Analysis Essay

Enlighten

The founding father’s brought America out of the darkness of oppression and into the light of democracy. Some would say that they were inspired or enlightened when forming this new nation. According to the Oxford Dictionary to enlighten is “to shed light upon, (or) illuminate.” We are enlightened on a day to day basis as we learn new things or are able to see a situation in a different light, just as those men were enlightened. This word brings optimism, hope, and joy whenever it is used. Literally it means to be filled with light. How could the darkness ever be better than light? Being enlightened is always a positive experience.

Often times when we hear the word enlighten, we think of the Age of Enlightenment in the eighteenth century. This was a period of time when the World began to think for themselves and try to gain their own understanding of the world around them. People didn’t just take everything they were told as fact anymore. They began to debate and research new ideas and theories. This was a very exciting time in history, technologies were advancing and the quality of life was improving greatly. Enlighten is the perfect term to describe this period. Solutions to problems that had existed for years all the sudden came to light, and life began to progress instead of stand still. Their knowledge increased incredibly through these few years. They, too, moved from darkness to light.

“Enlighten” has such strong imagery; one can almost see a person or group being filled with light. And that light is knowledge. The Cambridge Dictionary defines enlightenment as “to provide someone with information and understanding.” It also has a beautiful connotation, a very positive connotation. This word screams optimism and searching for the best in people. There really is no way to use this word negatively. Having knowledge and intelligence can never cause harm. If knowledge is light, and light helps us to see where we are going and our surroundings, then knowledge helps us to understand our society with a more intelligent perspective. We can be a more active member of society when we are enlightened.

In Sister Revolutions, our founding documents are described as “a radiant Enlightenment promise of justice for all.” The author is using the word Enlightenment to capture the feelings of the enlightenment period. The feelings of making life better, progression, and new adventures. The connotation of this word helps the author to show how inspired these documents were. If she would have used a different word, the impact would not have had so much impact. We, as readers, would not have been able to see the image of the authors of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution being filled with the knowledge of this new country. We would not have felt the excitement and optimism toward this new institution that they felt in that day. The word “enlightenment” really helps the author to bring forth her purpose for writing this piece.

Enlightenment is most often used in terms of the Age of Enlightenment and in spiritual context. It is often used to describe when a person is filled with the light of Christ. There are many instances in our daily lives when we are enlightened. When we suddenly understand a concept we have been struggling with, when we know exactly what we need to do, or when we feel hope in a situation. Using this word brings hope that we can always learn more and always progress.