Jean-Jacques Rousseau had a rough childhood

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Jean-Jacques Rousseau had a rough childhood. Growing up without his parents was difficult. And considering the fact that he ran away from his master, I can’t help but to think it was horrible if it led him to run away.  P2:  Rousseau is a writer of literary and musical pieces, and usually writes in reaction to political thinkers. Introduces Grotius and Hobbes thoughts. Then concludes by asserting that people gave up their freedom willingly when creating a civil society  P3: Rousseau looked up to his hometown, the place he was born, the Republic of Geneva as a blueprint of government. However, although he looked up to this place, they issued a warrant for his arrest, for condemning the society that rely on the ruling by a limited aristocracy. He said we deprived of his citizenship and could not ever return to Geneva, which I thought was sad.  P4: Rousseau’s controversial thoughts were not perceived by those in authority in France very well. Although I thought it was ironic that Rousseau’s philosophy was in fact adopted by individuals who support the French revolution.  P5: Rousseau’s rhetoric consisted of analogy, analysis, and arguments. Rousseau convinces the readers and is very persuasive, often times trying to convince the readers to believe what he has believed.  P6: The subject of the first book: “A man is born free, and everywhere he is in chains.”  Every man is born free and has liberty but is chained by the surrounding societies in which they live. P7: Of Primitive societies: ”The oldest form of society - and the only natural one - is the family.” When a child/children need their father they want/love/need them, but once they don’t need them, they are independent and it is not only a natural relationship.  P8: Of Slavery: If all men are equal, and no one is in authority of one another, what is the foundation that is set? Agreement is the only natural way of a social contract.  P9: Rousseau acknowledges the difference between one’s duty to oneself and to a whole community of which he is now part of. Everything is different. For instance, any offense to an individual affects the whole not just the one person.  P10: Every individual has value. And as Rousseau states, every man is their own “master”. 

     From the republic of Geneva, Jean-Jacques Rousseau is known to be a very persuasive writer. He wrote and repeated many things throughout his writing. Rousseau wrote about his conceptions of liberty and independence, and discussed the freedom every man has. Although he also clarifies that even though a man has freedom, if they are dominated over or collectively tied down with others they are not considered free. There was one thing Rousseau mentioned, “man is born free and everywhere he is in chains.” Every man is born free and has liberty but can be chained by the surrounding societies in which they live. When people are in societies they are considered to “be in chains” or “chained” and it is not like they are forced to do so, everything is done willingly. Rousseau’s perspective on freedom was fixed upon the unnatural and natural state of inequality. However, he emphasizes the fact that individuals cannot simply do whatever they want. If this were to happen societies would fail and be in chaos.