Why Are Aphorisms Important

Aphorisms are timeless and can be universally appealing. They can have a sort of significance personally, as well as for the society as a whole. The aphorism "If you lieth down with dogs, you shall rise up with fleas." has one general meaning; if you surround yourself with undesirable people that behave poorly, their bad habits will rub off on you and you’ll become one of them. These undesirable people are referred to as "dogs" because of their poor conduct and dishonorable habits. This term is fitting because dogs are usually thought of as animals that are dirty animals with poor hygiene. People that are described as "dogs" are usually disrespectful. Overall, Benjamin Franklin is expressing that if you are around a certain type of crowd, their habits and way of life will start to rub off on you, and you will become one of them sooner or later. This aphorism appeals to me because it is a definition of what happens to people all the time. This aphorism teaches me to be careful with whom I associate myself with. If I were to associate myself with undesirable people, I would then acquire their undesirable traits . I

My friend Emily was a 12th grader. She was going to graduate and she was also going to college right after. She was a straight A student who started mixing with the wrong crowd at the wrong time. Those people introduced her to drugs and alcohol. She started doing drugs during school and on the weekends, getting drunk at night, smoking everyday, and sneaking out of her house to go do those things. Eventually her parents found out and tried to make her stop, but she couldn't. She went to go see a doctor about her addiction and they said that she needed to go to rehab because she was out of control. She later dropped out of school and never went to college. To this day she still cannot control herself. She let those people influence her into becoming someone she never intended to