Martyr

I felt there were many parallels to be drawn during our close reading and discussion of John 5 and Catonsville Nine. Namely, I was interested in the discussed concept of martyrship. What exactly makes someone a martyr? I certainly think that this concept is quite subjective. Officially, a martyr is someone who dies for their beliefs. Previously, I had never been exposed to martyrship being bestowed on anyone outside of religion. That is, I had only known the honor to be given to religious figures that had been killed for maintaining their faith. I do feel that this honor can and should be further extended to those that die for social causes. For example, Emily Davidson, the suffragette, should most certainly be considered a martyr for her efforts. I feel that it is, at the very least, equally as honorable to die for the betterment and rights of others as it is to die for one’s faith. And perhaps Father Berrigan felt as though he was acting for both as his faith is interwound with his belief that war is immoral. However, I think it was a stretch to consider the Catonsville Nine to be martyrs. They did not die for the cause; they were simply fined and jailed. Admittedly, it was a bold and positively good effort. However, I am simply unconvinced by the claim that they should be considered martyrs. I would be interested to see if martyrship is regularly extended to mean simply risking one’s freedom and well-being in other contexts. Is death a necessary parameter to be given such a high honor?