The Oration of the Dignity of Man

1. According to Pico's statements, what is the dignity of man?
I was a little confused about the usage of the word dignity in this excerpt. The dictionary defines dignity as "The presence of poise and self-respect in one's deportment to a degree that inspires respect." Using this definition, I think that Pico says that the dignity of man is being able to ponder God's work and wonder at the world's vastness. After God had built the universe, He wanted someone to love it's beauty, and therefore created man for this purpose. I also think that Pico said that the dignity of man is the ability to make choices, and be whatever you choose to be. Pico says that God said to Adam that, "Thou mayest have and posses what abode, what form, and what functions thou thyself shalt desire. The nature of all beings is limited...Thou, constrained by no limits,...shalt ordain for thyself the limits of thy nature." So man has the ability to choose what he will become.

2. How can Pico's ideal of man's dignity relate to the life of a high school student?
In high school, we have the chance to ask questions, and find out more about history, the universe, and "God's beauty", therefore we are pondering God's work as mentioned above. High school is also a time for us to make choices, choices about what we want to do in life, as well as who we want to become. We have no limits on what we want to become, only the limits of our interests, which are not limits at all. That ability to be whatever we want is also the dignity of man.

Current Events Project

http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewNation.asp?Page=/Nation/archive/200609/NAT20060912c.html

In this transcript of President Bush's 9-11 speech, President Bush displays biases and propoganda. He plays upon his audience's fears, hates, prides, and religious views to support his political position on the war in Iraq. To appeal to the mass' fears, he states that, "Today we are safe, but we are not yet safe," and, "We face an enemy determined to bring death and suffering into our homes." To appeal to the audience's anger he states, "They murdered people of all colors, creeds, and nationalities..." He used terms such as "barbarity", "killing without mercy," and "the face of evil," as if the enemy lacked human compassion. To appeal to the people's pride, the President states, "We also witnessed something distinctly American: ordinary citizens rising to the occasion, and responding with amazing acts of courage..." This gives the reader a sense of nationalism and personal pride, influencing their view on the subject. This is also an example of propoganda, because this is not necissarily an American quality. It is assumed that brave acts have been preformed by citizens in other countries during times of fear. He touches on the positive aspects of our religion by saying that the people aboard Flight 93 recited the 23rd psalm before charging the cockpit of the plane. He also touches on the negative aspects of others' religions- Islam. Bush states that, "They form a global network of extremists who are driven by a perverted vision of Islam." All throughout President Bush's speech, he uses propoganda and biases to influence his audience's opinions.

- Jaclyn Mahoney

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