This is one of my English papers from this semester. I put a lot of heart into it and I thought that I would share it with you! I hope you enjoy, I certainly enjoyed writing it!
Controlled Thinking
Introduction
and Summaries
My favorite cartoon character is
Winnie the Pooh. He is so cute and cuddly! I have also found that, although
Pooh is not the most serious of characters, he utters words of wisdom on a
consistent basis. One of his more philosophical statements, “Did you ever stop to think, and forget to
start again?” (Milne 1996), presents one of the current dangers in our society:
forgetting to think. Thinking is essential to life, so how could we ever forget
it? I believe that we do not forget to think entirely and just sit around like a
vegetable, but rather we forget to think independently and seek for knowledge.
In his
article “Diagnosing and Treating the Ophelia Syndrome” Thomas G. Plummer, a
language professor, addresses the issue of independent thinking. He argues that
people have become infected with a disease, Ophelia Syndrome, which is
characterized by “an adult who chooses to be a baby, one who does not know her
own opinions and who would not express them to authority if she did” (Plummer
2012, p. 438). The article begins by describing this syndrome and how to identify
it within ourselves. A short part of the article illustrates that the Ophelia
Syndrome is so dangerous because it inhibits individual (and thus societal)
growth. The majority of the paper presents six treatments for this disease.
These treatments, or solutions, range from knowing yourself to living with
uncertainty. Eliminating the Ophelia Syndrome within ourselves can be time
consuming, lonely work but “[t]o think, or not to think” which is the higher price
to pay? (Plummer 2012, p. 446)
Another
accomplished scholar and published author, Hugh Nibley, discusses the attribute
of thought in his essay “Zeal without Knowledge.” First published in 1978, the
article begins by introducing the work of Nigel Calder who discovered that the
brain is capable of only one thought at a time. Nibley describes this
phenomenon, rejoicing in the agency people are given; individuals may think of
whatever they like! (Nibley 2012, p. 374) However, this gives that individual
responsibility to think worthy and good thoughts. It is wasteful to allow
unclean thoughts in the mind. Continuing on, Nibley proposes that the mind
craves, and constantly seeks for, knowledge. A zeal for learning is required in
this pursuit of knowledge. This zeal can be dangerous however. It needs to be
ensured that this zeal does not lead to pride in one’s own knowledge, which can
interfere with the acquisition of truth. There needs to be a balance.
Analysis
These articles are very similar.
Both encourage the readers to think for themselves, and recognize that change
can be hard, but is necessary. Both authors also value knowledge and express
disappointment for those who do not seek for it.
In
examining the logos of these articles, it is evident that they exhibit
effective and similar organizational patterns, which allow readers to
understand the presented theses. Both have interesting introductions, which
lead into the bodies of the papers fluently. They start by presenting an idea,
defining it, and then discussing it in detail.
Although
these articles are very much alike, there are some differences. The first
difference is within the actual subject matter. “Zeal Without Knowledge” deals
more with actual thought, and what we should think about. It also discusses the
balance between learning and the desire to learn. “Diagnosing and Treating the
Ophelia Syndrome” dwells more on the actual learning process and how it affects
our thoughts.
These
articles were written for different audiences. “Zeal Without Knowledge” was
originally published in Dialogue: A
Journal of Mormon Thought, and written for Latter-day Saints (LDS).
“Diagnosing and Treating the Ophelia Syndrome” was originally given as a speech
at Brigham Young University. It is geared toward LDS college students. Both
speak to their intended audience very well. They draw on assumptions and
understandings that only their planned audience would have. For example “Diagnosing and Treating the Ophelia
Syndrome” speaks of how one could treat the Ophelia Syndrome in a college
setting, such as taking classes from good teachers, and stepping outside of the
box for school assignments. “Zeal Without Knowledge” discusses scriptures well
known in the LDS faith, such as Mormon 9:28 and Alma 60:7, and speaks of
Heavenly Father in such a way that you would need a basic understanding of how
an LDS person views God. “Diagnosing and Treating the Ophelia Syndrome” is more
neutral in this aspect and could be easily used in settings where the students
were not Latter-day Saints, but “Zeal Without Knowledge” would be more
difficult to share with those not sharing LDS beliefs.
Both articles use pathos very well.
“Diagnosing and Treating the Ophelia Syndrome” is written in respect to the independence
of college students. Most students, most people for that matter, do not want
others to control them. They fight for independence in their work, study, and
finances. Plummer puts his thoughts in very blunt terms claiming that people
are allowing themselves to be controlled (Plummer, p. 438). This is revolting
to readers and they continue through the article to see why Plummer would claim
that they allow their thoughts to be controlled. This immediate grip
demonstrates strong pathos that is continued throughout the paper.
