Comparative Essay
Comparative Essay
Critical Thinking
By: Morgan Odegard
7/31/13
Thesis Statement: I will be comparing two proverbs provided in the assignment which will include pointing out their similarities and differences.
Proverbs and sayings give short and understandable guidance about how we should live our lives. Since they are only a line, they often only show a single way of living, paying no attention to difficulty or subtlety. For that reason, sometimes two proverbs can be seemingly contradictory but both give good advice. While one quote (“Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise”) suggests a life that is calm, planned, steady, and controlled, the other (“Eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we may die”) suggests a carpe diem approach to life.
The first saying, “Eat drink and be merry” comes from the Bible. “And in that day did the Lord GOD of hosts call to weeping, and to mourning, and to baldness, and to girding with sackcloth: and behold joy and gladness, slaying oxen, and killing sheep, eating flesh, and drinking wine: let us eat and drink; for tomorrow we shall die.” (Isaiah 22:12-13). This reminds us that the fun of life is an important part of life. Since we never know when death will come, one way to rejoice God is to enjoy the desires that He has given us. Life is mainly for satisfaction, and we must remember to appreciate what we have. The line in Isaiah repeats a line in Ecclesiastes in which this is made clear: "Then I commended mirth, because a man hath no better thing under the sun, than to eat, and to drink, and to be merry: for that shall abide with him of his labour the days of his life, which God giveth him under the sun" (Ecclesiastes 8:15)
The second proverb (“Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise”) is credited to the great American statesman Ben Franklin. Franklin was known as a strange person in his choices and pursuits. Ben Franklin was a businessman, a politician, a
Critical Thinking
By: Morgan Odegard
7/31/13
Thesis Statement: I will be comparing two proverbs provided in the assignment which will include pointing out their similarities and differences.
Proverbs and sayings give short and understandable guidance about how we should live our lives. Since they are only a line, they often only show a single way of living, paying no attention to difficulty or subtlety. For that reason, sometimes two proverbs can be seemingly contradictory but both give good advice. While one quote (“Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise”) suggests a life that is calm, planned, steady, and controlled, the other (“Eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we may die”) suggests a carpe diem approach to life.
The first saying, “Eat drink and be merry” comes from the Bible. “And in that day did the Lord GOD of hosts call to weeping, and to mourning, and to baldness, and to girding with sackcloth: and behold joy and gladness, slaying oxen, and killing sheep, eating flesh, and drinking wine: let us eat and drink; for tomorrow we shall die.” (Isaiah 22:12-13). This reminds us that the fun of life is an important part of life. Since we never know when death will come, one way to rejoice God is to enjoy the desires that He has given us. Life is mainly for satisfaction, and we must remember to appreciate what we have. The line in Isaiah repeats a line in Ecclesiastes in which this is made clear: "Then I commended mirth, because a man hath no better thing under the sun, than to eat, and to drink, and to be merry: for that shall abide with him of his labour the days of his life, which God giveth him under the sun" (Ecclesiastes 8:15)
The second proverb (“Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise”) is credited to the great American statesman Ben Franklin. Franklin was known as a strange person in his choices and pursuits. Ben Franklin was a businessman, a politician, a
References: Quotations from the bible: http://www.quotationspage.com/quotes/Bible