Meaning of life essay Essay Example for Free

Meaning of life essay Essay What is the meaning of life? Many agree that the answer depends on the person asking the question. When Albert Camus and Richard Taylor decide to answer this question, they must take an in-depth look into the real and mythological worlds to arrive at a concise answer to this question that has baffled so many. Both have similar views with subtle differences however Taylors view is the more accurate of the two. When looking into the biological world, Taylor clearly describes how much of it can be identified with the Greek tale of Sisyphus. His first of two examples take an in-depth look into glowworms. They go through this cycle like Sisyphus did with his rock and ultimately they have nothing more to show for it than reproducing. They are condemned to this fate and like the rock that Sisyphus rolls up the hill, once they fall down, the burden is passed onto the next generation of worms, making their existence ultimately pointless. The story is the same with migrating birds, as they seasonally migrate across the planet just to do the exact same thing the next year (Klemke, 2008). The effort put into this, like the effort Sisyphus puts into rolling the rock up the hill, ultimately accomplishes nothing and in the end is futile. The birds are condemned to a meaningless task that has no meaning, but gives them purpose. Taylor states The point of any living things life is, evidently, nothing but life itself (Klemke, 2008), something that Sisyphus himself endures as he rolls the rock throughout eternity, with the only difference between him and the biological beings being that instead of each organism doing the same repetitive task for eternity, they pass on their mundane tasks to the next generation. Taylors solution to the meaning of life is a complicated one since he truly sees absolutely no meaning to it. Everything in this world is contingent and as a whole is seemingly meaningless. This is what he calls objective meaning. He went on to say that life has no end goal and that what you do can never be more than you, something similar to what Sisyphus went through. At the same time, he went on to say how life also has subjective meaning, meaning that life matters to the person living in that world in that period of time. As Sisyphus was rolling the rock up hill hill for eternity, Taylor asks what if the gods had made it his eternal desire to roll that rock up that hill, and what if he enjoyed nothing else more than rolling that rock for the rest of his life (Klemke, 2008). The same can be said about those that do what they love, and even though that has no objective meaning as a whole, it could have subjective meaning to the individual performing the task since there is nothing else they would rather do. He went on to say that as time passes A curious eye can in imagination reconstruct from what is left a once warm and thriving life, filled with purpose. (Klemke, 2008). This was in reference to looking back at an old barren wasteland, where although now it has no meaning, it once had subjective meaning to others and even though something has no end goal, that does not mean that it is meaningless, since in that moment in time it had meaning. He sees the meaning of life as nothing but life itself, and that the only way to live a full and meaningful life is to do something that has meaning to you. The end goal does not matter as long as what you are doing has meaning to you, and one thing does not have greater meaning over another. His solution involved projecting meaning onto our own lives by embracing our struggles, even if they accomplish nothing lasting and worthwhile (Cengage, 2013). Camus had a slightly different solution to the meaning of life. He truly saw no meaning to life and questioned why anyone would ever want to live in it (Klemke, 2008). He questioned peoples motives and why all individuals would never commit suicide when they know that they saw the world they lived in. He sees the world as absurd and the fact that we can accept that as surprising. Rational beings live in an irrational world, where people who are obsessed with reason cannot find it. He sees that the there is absolutely no meaning to the world. When he relates human lives to Sisyphus, he considers our everyday lives as pushing a rock up a hill and pushing it back down in a never-ending cycle until death. The tragedy of it is that we are never truly conscious of the absurd, and in those moments when we are conscious of the absurd, we experience the greatest moral downfall imaginable. The only way to live in this world is to live in contradiction. Once we can accept that the world we live in is absurd, we no longer need to live for hope or have this dying need for purpose (Tomo, 2013). It means not only accepting it but also being fully conscious and aware of it, because that is the only way we can enjoy the freedoms of life as long as we abide by a few common rules (Lane, 2013). He sees this as being the ultimate way to embrace everything the unreasonable world has to offer us. This is known as absurd freedom, when you are conscious of the world you live in and are