Reflection on Francis Bacon's Of Studies

As we know, study can make a full man, can cultivate a man, and can make a man move forward. In my opinion, a full man should have a positive world view and adopt an active philosophy of life, which are usually based on a balanced knowledge structure. And how can we obtain those? Studies are the answer to that question. After I read Francis Bacon’s Of Studies, I know that the essay introduces some methods of reading books and discusses the purposes and functions of reading. This essay also analyzes the different attitudes of the people who are reading books.

Francis Bacon’s Of Studies says “Histories make men wise, poets, witty; the mathematics, subtle; natural philosophy, deep; moral, grave; logic and rhetoric, able to contend.” That is to say, we read all kinds of books that contribute to perfect our knowledge structure and form critical thinking. So we should read books of various fields to make us be a full man. That also can learn more about our world in all aspects.

Reading can make a full man. That is to say, we should read more books which are useful for us. Reading can enlarge our knowledge in different fields. From Of Studies, studies serve for delight, for ornament, and for ability. It means that studies can make people happy, wise, increasing knowledge. If we read all kinds of books, in that way, we are able to taste what might not happen to us in real life, and then ask ourselves what we would do in that situation.

We read more books and fewer mistakes would be made by us. For that, we can learn more mistake examples from books so that we will make few mistakes in the future.

Of Studies also teach us that we should choose some book to read, but not read all the books. Some useful books should be read carefully and taken notes. Different books have different functions, the essay is told us read different books can bring different knowledge which we lack. The essay says that different books have different methods to read.

All in all, reading books of certain field brings certain knowledge and ability we lack. Of Studies gives us the method of reading books and getting knowledge. It is also telling us different books have different functions for us.

第二篇：life of pi 英文读后感

The power of faith

——impression of Life of Pi

Life of Pi, one of my favorite books, is what I’m going to introduce in my article today. I read it two years ago, just after watching its movie version which is directed by Ann Lee. Until now, my mind has still kept flashing back this fantastic story. The story itself is extremely attractive, the words of it are full of wisdom and the ending which is the best part of it is really thought provoking.

First of all, it tells a life story of the main character——Pi, an India boy grew up in a zoo and affected by three religions. At first, he decides to become an adherent of all three religions. And the most wonderful part is during a trip to Canada, when all his family died in a shipwreck, he drifted in the Pacific Ocean on a life boat with 4 animals included a tiger. In this incredible journey, he realized that what he had believed can’t save his life and the only thing he needed to trust was himself.

The story makes me know that the most important thing is not to despair. If every unfolding we experience takes us further along in life, then, we are truly experiencing what life is offering. I really the

sentences in this book, for example, I must say a word about fear, it is life's only true opponent, only fear can defeat life. It says that fear is a clever, treacherous adversary, it has no decency, respects no law or convention, shows no mercy, It goes for your weakest spot, which

It finds with unerring ease.

Like I said before, the ending is the best part of this novel. At the end of the story, Pi survived and was sent to a hospital. When asked what happened on the Pacific Ocean, Pi told them the version that has those animals. But people didn’t buy it, and made him tell the truth. So, Pi then offers them a second story in which he is adrift on a lifeboat not with zoo animals, but with the ship′s cook, a Taiwanese sailor with a broken leg, and his own mother. The cook amputates the sailor′s leg for use as fishing bait, then kills the sailor and Pi′s mother for food, and soon he is killed by Pi, who dines on him. Pi points out that neither story can be proven and neither explains the cause of the shipwreck, so he asks the officials which story they prefer: the one without animals or the one with animals. They choose the story with the animals. Pi thanks them and says: ″And so it goes with God.″

I must say the ending is really a punchline. Without it, the novel is just a normal fantasy fiction. It gives readers a lot of thinking about which one we should believe. Although I am not a adherent of any

religion, but this story makes me believe in god. I guess that’s why I love it so much.

Kevin