Analysis of Essay ‘Of Youth and Age’

Francis Bacon 'the Great Philosopher’

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Francis Bacon starts his essay with this famous quote for young people and tries to convince
them to work hard and get an experience like old people.
“A man that is young in years may be old in hours if he have lost no time.’’-Bacon
He starts by debunking and breaking the myth about young age people. He says young people
can also get prudence, intelligence and knowledge like old age people if they don’t waste their
time. Because at a young age people have energy, enthusiasm, fresh ideas, you can achieve
what you want, but the thing is that you should not waste your time.
“A man who dares to waste one hour of time has not discovered the value of life.”- Charles
Darwin

If they understand the value of time, they can be mature and get experience in different
situations in life at a very young age. According to him, Youth is like first thoughtful
consideration. There is always room for improvement in first thinking, ideas of a younger age
are more naïve and childlike.
Positive traits of young and old age people
He compares the creations of both young and old age people, younger people creations are
more lively and vivacious than old ones. Young people are more close to God because they
have almost no experience of the outer world and their soul is pure and they are prone to more
experimenting and imagination. Younger people are more moral and connected to God than
older because former ones become more manipulative and go for materialistic success. Bacon
says vision is higher than dreams. Young People are prone to vision because of their morality.
Bacon says older ones should try to pursue dreams to make themselves again energetic, an
ambiguous, passionate and moral like younger ones.
Negative traits of young and old age people
In old age you already know about the things, you are no more adventurous and daring to do
things. He says heat, fervor and vehement desires are not appropriate for young people. These
people are not fit for action because in youth you are already of fiery temperament, advent to
it if you are ambitious and intense, passionate then heat and violent desires could ruin you.
They are quick in temper, can get overheated, aggressive and cannot understand things which
need perseverance and patience.
Bacon was famous for his allusions, give reference and experience of the past. In his essay, he
gives reference of two Roman emperors Julius Caesar and Septimius Severus.

They both got a victory at their old age, the former fought Gallic war in his mid-forties and
became dictator at the age fifty- six and the latter was the proclaimed Emperor at forty-seven.
Because in young age they were over-ambitious and got a victory over the time. For the latter,
someone quoted it he lived youth full of errors and madness (The life of Severus).
More drawbacks of young people, they quickly fly to a conclusion without thinking about the
strategies that need to continue their action. In between start and end, there is a middle
struggle needed for success but they assume the end. They embrace themselves too much and
it causes the failure of young people. They look at certain principles which shows their
immaturity and do not know actual techniques for running a particular subject. Another cause
of their failure is that they accept a lot of things at one particular time and don’t have time to
explore their creativity. They are not ready to accept their follies and don’t go for counsel or
advise.

Great suggestions for young and old age people

Bacon promotes some great suggestions for both people of youth and age. He says people with
contentment sort of nature can do well in youth. They are having perseverance and more
endurance; they continue their struggle and do not immediately do things, in fact, they wait for
a certain time period for great achievements. As Augustus Caesar who was first Roman
Emperor and a Triumvir a person who rules the land with two other people. He held power by
his early thirties. Bacon gives next reference of Cosmus Duke of Florence, he for thirty years was
master of Medici and he they appointed him Duke at the age of seventeen and Gaston de Foix
who was an outstanding military, a political leader at an early age and commander of French
forces in Italy.
He says in old age passion, energy, enthusiasm, and vivacity are better for business because in
this age people are not more adventurous and enthusiastic but if you have heat and fervor,
then you are best for business. Young people are fit to invent because they have more fresh
ideas and their ideas are good for inventions. Young people should not criticize and judge other
people because that doesn’t have enough knowledge about the world. If they want a
suggestion, they should go to old people and not young because they don’t have an insight into
the situation due to their lack of experiences in life. We must say how wise Bacon suggestions
are.
According to him, new business is good for the young ones because they will apply their fresh
new ideas and techniques and will have time to learn more. Older should do settled business
because their experience and wisdom direct them and they will able to handle it well as
compared to young ones and new business is not for old people as they will apply their old
strategies and techniques to new business. Their error would be more loss of business than
errors of younger people.

Great Recommendation for business

“Certainly it is good to compound employments of both; for that will be good for the
present, because the virtues of either age may correct the defects of both; and good for
succession, that young men may be learners, while men in age are actors; and, lastly, good for
extern accidents, because authority followeth old men, and favor and popularity youth.”

So he almost concludes his essay at the point that no age is perfect for a particular action. He
says businessman should hire both young and old people. If they will work together, collaborate
with each other and retrieve each other mistakes. Old people share their wisdom, authority and
young people can learn through their experience and reach a success in no time. Young people
give their fresh adventurous ideas and they will make the great success together.