freed from the absurdity. You can then reach a point of acceptance where you can feel truly content with your own life (Lane, 2013). He considers Sisyphus as being the absurd hero, since he performs a meaningless task because he hates death, and so he does this meaningless task to live to the fullest. He embraces his destiny and one could truly believe that he is happy with it. The meaning of life also does not matter about what are the best moments of living, or doing what is meaningful to the individual, but who did the most living. This can be further explained with Camuss reference to Sisyphus, where the only thing differentiating our lives from his is that his is eternal. As humans, we will eventually deteriorate and die off, and in a world where nothing has meaning and everything is repetitive, the one who has lived for the longest period of time has truly made the most of it. Out of the two solutions, it is clear why both Camus and Taylor thought the way they did. One solution was based on doing things in general while the other focused on living as long as physically possible. In my opinion, although both have strong footings, I must say that although Camus position is slightly stronger logically, Taylors position has much better emotional traction. When Camus states that the world is completely absurd and that none of it has any meaning, his argument makes sense. We live in a world where even though we are creatures that demand reasoning and meaning for everything, there is none in the world we are currently in. Taylor agrees to a certain extent, but then introduces his idea of different kinds of meaning: subjective. He tries to give meaning to tasks that give us fulfillment true subjective meaning, but these same tasks have no objective meaning since they have no end goal. Logically, such tasks can have no meaning because they have no lasting value, something that Camus himself tried to explain, ultimately making Camuss position stronger logically. Emotionally, the case is quite the opposite. Camus tells us we should accept our fate and just try to live on this planet for as long as we can, something only an atheist would willingly accept with grace. He goes on to say as long as there is no end goal in life; there is no meaning in life. However, many that live their every day lives do not think on such an emotionless level. Taylor on the other hand gives the position of there being two different kinds of meanings, and although objective meaning doesnt exist, subjective meaning can give each one of us our own definition of what meaning is, which in this case is something to do. Even though the culmination of these events will ultimately lead to nothing, it doesnt mean that they were a complete waste of time since they gave us something to do (. The same can be said about the birds and the glowworms. Their lives have no end goal as their lives were nothing but a never-ending cycle, but it gave them something to do in life no matter how meaningless it may seem to someone looking from the outside in. The most important point Taylor makes is that the tasks we do can have meaning to us, but another individual looking in could see the exact same task as being meaningless, and that is to be expected. Subjective meaning depends on the exact moment in time, which relates to such expressions as live in the moment or Carpe Diem, because after that moment has passed, all the meaning that is associated with it disappears. People like to believe that what theyre doing will always have meaning in one form or another, and as long as they believe in that, they are in a better state of mind than believing that everything in life is meaningless and that we should only strive to live as long as we can. This can be seen as living in denial, but emotions are something humans unlike many animals live with on a minutely basis and must be accounted for. Furthermore, although Camus position makes logical sense, it makes little to know emotional sense since it does not account for the human aspect of life. CITATIONS Barnett, Richard. An absurd faith: Camus and The Myth of Sisyphus. Internet Archive: Wayback Machine. http://web. archive. org/web/20071012140207/http://www. geocities. com/a_and_e_uk/Sisyphus. htm (accessed March 19, 2013). (Only for research purposes) Lane , Bob. The Absurd Hero. Vancouver Island University, Degree Programs Canada Master Bachelor Education Degrees Canada | VIU. http://records. viu. ca/www/ipp/absurd. htm (accessed March 19, 2013). Klemke, E. D. , and Steven M. Cahn. Albert Camus: The Myth of Sisyphus. In _The meaning of life: a reader_. 3rd ed. New York: Oxford University Press, 2008. 72-82. Klemke, E. D. , and Steven M. Cahn. Richard Taylor: The Meaning of Life. In _The meaning of life: a reader_. 3rd ed. New York: Oxford University Press, 2008. 134-143. The Meaning of life: Richard Taylor. Cengage. www. cengage. com/philosophy/book_content/1439046948_feinberg/introductions/part_5/ch19/Life_Taylor. html (accessed March 19, 2013). Tomo, Ramirez. Camus, Sisyphus Taylor, The Meaning of Life. Deanza. edu. www. deanza. edu/faculty/ramireztono/phil01/camustaylornotes. pdf (accessed March 19, 2013).

