English Question
Paper #1 Prompt
For this first paper, you’re asked to write a 3-4 page essay on any one of the authors we’ve read to date. You might consider one essay or compare two or discuss three or more as a set following a specific theme/idea. Consider the following possible paper topics:
1. Read closely Joseph Wood Krutch’s “The Colloid and the Crystal.” What, exactly, is Krutch exploring? There are two parts to this question. There is crystalline life and colloidal life. In his view, they’re separate things. In what ways, specifically, are they different? Develop a three or four part answer to this, and analyze it carefully.
2. Krutch’s essay is written in parts. What are the parts and where does it shift?
3. What is Krutch’s aim in the essay? It is obviously philosophic, but in what ways? What is the purpose of this strange essay?
4. John Wooden’s “Pyramid of Success” was developed for his UCLA basketball teams in the 60s, 70s. Develop a paper in which you explore each level of the pyramid. How will following this lead, perhaps, to your own success?
5. Analyze Douglass’s “Narrative,” describing how exactly he learned how to read and how he learned how to write. He learned how to read in three basic ways and he learned how to write in three basic ways. The essay is about stealing an “education.” How did he do it?
6. Write a division and analysis paper on Frederick Douglass’s “Narrative.” How is his essay designed? What is Douglass trying to teach us?
7. Do Douglass and Seneca share the same view of liberal education [the gaining of wisdom through knowledge]? Do they see education as important in the same way? Is it “wisdom” Douglass believes is necessary? Or are his views more practical? Are reading and writing, in fact, enough?
8. What does Seneca see as the distinguishing feature between liberal and vocational studies?
9. Seneca starts out by arguing that the “liberal studies” are themselves not necessary, though the “pursuit of wisdom” and its “high ideals” is the only meaningful discipline worthy of the name “liberal studies.” This is a thesis. Does he defend it well?
10. What are the divisions of the essay? How does Seneca design the essay? By what method? And does it work? Does he move methodically toward something? Does he stay with his idea?
11. Notice in paragraphs 3-6 Seneca lists a number of pursuits that do not result in wisdom but rather open the door to wisdom. What are these subsets? Does he make his point successfully? Is he focused on the original idea still?
12. In Seneca, Paragraph 7 studies the individual qualities of “character.” Why does he do this?
13. In Seneca, Paragraph 9 studies “wisdom” and its importance. What are the subsets of this paragraph? In other words, how does he develop the ideas?
14. In Seneca, Paragraphs 10-12 reflect upon useless knowledge, superfluous knowledge, and the intemperate and superfluous nature of some philosophers. These last few paragraphs strengthen the point of the essay—that liberal studies, though important, will not alone lead to wisdom. In fact, they can be ___________________, You decide the value of a liberal education.
15. Martha Nussbaum, in her remarkable essay on education in the US and India, comments that the US educational system is still relatively strong. Explain why she feels this is so. Does America aspire to education for “economic growth” or for “human development”?
16. In the head note to Nussbaum’s essay [on page 47] the editor Michael Austin writes, ‘Nussbaum argues that higher education should look to the Greek and Roman models of learning for inspiration [notably the arguments of Plato and Seneca]. Plato and Seneca, he adds, essentially argue that ‘education should encourage critical self-examination and prepare students to be citizens of the world.’ Explain this approach and why you feel it would work or not work.
17. Nussbaum asks, “What does it mean , then, for a nation to advance?” What is her answer for this?
18. Nussbaum compares the models for economic growth to models for human development. In both America and India, she says on page 50, policies have not been sufficiently rethought with ideas of human development in view. Explain what she means by this and what a nation might do to move toward an educational system that favors human development over economics.
19. Nussbaum discusses on the bottom of page 52 and the top of page 53 what essentially a paradigm geared only toward economic growth would look like. What would it look like, essentially?
20. Nussbaum outlines a series of bullet points on what a nation will need from its citizens to build a humane, people-sensitive democracy. Select a few of these and discuss them.
21. The Buddha, from the Dhammapada:
- Take any three of the Buddha’s ideas and write an essay on them. Pick three of your favorites. The trick of course is to link them all to one idea…
- Write a paper on the Four Truths of Buddhism. What are they? What does each mean?
- Write a paper on the “Eight Fold Path” in Buddhism. You might have to look it up further online or in a text. Either discuss all eight each in its own part or organize them in groups.
- Write a brief description of the major doctrines of Buddhism using the selected passages from the Dhammapada here as your initial reference. Conduct additional research as necessary. This would make an interesting research paper…
- Agree or disagree with the assertion that desire produces suffering. Use examples from your life to support your conclusions.
- Compare the Buddha’s view of life with Martin Buber’s [or any other author you feel works].
- Select three authors [a division/analysis paper] and discuss each author’s view of life, the best way to live.
22. Write a division/analysis paper on three or more of these authors. What does each author argue [in relation to one idea].
23. See the sets of QUESTIONS/CONNECTIONS at the END OF EACH CHAPTER and select one to write a paper on. Please indicate if you’ve chosen this as your paper idea.
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