Jean+Jacques+Rousseau

**  Jean Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778)  “...man is born free; but he is everywhere in chains.”

This is the basis for the ideas that Jean-Jacques Rousseau wrote about. Jean Jacques Rousseau was born in Geneva in 1712. His childhood was anything but ideal. At the age of 10 he was abandoned by his parents and became a ward of what today would be considered an orphanage. It was not a pleasant place and he ran away from there six years later. His resourcefulness was put to the test, and he met the challenge. Rousseau took various jobs to be able to survive. Madame de Warens, a person with connections to the Catholic Church, noticed his talents. Although he spent some time under her care, he eventually went off on his own. Over the years he was involved with many women and had at least five illegitimate children. His adventures allowed him to meet many interesting people including Voltaire and Diderot, two men that were famous philosophers too. Rousseau gained literary fame with his essay Discours sur les Sciences et les Arts (Discourse on the Sciences and the Arts, 1750). The ideas he first proposed in this writing – that pursuit of the arts and sciences isn’t personally productive and leads to laziness – continued to be developed in his later writings. If all of the ideas that Rousseau offered, the most famous is the idea of a social contract. It is this concept that he will always be remembered. Basically it is the idea that there is an obligation that exists between a person and the government. The idea of a social contract can be traced to action taken by the French during their Revolution and ideas incorporated in the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights. Rousseau will be remembered as a prolific writer, a philosopher that argued with others over the correctness of his ideas, and a man that lived his life to the fullest. Jean Jacques Rousseau died in 1778, but his ideas have lived on.

__ Literary Accomplishments __ //Oeuvres completes Les Confessions Discours sur les Sciences et les Arts Emile, ou l'education Discours sur l'origine et les fondements de l'inegalite parmi les homes'Du contrac social// Discourse on political economy



**

  HERO  Jean Jacques Rousseau

"The strongest is never strong enough to be always the mater, unless he transforms strength into right, and obedience into duty."

"Good laws lead to the making of better ones; bad ones bring about worse." __Du Contrat Socia__l, Ch. 15

Jean Jacques Rousseau, a man from humble and troubled beginnings must be raised to hero status because of the idea of a social contract between every man and his sovereign. In 1762, Rousseau wrote about the idea of a Social Contract. His theory was that there must be a balance between the individual, regardless of social position, and the sovereign. This balance means that it is necessary that the individual releases some of his free will that would be found in the natural state as described by John Locke, so that a general common good can be achieved. This idea by Rousseau is not pitting the person against the government. Instead it is establishing a common good that will benefit every person. Upon reaching the ideal balance between the individual and the sovereign, all laws will ensure liberty and equality. In this idea come the protections, responsibilities and limitations that the Founding Fathers used when drafting the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights. Look no farther than the beginning words…”we the people….” The tug of war between competing of the individual and the society stops at the door to one’s own home. The balancing between the individual interests and the well being of the whole shall not intrude on or invade private matters. It is the actions and behavior that comes into public domain must be examined. The wants, desires and actions of one cannot infringe upon nor harm others. It took a man whose origins began humbly to be able to see society in its clearest state. It is when there is balance on both sides that all parties can execute the social contract. Let every man sign on the dotted line.

A hero for every man. "Never exceed your rights, and they will soon become unlimited"

WANTED DEAD OR ALIVE

"Good laws lead to the making of better ones; bad ones bring about worse." __Du Contract Social__, Ch. 15

Scoundrel, Troublemaker, Instigator. These are the words that describe Jean Jacques Rousseau. Although a man of great intelligence, he has used his ideas to inflame the people of France to take action against our King. By taking the idea of a social contract too seriously, the people of this great nation have been manipulated into believing that our government does not care about their welfare and well being. What would France be without her king? Rousseau has disregarded the culture of our great nation, which requires obedience to the King, and the belief that the rule of the king comes directly from the heavens. For a man that was raised in the Catholic Church, he has turned against his faith and his king. His reckless lifestyle resulting in numerous illegitimate children further demonstrates that the only contract he seeks to enter is one that benefits himself and his own desires. It is evident from his own life that the contract he wants imposed should apply to others and not him. According to this outlaw, the common good is what is in the best interests of the society as a whole. LIES!

 REWARD: 100,000 francs for the delivery of Jean Jacques Rousseau to the Bastille

 Found Poem

Write a “Found Poem: about Jean Jacques Rousseau using the article that I have attached for you to use.

1. The assignment was turned in on time. If not, 10% off each day it is turned in late.

2. A “Found Poem: is when a student uses words from a primary document, text, or magazine article and writes a poem centered on those words.

3. Words chosen from the given article are the key points and concepts.

4. The student used different font, color and size to emphasize different key words and phrases.

5. It can either rhyme with the student choosing an appropriate rhyming patter, or it can be written free verse with a flow of chronological order.

6. This must be a minimum of 20 quality sentences.

7. The assignment was done in color, neat, and reflected good effort. If not, it is 10% off.

Here is an example of a Found Poem <span style="font-size: 120%; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">  In 1712 in <span style="font-family: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif; color: rgb(209, 10, 10);">Geneva, Switzerland, Jean Jacques was born on June 28 At the age of 10 he was <span style="font-family: 'Courier New',Courier,monospace; color: rgb(17, 18, 29);">abandoned which he did <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; color: rgb(82, 71, 71);">hate Madam Warens with whom he lived He was a thinker that was brilliant, unconventional, and undisciplined He <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; color: rgb(223, 30, 246);">worked as a tutor and a musician In his 40’s he started to write He converted to Catholicism because he saw the <span style="font-family: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif; color: rgb(245, 227, 25);">light Rousseau wrote the Contract Social And he put forth the <span style="font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace; color: rgb(238, 248, 58);">ideas that every form of injustice can be found in society too He believed by nature people are not a social being All the while the <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; color: rgb(2, 247, 55);">arts and sciences he was pursuing Jean Jacques outlined a <span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">revolutionary plan Which was for spreading <span style="font-family: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif; color: rgb(7, 17, 242);">democracy through the land “Descours sur les sciences et les arts” was the name of his <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; color: rgb(233, 248, 48);">famous essay Earning him <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; color: rgb(27, 10, 174);">fame and glory till the end of his days His notable <span style="color: rgb(249, 255, 26);">ideas were General Will, Amour Propre, and Moral Simplicity This is what he <span style="font-family: 'Courier New',Courier,monospace; color: rgb(26, 167, 17);">wanted for all humanity The novel called Emile he wrote Gave the way to reach <span style="font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace; color: rgb(230, 91, 143);">new hope In Ermenonville on July 2, 1778 a most <span style="color: rgb(103, 91, 60);">somber occasion did arise Jean Jacques Rousseau <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(3, 3, 3);">dies Use this website to create your own Found Poem: http://www.historuguide.org/europe/rousseau.html