The Handsome and Deformed Leg

Benjamin Franklin

學习任务

Activity 1

Think about the following questions， and write down your answers before reading the essay.

（1） What makes something good or bad？

（2） What makes one’s emotion or feeling good or bad？

Activity 2

Read the essay， and try to answer the question.

Why is the title “The Handsome and Deformed Leg” instead of “The Handsome and Deformed Legs” or “The Handsome or Deformed Leg？”

学习笔记

There are two sorts of people in the world， who with equal degrees of health and wealth， and the other comforts1 of life， become the one happy and the other miserable. This arises very much from the different views in which they consider things， persons and events; and the effect of those different views upon their own minds. In whatever situation men can be placed， they may find conveniences and inconveniences; in whatever company they may find persons and conversation more or less pleasing. At whatever table， they may meet with meats and drinks of better and worse taste， dishes better and worse dressed; in whatever climate they will find good and bad weather; under whatever government， they may find good and bad laws and good and bad administrations of those laws. In every poem of or work of genius they may see faults and beauties. In almost every face and every person， they may discover fine features and defects， good and bad qualities.

Under the circumstances， the two sorts of people above mentioned fix2 their attention， those who are to be happy， on the conveniences of things， the pleasant parts of conversation， the well-dressed dishes， the goodness of the wines， the fine weather and enjoy all with cheerfulness. Those who are to be unhappy think and speak only of the contraries. Hence they are continually discontented themselves and by their remarks sour3 the pleasures of society， offend personally many people and make themselves everywhere disagreeable. If this turn of mind4 was founded in nature， such unhappy persons would be the more to be pitied. But as the disposition5 to criticize and be disgusted is perhaps taken up originally by imitation and is unawares6 grown into a habit which at present strong may nevertheless be cured when those who have it are convinced of its bad effects on their felicity7; I hope this little admonition8 may be of service to them and put them on changing a habit which those in the exercise it is chiefly an act of imagination yet has serious consequences in life， as it brings on real grieves and misfortunes. For as many are offended by and nobody well loves this sort of people， no one shows them more than the most common civility and respect and scarcely that; and this frequently puts them out of humor， and draws them into disputes and contentions. If they aim at obtaining some advantage in rank of fortune， nobody wishes them success or will stir a step or speak a word， to favour their pretensions. If they incur public censure or disgrace， no one will defend or excuse and many join to aggravate their misconduct and tender them completely odious. If these people will not change this bad habit and condescend9 to be pleased with what is pleasing without fretting themselves and others about the contraries， it is good for others to avoid an acquaintance with them; which is always disagreeable and sometimes very inconvenient， especially when one finds one’s self entangled in their quarrels.

An old philosophical friend of mine was grown， from experience， very cautious in this particular and carefully avoided any intimacy with such people. He had， like other philosophers， a thermometer to show him the heat of the weather and a barometer to mark when it was likely to prove good or bad; but there being no instrument invented to discover， at first sight， this unpleasing disposition in a person， he for that purpose made use of his legs; one of which was remarkably handsome， the other， by some accident， crooked and deformed. If a stranger， at the first interview， regarded his ugly leg more than his handsome one， he doubted him. If he spoke of it and took no notice of the handsome leg， that was sufficient to determine my philosopher to have no further acquaintance with him. Everybody has not this two-legged instrument but every one with a little attention， may observe signs of that carping， fault-finding disposition and take the same resolution of avoiding the acquaintance of those infected with it. I， therefore， advise those critical， querulous， discontented， unhappy people， that if they wish to be respected and beloved by others， and happy in themselves they should leave off looking at the ugly leg.

1. Comforts are things which make your life easier and more pleasant， such as electrical devices you have in your home.

2. If you fix your attention on someone or something， you think about them with complete attention.

3. If a friendship， situation， or attitude sours or if something sours it， it becomes less friendly， enjoyable， or hopeful.

