My Friend Folly Think of a person, any person. It could be a close associate or simply a fond acquaintance. Now think of every adjective that could possibly be used to describe that individual. Did the word “perfect” happen to be one of those descriptions? Odds are that it was not. If it was then a reevaluation might be in order because that analysis contradicts with the self-evident truth found in the person’s humanity, the individual's predisposition to faults. Nonetheless, we tend to overlook the faults in people in order to maintain a happy relationship with them. Erasmus addresses this phenomenon in his work titled Praise of Folly. In this satirical piece, Erasmus utilizes the narrator Folly in order to address societal issues in an ironic fashion. One of the social deceptions Folly speaks of lies within the confines of relationships as it specifically relates to friendship, marriage, and family. …show more content…
She confronts this topic by saying, “Just think: winking at your friend’s faults, passing over them, turning a blind eye, building up illusions, treating obvious faults as virtues which call for love and admiration–isn’t all that related to folly?” (33). Upon first coming into contact with Folly’s statement, it may seem that her analysis has not truth to it at all. However, when a reader actually begins to meditate on what makes a friendship last, Folly’s statement morphs into a plausible explanation. Honestly, how else could a person be able to reconcile another person’s flaws in order to achieve a happy relationship except by being under the illusion of the friend’s perfect state? The subtle realization that the friend has faults may even come to mind, but the illusion remains in order for the relationship to sustain itself. Friendship proves not to be the only relationship where Folly rears her
Individuals are often unable to reconcile their uncertainties from the past with the present situation due to their lack of intimacy with loved ones. Because others are unwilling to neither understand nor acknowledge the individual’s previous achievements, this causes a major barrier to form between the two individuals. In the excerpt from A Few Notes For Orpheus, Don Bailey suggests that when individuals are unable to reconcile their past misunderstandings with others, this instigates feelings of jealousy and bitterness within themselves due to other people’s ignorance and lack of understanding of them. It is through this unawareness and constant criticism they receive from others that causes an individual’s confidence to significantly decline,
..., through his social commentary introduced the character Folly in the Praise of Folly. Folly represents what it is to have a lack of good sense about things. In today's ever growing web of deceit and folly one must be conscious of the short comings of others, especially when that person is put in a place of power. If Erasmus were alive today he would enjoy satirizing a variety of modern day follies. The reasons for going to war and the evangelicals who support war are two examples of modern day folly. All one needs to do is turn on a television, listen to the radio, or venture out of their house to see many more examples of what Erasmus would consider folly. Erasmus could not have put it any better when he said "If anything I've said seems rather impudent or garrulous, you must remember it's Folly and a woman who's been speaking...And so I'll say goodbye." (134)
The words “beautiful” and “perfect” are both vague yet relative concepts as they are defined from person to person. In Hawthorne’s “The Birth Mark,” imperfections perceived by one are also seen as defining in beauty by another. Perfection, as sought by Aylmer, became an obsession which in the end required Georgiana to undergo a process of transmutation to become perfect and therefore a more desirable human being in Aylmer’s eyes. The concept of “bodily perfection” remains the same today as it was in Hawthorne’s time: beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but it is who the beholder is that is of greatest importance when determining the value of the opinion being shared. For Georgiana, Aylmer’s happiness, or lack thereof, defined the way in
Aristotle presents his view of the mutual desire for good in others, or Friendship in his work, The Nicomachean Ethics. He asserts that friendship comes in three types, Virtue Friendship, Use Friendship, and Pleasure Friendship. He distinguishes Virtue Friendship as the perfect friendship, leaving Use Friendship and Pleasure friendship as deficient friendships. C.S. Lewis presents his view of friendship, which is motivated by appreciation love, in his book The Four Loves in a manner seeming to correspond to Aristotle’s concept of Virtue Friendship. Lewis also presents his perception of Companionship, which seems to correspond to Aristotle’s notion of Use and Pleasure Friendships. Lewis presents a more modern and seemingly accurate rehabilitation
Perfection is what many people attempt to achieve in there lives, yet none do. It is the ideal result to the hard work and toil each person does, in order to become greater than they are now. Within literature, characters may seem perfect but upon closer inspection, are deeply flawed. This is the case in the three pieces of literature; Oedipus the King, My Last Duchess, and Death of a Salesman. All three of these prove that fact that “Perfection is like a dream. When people finally see the flaws, they wake up and the dream ends.”
As the story begins, the character of the husband has a negative personality. He lacks compassion, is narrow-minded, and is jealous of his wife’s friendship with a blind man named Robert. His constantly complains that “a blind man in my house was not something [he looked] forward to” (362). The close outside friendship between the narrator’s wife and Robert provokes his insecurities. This friendship has lasted for ten years and during those years, they have exchanged countless tapes regarding experiences they have gone through. Because of this, her husband feels “she [has] told him everything or it so it seemed” (363) about their relationship.
