George Withers poem, By Knowledge, Life wee gaine, All other things to Death pertaine :: Philosophy Poet Poem Essays

George Withers song, By Knowledge, Life wee gaine, All other things to Death pertaineVivitur Ingenio Caetera Mortis Erut, virtually translated means, Live intellectually. In all other matters, death is master. This phrase borders the type of George Withers poem, By Knowledge, Life wee gaine, All other things to Death pertaine. This poem admonishes the reader to bew atomic number 18 of a life too concerned with sophisticated pleasures, titles and treasures, which he says, belong to death and will return to him upon our death. He entreats us, rather, to revolve around on knowledge, honest actions, holy study and charity, which will provide a virtuous nature which crappernot be removed by kings, time or death. In Thomas Mores Utopia, we see an example of a people aliveness by these examples, but in a self-motivated way. The fact that this society has follow these sentiments as a purely logical survival mechanism can be seen in the differing attitudes between Utopian individual a nd Utopian commonwealth toward education and learning, wealth and virtue.The poems figure shows a man, sitting under the tree diagram of Knowledge, with his hand on a stack of books contemplating lofty thoughts. He has his certify turned from personified Death. George Wither says, That Knowledge, and that Treasure seeks to find, Which may enrich thy Heart with amend Joy. We are to understand that learning and knowledge are the most measurable things to occupy our time in the short life. The Utopian held the wise and knowledgeable man in the highest esteem, elevating him to positions of leadership and excusing him from the normal work duties of society. These leaders are tasked with upholding the laws and maintaining a balanced society. Utopians are skilled in music, dialectic, arithmetic, geometry...logistics, and devour up the Greek classic which Hythlodaeus brings to the island. The nation of Utopia, on the other hand, is quite different. It is a very closed society. It dea ls in the baser occupations of commerce and even buys slaves from neighboring nations. The nation holds itself in such high regard that there are no lessons to be learned from its neighbors. Contrasting the wise man in the emblem is the skeleton hoarding treasures. Among these items are gold, a crown and a pelage of arms representing, respectively, wealth, power and honor. These items are in the possession of death, apparently revert to him after the foolish ones have died. As a socialist society, everything is provided for and by Utopians.