“One person by himself is not a complete human being…” (p.6)
In stating this, Frye affirms that a sole individual is not a true human being. What makes him one are the countless influences upon him, particularly other human relationships. At times, one may feel that they can function independent of everything and everybody around them, but you must realize that much more can get accomplished by working with others. Frye believes that to be "complete" you must be a part of a larger assemblage-a society. For it is our interactions with others as well as our reactions to others that incite the senses and broaden the mind. Alone, you can only get so far, together, the possibilities are limitless. I believe that as humans, we have a tendency to be quite individualistic in our approach to learning and higher education. We don't realize that concrete ideas are brought into the limelight when we culminate our work and ideas as one. I agree with Frye's statement, as one has not lived life to the brim if they have not established bonds in their lifetime. How can one learn simply from themselves, by themselves? In a solitary world, there would be no mistakes, no corrections, or no clashes of opinions. As McCullough points out, "learning is acquired mainly from books." Books conceived by a panoply of human beings, who have acquired knowledge and learned the art of literature from past writers, and who will also pass on their acumen to future generations.
I really liked the quote you chose for this blog and thought that you explained it very well. By introducing what you believe Fryes definition of 'complete' to be, I thought you started the blog very stongly. I especailly liked your own interpretation of a soliatary world as you wrote, "there would be no mistakes, no corrections, or no clashes of opions". I imagine this could also be realted to Fryes early example of being stranded on a deserted island, which he seems to revisit frequently. Finally, I also liked your use of quotes to back up your argument.
ReplyDeleteI find the conclusion of this post especially interesting. The connection you made to McCullough's speech is one that I did not make myself. I think that it is highly fitting that Frye emphasizes the importance of group work, and here we are sharing ideas and feeding off of eachothers' thoughts and realisations on a blog. Thank-you for giving me a new perspective - it is not just the books that have something to teach us, but also the people that read and interpret the books in their own way.
ReplyDelete-Tessa