ESSAY ASSIGNMENT #1

September 30, 2010

"A late dinner in South Bend...."

I am bored.  So, I decide to throw a little dinner party to liven things up.  I invite Erich Maria Remarque and Eli Wiesel.  When we’re all seated, I try to set the tone for the evening with some upbeat subjects.  But I quickly realize that I should have given more thought when choosing whom to invite to my dinner.  As the night goes on, my guests gravitate toward some pretty somber topics:  war, death, pestilence, and famine.  They even talk about Hell.  Yet, just as I am beginning to drift off into a dark galaxy, a snippet of their conversation grabs my attention and gets me thinking:

Wiesel:  "I have faith in God. Without it, no action would be possible in Hell. And action is the only remedy to indifference, the most insidious danger of all."

Remarque:  “I completely disagree.  When you’re dealing with Hell, faith in God is irrelevant to the challenge of avoiding indifference.”

Who is right, Wiesel or Remarque?


Assignment:  Please respond to this question with one cohesive argument that: 1) spells out the two authors’ stands, and 2) clearly and unequivocally explains why you are choosing one position over the other.

Note:  There is no single, correct answer to this question.  There are only good or bad arguments.

Things to keep in mind:  You are writing one paper and not two; each point should flow smoothly to the next, from your well-focused introduction to your thoroughly persuasive conclusion.  Be sure to keep counterarguments in mind. Use evidence. Be concise and to the point.  Don’t say anything more than you need to say, and immediately delete any particularly colorful phrases or clever asides.  When you come to the end, stop.

Your response should be no more than 2 typed, double-spaced pages (12 point font) of careful reasoning. Make sure your reader knows where you stand and can follow your argument without any headwinds or turbulence from the beginning of the paper to the end.

This assignment is straightforward, but it also challenging. I recommend that you begin it immediately. My expectations are not unreasonable. I merely expect you to compose the two best pages of prose that you have ever written in your life.

This paper is due by class time next Thursday, October 7.    Good luck!