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee :: To Kill a Mockingbird Essays

to kill a mockingbird To Kill A Mockingbird To Kill A Mockingbird is a great book written by Harper Lee. This book is about Tom Robinson trying to help a white girl named Mayella. All that Tom was trying to do was help that little white girl out, but he was alone with her. Bob Ewell Mayella's father said that Tom raped his daughter Mayella. He was just walking by and got asked to help a girl out so he did because he felt sorry for her. Those were three things leading to Tom Robinson's conviction. The first cause was the prejudice ness of the south in the 1930's. One example of this is the churches were segregated. "Calpernia motioned Jem and ma to the end of the row and placed herself between us."(120) Though the conjugation was kind to the children they were surprised of the children. Alexandria wanted Atticus to be fired for being Tom's attorney since Tom is black. The town was outraged that Atticus would do suck a thing. Atticus was helping Tom Robinson so now everyone is mad at Atticus. "Do you defend niggers Atticus?"(74) Everyone wants Atticus to be fired for helping Tom. Atticus is just trying to help Tom now everyone is against him. A group of town members formed a mob and went to the jail to lynch Tom. The mob that the town formed went to the jail and started things. "The men jumped a little and scattered: because they were people everyday.... "(146) The towns mob went to the jail for Tom because of what has been going on. The towns mob was angry that they went to the jail. Bob Ewell and Mayella accused Tom of the crime. Bob was accountable for seeing Tom raping Mayella. Judge Taylor asked Bob. "Mr. Ewell did you see the defendant having sexual intercourse with your daughter?"(174) Bob said that he saw his daughter getting raped by Tom Robinson. His own daughter Mayella also accused Bob of being a drunk. Mayella's testimony says that Tom raped her also gave the jury another white witness against Tom Robinson. Mayella told the judge that her father was a decent, "Except for when he was drunk."(183) Mayella said that Tom raped her so they believed her because she was a white young girl testifying against a black man. Another reason that they believed her is because that it's Mayella's, and Bobs Ewell's word that Tom raped her. No doctor had ever examined Mayella to see if she actually got raped at all. "Did you call a doctor sheriff!" "Did anyone call a doctor?

Extensive Reading for Efl Learners: a Library Research Essay

Abstract Most of EFL learners do not like reading and they rarely read. It is because some factors such as difficult reading material, uninteresting material and low motivation to read. However, reading skill is important skill to improve learners’ ability in learning a language. From reading, the learners will get much exposure to the language. Therefore, the teachers should introduce a good reading approach for the learners to help them in reading. Extensive reading is one approach which gives the learners an opportunity to get contact with the target language. Extensive reading will motivate learners to read and also learn English. Therefore, it will also enhance the learners’ vocabulary and improve the learners’ language proficiency. Keywords: EFL, Extensive reading, learner. Introduction Reading is one of basic skills which is learnt in English as Foreign Language (EFL) besides listening, writing and speaking. Reading will influence learners’ success in the learning process. Without having a good reading ability, learners will have problems in getting any information from reading sources such as book, newspaper, or journal. As stated by Richard Anderson and the Commission on Reading â€Å"reading as the process of constructing meaning from written texts†. Reading is one way to get information from the source that was written. However, reading is not an easy skill to be learnt. There are some factors that influence the result of the reading activity such as the type of reading, environment, and reading material. In most EFL classes, the focus of the reading skill is on the study of vocabulary and grammar, which is known as intensive reading. That kind of language lesson is not reading at all (Alderson and Urquhart, 1984; Robb and Susser, 1989 in Sheu, 20 03). Moreover, the reading itself should be more than studying the vocabulary and the grammar. The most important of reading is to understand the information in the text, in the other words the focus of the reading is in the reading comprehension. It makes the learners have little time for reading practice in their learning process. As the result, they are maintaining their ability which can help them to read extensively and understand the content of the text latter. Some researchers have introduced some approaches which can help the learners to develop their reading comprehension. One of the approaches is extensive reading. Extensive reading is contrasted with the intensive reading which is slow reading and careful reading which will