Wit

I think it comes naturally to a certain extent, although I like the environment you grow up in has a lot to do with it. "So vast is art, so narrow human wit" (61). With this statement, Pope is saying that because human wit is narrow, it is impossible for one to know everything. Therefore, he is suggesting that we stick to what we know--to find our calling and concentrate on that rather than trying to be good at everything. Wit is at the top of the ladder according to Pope. Brother Tom said that the "ladder" that Pope uses is as follows:

Wit => Poet=> Critic => Fool

The idea of wit is obviously important in Pope's essay. Pope, himself, seems to have a lot of wit. This question was proposed in class, but it wasn't really addressed: To what point is wit //natural//? Is it a gift from birth? Can it not be learned? 1204159588

I think it's all part of someone's personality. I myself know a lot of witty people; they're very outspoken and blunt. However, I'm sure that there are some extremely shy people out there who have witty thoughts running through their heads all the time, but just never have the guts to speak out about them. I do think wit and sarcasm are natural. I've never met a person who didn't use at least a little bit of sarcasm in their daily lives. I think that some people are considered more witty than others merely because some people have more confident personalities, and therefore express their wit more often. 1204163094

As with everything in life, it's tough to point out one definite cause, but I think that wit is mostly a natural result of a good education and good sense of humor. I mean to be witty you have to understand what's going on and then know how to exploit and make little witty comments. It's a natural process that goes on in our head I think, but the expression is different depending on personality as MRo said. However, there are some ways that wit can be acquired too, like hanging around or being with many witty people, you can start to see how they see things and begin to see things that way yourself. So to a lesser degree I think that wit can also be learned.1204167148

I agree that there are many witty introverts, but I know for a fact that some people are born without natural wit because I happen to be one of those people. I know that I am not witty because I cannot come up with funny or intelligent things to say very quickly, which I believe to be a part of wit. It is hard to judge who is witty because, as molly said, there are witty people who are also shy. I think wit is one of those qualities that you would have to know about yourself rather than trying to figure out who among you is witty. That only works if the person is extroverted. Also, I think that wit would be a gift because not all people have it, and it you're not born with it, it is so hard to learn because it is almost considered a talent: either you have it or you don't. Someone could learn wit, but it would never be of the same quality as someone who was born with it. 1204167571

I believe wit is mostly natural. Either you have or it you don't because wit is something that simply cannot be taught. Wit is the ability to be able to apply previous knowledge and change it into something else that is funny or meaningful. Wit is something that simply comes from experience; it can be developed over time perhaps, but taught? No. Also, wit encompasses many different aspects of the mind. One has to be aware of what it going on, understand, be able to use their knowledge and apply it a clever manner, and have a sense of humor, and those are all things that either people have or eventually gain over time through experience. I think of wit as a adaption rather than something to be learned1204168451

I like MSu's thought that wit is an adaptation. I don't believe people are born with a "wit gene" but at the same time it isn't something you could spell out for sombody to learn. Some people's personalities are more compatible with wit and they can pick it up eaisier, but that doesn't mean that others couldn't pick it up as well. I think big elements in wit are expirience and practice. It depends on the personality. I think all people are capable of wit, but for some it's either just too much work or just doesn't gel with their personality. 1204243288

I don't think that we are born witty or that our parents and our teachers can teach us how to be witty, instead I think that how witty a person is comes from their experiences. It's not like some people are and some people aren't and if you aren't you never will be. I think that as we grow up the interactions that we have with others and the times that we spend with them are what make us witty. So in a way, wittiness is a natural thing. It happens as we grow and have more life experiences. We all have different experiences which gives all of us different perspectives on things and makes individual's sense of humor different from everyone else's. 1205273119

To anwer this question I am going to talk about humor a little bit because I think it has a lot to do with wit. I think a lot of humor and wit come naturally with a certain type of intelligence. It doesn't always work, but when you tell someone a joke and you see their reaction, it is sort of a quick and dirty test to see how intelligent someone is. Though, I think people still can change from their environment. If you surround yourself with the right people you can pick up witty or humorous lines here and there and maybe even get confident enough to use some of your own. But I don't think you can learn intelligence, and if you don't have that, you will never learn wit or humor.1205427981

Wit, i think, is to an extent natural. But, i think it has a ton more to do with how you are brought up and where you grow up, like in what conditions. My father is full of natural wit and I think that I inherited some of that in being around him all the time. But, i also want to focus on how he said that we need to stick with what we know. In some cases, I agree with that. I mean who are we to judge another's work? I think that in some ways if we are expert writers then we can judge other's writing. But, if we are expert writers, we cant judge other's cooking. i mean obviously...right? or no? 1205464489

I agree that wit comes natural to an extent. I think of wisdom, and to me wisdom is the application of knowledge into everyday life. Wisdom comes natural to an extent, but it takes a certain amount of knowledge to get that wisdom. The same is true for wit, to me. I think wit is an extension of wisdom, in that it is how we can use and manipulate our wisdom and knowledge to fit the situation. This wit comes from our knowledge and wisdom that is learned and inherited through environment, but it also is a part of a person's personality. I know people who are naturally witty, but all of these people also are very knowledgable and very wise. So is their wit part of their personality? Or is it an inherited trait that they received from a gain in knowledge? 1205467275

Honestly, I think everyone has some form of wit, but recognizing it is all subjective. There are some people, actors and comedians, who I cannot stand even listening to. I don't think they are funny at all, but there are obviously people who think they are just simply hilarious, or else they'd be out of a job. And then there are certain types of humor that are just so funny to me, and other people don't like it. Everyone has a sense of humor and some wit, I think. But we all react differently to different forms of it. This could be a reason why people have interests in different genres with books. 1205468443