My grandfather always said hard work never hurt anyone. He believed that working hard showed your true character. Caryle was basically of the same belief. He states: "For there is a perennial nobleness, and even sacredness in work." (Page 481)
Caryle suggests you should find your passion and life purpose and pour yourself into it; this is the truest form of being blessed. He writes: "Know what thou canst work at; and work at it, like a Hercules! That will be thy better plan. (Page 481)
Carlyle talks aboout the Potter's wheel and how it using it turns rude lumps of clay into beautiful circular dishes (Page 482). Idleness is not close to godliness; but to sin. He states: "Of an idle unrevolving man the kindest Destiny, like the most assiduous Potter without wheel, can bake and knead nothing other than a botch." (Page 482)
Caryle in the last verse is basically saying, your work is not in vain; we reap with we sow. There is power and honor in doing what God has commanded us to do: He says: "Labour is Life: fromm the inmost heart of the worker rises his god-given Force, the sacred celestial Life-essence breathed into him by Almighty God."
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I really enjoyed your post. I think that Carlyle was really trying to get his readers to learn the value of good hard work. Nowadays it's hard to find someone who still believes in this concept...people are more interested in getting rich the quick way with the least amount of work. This reading really felt like a fatherly lesson to me.
ReplyDeleteThis was my FAVORITE. My immigrant grandparents would be like your grandfather, I'm guessing. Very much of the same beliefs. I appreciate how you incorporate we reap with we sow, too. That's one thing I left out.
ReplyDeleteAngela,
ReplyDeleteGood focus for your post on Carlyle, and well-chosen quotations from his essay. You tend to do less analysis of the passages quoted in this post than in your previous ones, though. Beware of trying to let the quotations do all the work—I want to know your thoughts and ideas on them, too.
I really enjoyed your post and how it is important to know what you have to do in life. One must enjoy what they do and in that way we can enjoy our lives as well.
ReplyDelete