take much time. According to Sheu (2003) â€Å"an extensive reading (ER) approach appears to be most appropriate option for improving learners’ language proficiency and reading ability†. This kind of reading approach can help the learners to maintain their reading skill and reading ability, because they do not need to know the meaning of every word in the text. It concerns more in the context meaning which help the learners to reduce the time spent for reading. This article will show some reasons why the teacher should use extensive reading (ER) in teaching EFL. Definition of Extensive reading Extensive reading is an approach to language learning, including foreign language learning, by the means of a large amount of reading. The learners’ view and review of unknown words in specific context will allow them to infer the word’s meaning, and thus to learn unknown words (Wikipedia.org). Extensive reading is a kind of reading that ask the learners to read large amount of books which are relative easy and understandable for the learners. It also means reading for pleasure, because the learner read what they want to read or their favourite books. The aim of this approach is to develop the learners’ reading interest and to give them more opportunities to get a large contact with the foreign language in order to master it. Extensive reading will help the learners to understand the meaning of a text or to get the information in the text as quickly as possible. Moreover, reading is one way to get a large contact with the foreign language. However, the learners have limited time in the class to get large amount of reading practice. Therefore, they need to have their own reading practice outside the class. The reading source should be understandable and also should fit with their current level of language comprehension. Therefore, in this approach, the learners are given a freedom to choose and read their favourite books or anything that they want to read. As stated by Nancy (2000) by reading many books that fit in with their language level and also understandable for them, there will be some changes occur in the learner, such as: a.Learners become able to visually and mentally process written English in a smoother, more natural way, rather than in a halting process of translating. Because the readers progress smoothly and comprehendingly through short and easy books, they are able to understand the overall flow of stories and organization of nonfiction texts. b.The foundation of English vocabulary and grammar become better established and remembered by being processed in the mind dozens or hundreds of times in natural, comprehensible contexts. c.Many of the variations of high frequency vocabulary and grammar elements that are too numerous to learn explicitly, can be learned incidentally by reading texts composed exclusively of this high frequency lexical and grammatical core. d.Learners feel satisfied and enjoy a sense of accomplishment from reading many books on their own. This increases their confidence and autonomy. e.Learners who have experienced successful English reading on their own are more appropriate to develop a reading habit. They are more likely to read outside of their courses and after their formal education ends. The characteristics of Extensive Reading 1.Reading Material In this reading approach, the teacher need to provide the learners with large amount of books which are appropriate with the language level of the learners and also the books which the students may interested in. It will be better if the books are kept in the classroom because it will give the learners an opportunity to read in their leisure time and also give them the opportunity to borrow the book. It will also help the teacher to direct the learners to read. 2.Students choice In extensive reading approach, the learners are given freedom to choose the books that they want to read based on their interest. If the learners find difficulties in reading that books, they can return the book and choose other books. 3.Reading for pleasure and information Usually learners do not like to read. They feel frustrated to understand the reading text which is too far from their language level, because they are asked to understand the whole words in that text. It will make them do not want to try to read. In the extensive reading, the learners are asked to understand the text without forcing them to understand every single word in the text. This approach will maintain the learners’ interest in reading. 4.Extensive reading out of class In extensive reading, the teacher can persuade the learners to read a lot even outside the classroom. As stated before, when the books are kept in the classroom, it will encourage the learners to borrow books and take it home, it will help to maintain learners’ reading ability. 5.Language level The level of vocabulary and grammar in the books that the learners read should not pose difficulty. It is because the purpose of the extensive reading approach is motivating the learner to read and also encouraging the learner’s reading fluency. However, the books should not too easy, because it will lead the learners’ feeling that they get nothing from reading that kind of books. 