...g the perfect life should seem unrealistic to anyone evaluating the goal from an objective perspective; however the circumstances of the characters in the presented literary works exaggerate the expectations of everyday society. Each work focuses on portraying a flaw inherent in human nature from a different angle and ultimately, the characters’ quests for perfection demonstrate that the flaws permeating human nature are inescapable, prophesying failure for all those who seek to embody perfection.
But jealousy, and especially sexual jealousy, brings with it a sense of shame and humiliation. For this reason it is generally hidden; if we perceive it we ourselves are ashamed and turn our eyes away; and when it is not hidden it commonly stirs contempt as well as pity. Nor is this all. Such jealousy as Othello’s converts human nature into chaos, and liberates the beast in man; and it does this in relation to one of the most intense and also the most ideal of human feelings. (169)
Friendship is a bond that brings society together as a whole. The article, “Friendship in an Age of Economics” by Todd May describes six friendships that pertain to life. In the Of Mice and Men excerpt, the reader meets two characters, George and Lennie, and their friendship is shown. Of the six friendships, in “Friendship in an Age of Economics,” the true friendship, developed by Aristotle, is used in Of Mice and Men through George and Lennie’s relationship because of how they act towards each other, and how they take care of one another in many different ways. First, the article introduces the audience to friendships described by Aristotle, and Todd May.
If a good and self sufficient man were to develop a friendship, they may see the flaws that they themselves may not see. But not only will a good man see any flaws or things to work on in his friend, but the excellent person also who has friends can embrace the qualities that make him virtuous through his friends. This is because it is easier to view someone’s best or worst qualities through someone else’s eyes than for them to view their own. Being able to be around another person who is doing virtuous acts rather than doing virtuous acts by one’s self, gives the good man more realization that he is in fact an excellent
The word ‘friend’ often carries vague connotations and assumptions that have no real purpose to the meaning of the word that is important here. Within the boundaries of a true friendship, the superiority of one individual over another should never be outward nor should one individual benefit at the other’s expense; also, an individual should not claim ownership over the other within a relationship termed a friendship. A relationship where an individual contains more power over another and asserts this power cannot be defined a friendship regardless of how kind each individual is to the other. Through the account of an unnamed female, Aphra Behn outlines such a relationship within the narrative of Oroonoko and his encounters with other characters as a royal slave. One character in particular, Mr. Trefry, a plantation supervisor, takes a keen liking to Oroonoko and holds him up on a pedestal of excellence for all to see; however, his actions towards Oroonoko suggest that he sees him as a prize possession rather than a man of equal value. Trefry’s unwillingness and eventual failure to free Oroonoko from slavery insinuates that the relationship between the characters is not that of mutual respect and, consequently, cannot be defined as friendship. As Aristotle claims, there is no difference between a good friend and a friend for a “friend is one who will always try… to do what he takes to be good for you” (emphasized), which is a belief that, evidently, is important here (Aristotle Rhetoric I.1.5). In Jonathan Swift’s tale, Gulliver’s Travels, Part 2, Gulliver, again, meets a collective group of individuals who are of unequal size to him, but this time who are larger. Swift takes a satirical and more literal approach to the notion of ...
Throughout our lives, we value many things. Whether it’s valuing family, a passion, or even priorities, we highly praise certain things. For now, let’s take friendship into consideration. Some individuals value friendship whereas others don’t. Those who value friendship value it because they turn to in order to seek shelter when there’s nowhere else to turn to. It is safe to say friendship is a significant part of our lives, and no individual can vouch for friendship like Greek philosopher, Aristotle. Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics delves into this idea of friendship being a necessity as well as conveying the three types of friendship he establishes. Friendship based on utility, pleasure, and virtue were thoroughly examined and ultimately, Aristotle developed a stance on the fact that friendship based on virtue is the one to attain. Subsequently, he provides a strong foundation for which he says friendship based on utility and pleasure are unstable friendships.
According to Aristotle there are three different types of friendships that exist. Friendship that is based on utility, ones that are based on pleasure, and friendship based on goodness of character. The first two kinds are superficial, so they don’t usually last long. Friendship based on goodness of character is the best kind of friendship, because these friends love one another for who they are and not for what they stand to gain from one another. Friendship exists best between
...e” as another deluded lover dooms himself” (137). His interpretation of her gestures (flirting with him) is what leads him to his fate. He is left on the hillside with a broken heart because he was gullible and eager for the woman to love him. He should not have rushed into believing that he was in love with the woman when actually, he barely knew her. Love is not rushed; however, it is learned over time.
While reading, “The Story of a Good Little Boy”, the word perfection is the first thought that comes to mine, the entire story. Jacob Blivens was trying to be the perfect Sunday school book boy who was perfect and continuously did the right thing, and would always be rewarded at the end of the day. But Jacob did not realize that was not always the case until his extreme emotional death. Twain knew this universe was not like that, and would never be, “perfect”. Perfection is good to strive for but be able to come to the realization that perfection is unattainable. As Mark Twain once wrote, “Supposing is good, but finding out is better”(A Life Lived).