All Saints’ church in Wrington, Somerset, the birthplace of John Locke in 1632. Thomas Jefferson, one of the Founding Fathers and the third President (1801-1809) of the USA, wrote that Francis Bacon, John Locke and Sir Isaac Newton were ‘the three greatest men that have ever lived, without any exception’. The Declaration of Independence quotes verbatim from Locke’s writings.
Introduction
English philosopher John Locke is one of the most influential political thinkers in British history, whose ideas profoundly influenced the American Declaration of Independence. Here, he states his belief that freedom belongs to every man equally.
THE state of nature has a law of nature to govern it, which obliges every one: and reason, which is that law, teaches all mankind, who will but consult it, that being all equal and independent, no one ought to harm another in his life, health, liberty, or possessions: for men being all the workmanship of one omnipotent, and infinitely wise maker; all the servants of one sovereign master, sent into the world by his order, and about his business; they are his property, whose workmanship they are, made to last during his, not one another’s pleasure: and being furnished with like faculties, sharing all in one community of nature, there cannot be supposed any such subordination among us, that may authorize us to destroy one another, as if we were made for one another’s uses.
By John Locke (1632-1704)
From Two Treatises of Civil Government by John Locke (1632-1704).
Questions for Critics
1. What is the author aiming to achieve in writing this?
2. Note any words, devices or turns of phrase that strike you. How do they help the author communicate his ideas more effectively?
3. What impression does this passage make on you? How might you put that impression into words?
Based on The English Critic (1939) by NL Clay, drawing on The New Criticism: A Lecture Delivered at Columbia University, March 9, 1910, by J. E. Spingarn, Professor of Comparative Literature in Columbia University, USA.
Précis
English philosopher John Locke argued that since all people are made by God and sent to do his work, no one should see his fellow-man as something he can use or destroy for his own convenience, emphasising that he based his argument not on divine revelation, but on the dictates of human reason. (53 / 60 words)
English philosopher John Locke argued that since all people are made by God and sent to do his work, no one should see his fellow-man as something he can use or destroy for his own convenience, emphasising that he based his argument not on divine revelation, but on the dictates of human reason.
Variations: 1.increase the length of this precis to exactly 60 words. 2.reduce the length of this precis to exactly 50 words. 3.introduce one of the following words into the precis: besides, despite, if, may, ought, until, whereas, whether.
Archive
Word Games
Sevens Based on this passage
Suggest answers to this question. See if you can limit one answer to exactly seven words.
Variations: 1.expand your answer to exactly fourteen words. 2.expand your answer further, to exactly twenty-one words. 3.include one of the following words in your answer: if, but, despite, because, (al)though, unless.
Jigsaws Based on this passage
Express the ideas below in a single sentence, using different words as much as possible. Do not be satisfied with the first answer you think of; think of several, and choose the best.
Spinners Find in Think and Speak
For each group of words, compose a sentence that uses all three. You can use any form of the word: for example, cat → cats, go → went, or quick → quickly, though neigh → neighbour is stretching it a bit.
This exercise uses words found in the accompanying passage.
1 Another. Maker. Send.
2 Independent. Pleasure. Teach.
3 Make. Nature. They.
Variations: 1. include direct and indirect speech 2. include one or more of these words: although, because, despite, either/or, if, unless, until, when, whether, which, who 3. use negatives (not, isn’t, neither/nor, never, nobody etc.)
Add Vowels Find in Think and Speak
Make words by adding vowels to each group of consonants below. You may add as many vowels as you like before, between or after the consonants, but you may not add any consonants or change the order of those you have been given. See if you can beat our target of common words.
bldr (5+1)
balder. bloodier. bolder. boulder. builder.
bleeder.
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