Week Five Journal Entry

A few of the readings for the week compelled me to want to take action on behalf of the message they were conveying. Frederick Douglass’ address in 1852 was one such document through which his highly esteemed delivery caused many supporters to adopt his cause. He brought forth a deep understanding of the constitutional rights each citizen was supposed to be afforded and used that in persuading his audience to consider more thoroughly how their own actions could be considered blasphemous in respect to how they were denying rights to black Americans.

Such works as Emerson’s Self Reliance and Machiavelli’s The Prince provided new perspectives in how an individual should act or behave. I have mostly been a critic of Machiavelli’s work ever since I read a book about gaining power. In that book the author quoted and referenced many of his main ideas from those of Machiavelli, and it was from these that I noticed how the author’s underlying motive for gaining power was at the expense of everyone around. He suggested that we needed to be deceptive, forceful, and always willing to be on the offensive to strike about some opportunity to elevate one’s self above another. It was for this recollection and reason that I really identified more with Emerson’s account of being true to ourselves, and living according to our own virtues, morals, and ethics – which are inherently good.

I have found quite a few favorites concerning the individual authors throughout our text, and I will take up reading more of their works when I find some free time. There is so much to learn that can still be applied in our world today, and I would much rather read material from people who have proven their ideas than many of the current authors who hypothesize upon their ideas.