Epicurus Letter To Menoeceus Is About Life And Explains It From A Phi

Epicurus' Letter to Menoeceus is about life and explains it from a philosopher's point of view. In it he discusses pleasure, pain, death, fear, judgment, destiny, ignorance and many other debatable issues that humans experience. The one idea that struck my attention is from a passage about pleasure and morals. He doesn't use the word moral but rather implies that morals are connected to pleasure. The passage states, "Pleasure is our first and kindred good. It is the starting-point of every choice and of every aversion, and to it we come back, inasmuch as we make feeling the rule by which to judge of every good thing." Epicurus simply indicates "Pleasure" which means that it could be anyone's pleasure. By simply stating "pleasure" in a general term it could mean that pleasure of another person may bring pleasure to oneself. One could make a sacrifice in order to please another person (or people) which ultimately pleases oneself. For example, a man or woman who is willing to give up their life for their country would be pleasing himself or herself as well as the country. That is a huge sacrifice that one may make in order to fulfill their desire to do something good. Epicurus suggests that pleasure is our first thought that is good. So in order for something to be good it must be pleasurable to anyone including yourself. He also states that pleasure is our first and kindred good. This suggests that from the time that we are born we associate good as something pleasing. Infants learn that eating, sleeping, being changed to be more comfortable, cuddling, having a blanket for warmth, and any other physical needs are all good or pleasing to the baby. As we grow our pleasure comes from our emotions as well as our physical desires. The parent of a child receives his or her pleasure from the caring and nurturing of the child. According to Epicurus, our choices are based on pleasure. As we age our form of pleasure transfers from a physical need to our emotional needs. When we evaluate a situation we tend to think about what would be best or the most pleasing to us. An example of this is that I choose to go to school because it makes me happy to have an education and so I can feel secure in my future. My choice was made from an evaluation of how pleasing it would be for me, had it not been pleasing I would have altered my choice. Both the feelings of security and happiness were evaluated before I made my decision. Epicurus also mentions feelings and how they effect our judgment of good. Since our choices are based on pleasure they effect our morals or our judgment. When a person considers another person's feelings over their own is a value that is instilled in their morals when they are young. For example people that have children place their pleasure on the happiness of their child. From this the child is learning the pleasure of pleasing others and that it is good. Epicurus entwines the idea that pleasure is connected to our judgment of everything that is "good". He began by talking about pleasure and how it is the first thing that we learn. He then says that we consider the amount of pleasure something will bring us before we make our decisions about things. Then he brings in the idea of how pleasure is a feeling and that we make feelings our basis for determining if something is good. From all these feelings and judgments we are given our morals. So if we didn't have feelings would it be possible to have "good" morals?

The eNotes Blog How to Write a Character Analysis in 11Steps

How to Write a Character Analysis in 11Steps At first, learning how to write a character analysis may seem like an overwhelming task, especially when characters are evolving throughout the text. Not every aspect of a character will be directly stated by the author. Therefore, it’s up to you to find textual evidence that supports your interpretation of the character’s disposition. The goal of a character analysis is to explain how a character’s specific traits are represented in and influence a literary work. When analyzing characters, you should evaluate how an author describes them, their actions, and their dialogue within the plot. To help get you started, lets review 11 steps to writing a character analysis. 1. Identify the character Before writing, you should have a basic understanding of the character you want to analyze. Several important questions to ask yourself include the following: What is the characters role in the story? Is it a major or minor role? Who does the character interact with? Who is important to the character? What possessions does the character have? How does the character relate to them? To best answer these questions, its helpful to identify the specific types of characters and roles within a story. 2. Take notes Regardless of how many times you’ve read the text, skim the piece again and actively note specific scenes in which your character appears. Highlight any meaningful dialogues or descriptions provided by the author. Once you start writing, your notes will be helpful references to add textual support into your analysis. 3. Locate the character’s initial introduction First impressions are important, and so identifying how an author introduces a character is vital to a successful character analysis. Ask yourself: How is the character first introduced by the author? What is she doing? What is her relation to the other characters? Character introductions often provide physical descriptions that may reflect specific aspects about the characters nature or livelihood. 4. Â  Look for words repeatedly used to describe the character Make note of the words used to describe your character, especially if they’re repeated throughout the text. These recurring descriptions may provide insight into the character’s psychology and motivations behind the actions the character makes. 5. Â  Be aware of items associated with the character Whether these items are part of the characters physical descriptions or part of a larger symbolic significance, they may express important aspects of the character, which will help you better define who your character is. 6. Identify the character’s use of language You can learn a lot about characters by how they communicate. For instance, a character’s language may reveal insights into her background or current livelihood: Is she educated? Does she use slang? Does her language reflect where shes from? 7. Note the character’s actions and their effects on others Actions do tend to speak louder than words. A character’s behavior will often provide more insight into a character’s persona rather than the physical descriptions given by the author or other characters. 8. Identify the characters motivation As you consider the effects of your character’s internal thoughts and external actions on others, you’ll want to also consider why the character is acting or thinking in a particular way. 9. Â  Consider the historical time period You should always put the character’s actions and thoughts in context and refrain from making contemporary judgments about the past. The setting is a crucial component of the plot and can significantly influence character development, so develop an understanding of the historical context in which your character is a part. 10. Â  Identify the authors attitude Be mindful of the author’s attitude towards the characters he or she has created. The author may be directing you toward an intended interpretation. 11. Create an outline At this point, you should have enough information about your character to start constructing an outline for your analysis. This is the time to refer back to your notes to find textual evidence that supports conclusions you’ve made about your character and the role she plays in the literary work. When you feel confident in your comprehension and interpretation of the text, you should be on your way to writing a successful character analysis! For a more in-depth review on how to write a character analysis and specific examples for each step, visit ’ How To Series.