Thoughts on Aristotle Book 2, chps 1-11

For this reading, I highlighted a few sentences in each part, mainly the ones I liked or the ones I wanted to analyze.  Let me know if you all feel the same way or can help in my quest to understand Aristotle.

In part 2, Aristotle talks about anger and says "Again, we are angrier with our friends than with other people, since we feel that our friends ought to treat us well and not badly."  So if those who we expect to make us angry make us angry, then is it not classified as anger?  This one confused me because he is saying we have to have a sort of prefixed person for each emotion in order to bring out that emotion...or just anger for that matter.

In part 5, Aristotle says "we do not fear things that are a very long way off; for instance, we all know we shall die, but we are not troubled thereby, because death is not close at hand."  But once death is close at hand do we start to become afraid of it?  This also confused me because what happens when a teenager is presented with a death-like instance; do we feel fear right at that moment because we actually realize death is in our face or are we just like "hey, it's death, I've thought about you before, but you're no big deal."

For my interest in this line, I think it's related to me being too curious more than anything.  In part 7 Aristotle says "kindness is great if shown to one who is in great need (cravings)...the appetites are cravings for this kind: sexual desire, for instance."  Is this saying that if you give someone sex out of the feeling that they are craving it, i.e. horny, then you are being kind?  This just struck me as odd.

If I could come up with a concluding line for these 11 parts then it would be that I think Aristotle is saying that the more you are feeling each emotion then the more each emotion is inclined to happen to you.  If you are happy, then happy things happen; if you are envious, then you see more things that make you envious; etc., etc.

The Lonely Visitor (Revisited)

Sarah was the last student to leave study hall.  When she exited the room, all the lights were off and many of the gates had been locked to the upper and lower floors.  An icy finger slowly crept up her back as she replayed, in her mind, the many horror films she'd seen on weekends.  She ran back to the classroom to find comfort in her teacher, except he wasn't there.  Panic hit and Sarah froze, not thinking coherently and wondering if the approaching squealing sound was real or her imagination.  She took solace in the thought of the nearest exit door and made a sprint.  Locker doors were slamming shut, and wet sloshing sounds were echoing in all the halls.  As Sarah turned the final corner of this horror story, she ran straight into the thing she hoped did not exist.  She screamed as she fell, fearing for her life, not wanting to stare into the eyes of the demon...only to see it was the janitor.

The Lonely Visitor

Sarah was the last student to leave study hall.  She asked to use the bathroom as a final request.  When she exited the restroom, all the lights were off and many of the gates had been locked to the upper and lower floors.  An icy finger slowly crept up her back as she replayed, in her mind, the many horror films she'd seen on weekends.  She ran back to the classroom to find comfort in her teacher, except he wasn't there.  Panic hit and Sarah froze, not thinking coherently and wondering if the approaching squealing sound was real or her imagination.  She took solace in the thought of the nearest exit door and made a sprint.  Locker doors were slamming shut, and wet sloshing sounds were echoing in all the halls.  As Sarah turned the final corner of this horror story, she ran straight into the thing she feared did not exist.  She screamed as she fell, fearing for her life, not wanting to stare into the eyes of the demon...only to see it was the janitor.

Aloha!