Summary: Of Studies by Francis Bacon

Summary: Of Studies by Francis Bacon

In his essay entitled Of Studies, Francis Bacon examines the benefits and effects of studies, maintaining that when studies are balanced by experience, diverse studies may help counteract personal imperfections.

Bacon proposes that study may be done for three purposes: for one’s own entertainment, such as reading book on a favorite author, to impress others and bring attention to oneself, such as by touting one’s academic accomplishments in hopes of gaining a pretty girl’s admiration, or to gain competence and proficiency, an example would be by studying for an upcoming exam.



Too much study may be considered a downfall, as the individual studying may be considered by others to be self-indulgent or even lazy if they appear to be studying and not much else.

Just to do what books tell you to do and nothing else is characteristic of an academic/bookish individual. Studying alone is insufficient;

learning must also be accompanied by real life experience, as they are counter-balances of one another.


Abilities are strengthened and capabilities balanced by studies. Cunning individuals regard studies with contempt because concepts learned from books might thwart their devious goals; unpretentious individuals admire studies because they themselves may have had little opportunity for study, and an astute individual makes good use of studies and knowledge gained by studying as a tool to glean more information.


 Study and take time to meditate on the information learned rather than taking what is learned as gospel, or arguing about the information, even discussing it. Three types of literature that are widely available include that which is be read in parts and not spent a lot of time on, that which is to be read through and enjoyed, and that which is to be read thoroughly with attention and sincerity. Studying makes people complete, discussion makes a prepared person, and writing makes an exact person by communicating well.

·         As a capacious and pragmatic mind of the Renaissance, Bacon dwells on the subject of studying books and their uses in his essay, 'Of Studies'. Its main points may be summarised as stated hereunder:

a) 'Studies' have a three-fold purpose: 'delight', 'ornament' & 'ability'. Books may be read for attaining delight, for being ornamental in discourses, and for achieving ability.

b) 'Studies' must be ratified by experience, just as experiences are trimmed by studies.

c) Clever people do not like studies, for things learnt from books may be inimical to their interests. Simple men look upon reading books as a very admirable venture, for they themselves do not find a chance to read books. But only the wise men can make good use of their knowledge.

d) Books are generally of three types; some are to be 'tasted' i.e. to be read in parts; some are to be 'swallowed' i.e. to be somehow read through''; some books deserve to be read in full with enough sincerity and attention.

e) Just as ailments of the body can be cured by physical exercises, ailments/shortcomongs of the mind may be cured by appropriate studies.

"Of Truth" raises the interesting problem of our difficulty in defining lies, especially when we consider theology as a view with a higher and more profound standard of truth than mere mortal philosophy. More dangerously, he speculates "A mixture of a lie doth ever add pleasure" (1259). When moving into ordinary language of "civil business" (see the preface regarding his career!), he turns openly censorious of lies, even though such a world is obviously full of them.

The most important theme in "A Horse and Two Goats," and in fact the central theme of Narayan's work, is the clash of cultures, specifically the clash of Indian and Western cultures. Using humor instead of anger, Narayan demonstrates just how far apart the two worlds are: the two cultures exist in the same time and space, but literally and metaphorically speak different languages. The two main characters in this story couldn't be more different: Muni is poor, rural, uneducated, Hindu, brown; the American is wealthy, urban, educated, probably Judeo-Christian, white. As a good Hindu, Muni calmly accepts the hand that fate has dealt him, while the American is willing and able to take drastic and sudden action to change his life (for example, flying off to India, or throwing away his return plane ticket to transport a horse statue home on a ship). Each man is quite ignorant of...

1. Clash of cultures( the contradiction of the wealthier and poorer culture of both men). 
2. Wealth and poverty( this is the poor and unwell style of life of Muni compared to the rich style of life of thee American Man).