4. If someone is of a particular turn of mind， they have that kind of mind or character.

5. Someone’s disposition is the way that they tend to behave or feel.

6. If something catches you unawares or takes you unawares， it happens when you are not expecting it.

7. Felicity is great happiness and pleasure.

8. An admonition is a warning or criticism about someone’s behaviour.

9. If someone condescends to do something， they agree to do it， but in a way which shows that they think they are better than other people and should not have to do it.

There are two sorts of people in the world， who with equal degrees of health and wealth， and the other comforts1 of life， become the one happy and the other miserable. This arises very much from the different views in which they consider things， persons and events; and the effect of those different views upon their own minds. In whatever situation men can be placed， they may find conveniences and inconveniences; in whatever company they may find persons and conversation more or less pleasing. At whatever table， they may meet with meats and drinks of better and worse taste， dishes better and worse dressed; in whatever climate they will find good and bad weather; under whatever government， they may find good and bad laws and good and bad administrations of those laws. In every poem of or work of genius they may see faults and beauties. In almost every face and every person， they may discover fine features and defects， good and bad qualities.

Under the circumstances， the two sorts of people above mentioned fix2 their attention， those who are to be happy， on the conveniences of things， the pleasant parts of conversation， the well-dressed dishes， the goodness of the wines， the fine weather and enjoy all with cheerfulness. Those who are to be unhappy think and speak only of the contraries. Hence they are continually discontented themselves and by their remarks sour3 the pleasures of society， offend personally many people and make themselves everywhere disagreeable. If this turn of mind4 was founded in nature， such unhappy persons would be the more to be pitied. But as the disposition5 to criticize and be disgusted is perhaps taken up originally by imitation and is unawares6 grown into a habit which at present strong may nevertheless be cured when those who have it are convinced of its bad effects on their felicity7; I hope this little admonition8 may be of service to them and put them on changing a habit which those in the exercise it is chiefly an act of imagination yet has serious consequences in life， as it brings on real grieves and misfortunes. For as many are offended by and nobody well loves this sort of people， no one shows them more than the most common civility and respect and scarcely that; and this frequently puts them out of humor， and draws them into disputes and contentions. If they aim at obtaining some advantage in rank of fortune， nobody wishes them success or will stir a step or speak a word， to favour their pretensions. If they incur public censure or disgrace， no one will defend or excuse and many join to aggravate their misconduct and tender them completely odious. If these people will not change this bad habit and condescend9 to be pleased with what is pleasing without fretting themselves and others about the contraries， it is good for others to avoid an acquaintance with them; which is always disagreeable and sometimes very inconvenient， especially when one finds one’s self entangled in their quarrels.

An old philosophical friend of mine was grown， from experience， very cautious in this particular and carefully avoided any intimacy with such people. He had， like other philosophers， a thermometer to show him the heat of the weather and a barometer to mark when it was likely to prove good or bad; but there being no instrument invented to discover， at first sight， this unpleasing disposition in a person， he for that purpose made use of his legs; one of which was remarkably handsome， the other， by some accident， crooked and deformed. If a stranger， at the first interview， regarded his ugly leg more than his handsome one， he doubted him. If he spoke of it and took no notice of the handsome leg， that was sufficient to determine my philosopher to have no further acquaintance with him. Everybody has not this two-legged instrument but every one with a little attention， may observe signs of that carping， fault-finding disposition and take the same resolution of avoiding the acquaintance of those infected with it. I， therefore， advise those critical， querulous， discontented， unhappy people， that if they wish to be respected and beloved by others， and happy in themselves they should leave off looking at the ugly leg.

Activity 3

Read the essay again， and answer the following questions.

（1） What does the author really mean by “if this turn of mind was founded in nature？” （para. 2）

（2） What are people’s general attitudes towards those “unhappy” people？ （para. 2）

（3） What does “leave off looking at the ugly leg” mean？ （para. 3）

Activity 4

Study the words in bold and the underlined phrase. Complete the blank-filling task below.

（1） Electricity provides us with warmth and light and all our modern home c________.

（2） He was a man of decisive action and an adventurous d________.

（3） Attention is f________ on the stock market.

（4） If anything s_______ the relationship， it is likely to be real differences in their world-views.

（5） She was of a rational ________ ________ ________.