This post gives some useful vocabulary about the topic "How Do We Wish to Be Remembered?"

Vocabulary List for Discussion (Beginner)

Words about Memory and Being Remembered

- Remembered: When people still think about you or know you after a long time.

- Forgotten: When people no longer think about you or know who you were.

- Legacy: What you leave behind for others after you are gone. This can be your work, ideas, or how you affected people.

- Famous: Known by very many people.

Words about Actions and Creating Things

- Deeds: Things that a person does; actions.

- Actions: The things that you do.

- Contribute: To give or add something (like time, work, or ideas) to help.

- Create: To make something new.

- Achieve: To successfully do or finish something you wanted to do.

Words about Value and Importance

- Worth: Having value or importance; being good enough for something.

- Value: How important or useful something is.

- Meaningful: Having a real purpose or importance; full of meaning.

- Ordinary: Normal, usual, not special or different.

- Significant: Important or noticeable.

Words about Society and Culture

- Society: A large group of people living together in a community with shared rules.

- Culture: The ideas, customs, and social behavior of a particular group of people.

- Influence: The power to change or affect someone or something.

- History: The study of past events, especially about human life.

Helpful Phrases

- Passed away: A gentle way to say someone has died.

- Think about: To consider or have an idea about something.

- Be driven to: To feel a strong desire or need to do something.

- Digital footprint: All the information about you that is on the internet because of your online activity.

- Social media: Websites and apps (like Facebook or Instagram) where people share information and talk to others.

Advanced Vocabulary List for Discussion

Memory, Legacy, and Remembrance

- Immortality: The state of being remembered forever, as if living on through one's influence or work.

- Posthumous: Happening, awarded, or appearing after a person's death.

- Commemoration: Something done to officially remember and honor a person or event.

- Remembrance: The act of remembering someone or something; a memory.

- Perpetuate: To cause something to continue indefinitely.

Actions, Endeavors, and Creation

- Endeavor: A serious and determined effort to achieve something.

- Pursuit: The act of trying to achieve something over time.

- Exploits: Bold or heroic acts, often adventurous.

- Chronicle: To record events in a factual, detailed way; a historical account of events.

- Inscription: Words written or carved on a surface as a permanent record.

Value, Judgment, and Impact

- Subjective: Based on personal feelings, tastes, or opinions.

- Intrinsic: Belonging naturally; essential and inherent value.

- Merit: The quality of being good, worthy, or deserving of praise or reward.

- Enduring: Lasting over a long period of time; durable.

- Profound: Having deep meaning or significance; very great.

Societal and Philosophical Concepts

- Philanthropy: The desire to promote the welfare of others, often through charitable donations.

- Ephemeral: Lasting for a very short time; fleeting.

- Posterity: All future generations of people.

- Narrative: A spoken or written account of connected events; the story of something.

- Canonized: Treated as being of the highest importance or authority; in a religious context, officially declared a saint.

Modern Context and Critique

- Curate: To select, organize, and present content or items with care.

- Ephemeral: Lasting for a very short time (relevant to digital content).

- Ubiquitous: Seeming to be everywhere at once; very common.

- Commodify: To treat something as a mere product to be bought and sold, stripping it of its intrinsic value.

- Authenticity: The quality of being genuine, real, and true to one's own personality or values.

Useful Phrases

- Stand the test of time: To remain popular, respected, or effective for a long period.

- Cement one's legacy: To make one's lasting impact secure and permanent.

- A life well-lived: A phrase describing a life full of meaningful and virtuous actions.

- In the grand scheme of things: When considering the larger, long-term perspective.

- Seek validation: To look for confirmation or approval from others.

Advanced Vocabulary List for Discussion (Graduate Level)

Memory, Oblivion, and Temporality

- Mnemonic: Relating to or designed to aid the memory.

- Oblivion: The state of being completely forgotten or unknown.

- Transience: The state or fact of lasting only for a short time; impermanence.

- Anonymity: The condition of being unknown or unacknowledged.

- Retrospection: The action of looking back on or reviewing past events.

Value Judgement and Existential Significance

- Didactic: Intended to teach, particularly in having moral instruction as an ulterior motive.

- Apotheosis: The highest point in the development of something; culmination or glorification.

- Inconsequential: Not important or significant.

- Epitomize: To be a perfect example of a quality or type.

- Dichotomy: A division or contrast between two things that are represented as being opposed or entirely different.

Action, Creation, and Agency

- Prolific: Producing much fruit or foliage or many offspring; (of an artist, author, etc.) producing many works.

- Prowess: Skill or expertise in a particular activity or field; bravery in battle.

- Exertion: Physical or mental effort.

- Ingenuity: The quality of being clever, original, and inventive.

- Vocation: A strong feeling of suitability for a particular career or occupation; a calling.

Philosophical and Critical Concepts

- Existential: Relating to existence, especially human existence and its meaning.

- Teleology: The explanation of phenomena by the purpose they serve rather than by postulated causes.

- Historiography: The study of the methods and principles used in historical research and writing.

- Metanarrative: An overarching story or theory that orders and explains knowledge and experience.

- Paradigm: A typical example or pattern of something; a model or worldview.

Literary and Cultural Discourse

- Canonical: Accepted as being part of an established group of works or principles.

- Hagiography: A biography that idealizes its subject, often a saint.

- Posthumous recognition: Fame, awards, or acknowledgment received after death.

- Cultural amnesia: The loss or willful forgetting of cultural heritage and historical memory.

- Élite culture: Cultural products and activities considered to be of the highest quality and sophistication, often associated with the wealthy or powerful.

Useful Phrases and Idiomatic Expressions

- Transcend one's mortality: To achieve something so lasting that it goes beyond the limits of a human lifespan.

- Ascribe meaning/value to: To consider that something has a particular meaning, quality, or value.

- Grapple with: To engage in a close fight or struggle without weapons; to struggle mentally with a problem.

- An enduring imprint: A long-lasting and significant effect or influence.

- The vicissitudes of fame: The unpredictable changes and shifts in public recognition and reputation.