3.Knowledge and ignorance( this is how they were talking two different languages and neither of them knowing that the other was not getting a word of what they were saying)

"A Horse and Two Goats" is just a flat out delightful in every way short story.   It is about an elderly,  poor man with two goats, a wife, little money and no children. He used to have a herd of forty goats, numerous sheep and even a few cows.    His  name is Muni.  Hard luck  has reduced him down to two scraggly goats.    He and his wife live in a small very minimal house next to a "drumstick tree".     I was not sure what a "drumstick tree" was so I checked.    It is a tree with super  nutritious seed pods in the shape of chicken drumsticks (OK we could have guessed that).    You can also boil the leaves for a tasty soup.     Though it is much tastier if you can throw in a vegetable or two or when very lucky a bit of meat.    The couple in part lives from this tree.

Narayan does a very good job depicting the relationships of long married couples.   In just a few lines he can make us understand their lives.   Maybe there was a time when the man was the boss  but those tines are long ago.    Muni's main occupation now is taking his goats for long walks where they can hopefully find something to eat.    His wife tells him do not come back until the goats are fed and he knows if he is gone long enough she will find some way to put together a meal for him.    If he stays out longer  maybe she will be in a good mood when he gets home.

One day the man is out for his walk with his goats.     Muni speaks no English.    A red-faced man in khaki shorts standing next to a fancy car asked him "where can I get some gasoline for my car.    I am out".    Muni has no idea what he is talking about but he knows a white man in khaki shorts next to a fancy car  probably means trouble if  upset so Mani more or less nods at whatever he says.    When the man offers Mani a cigarette, a pleasure he has not been able to indulge in for a long time, he begins to talk back to him but of course the man has no idea what Mani is saying.  The cigarette broke the ice for them.   Now the story just gets so funny when Narayan shows us what each of the men thinks the other is thinking.    As I read this I marveled at how Narayan could make the white man (an American on holiday with his wife) sound so right in his conversations.   We also see what each one of them is thinking the other is saying.   Anyone who has ever head a long  "conversation" with someone who they did not share a language with will love this story.     

As the story proceeds the American asks Mani about a very old mud statue next to his car.    Mani has no idea what the man is talking about.   Somehow the American thinks Mani owns the land he is standing on so he is trying to negotiate a purchase price for the old mud statue (which nobody cares a thing about) which the Anerican thinks is an amazing artifact of an ancient culture (and it may well be such).    As they talk on and on Mani starts to think the man wants to buy his goats (he had shown him some money).    The American assumes Mani is very knowledgeable about the old statue and is trying to drive the price up.    The American wants this statue so badly he will go home to American in a boat while his wife flies back just to be sure the statue makes it back safely.    Mani never has a clue he is interested in the statue.    When they part the American gives Mani more money than he ever had in his life, enough for he and is wife to live on for years.    He leaves the goats with the man, thinking that is what he has sold.    What he really sold was the statue that he never owned in the first place.    I have already told a lot of the plot of this story but I have left untold the great ending.   Narayan is a genius at ending a short story (not always an easy thing to do)

Grief

“Having experienced what it is like to grieve for someone, I can say with conviction that Anton Chekhov’s portrayal of a father’s anguish for his dead son in the short story Grief was accurate. Everyone has their own way of dealing with grief. I chose to deal with my sadness through writing down what I felt in my journal. I suppose I could have talked to my friends about it, but I knew in my heart that they could not comprehend the magnitude of my sorrow and guilt unless they themselves have experienced death, which they haven’t.

Though the image of a man telling a little horse about the death of his son might look a little ridiculous, we must keep in mind that Iona’s way of dealing with his grief was by talking about it. No one was kind enough to spare a few minutes and listen to his story, which left him with no choice but to converse with his horse. It sounds a little pathetic but when you come to think of it, talking to a horse or inanimate object about something as difficult as grief is a lot similar to writing it down. A piece of paper will never know what it is like to lose a brother, but it heard every single word I wanted to say and did not look bored or interrupt my narrative with comments. During my bereavement, one thing that exasperated me was when people would tell me things like, ‘At least your brother is an angel in heaven now.’ Though I know they meant well by these attempts tocomfort me, I did not want to picture Luijoe hovering in and out of the clouds with a pair of wings and a halo. I wanted him to be alive, to be as annoying as little brothers are; anywhere but inside a wooden casket buried six feet under a fine carpet of Bermuda grass.