6.Use of dictionary Reading becomes a boring activity for the learners because they need to stop their reading to look up every word that they do not understand in the dictionary. Therefore, the use of the dictionary in this kind of reading should be avoided when their reading flow. They can write or take note for some difficult words and can look them up after they have finished their reading. 7.The teacher role in Extensive Reading In the extensive reading, the teachers’ roles are to encourage, to motivate, and to help the learners with their reading. The teachers can involve their individual counseling in the learning process. This situation gives the teachers an opportunity to ask learners’ reading experiences and also ask learners’ problems in reading during or after class time by checking and commenting on written summaries that learners do of their reading (Susser and Robb, 1989). By making summaries, the learners are given opportunities to demonstrate what they get from reading and allow the teacher to check their understanding to the texts or books that they have read. The teachers’ role is also as a model for the learners. When the teachers are also seen to be a reader by the learners, it will encourage them to read. The teachers can talk in class about the books that they have been read. If the teachers are knowledgeable about the books in the class library and having them r ead, they can give recommendations to learners about what to read. The teachers can also read aloud to the learners, as a way of introducing students to different genres or individual books. Benefits of using Extensive reading technique for EFL students Many researchers have been held some research to know the benefit of using Extensive reading technique (ER) and also to demonstrate the effectiveness of ER to support the development of language acquisition for the learners. First, extensive reading can improve learners’ motivation in learning English. One characteristic of extensive reading is that the learners can choose books or articles in which they are interested because learners have their right to choose books or articles that they like to read. According to some result of experiment by Shang, Briody and Lin (2006), the learners prefer reading articles or books which they are interested in, rather than reading textbooks. Therefore, learners have more motivation to read English materials. Second, extensive reading can enhance learners’ vocabulary. In the process of extensive reading, the learners can read some words which show up frequently in the articles or books. When the learners read more and more, they will become familiar with the words that they usually read. They can understand those words and memorize them easier. In addition, learners have greater motivation to learn some special or interesting words through reading. Consequently, extensive reading can enhance learners’ vocabulary, these findings fit into the literature (Lai, 1993). Third, extensive reading can improve learners’ reading comprehension. Learners can comprehend more extensive vocabularies, build their reading ability, and access to background information through extensive reading. When learners read more, their vocabularies could be developed. Once the learners’ ability in vocabulary has been developed, it will be easier for them to get and understand the main idea from articles and other texts. Fourth, extensive reading can improve learners’ overall language proficiency. It does not only improve their reading skills but also improve learners’ skills in listening and also speaking as reported by Cho and Krashen (1994). Writing skill is also impacted by reading extensively as reported by Elley and Mangubhi, (1981) and Janopoulos, (1986). The most important thing is that extensive reading will make the learners become better readers. Research in languages learning shows that learners learn to read by reading. It means that the more they read, the better reader they become. Conclusion Extensive reading is an approach which give the learners high amount of reading chance. It is a good technique which can give the learners high contact with the target language which can help them to master the language. There are some benefits of using extensive reading for EFL learner such as: improving learners’ motivation in learning English, enhancing learners’ vocabulary, improving reading comprehension, and also improving language proficiency (speaking, listening, writing and reading skill). References Alyousef, Hesham Suleiman. (2005). Teaching reading comprehension to ESL/EFL learners. Retrieved from www.readingmatrix.com/articles/†¦/article.pdf. Bell, Timothy. (1998). Extensive reading: why? and how?. Retrieved from http://iteslj.org/articles/bell-reading.html Hafiz, F.M., &Tudor, I (1989). Extensive reading and the development of language skills. English language teaching Journal, 43, (pp 