Of Parents and Children by Francis Bacon Questions and Answers (Communication English - I)

     

1. Bring out the observations of Bacon on the duties and responsibilities of Parents towards Children.

Bacon says that some parents are not liberal in providing pocket money to children.  But it is ‘a harmful error.’ It makes them join with bad company and become immoral. Therefore parents should not tighten their purse but keep the children under their control.  He also says that it is the duty of the parents to choose a career themselves for their children. Another responsibility of the parents is not to treat children with partiality.

2. Bacon wants the parents to choose a profession for their children. Do you agree with this? Explain your views.

Bacon says that parents should choose a profession and course of study for their children. He may be right if he thinks that children are immature and not able to have long term assessments and perspectives of their job. But he also says that parents should not choose a career for their children keeping in mind the interest and nature of the children.  We are to disagree with the writer here since modern children do not continue their study or career if it is against their choice and being forced upon them. In fact, they learn more than their parents and have their own choices in opting their study and profession.

3. What are the similarities and dissimilarities between humans and animals according to Bacon?

According to Bacon, both humans and animals may be similar in nature in reproduction and in taking care of their children. But there are major dissimilarities between them. Humans are bestowed with great thinking. It is only humans who have produced great literature and scientific inventions, not animals. Humans may not be able to fly with wings like birds but they fly better by airplanes and even launch satellites. They may not swim like fish and whales but learnt by their merit to swim by submarines. Thus, memory (great thinking), merit and noble works belong only to humans, not to animals.

4. What are the disadvantages of having children as said by Bacon?

Married men with children have a lot of commitments and responsibilities. They are left with no free time for making great achievements. Therefore, Bacon says that noblest works and great achievements have always emerged only from childless men. The word posterity refers to future generations. Bacon says that impotent men who could not make future generations generally make great treasures potentially for future generations. His view is autobiographical as Bacon himself was a childless man and at the age of 40, he had married a 14-year-old girl.

5. How does Bacon criticize the unequal affection of parents towards their elder and younger children?

Bacon says that the favours of the parents generally go to the eldest children and the youngest ones lose a lot. Though treated by parents partially, it is only the youngest children who prove to be the best of all other children. Not only parents, but also schoolmasters and servants show partiality in treatment between brothers. It greatly affects them in the later part of their life. Bacon asks people to take Italians as role models because Italians treat equally both their own children and the nephews. It is to be noted that Bacon, being youngest son, inherited only a meager share in his own life.