Grief is a never-ending process. The beautiful thing about grieving is that even though you will never get over the death of your loved one, you will learn to move on and live without that person. Death like any great wound leaves a scar that will heal with time. But the mark will always remain, and so will the memories of your loved one. “

Children aren’t happy with nothing to ignore for and that’s why parents were created”.

          Childhood is considered as one of the most important and delicate phase of human life span. Seeking the first sense of knowledge, love and belonging, the child’s mind is curious to the level which we can’t think of. In the story, Tagore gives us a clear picture on how a child, when brought up  in an atmosphere like village can cause quite a lot of disturbance to people around him because of his curious and mischievous attitude.

1st phase of the story

Phatik is known for his pranks and naughty behaviour, which often comes at the cost of disrupting the peace and well being of people in village. At home, the case is no different. His mother is shocked to see him hurt his younger brother with is mischievous pranks. Thus, considering him as a big threat and an unending problem to people around, Phatik’s mother decides to send him with his uncle to Calcutta for further education. Phatik is extremely interested with his mother’s idea and readily agrees to go with his uncle.

Factors causing Phatik’s behavior

1.     He is faced with immense freedom in his village.

2.     The age factor: Childhood is known for its great share of mischievous behavior from children.

3.     His mistakes are seen as burdens, instead of looked upon as the natural pranks of a boy growing up.

4.     His mother is not ready to reform his behavior( thus decides to send him with his uncle)

2nd phase of the story

Phatik is introduced to an entirely different atmosphere when compared to the earlier one. Calcutta, which, in his mind was a place for him to play more, enjoy more and fulfill all his desires, comes as a great let down. The vastness of the city does not let him explore it on his own and thus prone to restriction. The feeling of homeliness eludes Phatik as his aunt is always full of complaints for whatever he does.Adding to the environmental changes; he is met with physical and mental changes in himself. He undergoes all the changes which a child will, when he/she is nearing adolescence is unable to get adjusted to the system of the modern schools and thus fails to match with the standards of academics.

Factors causing Phatik’s behaviour

1.     Restriction has a great impact on his mind.

2.     Lacks the much needed care, support and love of his mother.

3.     His thoughts and ideas are not reinforced by his guardians.

4.     Here also, he is considered as a burden and not seen as an important member of the family.

Significance of parenting during childhood

·        Be responsive to children, both emotionally and intellectually

·        Provide a warm and supportive atmosphere

·        Children should be allowed to make mistakes. They have to be corrected in the right manner by inculcating the right values in them.

·        Provide maximum opportunity to explore and investigate their environment.

·        Don’t push your children too hard.

·        Despite the rigors and demands of modern life, childhood should be a time for enjoyment and not viewed merely as a prelude to adulthood

·         Encourage and reinforce the efforts of children.

In the very first line of the text we learn Phatik is not a good person: "A new mischief got into his head", and then the text describes what that fun was. Next moment he treats his uncle badly, and then his mother. So the image the reader has of him so far is unpleasant and we are led to think he is not a good person.

But then, on page 3 - second paragraph - we learn that is the picture of every fourteen year old boy - "there is no worse nuisance than a boy at the age of fourteen".

It is not only his family and not only Phatik; the unpleasantness is a feeling towards all adolescents and shared by the whole comunity! No wonder he is so angry and disgusting! He is suffering from is own discomfort and trying ackwardly to find a way into community- "it is at this very age when in his heart of hearts a young lad most craves for recognition and love".

There is no one to blame. According to the text, teenagers are a nuisance and adults react to them accordingly and I come to think about my own experience: have I ever (or do I sometimes) look at someone as a nuisance or as a "bad" person overlooking some important facts on his/her current story?

I feel sorry for Phatik.