About Francis Bacon
Who Wrote "Of Ambition"?
Who is Francis Bacon
What personality trait is the essay about?
Ambition
Are Bacon’s sentences usually long and formal or short and concise?
Short and concise.
What appeal does Bacon use most?
Logos
Does Bacon generalize about ambitious people?
Yes.
What major movement was Bacon associated with?
Is ambition good or bad, according to Bacon?
According to Bacon it is neither good nor bad but needs to be controlled.
How does Bacon begin the essay?
By describing what ambitious people are like.
What effect does analogy have on the essay?
Clarifies his point.
Why is Bacon’s comparison of ambition to “choler” a flaw?
It oversimplifies ambition by treating it like a sickness.
What is one government job Bacon held?
What is Solicitor General/Attorney General/Lord Keeper of the Great Seal/Lord Chancellor and Baron Verulam/Viscount Saint Albans
What do ambitious people desire most?
Power and advancement.
What is the middle section of the essay mostly about?
How ambition affects rulers and government.
How does Bacon build ethos?
By speaking confidently as an experienced statesman.
Why is Bacon’s argument less convincing?
He never backs up his claims with specific cases or facts.
What is the collection that "Of Ambition" comes from?
What is Essays
Why can ambition be dangerous in high positions?
Ambitious people may seek too much power.
How does Bacon move from talking about ambition in people to talking about ambition in politics?
He shifts from describing the trait itself to explaining how it affects rulers and governments.
Why does he use “if…then” statements?
To show cause-and-effect logic.
Why is Bacon’s advice to rulers unrealistic?
He makes it sound much simpler to manage ambition than it truly is.
Why is Bacon called the “father of empiricism”?
He promoted learning through observation and experience.
How should ambition be “managed”?
Let ambitious people work, but don’t let them gain too much power.
What does Bacon do in the final part of the essay?
He gives practical advice to rulers on handling ambition.
How do Bacon's short statements affect the logos
They present clear, logical truths and don't allow any counterarguments.
Why is Bacon’s view of rulers and ambitious people too narrow?
He reduces both of the groups and ignores the differences among the members in those groups.