Montaigne’s writing…
He often uses very wordy run-on sentences, packed full of
transitional words, which lead the direction of his thoughts every which way.
He writes as though he holds some sort of insight of a
higher power that the rest of us don't. It seems as though he believes
himself to be an innocent bystander in life, and in the human experience; that
he is more aware of true morality, and regards universal forces in the same way
one would regard a friend. Several times throughout the readings he personifies
nature in an almost God-like way, while also speaking of “her” like he knows
exactly what goes with/against “her” ideas.
Now for the emulation....
"Of silent minds..."
How peculiar it is that man, who holds the power of thought as well as free will, should ever seek to quiet his mind. We, as humans, have power of which all other beings know not; and yet, we seek to mute our minds with practices such as meditation or hypnosis. It is as if we regard this gift of an ever thinking mind as a burden which causes distraction. What could our thoughts possibly distract us from?! The lives that would not be possible without the advantage of our free thinking mind? Wiping the mind clean of all thought, thoughts which can only be controlled by oneself, seems about as much of a waste, not to mention a contradiction, as if a gazelle sought to stifle it's speed, even though it is its only clear advantage over a ravenous lion.
It is a curious question to ponder: why man rejects the very thing that separates all from individual, making each and every one of us one of a kind, and ultimately distinguishes man from beast.
Great observations about Montaigne's writing styles. I also noticed the higher power element he seems to carry with his writing. I was very impressed with your ability to imitate his essays. I thoroughly enjoyed your blog! Excited to read more from you.
ReplyDeleteI thought your views on Montaigne were very insightful and interesting. You did a great job of emulating his style and thought process! I especially enjoyed your metaphor with the gazelle and lion. That last question is very true and makes you think! Great job!
ReplyDeleteYour essay makes a really good point that I think many people need to understand. While it's always nice to have a clear head, we really should appreciate our minds' ability to process a sometimes overwhelming amount of thoughts. You make this point well emulating Montaigne really well.
ReplyDeleteI enjoy your observation that Montaigne regards nature and higher powers as friends. He seems to regard everyone as a friend. Now, that doesn't mean he lets us off the hook. He can be a very challenging bestie.
ReplyDeleteOn your emulation: really interesting. I also loved the gazelle line. Could you have had even more fun with that? What if you were assigned to write eight more of those metaphors? I'm guessing four of them would be even better than the gazelle bit.
Wondering if the main point of the essay is missing the obvious counterpoint: that we sometimes absolutely need to shut down our minds lest we lost it entirely. My guess is you didn't go there because you don't think Montaigne would. Savvy!
A really nice start, Katie.
Good comments here too. I'd hope there could be a little more pushback, a little more critiquing. Critiquing doesn't need to be critical. But what questions can we ask of a text, even a short piece from a classmate on a blog?
DW
P.S. Remember to disable the word verification! :-)
ReplyDeleteLate, but wow fantastic. I couldn't agree more with what you said in the later essay and I'm glad you touched on the subject of humans referring the mind and thought as distraction. The Montaigne section was also very interesting and I liked you're mention of his regards to natural forces as friends, and his belief he is a bystander in life. Liked it all.
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