Period 2
“Of Studies” Response
When I read “Of Studies” for the first time, I was very confused. Francis Bacon used many words that I did not understand. Some of the words included ornament, sloth, confute, cunning, and impediment. I had to look up the meaning of each of the words, and then I was better able to understand the text. Bacon wrote with a very fancy tone. I believe that he was trying to impress all of readers by using harder words to show off his knowledge. Although this text was hard to understand, there were a few lines that stood out to me. One line for example was, “Crafty men condemn studies, simple men admire them, and wise men use them; for they teach not their own use; but that is wisdom without them, and above them, won by observation.” I think this line means that only truly knowledgeable men try and understand studies. Many people just look at them and read what they see. “Crafty” men read between the lines and really dig deep into the text and get the underlying meaning. “Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested; that is, read wholly, and with diligence and attention.” This line stood out to me because this is truly how our society is today. We have many books that are to be read for pure enjoyment, but they do not mean anything. There are those few books that have a deeper purpose, and you have to really look for them. Overall, I enjoyed reading this peace. It