“Zeal Without Knowledge” draws more
on the spiritual desires of its audience. Most Latter-day Saints want to be spiritual;
they want to do as Heavenly Father has asked. Nibley uses this desire to engage
readers. He condemns those who do not use their thoughts in a godly way. He
illustrates how worthy thoughts and the pursuit of knowledge is part of the
eternal plan. This evokes thoughts and a desire to change within readers, which
is the desired effect. This is an excellent example of pathos.
Although Plummer and Nibley use
pathos similarly, they employ ethos very differently. In “Diagnosing and
Treating the Ophelia Syndrome” Plummer uses personal experiences to appeal to
the reader. This shows that he has gone through the same experience, allowing
the reader to trust his solutions. In “Zeal Without Knowledge”, on the other
hand, Nibley uses more quotes and scriptures from those with authority, such as
prophets like Joseph Smith, Brigham Young, and Isaiah. This use of other authorities
shows the reader that Nibley is not just making up ideas, but that others (whom
the intended audience would trust) agree with him.
Both articles are well written,
exhibiting strong rhetoric. The reader is able to easily understand their
theses and to see the presented support.
Synthesis
Why do these article matter? Even if
they are beautifully written why should we read them? Nibley answers this
question by saying “[i]t is throwing our life away, to think of the wrong
things” (Nibley 2012, p. 375). But, you may ask, how can thoughts destroy a
life? Thoughts, if reoccurring, become words. Words become actions, which build
into habits, which then define your character. And ultimately your character
will define your eternity destiny. Each individual’s goals (eternal and
temporal) are tailored by their thoughts, thus thoughts must be tailored to
meet those goals.. Thinking for ourselves (determining our own destiny per say)
cannot be given a value; it is priceless.
In our society today the Ophelia Syndrome
is rampant. One example of this diagnosis is our school system. Children, full
of promise and creativity, are put into school. The focus then starts to change
from helping children become individuals to teaching them to conform. Openly
questioning the teacher is actively discouraged. Children are pushed to
memorize and pump out facts. They are required to participate in standardized
tests, to which the teacher programs students to pass. The student learns how
to write a structured essay that leaves little room for thought. Then, after
these tests end and students enter universities, they have no idea how to
articulate their thoughts or even to think for themselves. When asked to write
a paper they regurgitate the same structured essay used for standardized
testing, which may reward them with a decent grade, but will not serve them in
the real world. Students are allowing their teachers to do the thinking for
them, just like Ophelia allowed Polonius to think for her.
Nibley
shares an experience like this saying “that students come up to a teacher…with
the sincere request that he refrain from teaching them anything new” (Nibley
2012, p. 379). How could these students have reached a point that they do not
wish to learn? How could they have grown from an endlessly creative child to an
adult with a wall in their mind against further knowledge? I think that it all
stems from the Ophelia Syndrome. We are trained to allow thinking to be done
for us; we become Ophelia, never learning how to think for ourselves or to
enjoy endless learning. The danger in this is that in doing this we are
starving the brain. We are eternal beings; we have a spirit inside us that
knows the value of thoughts and knowledge. When we cease to think for
ourselves, or to stop learning we become unhappy and dissatisfied. This as
Plummer describes leads us to a “breaking point” (Plummer 2012, p. 439). We
realize that something isn’t working, that a change is needed, and so we
complete a metamorphosis into Polonius, inventing knowledge and reciting it to
the Ophleias in our lives (Nibley 2012, p. 376), giving ourselves a false sense
of power and accomplishment. Thus a cycle is begun.
If not
stopped, this cycle will continue to lead people away from the celestial
eternity, into a more unhappy state. As individuals we need to decide which way
we will go. Will we entrap ourselves in this cycle, or will we break it and
fulfill our potential? As Nibley
exclaims, “[we] can think of anything [we] want to—absolutely anything!”
(Nibley, p. 374), so what will your anything be? He suggests that the first
thing we should think about, is “what are we going to think about?” (Nibley, p.
379). In other words we need to decide what we want our eternity to look like.
Plummer suggests that one way to help us decide is to come to know ourselves
(Plummer, p. 441), which can be frightening, but it is essential. Discovering
who we are and what we want to think about allows us to control our own
thoughts instead of being controlled. That is our ultimate goal.
Conclusion
Our thoughts will determine our destiny. So I would
encourage to do as Winnie the Pooh advises and “think, think, think” (Milne
1996)! Think about yourself. Are you an Ophelia or a Polonius? Do you control
your thoughts, or does another? Take the time to decide where you want to spend
eternity. Make sure you are not part of the Ophelia/ Polonius cycle. Analyze
your thoughts and make sure that you are continually feeding your mind with
new, true knowledge. Create within yourself a love of learning, and your
thoughts will align God
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