Why Has Shakespeare Been Popular for 400 Years

The, By Plato And St. Augustine - 1327 Words

Symposium and Confession describe instances of individuals ascending to a higher level of knowledge only obtained by a select few. Both ascents, written by Plato and St. Augustine, share similar stages, showing how the act of loving beautiful bodies morphs into the love of the soul of another human, which transforms into a love of knowledge, and finally culminates in an enlightened state. However, Augustine’s ascent illustrates how Platonists fail to realize their rise places too much value in loving another human and sees beauty as its own form, instead of a representation of a higher power. Platonists miss the crucial understanding that their advancement to enlightenment only leads to an analogical representation of a greater force, namely, God. The first stage of both ascents requires the loving of beautiful things, specifically beautiful bodies. Augustine begins his ascent saying he approves of the beauty of bodies, whether they are â€Å"celestial or terrestrial† ( Conf. 7.23) even though this is an â€Å"unqualified judgement† (Conf. 7.23). He believes he is not fit to place these judgements on others and ascertains that he cannot even explain why he finds particular bodies beautiful. In the same way, the first step in the ascent described by Socrates is for a man to â€Å"devote himself to beautiful bodies† (Symp. 210B). Socrates is encouraged to love another man for his beauty to begin the ascent of Ä“ros (love). As Augustine continues to examine his judgements on beauty, heShow MoreRelatedPlato And St. Augustine1090 Words   |  5 Pages Plato suggested that values such as justice and right conduct are absolute and beyond the realm of subjective viewpoints. One of his arguments against moral relativism is that it is logically unsound. Plato proposed a multi-layered existence. There is the world of sensory perception, which includes the physical realities of existence. Plato argued for a higher level of being that he understood as a world of forms, ideas or concepts. Plato argued that conduct comes from a reference to this worldRead MoreRelationship between St Augustine and Plato1773 Words   |  8 Pagesbetween St. Augustine and Plato Great philosophers over time have shared ideas about their lifetime. There were no more captivating philosophers than Plato and Augustine who fed off one another. Even though they were born at different times, their ideas impacted the life they lived in and future lives. St. Augustine was a student of the wise Plato, who fed off his ideas and created his own form of philosophy. Plato on the other hand orbited the idea of the theory of forms which, later St. AugustineRead MoreSt. Augustine as the True Heir of Plato Essay1144 Words   |  5 PagesAristotle and St. Augustine have both been influenced by Plato. Their philosophy on morality, politics, and the purpose of life has been platonically influenced. St. Augustine is the true heir of Plato because he has taken Plato’s ideal state, and revealed the implications of the lives that the citizens of the earthly city lead, in the City of God. Plato’s state is an ideal state, that would not function in reality. St. Augusti ne has taken Plato’s notions, and have furthered the implications of livingRead MoreSt. Augustine Accepts Platonic Concept Essay771 Words   |  4 PagesSt. Augustine was a Christian Platonist. He Christianizes many of Plato’s Greek concepts. In Confessions, St. Augustine used many Neo-plationic terms and ideas but in Book VII is when he finally has a revelation about the similarities of Philosophy and Christianity. In class, we have discussed a number of ways in which St. Augustine accepts the ideas of Plato; one of those being the theory of forms. Plato’s theory of forms describes the divine to be in the invisible, perfect, intangible world. StRead MoreEssay on St. Augustines View of Evil1070 Words   |  5 PagesChristians since the time of St. Augustine of Hippo. In The Confessions of St. Augustine, he initiates this premise and argues in its favor. Discourse about evil is based on the Christian theological teachings of the omniscience, omnipotence, and perfect benevolence of God as well as the understanding that evil is present in this world. Since these four concepts are contradictory, one of them must be rejected. Thus, St. Augustine argues that evil does not exist. I find St. Augustine’s explanationRead MoreGood And Evil : Good Or Evil?928 Words   |  4 Pagespunishment, why would God be attacking the churches and the good people of Lisbon rather than the prostitutes? The people could not stand to think that their God would do such a thing, so the idea was dismissed altogether. Long before the earthquake, Plato proposed another idea as to what evil is. Plato’s idea was based on the fact that the Demiurge, or God, had molds for things like flowers, and birds, and even humans. The Demiurge would take the chaos in the universe and pour it into these molds, givingRead MoreThe Contributions of St. Augustine and Brigid of Kildare to Christianity1003 Words   |  5 PagesThe Contributions of St. Augustine and Brigid of Kildare to Christianity St. Augustine and Bridgid of Kildare were two very influential people in the church during the fourth and fifth centuries. St. Augustine and Bridgid of Kildare were most famous for the monasteries that they founded. Both St. Augustine and Bridgid were devout Christians who contributed greatly to the growth of Christianity. Both of these people encouraged the spread of Christianity, the belief in a life of solitude, andRead More Christianity According to St. Augustine and Machiavelli Essay1388 Words   |  6 Pages In St. Augustine’s book entitled Political Writings, one could see that Christianity plays a very important role in his view of politics. His opinion on the morality or lack of morality in politics, to me makes it more evident that Christianity persuades his views. Although it seems his writings have become quite well known and admired, not everyone fully shared his beliefs. Niccolo Machiavelli, for instance, seemed to believe in a government that was not driven by morality, but more by practicalityRead MoreSt. Augustines important philosophical contributions to defend the philosophy of Christianity.1709 Words   |  7 PagesSt. Augustine made some very important philosophical contributions to defend the philosophy of Christianity. One of these contributions concerned the philosophical problem of evil. Up until St. Augustines time, philosophers questioned the idea proposed by Christians that evil generated in a world created by a perfectly good God. The problem is easy enough to understand, yet slightly more complicated to solve. St. Augustine raised some fairly good propositions to offer an explanation for this questionRead MoreAristotle And St. Augustine846 Words   |  4 PagesAristotle and St. Augustine both wrote philosophical works in order to teach us something that they have learned, in hopes that we will apply it to our own lives. However, Augustine uses a type of autobiographical style in addition to treatise in his works, while A ristotle only uses the treatise style in his works.What were they both thinking when they were writing these famous works? Did they use their respective styles to achieve a goal? Both authors used their work to teach lessons in a way

