened to this concept? Where is it today? This is the problem. We don’t really know what chivalry is in our modern society. To us, its just the way of life for knights in the middle ages; it doesn’t concern us. The definition of chivalry is outdated, yes, but it shouldn’t be. In our modern day and age, filled with disrespectful men and douchebags from a certain shore, a new definition of this historic term is very urgent. It’s time for men to grow up and stop acting like children.

Many men today are constantly taking advantage of women, beating them, and disrespecting them in ways never thought possible. They have turned into self-absorbed zombies who view nothing as relevant except what happens to them. According to the most recent Census, marriages have reached an all time low (Hope). I want you to ask yourself why. This downward spiral needs to stop. Women used to be seen as things of beauty and grace who demanded more respect then their male counterparts. Now, they are seen as second-rate citizens.  Society has discriminated against them, abused them, and neglected their rights (Shah). Rather than men standing up for women and defending them, they have become the oppressors. In an interview with a Malaysian woman for an article titled “Where are the heroes”, the woman stated “They don't make men, […], like they used to, and they don't make heroes anymore" (Kong 9). Seeing the way men have been acting lately, I completely agree with her statement. Reality is truly harsh.

In a recent poll, Americans were asked questions about how men treated woman. The results are as shown below.

          "Eight out of 10 Americans, in fact, say, “Women today are treated with less chivalry than in the past.” Seven out of 10 say women do not receive equal pay for equal work, a bulwark of the feminist war on the status quo. Two-thirds say women are “discriminated against” when it comes to supervisory or executive jobs, while an equal number agree that the U.S. has “a long way to go” to reach gender equality. Just 35 percent said women got equal pay for equal work” (Harper). 

These are some sad statistics. Most men and society have lost a grasp of how they should conduct themselves. Women are just as capable as men and should be treated as equals. Sex of the individual should not play a role in factoring these decisions because it is as irrelevant as the color of shoes one chooses to wear as they get ready for work in the morning. Argue that and you’d be showing bigotry. The choice is yours.

My goal is to redefine chivalry in such a way that it would fit in with our modern times and ideology. In doing so, I also hope to be able to give a general archetype of what a true man should behave like and carry himself out. In his book The American Gentlemen, Hall states that "Men will behave and act chivalrous only if these beliefs and behaviors are taught" (Hall vii).   It’s time to redefine chivalry and teach these behaviours. Remixing it in a sense. In order to successfully update this definition, we must first go back in time and see what the old ideas of which chivalry were comprised of were. We must then evaluate what each of the subcategories (courtly love, honor, virtue) meant in particular to that time period. After doing so, we must provide a definition of each sub category that fits with the modern norms of society, giving definitions that would make sense in today’s world. How should the ideal man behave? Courtly Love shouldn’t only be about a mans love interest anymore, honor needs to be more universal, and virtues should be more active as opposed to what the “patriotism” we call it today. Lastly, we must tie these three subcategories together in order to achieve a completely redefined modern definition of chivalry. Let us begin by defining Chivalry.

Chivalry is a medieval term for how a knight should conduct himself. This term breaks down into 3 fundamental ideas. As defined by Wikipedia, these 3 ideas are “knightly virtues, honor, and courtly love” (Chivalry). Knightly virtues refers to loyalty to ones king and country (Chivalry). The knight was expected to defend his country at all costs. Knights were seen as the protectors of the country. The second fundamental idea is honor, which is based on how the knight carries himself. The knight is expected to live up to his family legacy by showing courage and strength (Chivalry). He must also be kind to the people and put others needs before his own. The third fundamental ideology of chivalry is courtly love. This is defined as a knight fighting for and protecting his love (Chivalry). He would be expected to treat her with the utmost respect and protect her with his life. A knight would be more than willing to put his life on the line for his woman. After defending his woman, the night is then responsible for the respect and caring of all women.

What does all this mean to us? Just because times have changed, doesn’t mean that we’ve made progress. If anything, men have been going backwards in regards to the way they act and carry themselves. It’s time for this childish behavior to end. I’m here to offer a new definition to the word Chivalry, one that fits with the modern day and age. Now that we have a sense of what chivalry means, we can truly begin to update every aspect of it to fit the modern lifestyle.

For the first ideology of chivalry, knightly virtues, we need to stop and think. Knightly virtues refer to the knight’s loyalty to his lord and country. A knight would be expected to defend his country and lord at all costs. Knights were seen as the defenders of the land, and showed great pride in the land in which they inhabited. They would actively defend and support their country by going into battle, and even to go as far as to give their life in order to protect their land and lord.

