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Aristotle's The Life Of Frederick: Aristotle Vs Stoicism

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The life of Frederick: Aristotle vs. Stoicism
In theory we all strive to have the same form of life that Frederick had. A nice house, car, and a family. The strive for excellence is a key trait in what makes us human. We want to be good at everything and according to Aristotle's views on what true happiness you must have three characteristics that would classify you as excellence:Physical, Intellectual, and Moral. Aristotle does not have a true ideal of happiness. However, excellence in life is a state of being happy most of the time. Therefore if we strive to be excellent, happiness should follow. Aristotle also has ideals about balance. To not over do things and to keep ideals in check. Frederick focused too much on being successful and …show more content…

By becoming virtuous and rational,you are able to control everything important in your life and take hold of your happiness.Frederick would have represented stoicism through his ability to choose his work life over his family life: believing this to help his family and achieve happiness but he also extremely lacks balance and makes the wrong decisions in life to become rational. This seems a little unrealistic approach for the modern century. Yes you can choose how you personally handle every situation but that does not mean that you can find happiness in some of the harsher situations life throws at you. For instance, Frederick had the option to be able to go to his son's open heart surgery. He would of been able to make his son feel safe and loved, however, since he selected his work over his family once again, this could cement the distance between his family forever. Frederick did not balance work and family at all, instead, he choose to work hard now and eventually retire and then enjoy his family. Life does not work this way. While mathematically he could of potentially been balanced in years, he was not balanced in accordance to Aristotle's ideal or Stoicism, and therefore his unbalance life would be an issue when looking at which ideal brings the most

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To start briefly, we begin the story when Frederick is still a young child working as a simple barn-hand in his master’s plantation. Later on he’s sent to live with his master’s relative, Hugh Auld, in Baltimore, where his new-found want of freedom is born. It is in Baltimore we he begins to educate himself in preparation of leaving one day. Unfortunately, when his master dies and his children as well, Frederick is sent back to live on the plantation where he hasn’t been since a child. His new master believing the city life has ruined him sends him to be reformed by a

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Frederick Douglass was a brave and determined slave who overcame many obstacles and hardships throughout his life. Without parents or much family, he moved frequently to different plantations acquiring many different jobs like cooking or cleaning and hard work on the fields. Frederick didn 't have it easy. Some of his different slave owners were very cruel and weren 't afraid to punish a slave who didn’t complete their job or task.

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Frederick is living with Master Hugh and is self teaching himself because the mistress wants to follow orders from Master Hugh. Even in knowing this it didn’t stop Frederick from pushing towards something he knew he needed. “During this time, I succeeded in learning to read and write. In accomplishing this, I was compelled to resort to various stratagems” (Douglass 50). He was learning and was dedicated by doing multiple strategies to get it done.

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Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics begins by exploring ‘the good’. Book I argues that, unlike other goods, “happiness appears to be something complete and self-sufficient, and is, therefore, the end of actions” (10:1097b20-21). In other words, happiness is the ultimate good. But how does one achieve happiness? Aristotle formulates this in the context of work, since for all things, from artists to horses, “the good and the doing it well seem to be in the work” (10:1097b27-28).

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The first time his eyes were open to the door connecting his world to the world of freedom, was when his eyes were open to literacy. Learning to read opened more opportunities for Frederick than he would have guessed because he was one step closer to society’s standard of being human. The wrecking ball destroying the door allowing Frederick to enter society’s ‘human world’ was when he learned the power that resisting held. As Frederick put it, “The battle with Mr. Covey was the turning point in (his) career as a slave.” Once Frederick learned to resist punishment he was never punished as a slave again.

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Thus, when human function is done well, it is in accordance with virtue and best human life is achieved. In addition, it can be inferred that since Aristotle’s definition of happiness is to be virtuous, performing rational activity well can lead to happiness. In addition, Aristotle states, “if there are more than one virtue, in accordance with the best and most complete” (1098a18). This means that eventually there will be one virtue that is inclusive of all virtue and that displays an end, and this virtue will be in line with the self-sufficient and inclusive concept of happiness as the chief good. If this inclusive virtue and good is achieved, ultimate happiness will be achieved as well.

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The books he reads and knowledge he’s gotten has made him angry at other slaves with a lack of knowing what is going on. The life of slavery really just ruins your mind and thoughts, and makes you feel discouraged, but Frederick had the education piece in his life. In the text Frederick says, “I often found myself regretting my own existence, and wishing myself dead; and but for the hope of being free, I have no doubt but that I should have killed myself, or done something for which I should have been killed” (Douglass 54). With his newfound knowledge he starts to contemplate his existence. The hope of being free still pushes him, even if it may lead to death.

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Yet from what they have gained Epictetus stands out in the stoic community. Epictetus’s work is comprised into two main doctrines. One being the Handbook (Enchiridion) and the other being The Discourses. Each give a detailed account and guide to living through Stoicism. Throughout this paper I will be providing analysis on Epictetus’s account of a guide to the “good” life through Stoicism.

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There were many endeavors on his path to freedom, almost too many to count. However, the most important events and choices that helped turn his life around were beginning to learn how to read and write, fighting back against his former master Covey, and failing his first attempt at escaping slavery. Initially, Frederick did not see much value in

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Stoicism was a school of Hellenistic philosophy founded around 300 B.C. by Zeno of Citium, who was born in Cyprus. For centuries, Stoicism was one of the most influential philosophies in the Greco-Roman world, and its many followers and teachers modified and developed it over hundreds of years. The basic framework of its philosophy, however, has never changed. The main goal and teaching of Stoicism is to live in accordance with nature. The Stoics taught that virtue, which is the highest good, is based on knowledge, and that only the wise live in harmony with the divine Reason that governs all of nature, and are indifferent to the concepts of fortune and to pain and pleasure.

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