Barzun poses a statement about being independent without being rebellious. I was wondering if any of you had any comments about this statement. I personally believe that it is impossible. If I want to be independent I am rebelling against the influence of others' ideas over me, whether this is at work, school or some other environment. It may not be the intention that I have, but never the less is a form of rebellion. I believe that most of the time we are being rebellious subconsciously, without realizing it or wanting to. What do you think? Can you think of times when you have been rebellious without it being your intent?
Hey Ana, Can you put the quote that you are referring to? It is an interesting question but I am trying to find the context in which Barzun wrote this and it's not jumping out at me. It's important that we know the context before debating the question as this will help us understand what Barzun meant before we debate it.
ReplyDeleteI realize that the page numbers are not on the scan, so just give us the quote and the page number that adobe shows. Thanks!
The quote is on page 4 the way it was scanned or page 7 if referring to a single "So the great difficulty is to achieve independence without rebellion." (Barzun)
ReplyDeleteI think that it would be possible to be independent without rebellion. one could easily act out of the ordinary at work and make a large, profitable deal because of it. in no way was there rebellion, but this person's independant thought was largly successful. I think it really comes down to whether you are being independant for the benefit of a system, or for the benefit of yourself.
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