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Aristotle's argument on friendship
The theme of Of mice and men
The theme of Of mice and men
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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 pertains 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 through many different ways. First, the article introduces the audience to friendships described by Aristotle, and Todd May. In the text it states, “It is threatened when we are encouraged to look up on those The article states, “We may not define it as Aristotle did- friendship among the already virtuous.” (May,1). In the excerpt it states, “‘No,-look! I was just fooling Lennie. ‘Cause I want you to stay with me. Trouble with mice is you always kill ‘em.’ He paused, ‘Tell you what I’ll do, Lennie. First chance I get I’ll give you a pup.’...‘If you don’t want me, you only jus’ got to say so, and I’ll go off in those hills right there.’” (Stenbeck, 1). This shows true friendship, because the reader can pick out how they are both being virtuous towards each other. Lennie is upset, and wants to leave, so George wants to show how much he cares to keep him around since he enjoys him. They truly care, and do not expect anything from each other, just the careness within the bond they have. True friendships are rare, and showing that they have this in the novella, Of Mice and Men, completes it. Therefore, this friendship not only carries the weight of the excerpt, but the novella’s conflict as a whole. In conclusion, the friendship in the beginning of the novella is whole; true. As the reader travels throughout it though, it changes the outcome of the novella by the conflicts being determined. Identically, the friendships in Of Mice and Men can be compared to present day, since relationships are throughout everyone’s life, and constantly change in their lifetime. It shows through social media, or personal experiences, giving contemporary friendship a section in people’s experiences, and giving meaning to
To begin with, according to Lucius Annaeus Seneca, “One of the most beautiful qualities of true friendship is to understand and to be understood”. Even this quote explains that true friendship is when an individual stands for another individual. In the novel Of Mice and Men, author John Steinbeck examine the idea of friendship between two migrant ranch worker even when there was difficulties. Through the character of Slim and George, author Steinbeck illustrates friendship and reveals that friendships stand up for each other even when is difficult time.
Two characters to be analyzed in terms of their male relationships are George and Lennie. An article describes the friendship between men, and how most of the time it is more than just a normal friendship. The author states, “The heroic friendship was a friendship between two men that was intense on an emotional and intellectual level” (McKay). Guys have a stronger relationship than just being able to hang out and have fun. They have a bond that they are emotionally involved in, meaning they really love each other but not in anything more than friends. They also are connected on an intellectual level, which means they know everything about each other and they are able to open up whenever they need a friend. There are a lot of scenes from Of Mice and Men that show George and Lennie’s friendship. One scene is when George is telling Lennie how most people are alone trying to get through life, but they are different. They have each other. George says, “ If them other guys gets in jail they can rot for all anybody gives a damn. But not us! An' why? Because… because I got you to look after me, and you got me to look after you, and that's why. He laughed delightedly” (Steinbeck 40). This quote from Of Mice and Men shows that George and Lennie connect on an emotional and intellectual level. They both know that they have each others back for no matter what they go through
One of the things Aristotle discusses is the need to limit the number of friends we have. He states: “So the right course is perhaps not to seek to
Late one evening, curled up in her nest, Harriet lay thoughtfully reading the last of Aristotle’s model of friendships: the perfect friendship. Though no secret to Harriet, Aristotle presents the idea that it is the most desirable and genuine of the three forms. The foundation of this friendship is not trivial, but instead the relationship is built on a common good and virtuous nature. As Aristotle explains, “those who love for the sake of utility love for the sake of what is good for themselves, and those who love for the sake of pleasure do so for the sake of what is pleasant to themselves.” Aristotle continues, “Perfect friendship is the friendship of men who are good, and alike in virtue; for those wish well alike to each other qua good, and they are good in themselves.” (concluding sentence or two...)
Relationships are an important essence of life. Humans need relationships because we are dependent on each other to survive. Babies need their mothers to feed and nurse them, and friends need each other to support, comfort, sympathize, and understand them. The friendship between George and Lennie outlined the core of Of Mice and Men, and although it’s sometimes idealized and exaggerated throughout the novel, there is no question of its sincerity. Lennie thinks of George as his only friend, his guardian, someone who he can trust and depend on, someone who had accepted him for who he is despite his childlike tendencies. Every time he did something wrong, his only thoughts would be of George’s disapproval. “I done a real bad thing. I shouldn’t have did that. George’ll be mad. An’… he said…. An’ hide in the brush till he come. He’s gonna be mad.” (pg. 92) On the other hand, George thinks of Lennie as a constant source of frustration, and as he frequently mention in the novel, “God, you’re a lot of trouble. I could get along so easy and nice if I didn’t have you on my t...
