what is the meaning of this quote! I NEED HOMEWORK HELP!!!! PLEASE REPLY!!!!! its for my final exam!!!!!?

Question

I NEED HELP ON WHAT THESE QUOTES MEAN, OR LIKE, WHAT THE GUY IS TRYING TO SAY
i need smart people's help, "laughing-out-loud" (lol)

"Trials and revelations are what it's all about"
--Joseph Campbell
i think its on the hero quest, i dont know.


"The difference between the almost right word & the right word is the difference between lightning and a lightning bug."
i need help on that quote to, just what its saying and stuff
-- Mark Twain


And finally,
"The unexamined life is not worth living"
--Socrates

Answer 1

It's tempting to tell you that trials and revelations are what it's all about, so examine your life...but i'm not that silly or that mean. But Joseph Campbell and Socrates are saying much the same thing in these two quotes, actually. We learn through the trials we go through, and much of what we learn is what we learn about ourselves as we go through this hero quest which is our life. And along that quest, that journey, we come across many revelations about the nature of the world, ourselves, and our place in it. And if we do nothing but go through our lives without examining ourselves, the world, and our place in it, then we may as well not have lived at all. As for the Mark Twain quote, I understand it all too well-I'm a writer. The almost right word just is not the right word. There's no way to hide it or fake it. Let's try it this way. I'm also a cook. Do you cook? Have you ever used a tablespoon of salt instead of a teaspoon in a recipe? It's almost right-but it isn't the same dish. Or in chemistry. An atom is a small thing. But add merely one atom of oxygen to the mix and you're drinking a tall glass of hydrogen peroxide. Tasty and refreshing, yeah? Almost counts in hand grendades and horse shoes, but not in chemistry, proper proportions in recipes, or proper word choice. Good luck. Oh-I read somewhere in there that an earlier respondent said that Twain was saying that the wrong word was the lightning and uncontrollable, while the right word was the lightning bug with the beautiful comfortable glow. Not a chance. Writers don't want the lightning bug. We don't want you to be comfortable. We want to rock your world. We want to make it hard for you to sleep. We want to make it hard for you to get up because you couldn't put the book down and go to sleep. We want the lightning, my friend. And you know how we get it? By careful observation and deep living and fearless reporting of what we've seen. By going through the trials, witnessing the revelations, and examining ourselves as well as what we see. Because if we don't examine ourselves, we will not see with as much clarity as we could. There. That's as much as I'm giving you...you need to do some work, kiddo. ;)

Answer 2

For the second quote: there is a very big difference between lightning and a lightning bug. They have nothing to do with each other. Therefore, he is saying that the "almost right word and the right word" will have a very big difference, and will probably have nothing to do with each other. If you're trying to convey a certain thought, idea or response, you must use the correct vocabulary so people will understand exactly what you are saying.

Be careful of the way you word something, because it may have a different meaning than you want to convey, if you don't use the proper word.

Quote #3:
Devotion to Truth:
Even after he has been convicted by the jury, Socrates declines to abandon his pursuit of the truth in all matters. Refusing to accept exile from Athens or a commitment to silence as his penalty, he maintains that public discussion of the great issues of life and virtue is a necessary part of any valuable human life. "The unexamined life is not worth living." (Apology 38a) Socrates would rather die than give up philosophy, and the jury seems happy to grant him that wish.

Answer 3

You are correct on the Campbell quote.

The Twain quote is saying that word choice is very important and even words that are similar or even the same can have entirely different meanings, connotations, and contexts. A lightning bug is a little tiny firefly that emits a glow, but lightning is this huge powerful zap of light and energy. Two completely different things that use the same word. It sounds from the words that they would be comparable, but clearly they are not. Selecting a word or phrase that is only "almost" right can be the same as communicating something totally different. Words can be misleading.

The Socrates quote is easy. A life that is not reflected upon, that is not considered, is pointless. Your life and life's choices should should be examined and scrutinized. If you have done nothing in your life that warrants reflection, you haven't lead much of a life. We should reflect on our lives and examine our choices.

Answer 4

Mark Twain was saying that the right word is like lightning, while the almost right word is like a lightning bug. The lightning bug isn't quite as effective, it doesn't make as big a statement, but merely suggests what kind of a statement is trying to be made. Lightning makes a statement.

Answer 5

I suppose you are at the proper monitor at the Campbell quote. Twain: take the sentence aside and suppose approximately it. It's a evaluation, proper? He's speakme approximately one pair of matters which can be unique from every different ("virtually proper phrase" and "proper phrase") and evaluating that change to a different pair of differing matters. The first pair does not look so unique in the beginning, however without doubt the moment pair (lightning, lightning computer virus) are massively unique. So what's Twain announcing approximately the primary pair? Socrates: What might "an unexamined existence" seem like? Or greater, what might or not it's love to reside "an tested existence"? If you suppose approximately the solutions to these questions, you'll be able to in general have an understanding of why Socrates (a philosopher) prefers the tested existence. (Ask your self which type of existence you are dwelling, and the way it might be unique to reside the opposite type.)

Answer 6

for the first, campbell is sayiing that life is just that, a series of tears and revelations without which we may as well be dead to escape them.

Twain meant that the wrong word and lightening are uncontrollable and may not do what you want them to do but the right word like a lightening bug becomes a thing of beauty.

the last - my favorite - means that we must examine our lives to make them have meaning. For example, a wife who keeps going back to an abuser time after time is not living but existing where the woman who excapes from an abuser, examines her life and figures out why she was attracted in the first place can make changes to not repeat the same mistakes over and over and lead a far better life.

Good luck with the exam!!

Answer 7

#1) Life is like a roller coater. You wilil have your ups and downs, your fun days and your bad days. That is just how life is.
#2) There is a big difference between the right word and almost the right word even though they sound close to the same just like there is a big difference between lightning and a lightning bug.
#3) If you dont explore, learn new things, and have fun in life there is no point of even living.

that is how i see tham atleast. those are nice quotes!

Answer 8

nice try alexis-- twain is saying that "almost" dont cut it. look at the difference between lightning and lightning bug. do they mean the same thing? hell no. so being close is worthless.

campbell is saying that what makes life worth living is the tough times. since they mold your character or whatever he feels they do. its kind of like without pain you dont know your alive.

ill give u two, read socrates line and figure it out, its not that hard