How would Lao-Tzu critique the society in which you live? What would he recommend to you as worthwhile behavior, and what would he condemn? Would you feel it possible to argue against his critique and maintain a worthwhile and virtuous path of behavior for yourself?
Essay 1
Choose one of the prompts* and write an argument:
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Prompt 1: In an essay titled “The Qualities of the Politician,” give your own advice to the politician of your choice. Use Machiavelli’s rhetorical technique of sharply focused, brief paragraphs on a single subject that usually contrast two kinds of behavior, as well as his technique of the aphorism. Be sure to use Machiavelli’s categories so that you are sure to cover the full range of activities pertinent to political life.
Prompt 2: How would Lao-Tzu critique the society in which you live? What would he recommend to you as worthwhile behavior, and what would he condemn? Would you feel it possible to argue against his critique and maintain a worthwhile and virtuous path of behavior for yourself?
Prompt 3: Agree or disagree with the following statement and defend your position: the ownership of slaves by people who wrote the Declaration of Independence invalidates it. (For further details on this prompt see p. 96 in your textbook.)
Prompt 4: Analyze West’s statement: “Democracy is not just a system of governance, as we tend to think of it, but a cultural way of being.” Defend or attack this statement after analyzing its meaning and significance not only in West’s essay, but in your own experience observing democracy at work in your immediate environment.
Prompt 5: Your own question, which must be proposed and approved by Wednesday, Sept. 9 th. For ideas, one option is to explore the “Suggestions for Critical Writing” after each reading selection in your textbook.
Guidelines
▪ Write 4 – 5 pages, 12 pt. font, double-spaced, in the form of an academic essay**
▪ Please cite two sources or more, including at least one author from the Government section in A World of Ideas. Other credible sources may come from the book or your own library research. You can also include personal interviews.
▪ Choose the style most similar to that used in your major courses (APA or MLA). Include a bibliography (Reference List or Works Cited page).
▪ Choose a specific intended audience, and use powerful rhetorical techniques to persuade that audience; include at least one method of development as described by Jacobus (pp. 31 – 44)
• Note: You might start with one of the prompts and then find that your writing process leads you in a slightly different direction. (Changing or disregarding part of a prompt might be okay as long as you talk to your professor about it.)
5 pages – MLA
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A World of Ideas Essential Readings for College Writers 11th – Lee A. Jacobus Government Sentence Outlines
