Discussion Forum Post - Essay Example

due: Discussion forum post The concept of Renaissance man or woman refers to a particular individual who is successfulin various fields in particular in skills that are distinct from one another. In modern world the individual has the vernacular capability, much application, years in training, and probably a bit of success in order to attain a lot in one area of training, workplace or life (Grendler 95). According to Castiglione (2003), a perfect gentleman is one that has knowledge and skills to serve in all sensible things, gaining from them praise and favour from people (Castiglione 7).

I do agree with Castiglione to some extent, but I think that he overlooked the fact that for individuals to perform well they need to acquire experience in the field they are engaged in. I think that no man can be perfect in all areas; everyone has a strong and a weak point. In addition, he never considered the moral values of a gentleman. This is emphasised in the book The American gentleman where the author describes a gentleman as a person who gives room for character development. He is a person that proves to others that he is committed to following the moral high road and acquires his personality and continuously developing, which is associated with his actions.

The author also highlights that being a gentleman necessitated self-sacrifice, needs efforts and that a gentleman offers himself freely without expectations for anything in return (Hall v). Yes I agree with Machiavelli’s conviction that a leader must never trust anyone because as written in the selected political writings it is hard to anticipate an armed person would obey a defenceless person gratefully or a person who is not armed would feel secure in the hands of armed employees. This is due to the fact an armed individual disrespects a person who is not armed, and the defenceless person does not have confidence in anyone who can overthrow him.

The author describes a wise ruler as the one who is always working in periods of peace taking the advantage of the calm period to prepare for trouble and when disaster strikes he must be ready to retaliate (Machiavelli & Wootton 46-47).Works citedCastiglione, Baldassarre. The Book of the Courtier. Mineola, N.Y: Dover Publications, 2003.Print.Grendler, Paul F. The European Renaissance in American Life. Westport, Conn: Praeger2006. Print.Hall, Michael J. The American Gentleman: A Contemporary Guide to Chivalry.

New York:1st Books Library, 2002. Print.Machiavelli, Niccolò, and David Wootton. Selected Political Writings. Indianapolis: HackettPub. Co, 1994. Internet resource.