4-13) Lan, Yu-Ju., Sung, You-Ting., & Chang, Kuo-En (2006) Collaborative early reading EFL reading among distributed learners: a simulation pilot study. The JALT CALL Journal, 2006, vol.2, No.2, pp3-18. Maley, Alan. (2009). Extensive reading: why it is good for our students†¦ and for us. Retrieved from http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/articles/extensive-reading-why-it-good-our-studentss†¦-us Mason, B., & Krashen, S. D. (1997). Extensive reading in English as a foreign language. System, 25, 91-102. Retrieved from http://www.benikomason.net/†¦/extensive_reading2.pdf Richard, R.D. The benefits of extensive reading (ER). Retrieved from www.oup-bookworms.com/†¦reading/er_article. Shang, Hui-Fang., Briody, Paul., Lin, Chia-Yun. (2006) The effect of extensive reading strategies on

Biography of Frederick the Great, King of Prussia

Born in 1712, Frederick William II, known as Frederick the Great, was the third Hohenzollern King of Prussia. Although Prussia had been an influential and important part of the Holy Roman Empire for centuries, under Frederick’s rule the small kingdom rose to the status of a Great European Power and had a lasting effect on European politics in general and Germany specifically. Frederick’s influence casts a long shadow over culture, the philosophy of government, and military history. He is one of the most important European leaders in history, a long-reigning king whose personal beliefs and attitudes shaped the modern world. Fast Facts: Frederick the Great Also Known As:  Frederick William II;  Friedrich (Hohenzollern) von PreußenBorn:  January 24, 1712, in  Berlin, GermanyDied:  August 17, 1786, in  Potsdam, GermanyParents: Frederick William I,  Sophia Dorothea of HanoverDynasty: House of HohenzollernSpouse:  Austrian Duchess Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick-Bevern  Ruled: Portions of Prussia  1740-1772; all of Prussia 1772-1786Legacy: Transformed Germany into a world power; modernized the legal system; and promoted freedom of the press, religious tolerance, and the rights of citizens. Early Years Frederick was born into the House of Hohenzollern, a major German dynasty. Hohenzollerns became kings, dukes, and emperors in the region from the establishment of the dynasty in the 11th century until the overthrow of the German aristocracy in the wake of World War I in 1918. Frederick’s father, King Frederick William I, was an enthusiastic soldier-king who  worked to build up Prussia’s army, ensuring that when Frederick assumed the throne he would have an outsize military force. In fact, when Frederick ascended to the throne in 1740, he inherited an army of 80,000 men, a remarkably large force for such a small kingdom. This military power allowed Frederick to have a proportionately outsize influence on European history. As a youth, Frederick showed little interest in military matters, preferring poetry and philosophy; subjects he studied in secret because his father disapproved; in fact, Frederick was often beaten and berated by his father for his interests. When Frederick was 18 years old, he formed a passionate attachment to an army officer named Hans Hermann von Katte. Frederick was miserable under the authority of his harsh father and planned to escape to Great Britain, where his maternal grandfather was King George I, and he invited Katte to join him. When their plot was discovered, King Frederick William threatened to charge Frederick with treason and strip him of his status as Crown Prince, and then had Katte executed in front of his son. In 1733, Frederick married an Austrian Duchess Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick-Bevern. It was a political marriage that Frederick resented; at one point he threatened to commit suicide before relenting and going through with the marriage as ordered by his father. This planted a seed of anti-Austrian sentiment in Frederick; he believed that Austria, long Prussia’s rival for influence in the crumbling Holy Roman Empire, was meddlesome and dangerous. This attitude would prove to have long-lasting  implications for the future of Germany and Europe. King in Prussia and Military Successes Frederick assumed the throne in 1740 after the death of his father. He was officially known as King in Prussia, not King of Prussia, because he only inherited a portion of what was traditionally known as Prussia—the lands and titles he assumed in 1740 were actually a series of small areas often separated by large areas not under his control. Over the next thirty-two years, Frederick would use the military prowess of the Prussian Army and his own strategic and political genius to reclaim the entirely of Prussia, finally declaring himself King of Prussia in 1772 after decades of warfare. Frederick inherited an army that was not only large, it had also been shaped into the premier fighting force in Europe at the time by his military-minded father. With the goal of a united Prussia, Frederick lost little time plunging Europe into war. War of the Austrian Succession. Frederick’s first move was to