Reasoning versus Rationalizing Essay Sample

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Reasoning versus Rationalizing
Act I Scene III starts with a description of a chaotic state, both socially and politically; and people are beginning to form their individual notions of what is going on with the state. Casca, who would later become a conspirator, is not disturbed by the events around. On the other hand, Cicero, a senator, is ecstatically unmindful about the dangers that might potentially take place. Casca takes the initiative to describe to the senator that the chaotic events that have been happening around the state are bad signs for an imminent danger; nevertheless, Cicero replies with the following passages: “Indeed, it is a strange-disposed time. But men may construe things after their fashion, clean from the purpose of the things themselves. Comes Caesar to the Capitol tomorrow?” Cicero contends that every person has his own interpretation of everything, either good or bad; and people interpret things based on how they will serve their purposes. In the initial parts of the scene, as Cassius tend to meet Casca, Cassius’ asks “Who’s there?” and then Casca replies “A Roman”. This means that Casca is identifying himself as a Roman who has put so much allegiance to the idea of being a Roman.
The theme of reasoning and rationalization has been used in most part of the scene. Another perfect example would be how Casca used the “bad” omens – which could vary in terms of interpretation from one person to another – to fulfil or serve his own purposes. He could make these simple omens bad ones because one confines to the thought that it is heaven’s directive to “make them instruments of fear and warning unto some monstrous state.” The omens could have been construed in a different way, probably, on a positive note, but because Cicero’s purpose is negative, he interprets the omens in negative ways.
The theme of reasoning and rationalization can be considered bread and butter of rhetoric because they allow the readers to think deeply and to sensationalize every text that the read or every word that they hear. In the context of Caesar, particularly in Act I Scene III, rationalization and reasoning are cues to what could potentially take place in the story. Casca is only introducing the idea that there are omens, and he says that the can mean something for the state, especially that there is political unrest that is going on. However, the story unfolds through how the characters reasons and rationalizes the events being presented. It is interesting in a sense that the writer is placing the reading in a framework wherein he has to find something meaningful in what he reads. For instance, a storyline does not really come with a single meaning: although, the plot may show a chronology of what will take place in a story, but how the story affects us or how the story can be useful to us can differ from one person to another.
The theme also interweaves with the other themes in the texts such as rational and irrational such as when a man looks up to the heavens and offers his body for lightning can be construed in so many ways depending on one’s concept of rationality or irrationality. So as the theme of politics and philosophy: these two are concerned about human affairs, which can be very complicated and tessellate with many human sensibilities such that our interpretations of things that are philosophical and political can come in various form and can differ from one person to another.

Work Cited Page

Moncur, Michael. Literature Page. The Literature Page, 2012. Web. 4 April 2015.