Art App Classwork#1

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CLASS ACTIVITY:

Read the letter below.  This was given by Justice Felix Frankfurter to a 12-year old boy
from Virginia who was thinking of going into law studies.

“No one can be a truly competent lawyer unless he is a cultivated man.  If I were you, I
would forget about my technical preparation for the law.  The best way to prepare for
the law is to come to the study of law as a well-read person.  This alone can one
acquire the capacity to use the English language on paper and in speech with the
habits of clear thinking which only a truly liberal education can give.  No less important
for a lawyer is the cultivation of imaginative faculties by reading poetry, seeing great
paintings, in the original or in easily available reproductions, and listening to great
music.  Stock your mind with the deposit of much good reading, and widen and deepen
your feelings by experiencing vicariously as much as possible the wonderful mysteries
of the universe, and forget all about your future career.”

Answer the following reflection questions:

1. Why did the Justice advise the boy to forget about his technical preparation
for the law?
Justice said to forget all the preparation he had made because when he entered law
school, everything he had to learn he would learn as well. Justice emphasize that
technical knowledge can be easily acquired by reading about other disciplines
besides law. Justice said that the best way is to be a well-read person. What he
meant is person who has gained a lot of knowledge from reading, only then will you
be able to write and speak in English clearly.

2. What is meant by “cultivation of imaginative faculties”?


Cultivate means to "try to own or build up," and imagination is the ability to come up
with new ideas. “Cultivation of imaginative faculties” means is the ability to think
creatively since it is important for a lawyer to cultivation of imaginative faculties by
reading poetry, see great paintings in original forms or in magazines, books, etc,…

3. Although you may not be going into law school, do you think you still need to
stock your mind with the deposit of much good reading? Why or why not?
Yes, I can say that reading is a good way to improve your imagination because it
helps you learn how to come up with new ideas and concepts that aren't based on
what you can see or hear. It also helps you better understand your own thoughts
and feelings. Reading also widens your opportunities to grow and being well-read
allows us to gain a greater understanding of the subjects that we are most interested
in learning about.
4. What is achieved by reading poetry, seeing great paintings, and listening to
great music?
Reading poetry, it widens our vocabulary and cultural knowledge since we get to
read in calming and slow manner by reading the words aloud and soaking in the
meaning of each word. Painting can create a variety of emotions in you, and you
can feel them simply by gazing at them, while music can help you relax and become
sentimental because of the lyrics or melody in it.

5. What then is a “cultivated man” based on the aforementioned letter?


Based on the letter of Justice Felix Frankfurter, cultivated man is someone who is
well educated and has good manners. These two is what makes a person a
competent lawyer. He emphasized the value of being exposed to great works of art
as well as the importance of being well-read.

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