Whether or not the men have a stable friendship with others determines some of their actions. George and Lennie’s friendship is very strong, so they base off their actions on the other persons. The have been staying together for many years. The two moving around and living together is great for Lennie, because due to
That shows the power of friendship. Friendship is like a spark of life that brings two people together from sometimes different situations to learn more about each other and to benefit one another. In Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck, two close friends, Lennie and George, who are opposites in size and personality, come from different situations, but end up traveling together to find a job in the Salinas. Both have done so to pursue their hopes and dreams of happiness and to purchase a small ranch of their own.
In life, friendship is something that everybody needs. It allows people to function better and be more successful. Some people think that all friendships are the same and do not differ from the next. However, I believe that each friendship has its own quality that makes it different from all of the other friendships while still retaining all of the characteristics that make the relationship a friendship. Today, this essay will highlight the qualities that are the same in the friendship of Maurice and Laura from An Invisible Thread and the friendship of Lennie and George from Of Mice and Men while also identifying the differences between them as well as illustrating the very attributes that define a friendship.
I chose to write about Aristotle and his beliefs about how the virtuous human being needs friends from Book VIII from Nicomachean Ethics. In this essay I will talk about the three different kinds of friendship that (Utility, Pleasure, and Goodness) that Aristotle claims exist. I will also discuss later in my paper why Aristotle believes that Goodness is the best type of friendship over Utility or Pleasure. In addition to that I will also talk about the similarities and differences that these three friendships share between one another. And lastly I will argue why I personally agree with Aristotle and his feelings on how friendship and virtue go hand in hand and depend on each other.
In the writings of Aristotle, seen in Nicomachean Ethics, it is evident that Aristotle believes that friendship is necessary for a virtuous and therefore happy life. I believe that this is accurate due to the similar conditions necessary for a complete friendship and a happy life. It is also evident that friendship is useful in achieving a happy life because friendship can make performing virtuous actions easier. His interpretation can be misunderstood and mistakes in practice can be made, so we will need to discuss these follies as well, in order to understand all the effects of friendship on achieving a happy life.
A friendship is a special relationship between peoples , It occurs between friend that care about each other. In talking about friendship , the novella from John Steinbeck “Of Mice and Men”. Two friends George and Lennie ,they are trying to find a job together to complete their dream of having a farm. But Lennie is an adult size with a child's mind, he gets in trouble a lot and as his friend, George helping him solve the problem and taking care of Lennie. Later George and Lennie finds a new job , but George lies to the boss about the problem that Lennie has.
By saying this he means that companionship is the environment in which friendships comes to be. Lewis believes that friendships are made possible by companionship, but when the friendship comes into play, there is a revolutionary break from the matrix of companionship. Lewis provides a schematic for the formation of friendship proper, but he does not provide characteristics related to the time in life when the best type of bond is formed, the time length of the bond, or the time necessary to form the bond as Aristotle does. Aristotle’s description of Virtue Friendship’s long formation period also has within it a notion that Virtue friendships may have formed from preexisting Use or Pleasure Friendships; similar to Lewis’ idea that companionship is the matrix of friendship.
In Book VIII of Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle says, “Between friends there is no need for justice, but people who are just still need the quality of friendship; and indeed friendliness is considered to be justice in the fullest sense. It is not only a necessary thing but a splendid one.” Friendships are balanced by the fact that each friend gives as much as receives. As Aristotle demonstrates, justice and friendship are closely linked. Aristotle and the Philosophy of Friendship was written by Lorraine Smith Pangle and describes major philosophical works on friendship to emphasizes Aristotle 's analysis of friendship in the Nicomachean Ethics. She explains that Aristotle, unlike Socrates, believes firmly that friendship must be mutual. A balance between two people must be present so that justice, or a sense of equilibrium can be reached.
Aristotle wrote on many subjects in his lifetime but one of the virtues that he examines more extensively is friendship. Aristotle believes that there are three different kinds of friendship: utility, pleasure, and virtuous friendships. He also argues that a real friendship should be highly valued because it is a complete virtue and he believes it to be greater than honor and justice. Aristotle suggests that human’s love of utility and pleasure is the only reason why the first two types of friendships exist. Aristotle also argues that humans only set up these types of relationships for personal gain. But when he speaks of the virtuous friendships, Aristotle states that it is one of the greatest attainments one can achieve.
Nancy Sherman summarizes that we need friendships at different points in our lives to serve different purposes whether it be for guidance or stimulation (Sherman, 208). Another way of putting it is by saying that friends are ways for us to practice our virtuous activities. Friends are also valuable because they belong absolutely to happiness. Happiness without friendship will be unfulfilling and the good life won’t be as meaningful. What Aristotle holds generally about friendship is that without friends, the good life will be harder for us to obtain because we are limited in what we are able to do