Francis Bacon’s Prose Style as is Found in His Various Essays

Francis Bacon’s Prose Style as is Found in His Various Essays 

Francis Bacon, (1561-1626) is the most influential writer. He is also a creative English author of his time. He uses unique sorts of literary devices like a paradox, aphorism, climax in his essays. He typically uses the condensed sentences with deeply hidden explanations. We additionally discover a touch of truth and practicality in his writings. Now we are going to talk about his views.

 

The style Francis Bacon used for his essays is very skilfully exploited the literary term ‘paradox’ in the essay “Of Truth”. Truth, by Bacon, lacks the attraction of variety that falsehood has. Truth offers extra pleasure only when a lie is introduced to it. He believes that falsehood is a source of brief enjoyment. It offers humans an ordinary variety of pleasure. So the essayist paradoxically says:

“A mixture of lies doth add ever pleasure.”

We discover every other paradoxical maxim in the same essay. To Bacon, a liar is courageous in the direction of god but cowardly towards men. A liar does not have the braveness to tell the fact to human beings. He indicates braveness to inform a lie disobeying god. As the essayist comments:

“For a lie faces God, and shrinks from man. ”

It means that a man doesn't fear God when he tells a lie."

Bacon's essays are the expression of brevity. He further says, to tell the truth, is hard and impossible. As we find-

“Truth is so hard to tell,

It sometimes needs fiction to form it plausible. ”

Again, Bacon indicates to us the amazing use of climax in his essay “Of Studies. There are some books that are to be read. A variety of books are to be memorized. A few books are to be studied deeply with challenging work and concentration. The books must be read by their importance. As the writer declares:

“Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed,

and a few to be chewed and digested.”

At first, Bacon's prose style is very significant. A man should be careful, then talk about the thoughts and subsequently write them. Bacon additionally mentions the practical advantages of studying various topics in “Of Studies”

“Histories make men wise, poets witty;

the mathematics subtle; natural philosophy deep.”

Bacon points out that study enlightens human personality. It removes the darkness of faults and follies. The study will become fruitful only when it is mixed with experience. The function of reading is to make a full man and writing make an exact man. Therefore, if a man can write a little bit, he needs to have common knowledge and present wisdom. If he can read little, he needs to have much cunningness to seem to know which he does not know. As Bacon states-

“Reading maketh a full man and writing an exact man. And, therefore,

if a person writes little, he needs to have a present wit; and if he reads little,

he needs to have much cunning to look to understand which he doth not. ”

However, the aim and goal of reading are not to be contradicted and confused. Education is not to believe an authentic matter and take it for granted. Reading is not to find talk aimlessly and discourse. The aim and goal of reading are to weigh and consider the finding materials. As he says-

“Read not to contradict and confute; nor to believe and take for granted,

nor to find talk and discourse, but to weigh and consider. ”

Moreover, Bacon very simply confesses the bitter truth of human life. In his view, the wives and the kids are the problems to the way of success. As he says:

“He that hath wife and children hath given hostage of fortune.”

We have a look at the awesome use of aphorism in his essays. In the essay “Of Marriage and Single Life”, he says a man who has a family to maintain will usually take no risk. Having the duty to look after his spouse and children, a person is to undertake high-quality enterprises. An unmarried man shows his affection and his kindness to the public in general. A man without a family may, however, devotes himself mainly to the present. Unmarried men are to be favored by married men as friends, as employers, and as subordinates. but, they're no longer always first-class citizens. Bacon says-

"Unmarried men are best friends, best masters,

best servants, but not always the best subject.”

In "Of Marriage and Single Life" Bacon highlights married life. He also highlights the single’s lifestyles. and the many blessings or risks of the same. According to Bacon, a married man has his own circle of relatives to elevate and take care of. Francis Bacon Says -

“He that has a wife and children has given hostages to fortune. ”

Moreover, Bacon very aphoristically states to his readers the advantage of wives. For a person, a wife is a mistress in a young man's life. For a middle-aged man, she is a companion. For an old man, she is a nurse. That means a man can marry whenever he wants. In his own speech:

“Wives are young men’s mistresses;

companions for middle age, and old men’s nurses. ”

We get some other excellent speech in the essay “Of Revenge”. In where he suggests a positive high morality by saying:

“Revenge is a kind of wild justice.”

A man takes revenge on the man or woman by means of the capacity of whom he is oppressed. So, if he takes revenge, it will be justice but wild like justice. But at the time of taking revenge, the person takes it much more aggressively than he is oppressed. This is why Francis Bacon calls revenge a type of wild justice. So he suggests we be far away from taking revenge which is wild justice. He also-

“A man who contemplates revenge keeps his wounds green.”

Sir Francis Bacon in his “Of Parents and Children” thinks of the other. He also says that the mother and father ought to pick a career for his or her youngsters. However, someplace in the essay he simply demonstrates reality. The essay has a relational and common problem matter. Bacon is a teacher in this essay and each parent can learn something from him. The writer has additionally quoted a few sensible words to fortify his stance. In fact, it is a manual to one's mother and father. He does not realize a way to bring up their children in a manner that they are able to get success in the future. As Bacon says-

“You cannot teach a child to take ------ care of himself. 

He will make mistakes and out of these mistakes will come his wisdom.”

We discover one extra aphoristic expression in the essay “Of Parents and Children”. He suggests both the utility and the futility of having children. As he says:

“Children sweeten labor, but they make misfortune more bitter.”

Bacon is very practical in treating love. He considers it simply one of many passions of the human mind. He does no longer pay more favor to it; instead, he sees love as a “child of folly” in his essay “Of Love”. As he comments:

“Nuptial love makes mankind; friendly love perfected it,

but wanton love corrupteth and embaseth it.”

Finally, it can be stated that Bacon uses different kinds of figures of speech. He also uses an extra-ordinary narrative method. It enlarges the splendor of his writings. He, in his easy, very precisely exposes his views and ideas to the readers. His essays are the hand-books of practical knowledge. They are full and practical as properly as enriched with maxims.