Durable Satisfactions of Life

1. According to Charles Eliot, the sources of durable satisfaction of life for

educated men are good health, strong mental grip, a wholesome capacity for
hard work, large mental enjoyments, and a spotless reputation.
2. Define
a. Licentiousness - lacking legal or moral restraints (Merriam-Webster)
b. Abject Fear abject fear means a low or miserable kind of fear
c. Ultimate Tribunal final judge
3. Health and Vitality involves cleanliness of both body and mind, vigor in
endeavors, wholesome curiosity, and a holistic view and approach to life.
4. A wholesome capacity for hard work is developed through prolonged rapid
and sustained education. To prepare for this, he must prepare for trained
capacity in mental labor, his capacity for keen observation, and capacity for
sustained thought.
5. An honorable man is one who is honest, sincere, candid, and generous. He
lives with honor. He needs not fear of judgement of others for his actions to
be honourable. He is honorable everywhere, all the time.
6. Everyone judges each other. Everyone then judges each other whether they
are honorable or not. According to Eliot, they may be your elders, your
contemporaries, and the youngsters. To Eliot, the final judge of a mans
conduct, however little they know of that man, are his contemporaries. Their
judgements are often quick, potent, severe, and made up early. They may be
made by those who know you well and dont know you personally at all.
7. Man should show a descent respect to the opinion of others about himself
because it is an indication of how others see how he acts. He is a social
animal and it is inevitable that they judge each other. This, however, should
not interfere with his independence for he and he alone knows himself and
can achieve his happiness.
8. Eliots belief about the sources of durable satisfactions for man are wise and
well formulated. It is something that everyone should read and know. Good
Health, Mind, and Honor are all important aspects of oneself that one must
cultivate. These are indeed foundations for a satisfactory life. I would also like
to add, however, on his belief on judgement. Judgement of peers are indeed
important to consider. I would like to call them an outer scorecard.
However, it is my opinion that the final judge of a well-led life should be
oneself. One must grade himself with an inner scorecard which only he can
honestly score and judge. If he scores himself high in his own inner scorecard
then he has led a satisfactory life.
9. Yes. I believe independence and learning are the two things that can offer me
lasting happiness in life. I owe their identification from reading Poor Charlies
Almanack by Charlie Munger, one of my role models in life.
Analysis of organization
1. Yes the composition has an introduction. It is found on the first two
sentences of the first paragraph. It serves to introduce the reader to the
topic to be discussed which is the sources of the durable satisfactions in
life.

2. There are five discussion paragraphs. Yes, there are explicit topic
sentences in each one.
a. For the first paragraph: So far as I have seen, there is one
indispensable foundation for the satisfactions of life health.
b. For the second paragraph: We need a strong mental grip, a
wholesome capacity for hard work.
c. For the third paragraph: It comes by living with honor, by honor
d. For the fourth paragraph: It is the judgment of your
contemporaries that is important to you.
e. For the fifth paragraph, the topic sentence is implied. Because it
serves as the conclusion to the composition, the topic sentence
may be Take care of your health, pursue mental activities
especially in college, and live every day like a man of honor.
3. Paragraph 1 served as the introduction for the composition. It speaks of
the foundation of durable satisfactions in life. Paragraph 2 built upon
paragraph 1 and introduced a higher level statement, that of how to
make sure of durable satisfactions in life. Paragraph 3 introduced another
higher statement, possibly the highest, which is that of honor and a
spotless reputation, the purest treasures of life.
4. Paragraph 4 elaborated on the idea of Paragraph 3. It states ways of being
honorable, the purest treasure of life according to paragraph 3.
5. Paragraph 5 is the conclusion. It parts with the reader advice as to how to
achieve durable satisfactions in life. It summarizes the whole passage.
6. The author makes use of elaboration. He describes the conditions and
states of the durable satisfactions of life, and then explains the
processes to achieve such a state.
7. The order of development used is by logical order in ascending
importance. The writer begins with the foundation: health, then followed
by higher levels: intellectual pursuit, then finally the highest level: a
spotless reputation by honor as judged by ones peers.
8. Coherence:
a. Paragraph 2 to 1: What is the next thing, then,
b. Paragraph 3 to 2: But there is something more
c. Paragraph 4 to 3: The paragraph begins by asking a question How
does honor come to a man? related to paragraph 3
d. Other devices: