<p>spent quite a while writing this literary analysis on Alexis de Tocqueville's writing. I thought I did a pretty good job. However, my teacher decided to give me a 65% and i was like WTH?!?!?!?!? He said that I didn't have any strategies and I'm pretty sure I did. Here's the essay....he said that I can turn it in tomorrow and make whatever changes I need to and he'll give me back some points..... I don't know what to do because I did all I could :/ Can someone please help?</p>
<p>Alexis De Tocqueville, who lived during the French Revolution, witnessed the instability and the chaos of his country; he was confronted with the problem of how the state and religion should relate. But as he visited America, he experienced a whole new social infrastructure that differed from that of his native France. As he compared and contrasted the political, social, and the general situations in France and America, he found two distinct make-ups of the church and state relationship and was able to discover the result of those situations. Tocqueville's observations, therefore, led him to argue in Democracy in America that religion is one of the main factors that is necessary for the maintenance of a democratic society. Tocqueville, In Democracy in America, argues that religion corrects many flaws of democracy- materialism, misuse of liberty, individualism, and the lack of stability- and also that the separation of church and state helps religion to maintain and even increase its dominant role in society.
When Tocqueville contrasts France and America, the one important factor that he sees as creating a more beneficial religious situation in America than in France is the separation of church and state. Tocqueville believes that the neglecting of religion was the factor behind the French Revolution's failure and for the great political and social turmoil which followed. The revolutionaries did not realize that Christian beliefs were actually in line with their principles and could have aided their cause. During Tocqueville's travels in America, he found that the main reason for the great influence of religion over the country was the complete separation of church and state. As he investigated this further, he was surprised to find that the priests "held no public appointments," that "most of the clergy seemed voluntarily to steer clear of power," and that "they were careful to keep clear of all parties." This was a huge contrast because to an 18th century Frenchman who was accustomed to the political interference of the Church, the attitudes of the clergy in America must have, indeed, seemed strange. However, what was even more surprising to Tocqueville was that "by lessening the apparent power of religion one increases its real strength." What he came to make of this was that religion is not something that should be forced upon a people by the power of the government, but rather it should be something that the pe
ple willingly want to pursue themselves.
This philosophy has proven to be a very logical one, true even in today's society and of people in general; we tend to do things which we are told not to do. For example, a three year old toddler, when scolded by an authoritative figure to not perform a vulgar act or to not go outside without a parent or guardian, will quite often disregard what was just told to him and continue doing whatever he feels like. However, when an authoritative figure instructs the toddler gently, the toddler will, more likely than not, ponder what he was just told and yield to the authoritative figure's demands. The exact same phenomenon can be applied to the pursuit of religion by the people at their own wills. In contrast to the ''by lessening the apparent power of religion once increases its real strength'', "religion is only one particular form of hope, and it is as natural to the human heart as hope itself. It is by a sort of intellectual deviation, and in a way by doing violence to their own nature, that men detach themselves from religious beliefs; an invincible alienation draws them back." This presents that religion is in itself a panacea and it is something that men can employ and take great advantage of. As a result of this natural religious inclination in man, separating the church from the state does not mitigate religion's force but actually tends to increase its strength in society.
Tocqueville asserts that religion?s most important role in our society is that of teaching people to use their liberties well. One of the most important ways in which religion fulfills this essential role is through its great influence on women. Tocqueville claims that because men are marred by avarice and ambitions, religion is unable to restrain them; However, he says that ''religion reigns supreme in the souls of women, and it is women who shape mores.''
Tocqueville's analysis in the chapters dealing with religion demonstrates that religion is one of the critical forces that helps to preserve the democratic societies. Considering his comprehensive and lengthy treatment of religion and his constant approbation for its benefits, it is feasible to claim that in Tocqueville's opinion religion is the most important and necessary element in any democracy; It corrects democratic societies at their weakest points, and helps the society to run more smoothly in both private and political matters, and also helps the denizens of a society to lead happier and more fulfilling lives.</p>