What is "greatness"?

   

              "And yet what precisely is this 'greatness'? Just where, or in what, does it lie? I am quite aware it would take a far wiser head than mine to answer such a question, but if I were forced to hazard a guess, I would say that it is the very lack of obvious drama or spectacle that sets the beauty of our land apart. What is pertinent is the calmness of that beauty, its sense of restraint. It is as though the land knows of its own beauty, of its own greatness, and feels no need to shout it." (Ishiguro 29)

               In this passage, Steven speculates about the meaning of greatness. In his opinion, being truly great means being simple. He sees this in the landscape of Great Britain because it is very calm and quiet but still proud of its beauty. On the other hand, Steven says, places such as Africa or America 'shout out' their beauty to everybody and have a louder presence. Stevens says that greatness is when something is aware of its greatness but does not need to put it on a pedestal. Also, Stevens acknowledges the fact that there are far more intelligent people than him- "I am quite aware that it would take a far wiser head than mine to answer such a question..." This passage signifies Steven's simple thought process.

               I somewhat agree with Stevens on the idea that great things are simple. But on the other hand, extravagant things can also be quite great. There has to be a balance of both sides of greatness in order to achieve maximum greatness. I am not quite like Stevens where he thinks that simplicity is the greatest thing. This is because I appreciate things that look like they made an effort to achieve greatness. I feel like I can relate more to them.