2012gre范文:历年GRE考试Issue主题范文及评析31
Eventhemostbrilliantthinkers,fromSocratestoSatre,livelivesintime.Achildhood,anadolescence,anadulthood;thesearecommontomeandyouaswellasthegreatestwriters.Furthermore,manyofthegreatthinkersweesteeminourWesternculturelivedsomewhatunevetfullives.Whatdistinguishedtheirlifefromsayacommonlaborerwastheirwork.Therefore,whatprovidedthegristfortheirwork?Onemightsaythattheywerebrilliantandthisalonewassufficienttodistinguishtheirlivesfromthemasses.Intellectalonecannotdevisesituationsorthoughtsfromnowhere;theremustbeabasisandthatbasisismostcommon,ifnotalways,observationofthecommon,ofthequotidian.Criticsofthisideamayarguethatthesethinkerswereproductsoffineeducationsandwerewellschooledintheclassics.This,theymaypointto,istherealbasisfortheirknowledge.Iwouldagruethatalthoughitmaybeabenefittostudyclassicsandbewellschooledindiversedisciplines,thesepursuitsmerelyrefineandhoneanabilityeachandeverypersonhas,theabilitytostudyhumannature.Wherebesttostudyhumannaturethaninthedaytodayroutineeachoneofuscanwitnessinhimorherselforthosearoundus.
Iproposethatthetwobestdisciplinestounderstandthispowerofthecommonplaceanditsabilitytocauseagroundswellofthoughtarephilosophyandliterature.Everyschoolofphilosophy,fromtheGreekstoourday,shareacommonmissionorintentandthatistounderstandandexplainhumanexistence,withallofitsconcommitantfeatures.Generallyspeaking,theGreekphilosophers,epitomizedinAristotle,attemptedtosetdownrulesforhumanbehaviorfoundedonlogic.Theserulesappliednotonlytotherareformsofhumanbehaviorbutlargelyfocusedonthemoremundanemotionsofdailylife.ManyofAristotle’sruleswerebasedonhisobservationsofothersaswellashimself.Contrastthisventurewiththeexistentialistsofourcenturywhoattemptedtolookbehindtherealmotivationsofhumanbehavioraswellunderstandman’srelationtotheUniverse.Todothis,whatdidthesephilosophersdo?Theystudiedthosearoundthem;theysubmergedthemselvesinthecommonplace,incitieswithhordesofannonymouspeople.Whiletheexistentialists,aswellthosephilosophersbefore,exploitedtheiruncommoneduationandintellect,thebasisfortheirmovementwasordinaryhumanbehaviorandexistence.
Finally,literatureissimilartophilosophyinthatitseekstoexplainandunderstandhumanbehaviorandthereforerootedinthecommonplace.Nevertheless,itsrelativestrengthoverphilosophyisliterature’sabilitytoemotionallyandspirituallymovethereaderthroughtheuseofcontrivedsituationsandfictionalcharacters.Itcandothiswheneventhecentralthemeofapiecemaybelovebetweenamanandawoman(e.g.commonplace).Literaturealsodistinguishesitselffromphilosophyinthatthebreadthofthefictionmaybehuge.Theplotandthedetailcanbequiteordinaryorfanatastic.However,thisdoesnotmeanthatthecentralthemesofallliterature,whetherordinaryorfantastic,dealwithhumanbeingsandtheproblemstheyfindintheworld,somethingwhichweallshare.
Inconclusion,Ihopeithasbeenshownthatapassionatedesiretounderstandandexplainhumanbehavior,thesignificanceofourexistenceanddealconstructivelywiththechallangesoflifearethecenterpiecesofatleastintwoofthemostinfluentialareasinhumanthought.Whatismorecommonplacethantheexistenceofman. www.ExamW.CoM
COMMENTARY
Thisessaysustainsawell-focusedandinsightfulanalysisoftheissue.Beginningwiththeobservationthatthegreatestthinkers"livelivesintime,"thewriterreasonsthatthegreatthinkersdeveloptheirideasthroughobservationofcommonoccurrencesandeverydayreality.Oneofthestrengthsofthisessayisthewayinwhichitthoughtfullyconsiderstheopposingclaim:thatgreatthinkersareprimarilytheproductoffineeducation,andthat,being"wellschooledintheclassics,"theyarefarremovedfromeverydaylife.Thewriternotesthat,whileit"maybeabenefittostudyclassics,"itisneverthelesstruethatbeing"wellschooledindiversedisciplines"willsimply"refineandhoneanabilitytostudyhumannature"initseverydaymanifestations.Thisobservationisindicativeofthewriter’ssophisticatedgraspofthecomplexitiesoftheissue.
Thewritergoesontodemonstratetheintellectual"powerofthecommonplace"byskillfullydevelopingtwocompellingexamplesfromacademiclife:philosophyandliterature.Aristotleiscitedasaphilosopherwhostudiedthe"moremundanemotionsofdailylife."Similarly,thewriterexplains,twentieth-centuryexistentialists,inattemptingtounderstandman’srelationtotheuniverse,foundinspirationinthecommonplace.
Anotherstrengthinthisessayisthewayitintroducesanideaandthenbuildsonthatideaastheargumentunfolds.Forinstance,inadiscussionoftheexistentialistsinthesecondparagraph,thewriterexpandsonanearlierpointabout"thinkers"ingeneral:theexistentialistsmayhave"exploitedtheiruncommoneducationandintellect,"butthe"basisfortheirmovementwasordinaryhumanbehaviorandexistence."Itislogicalconnectionssuchasthesethatmakeforacoherentandwell-focuseddiscussion.
Thewriteruseslanguagefluentlyandcontrolssophisticatedsyntaxthroughouttheessay:"Iwouldarguethatalthoughitmaybeabenefittostudyclassicsandbewellschooledindiversedisciplines,thesepursuitsmerelyrefineandhoneanabilityeachandeverypersonhas,theabilitytostudyhumannature."
Thisisnotaflawlesspaper:wordchoice,forexample,isnotalwaysprecise.Buttheessay’scogentanalysis,effectiveorganization,andsophisticatedsentencestructuremeritasolidscoreof6. 感谢您阅读《历年GRE考试Issue主题范文及评析31 》一文,出国留学网(liuxue86.com)编辑部希望本文能帮助到您。
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