2021大学英语四级美文赏析：The Two Drives in Man思维导图

Manis,atoneandthesametime,asolitarybeingandasocialbeing.Asasolitarybeing,heattemptstoprotecthisownexistenceandthatofthosewhoareclosesttohim,tosatisfyhispersonaldesires,andtodevelophisinnateabilities.Asasocialbeing,heseekstogaintherecognitionandaffectionofhisfellowhumanbeings,toshareintheirpleasures,tocomfortthemintheirsorrows,andtoimprovetheirconditionsoflife.

Onlytheexistenceofthesevaried,frequentlyconflicting,strivingsaccountsforthespecialcharacterofaman,andtheirspecificcombinationdeterminestheextenttowhichanindividualcanachieveandinaninnerbalanceandcancontributetothewell-beingofsociety.

Itisquitepossiblethattherelativestrengthofthesetwodrivesis,inthemain,fixedbyinheritance.Butthepersonalitythatfinallyemergesislargelyformedbytheenvironmentinwhichamanhappenstofindhimselfduringhisdevelopment,bythestructureofthesocietyinwhichhegrowsup,bythetraditionofthatsociety,andbyitsevaluationofparticulartypesofbehavior.

Theabstractconcept“society”meanstotheindividualhumanbeingthesumtotalofhisdirectandindirectrelationstohiscontemporariesandtoallthepeopleofearliergenerations.Theindividualisabletothink,feel,strive,andworkbyhimself;buthedependssomuchuponsociety—inhisphysical,intellectual,andemotionalexistence—thatitisimpossibletothinkofhim,ortounderstandhim,outsidetheframeworkofsociety.

Itis“society”whichprovidesmanwithfood,clothing,ahome,thetoolsofwork,language,theformsofthought,andmostofthecontentofthought;hislifeismadepossiblethroughthelaborandaccomplishmentsofthemanymillionspastandpresentwhoareallhiddenbehindthesmallword“society”