Idylls of Prince Caspian

... for Mrs. Richmond.

In high school, one of the many teachers that stood out for me was my English teacher, Mrs. Richmond. She has a special place in my heart and mind for one particular reason: an essay exam on Tennyson's, "Idylls Of The King". If you didn't know, these are a series of poems based on the King Arthur Legend. After we had read them, we had an essay exam and one of the questions was, "Is chivalry dead in today's society?" Mrs. Richmond had a habit of stopping by random students and reading the answers they wrote, similar to the way one would browse magazines in the back of Barnes and Nobles on a rainy Saturday.
About half way through the exam, Mrs. Richmond made an announcement to the class. "When you answer the question about chivalry, don't equate being chivalrous with giving up your seat on a subway train." Obviously, one of the students had, in fact, written that very equation in essay form. Many students giggled nervously. I, however, was mortified. That was the same exact line of reasoning I was going to take! Since this particular answer was not going to pass muster, I had to come up with some other BS for the essay. I've long since forgotten what I wrote, but I've never forgotten what I didn't write.

Considering that question today, the answer, I believe, depends on how you personally define the word chivalry, never mind what that Webster guy has to say about it. And, I define it this way: an honor system where one's actions demonstrate consideration and respect for others. When I think of this definition, I think of people in Japanese society - or at least Tokyo - today. For example, when meeting someone for the first time, or even just to say good night, people will bow deeply towards each other. The security guard in the building I enter every day bows to everyone who comes in.
I've seen many people make eye contact with drivers who, in turn, seem obligated to let that person pass, whether he is on foot, riding a bicycle, or driving another car.
When a traffic light at a crosswalk says, Don't Walk, then no one really crosses the street. No matter if it is midnight and there are no cars on the road, the people in Tokyo, it seems to me, are showing respect for the rules and those cars and drivers that might be ambling by. By contrast, in the United States, the thought process is, "Double dumb ass on you!"

I thought about this, again, when watching the latest Chronic(what?)les of Narnia flick, Prince Caspian. At this movie, there was a large crowd. At the end of the movie, hardly anyone left! Just about everyone stayed through the final credits. My first thought was that this was a Pirates of the Caribbean sequel I was watching. Wrong! After pondering this for a while, I believe that everyone in that theater was acting chivalrous. In other words, they were showing respect to the artists involved in making the movie by watching their names roll across the screen.

There's just one example of chivalry here in Tokyo that I cannot provide. When riding on the subway, there are signs and announcements, in both English and Japanese, that the elderly, pregnant women, those with small children, etc. should be given a seat on the subway. If you have to be told constantly to do something - and not of your own accord, then it is not really chivalrous behavior. In this instance, I have to agree with Mrs. Richmond.