BELL WORK: FRANCIS BACON (AN AUTHOR WE WILL
STUDY TODAY) WROTE HIS ESSAYS TO HELP GUIDE
YOUNG MEN WHO WERE AMBITIOUS TO SUCCEED.
LIKE BACON, MANY PEOPLE LOVE TO DISPENSE
ADVICE AND SHARE THEIR KNOWLEDGE AND
EXPERIENCES. YOU'VE PROBABLY RECEIVED ADVICE
FROM YOUR FAMILY AND FRIENDS ON EVERYTHING
FROM HOW TO MANAGE YOUR HOMEWORK TO WHAT
CLOTHES TO WEAR. WHAT ADVICE HAS MADE A REAL
DIFFERENCE IN YOUR LIFE?
ESSAY
A RELATIVELY BRIEF WORK OF
NONFICTION THAT OFFERS AN
OPINION ON A SUBJECT.
Purpose of Essays
• To express ideas and feelings
• To inform
• To entertain
• To persuade
Characteristics of a formal
essay:
• Impersonal
• Elevated
language
• Serious tone
• Complex
sentence
structure (and
words!)
Of Studies by Sir Francis Bacon
• 1. Reread lines 5-7. Explain why you agree or disagree
with Bacon's opinions on the use of study.
• 2. Analyze the visual. Consider Bacon's discussion of
the uses of studies. What might the pear in this image
symbolize?
• 3. "general counsels... come best from those that are
learned" (lines 4-5). What advice is Bacon offering?
• 4. "that is a wisdom without them, and above them,
won by observation" (lines 12-13). What advice is
Bacon offering?
Of Studies continued...
• 5. In lines 24-26, what connections
does Bacon make between certain
kinds of books and certain
character traits?
• 6. Which of these traits or skills
seem to be emphasized today?
Of Marriage and Single Life by Sir Francis
Bacon
• 1. Reread the opinion expressed
in lines 2-5. Do you agree or
disagree with this opinion?
Explain.
• 2. What characteristics of a
formal essay do you observe in
this text? Be specific.
• 3. Based on lines 13-18, what
advice might Bacon offer
someone who is considering
hiring a single man?
• One of the Questions of the
Times for Unit 2 is “Why is love
so complicated?” Consider
how Bacon seems to respond
to that question in “Of
Marriage and Single Life.” Your
task is to write a reflection in
which you reflect upon love
and its complications but
ultimately reach a conclusion
about which state—singleness
or marriage—you would prefer.
(2 paragraphs)
Office Smackdown: Parent vs.
Childless Workers
I emailed an article to
each of you this morning.
Please read and annotate
the article after prayer. Be
ready for a class
discussion! 
• Group A
• Discuss pros and cons of flexible schedules for
workers with children.
• What stood out to you in this article? Would you
change these policies if you could?
• Which of Bacon’s opinions are now outdated?
• Group B
• Discuss pros and cons for single workers.
• What stood out to you in this article? Would you
change these policies if you could?
• Why do you think Bacon failed to mention romantic
love in his formal essay?
English 12 Bell Work Question
Please answer on the back of the handout provided.
(Handouts are on the stool!) 
• Does gender impose limits? From birth, you are
identified by your gender. In every society, certain
traits and behaviors are considered typically
masculine or feminine; for example, some of the
speakers in “Female Orations” believe that women
should be submissive toward men and strive only
to become good housewives. Of course, attitudes
toward women have changed greatly since the
Renaissance, but many people feel that gender still
influences how we see ourselves and how others
see us. Do you feel that your gender has limited
your choices or opportunities, or given you any
advantages? (1-2 paragraphs).
Meet Margaret Cavendish page 707
1623 - 1674
• She wrote what has been
described as the first science
fiction novel.
• Thought it was against nature
for a woman to spell correctly.
• Used her own remedies to treat
her illnesses, a course of action
that probably hastened her
death.
Literary Analysis (Handout 287)
You will record details from “Female
Orations” that reflect each of the social
conditions listed in the first column.
Bell Work: What is the role of
death in life?
• Death is not something we only face at the end of
our lives; it influences us when we lose loved ones
or even when we contemplate our own mortality.
John Donne, who experienced the early deaths of
his wife and some of his children, struggled to
understand the meaning of death. His thoughts
about mortality inspired some of his greatest works.
How has the knowledge of death affected your life?
Has it made your more cautious or fearful for your
personal safety? Does it influence your relationship
with others? Does it affect your appreciation of life’s
pleasures? (1-2 paragraphs)
NOTES
• Metaphysical Conceit: a type or metaphor or
simile in which the comparison is unusually
striking, original, and elaborate. While all
metaphors and similes show likeness in two
unlike things, a conceit compares two unlike
things that may at first seem to have no
connection whatsoever. In “Meditation 17”, for
example, Donne compares humanity to a book
in which each person makes up a chapter. As
we read, look for other examples of
metaphysical conceits.
Meet the Author:
John Donne
1572-1631
• Page 767
• Video intro to A
Valediction: Forbidding
Mourning page 768
A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning
• 1. What do the gestures and facial expressions
of the figures in this painting suggest about
their relationship?
• 2. What does the speaker contrast in lines 9-12?
• 3. How does the contrast in lines 9-12 apply to
lines 13-16?
• 4. Metaphysical Conceit: Reread lines 25-36.
What is unusual about comparing two lovers to
a compass? How does his comparison help
express the speaker’s love?
Holy Sonnet 10
• 1. Why does the speaker
state that death is not
mighty or dreadful?
• 2. How do you interpret
the statement “Death,
thou shalt die”?
Meditation 17
• 1. Metaphysical Conceit: Reread
lines 8-13. What comparison is
made in this conceit?
• 2. Lines 8 and 12 contain
several words that have
multiple meanings: volume,
bind, and leaves. What does
each word mean in this
passage? How can you guess
their meaning?
Text Analysis Assignment
Page 776
• # 1-4, 7, 9
• Please use complete
sentences and cite evidence
from the text on questions 7
and 9.