REHUGO 3: Universal Truth

Shelly Kaur

AP English 3

Mr. Soeth

February 9, 2011

REHUGO- Universal Truth

A. Quote and author

"I am of the opinion that my life belongs to the community, and as long as I live it is my privilege to do for it whatever I can."

"When our relatives are at home, we have to think of all their good points or it would be impossible to endure them."

The author of both of these quotes, George Bernard Shaw, was an Irish playwright and a co- founder of the London School of Economics. His main talent was writing for dramas which led him to write over 60 plays. The majority of his writings are based on social problems. The two quotes are examples of this because both of them are about how individuals should live in a community.

B. Meaning

In the first quote, Shaw presents the idea that everyone is part of a community. Being part of the society, it is everyone's duty to contribute to it. By stating that "it is [his] privilege to do for it whatever [he] can," he is suggesting that this is an opportunity. Having a privilege means that it is a benefit that only some can get. Therefore, when having the privilege to do something for the community, Shaw means that not everyone can get this wonderful opportunity of serving the community. Those that do get this chance should do something. Everyone that can needs to contribute.

The second quote is indicating that when our relatives are around, we need to think of their positives. Although there are some from the family that we dislike, we still need to respect them. This is proven when Shaw says that "we have to think of all their good points or it would be impossible to endure them." If we don't think of the good moments of spending time with our relatives, then we would not be able to tolerate them. We would do something disastrous and end up never seeing them again. This means that there would come an end to the family. However, as Jane Howard mentions in her essay, a family is needed by everyone. Therefore, by considering of the positives of being with our relatives no matter how much we might dislike them, we will be able to save the relationships in the future.

C. Relevance

According to the first quote, every member of the society needs to contribute to the community. Each individual person has his or her own unique talent. This talent needs to be brought forth in the community to have everyone unite. When there is only one specific talent of a community, it cannot be considered a community because it is not unique and everyone is not in it together. However, when everyone brings in their talent, there are many characteristics of the united society. The contributions of the traits are what people would be doing for the community. This connects with the quote in that individuals would be doing something for the community.

The second quote connects to today's society in that there are many teenagers who do not like to spend time with their relatives. Most of the days the young generation spends time with friends or on exploring technology. But when it comes time to being with family, comments like "boring" and "that's not fun" come across. This shows how the modern society has gone away from the family. In order to prevent this, teenagers need to think about the positive sides of spending time with their family and relatives. If we think of the positives, then these become the wonderful memories in the future that would make us want to spend more time with our relatives. These positives, good moments, and memories are what make us able to sustain our relationships.

D. Citations

"Community Quotes :: Finest Quotes." Source for Famous Quotes, Inspirational Quotes & Sayings :: Finest Quotes. Web. 09 Feb. 2011. 0.htm>.

"Family Quotes, Sayings about Families." The Quote Garden - Quotes, Sayings, Quotations, Verses. Web. 09 Feb. 2011. .

"George Bernard Shaw." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 09 Feb. 2011. .