The Praise of Folly

Within the second paragraph of The Praise of Folly by Erasmus of Rotterdam, he criticizes the church by saying that we as church goers are hiring "some flattering orator or lying poet from whose mouth we may hear their praises, that is to say, mere lies...." Within the first section of Erasmus' piece, he creates an image of a church that is prideful. As the main character, Folly continues, he explains that many rhetoricians think themselves "in a manner gods... and believe they have done a mighty act...." Also, Folly continues saying that the readers of this time continue to just shake their heads and smile acting as if they truely understand the confusion around them, hoping to gain more acknowledgement from their neighbors.

Although there is a certain amount of truth and reality within Erasmus' piece, he looses my agreement when he explains that if men would "but refrain from all commerce with wisdom and give themselves to be governed by me (Folly), they should never know what it were to be old, but solace themselves with a perpetual youth." This is completely not a biblical mentality. Theologically, God created us as being who not only naturally become older, but through the older age, more wisdom is attained. Also, Folly encourages his readers to not commerce with wisdom but rather give themselves up to being irrational, foolish ways. First of all, according to Matthew 16:24, the scriptures explain that we need to be dieing to ourselves to find true life. We should not be giving ourselves up to our own sinful, foolish ways but rather, "giving ourselves up" for the cause of Christ. God pleads time and time again for us to run after wisdom and to seek her face within the Proverbs. In Job 12:12-13, "With the aged is wisdom, and with length of days comes understanding," it reminds us that those who are older have a greater understanding and have wisdom. Overal, Erasmus' The Praise of Folly, is not an accurate reprentation of biblical truth.

There is a large amount of satirical language and tone within Erasmus' piece. His satire is used as he brings up very serious, powerful arguments regarding the church and government. Within the last sentences of The Praise of Folly, Erasmus closes by stating, "I hate a man that remembers what he hears. Wherefore farewell, clap your hands, live and drink lustily, my most excellent disciples of Folly." After writing pages upon pages of strong opinion and controversial idea's, sarcasm is within his last statement. This is exactly what keeps him protected from controversial negative reactions because, although readers may have become worked up in certain sections of this piece, they leave somewhat confused. Satirical language is a very sneaky tool to use when attempting to prove your point. Not only does it help you prove your case in a rather surprising way, but it leaves the reader seeking truth. Satire gets people worked up and yet, they leave with a statement like above, and are able to instead, think about all that was layed before them in a more logical, personal way. This is why using satire within an argument typically keeps the speaker protected from backlash.