The Pleasure Of Books Essay

for the Renaissance to flourish. Political experimentation initiated a sequence of events that lead to the Italian Renaissance. The significance politics had on creating the proper environment for the Renaissance to succeed is best exemplified in the book Western Civilization Ideas, Politics, and Society where it states: The city-states were almost completely independent because of the weakness of church and empire. So the northern Italians were left free to invent new forms of government, in…

to resist when compared to the singular temptation of sound. In Book 10 chapter 33 of The Confessions Augustine admits to the reader, “I was enthralled by them (sounds)”. In other words for Augustine sound has the ability to enslave humans through desire. Furthermore, Augustine states that sound has the ability to seize one’s conscious thought. Sounds potency, he remarks, only increases in the pattern of music (The Confessions, Book 10, Chapter 32). Furthermore, one should note that Augustine,…

The Bible is arguably the most influential book of all time. It has been attributed with impacting the lives of untold millions of people and has been claimed as the impetus behind many of the Western World’s upheavals. Martin Luther’s thesis was founded on the book; pilgrims set sail to find a place where they could follow their own interpretations of it. Missionaries travel the world bringing its words, along with the culture of those missionaries to the most remote corners of civilization,…

truth and understanding. In the novel Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury presents a future society where books are forbidden, firemen burn books, and people living in society are lost in superficial desires that are fulfilled with meaningless distractions. Guy Montag, a firefighter who believes it’s a pleasure to burn, slowly transforms into a human library who sees the truth and the importance of books, as many characters assist him in his journey towards the level of enlightenment. Analogous to…

Purpose and Presence Before taking this class, I had a basic knowledge of the book of Ecclesiastes. I understood from previous readings of the text that God wanted us to enjoy life, but I struggled to reconcile the word ‘vanity’ with God’s intention for us to experience joy. The study notes in my Bible were helpful when I studied Ecclesiastes a few months ago, but I did not realize the richness of the book until I listened to Dr. Miller’s lectures. The true definition of ‘vanity’ and…

Wanex 5-2 The Downsides of Hate Reading Pamela Paul’s article “Why You Should Read Books You Hate” is an intriguing read that focuses on the importance of reading books that are unappealing to the specific reader. She thoroughly explains that pursuing novels with subjects that do not interest the reader makes them a more skeptical and scrupulous critic. In addition, she details the pleasure that reading brings to all as well as the magnitude of the time commitment that it requires in comparison…

In Cicero’s Tusculan Disputations, Cicero states how virtue is sufficient for happiness; this idea is especially present in book five of Tusculan Disputations. This belief that virtue is necessary for happiness aligns with the Stoics view on happiness, and the two arguments about the qualifications and self-control needed to live a happy life. These qualifications and self-control are only attainable through virtue, deducing that without virtue, a happy life is not possible. According to Cicero…

piece of literature has a protagonist and an antagonist. John Gardner's book “Grendel” takes the view of an antagonist one step further by making him look innocent and lost. Grendel runs into many different types of characters with different ideas of a perfect life. While Hrothgar and his Danes strive to include valuable ideas such as love, heroism, and loyalty into their lives, Grendel pursues a life of happiness and pleasure, which end up causing pain to the society surrounding him. Life for…

“A book is a loaded gun in the house next door. Burn it” (58). Quotes like these are what this novel is filled with, quotes that get you thinking. Symbols are very important in Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. Fahrenheit 451 follows the story of Guy Montag, a Fireman. In Montag’s world, firemen start fires instead of putting them out. The civilians where Montag live do not read books or talk to each other. They drive too fast and watch television all day, everyday. One day Montag meets a young…

read when I need to for my classes. There are books on my shelves that I bought it and want to read it when I have time. There are few type of books I like to read, love novel, religion books, self-help, education books about kids, cooking books, and many other. However, it is hard to read when I have two young children. The time I read the materials for my classes are at late night, after both my kids are asleep. When I read, it brings me into the book and it kind of in a way to allow me to…