challenge the ascension of Maria Theresa as the head of the House of Hapsburg, including the title of Holy Roman Empress. Despite being female and thus traditionally ineligible for the position, Maria Theresa’s legal claims were rooted in legal work laid down by her father, who was determined to keep the Hapsburg lands and power in the family hands. Frederick refused to acknowledge Maria Theresa’s legitimacy and used this as an excuse to occupy the province of Silesia. He had a minor claim to the province, but it was officially Austrian. With France as a powerful ally, Frederick fought for the next five years, using his well-trained professional army brilliantly and defeating the Austrians in 1745, securing his claim to Silesia.The Seven Years War. In 1756 Frederick once again surprised the world with his  occupation of Saxony, which was officially neutral. Frederick acted in response to a political environment that saw many of the European powers arrayed against him; he suspected his enemies would move against him and so acted first, but miscalculated and was nearly destroyed. He managed to fight the Austrians well enough to force a peace treaty that returned the borders to their 1756 status. Although Frederick had failed to retain Saxony, he did hold onto Silesia, which was remarkable considering he’d come very close to losing the war outright.Partition of Poland. Frederick had a low opinion of the Polish people and wished to take Poland for himself in order to exploit it economically, with the ultimate goal of driving out the Polish people and replacing them with Prussians. Over the course of several wars, Frederick used propaganda, military victories, and diplomacy to eventually seize large portions of Poland, expanding and linking his holdings and increasing Prussian influence and power. Spirituality, Sexuality, Artistry, and Racism Frederick was almost certainly gay, and, remarkably, was very open about his sexuality after his ascension to the throne, retreating to his estate in Potsdam where he conducted several affairs with male officers and his own valet, writing erotic poetry celebrating the male form and commissioning many sculptures and other works of art with distinct homoerotic themes. Although officially pious and supportive of religion (and tolerant, allowing a Catholic church to be built in officially protestant Berlin in the 1740s), Frederick was privately dismissive of all religions, referring to Christianity in general as an â€Å"odd metaphysical fiction.† He was also almost shockingly racist, especially towards the Poles, who he regarded as almost subhuman and undeserving of respect, referring to them privately as â€Å"trash,† â€Å"vile,† and â€Å"dirty.† A man of many facets, Frederick was also a supporter of the arts, commissioning buildings, paintings, literature, and music. He played the flute extremely well and composed many pieces for that instrument, and wrote voluminously in French, despising the German language and preferring French for his artistic expressions. A devotee of the principles of the Enlightenment, Frederick attempted to portray himself as a benevolent tyrant, a man who brooked no argument with his authority but who could be relied on to better the lives of his people. Despite believing German culture, in general, to be inferior to that of France or Italy, he worked to elevate  it, establishing a German Royal Society to promote German language and culture, and under his rule, Berlin became a major cultural center of Europe. Death and Legacy Although most often remembered as a warrior, Frederick actually lost more battles than he won, and was often saved by political events outside his control—and the unparalleled excellence of the Prussian Army. While he was undoubtedly brilliant as a tactician and strategist, his main impact in military terms was the transformation of the Prussian Army into an outsize force that should have been beyond the capability of Prussia to support due to its relatively small size. It was often said that instead of Prussia being a country with an army, it was an army with a country; by the end of his reign Prussian society was largely dedicated to staffing, supplying, and training the army. Frederick’s military successes and expansion of Prussian power led indirectly to the establishment of the German Empire in the late 19th century (through the efforts of Otto von Bismarck), and thus in some ways to the two World Wars and the rise of Nazi Germany. Without Frederick, Germany might never have become a world power. Sources ​Domà ­nguez, M. (2017, March). What’s So Great About Frederick? The Warrior King of Prussia. Retrieved March 29, 2018.Mansel, P. (2015, October 3). Atheist and gay, Frederick the Great was more radical than most leaders today. Retrieved March 29, 2018.How keeping it in the family spelled the end of the line for the Hapsburg royal dynasty. (2009, April 15). Retrieved March 15, 2018.Frederick William I of Prussia, The Soldier King | About ... (n.d.). Retrieved March 29, 2018.â€Å"Frederick William II of Prussia.†Ã‚  Wikipedia.