The Glass Menagerie Drama Reaction Paper free essay sample

The drama plot thickens once the author explains how Tom in the story took over the role as the man of the house to fill the void of his absent father. Tom has to step up and be the provider for his mother and sister in the story. Tom yearns for a better life, not because he is selfish, but because he needs to escape from a trap he must react without pity† (Williams, 2011, p. 1246-1291) and leave his family to find a meaningful existence and detach himself from self-preservation and selfish ignorance. The tragic hero theory of â€Å"Life would be better anywhere but here† (Williams, 2011, p. 246-1291) allows the readers to understand the frustration Tom is experiencing as a provider for the family. Tom just wants a change, he is not sure what the change is he is looking for, but he is just ready to be free of the captivity of his mother and sister. We will write a custom essay sample on The Glass Menagerie Drama Reaction Paper or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Tom never expresses that he wants to escape from his family, but it is apparent that he wanted some kind of happiness just for himself. The symbol behind this play represents a way of escape between reality and illusion, for example the fire escape represents a gap between illusion and the world of reality. Tom’s perspective of the fire escape is his ticket out of his mother Amanda, and Laura his sister. Laura was the complete opposite of Tom; she was looking for a way of fitting or connecting with people because she was so unsure of herself because of her handicap. The only thing Laura has is her collection of glass menageries that are very similar to her fragile personality can easily be broken. Society had not done anything to Laura; she set herself apart from reality and remained housed without any contact with the outside world. The author captures sympathy from the audience as Laura is left vulnerable and broken seen in silliness is gone and she has dignity and tragic beauty. Followed, from then on, in my fathers footsteps, attempting to find in motion what was lost in space (Williams, 2011, p. 1246-1291) shows a chaotic and paradox situation because of the father’s absence that is a significant impact because his presence is missing in Laura’s life. Amanda, Tom mother means well, but she is not very clever in her actions. Despite Laura shyness, Amanda insists on forcing her social situations and request Tom to bring home a friend for Laura to meet. Tom brings home a friend from work and after Laura and the firned shares a kiss it is revealed that he is engaged. Once Laura informs Amanda of the friend engagement this sparks a conflict between Amanda and Tom. Tom tries to explain to Amanda and Laura he was not aware of the engagement, however, Amanda is too upset to hear him out. Amanda is wants Laura to be married or have a social life so that she can have a life of her own. Conflict and tension between Tom, Amanda, and Laura intensifies as the author conveys sympathy as the family breaks up and the sense of guilt is within them. Tom leaves his family and finally finds he is free but at the same time feels the feeling of guilt. Tom realizes that even though he found his own personal identity that he turned his back on his family when he is everything they had. Before the story ends Tom recognizes that his leaving Amanda and Laura did not change his life or bring him any happiness. Tom’s connection with the shattering glass and Laura candles signifies And say goodbye (Williams, 2011, p. 246-1291) is a symbol that Tom has managed finally to remove himself from his family. Tom’s freedom is portrayed in the beginning of the play where Laura is saying goodbye. In spite the audience’s happiness when Tom is able to be free and follow his dreams, as a result sympathy is evoked as he is no longer tied to his family. This story shows the reade rs a story of a three family members trying to find their personal identities and remain a functional family. Each character in the story is looking to find their personal happiness but struggles to do so. The family bond was broken up because of a lack of communication and understanding. Even after the family bond was broken, neither character still found the happiness they wanted. This story expresses that a person can exclude him or herself from his or her family and still not be happy, happiness comes from within. The story goes to show that the grass is not always greener on the other side. References: Barnet, S. , Burto, W. , amp; Cain, W. E. (2011). Literature for composition essays, stories, poems and plays (9th ed). pp. 1246-1291. New York: Longman.