In modern times, we don’t necessarily have knights, so one may think this is ideology is unnecessary.  This part can be redefined as ones loyalty for his country. In a sense, it is patriotism, but at the same time, its not. Patriotism is more of a passive approach for this term. Everyone says they love their country, but that’s usually where everyone stops. Knightly virtues refers to actively being involved in ones love for their country. If everyone in this great country actually were actively involved, more would be achieved and progress would be made at an alarming rate in terms of national advancements. We all say we love this country, but very few actually got out and serve. On top of that, with all due respect to those who serve, defending this country shouldn’t only depend on when the country tells them to serve. It should be a constant effort to defend this country and its values even at when it is not time for battle through the way we act and carry ourselves. We must represent our countries in a way that protects them and their ideologies.

The second ideology of chivalry that we will redefine is honor. This criterion refers to a knight’s image and legacy. A knight was expected to live up to his family legacy and potential. He would do so through courageous acts, acts of kindness, generosity towards the needy, and respect towards all. A knight’s honor was his portrayal in the eyes of others, so knights attempted to keep it as polished as possible. Dishonor was never an option, resulting in the preference of death rather than dishonor.

Unfortunately today, honor is a blaring issue that almost every man has. Honor used to be achieved by showing respect towards other and being generous towards those in need (Chivalry). The problem today is that most men only worry about themselves. They don’t take the time of day to worry about others and do what they could to help someone in need. It has become all about the individual. It’s truly a mental illness more than anything else. This narcissistic trait is disgusting, causing men to get caught up in nothing but their own selfish ways. By far, this modern mentality has been one of the main causes for the death of chivalry. This needs to change.

In redefining honor, men need to change their mindset about the way they carry themselves. It needs to stop being all about the individual but rather about society. Rather than indulging in unnecessary, expensive products, we should attempt to reach out to the poor and those in need and help improve their standards of living. How can anyone in their right mind live lavishly and wasteful while people are dying of hunger on the streets? Time to wake up people. It doesn’t take much to make a change, and it shouldn’t stop there. Honestly improving ones image in the public eye should be a priority. The way we are perceived in the public eye gives off our first impression. The more good deeds towards one does others, the better his image will be, thus earning him respect and admiration from many. This new definition of the way men should carry themselves allows men to have a sense of individual responsibility to others, rather then have a narcissist mentality.

The third criterion for chivalry that needs to be redefined is regarding the issue of “courtly love.” In medieval times, courtly love referred to a knight fighting for his true love (Chivalry).He would go out of his way to ensure the safety and well being of his woman. After his woman, a knight was expected to show the same respect and politeness to all women. He would go about doing so by helping women when they needed it by doing favors, for example, carrying her baskets. These simple actions go a long way in regards to the knight’s chivalrous label. 

Through these three definitions we have redefined, I have come up with a modern term for chivalry. Chivalry is the conduct of an individual in society through national virtues, honor, and love for all. Respecting ones self as well as respecting others is the cornerstone of this new form of social behavior. In doing so, one can achieve the respect and admiration of others. Looking at men today, it is very hard to deduce a definition of what a “man” is and does. I would like to offer this new and redefined definition of chivalry to serve as the archetype of what a man should be.

Some may argue against singling out woman for special treatment shows women’s inferiority to men. They argue the treating woman in such a way becomes “a form of ‘benevolent sexism’” (Stenson 50). In order to redefine this portion of chivalry and avoid sexism, the scope of chivalry needs to be broadened. A man should not only act in a chivalrous way towards woman, but rather towards everyone. It should be a love for everyone rather than directed towards woman. One should act kind and helpful for everyone. If someone is in peril and needs assistance, every man should feel the obligation to go out of his way to help that individual. This love for all makes for a society where everyone assumes responsibility for taking care of each other. 

In conclusion, chivalry has received a long overdue facelift. Men can now have an ideology in the way they should conduct themselves that lives up to modern times. It takes a true man to be chivalrous.

Work Cited:

"Chivalry" Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 24 Oct. 2011.

     http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chivalry

Hall, Micheal James. The American Gentleman: A Contemporary Guide to Chivalry. 1st Book Library, 2002. Ebook.

Harper, Jennifer. (2010, AUGUST 16). Poll: Women today treated with less chivalry. Washington Times.. Web. Retrieved from           http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2010/aug/16/poll-shows-mixed-feelings-about-feminism/

Kong, Chan Wai.  (2001, April 1). Where are the heroes? Sunday Mail,p. 09.  Retrieved October 24, 2011, from Research Library.      (Document ID: 70422473).

Shah, Anup. (2010, March 14). "Woman’s Rights." Global Issues. Web. 7 Dec. 2011.

http://www.globalissues.org/article/166/womens-rights

Stenson, Jacqueline.  (2005, September). MAYBE CHIVALRY SHOULD BE DEAD. Shape, 25(1), 50.  Retrieved October 24, 2011, from Research Library. (Document ID: 885490451).

Yen, Hope. (2011, October 25) "United States Divorce Rate: 2009 Census Report Reveals Startling Marriage Trends." Washington Times. Web. 7 Dec. 2011. 

 http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/08/25/united-states-divorce-rat_n_935938.html