“All Disquiet on the Home Front”

By chance, Paul Baumer, Elie Wiesel, and Carolina Maria de Jesus find themselves in a nearly deserted café on a dark day in the midst of World War I.  Paul is on home leave, having just returned from the battle front.  He is despondent and begs Elie and Carolina to give him reason for hope.

• Who will have the best chance of giving Paul cause for hope, Elie or Carolina?

• Ultimately, will he or she be able to convince him that there is reason for hope?

Please respond to each of these questions in a single, cohesive essay.

There is a three-fold challenge to writing this essay:  First, you need to decide who would be most suited to persuade Paul that there is reason to keep on living.  Elie and Carolina are not radically different personalities, so you will need to look closely at their respective “recipes” for hope.  Second, you will need to decide whether one or the other recipe will be enough to persuade Paul to be hopeful.  Finally, you will need to organize your essay in such a way that you are writing one paper, not two different papers.

I suggest that you resolve the first two challenges in your mind before you decide how to organize your response.  Once you know what you want to argue, then you can think about organizing the introduction to make sure you will write one paper and not two.

Your essay should be no more than five (5), typed, double-spaced pages.

As always:  I recommend that you begin thinking about this assignment now.  It will be good to let it percolate through your brain.

As always:   I should be able to follow your argument effortlessly from the first sentence to the last.  Use evidence to support your points.  Clarify your terms.  At the same time, be concise and to the point.  When you are finished answering the question, stop.

As always:  I recommend that you visit the Writing Center to get another perspective.  It can’t hurt!

As always:  I do not expect your paper to be perfect.  I will simply be pleased if you write the best paper you have ever written in your life.

Please send your essay to me as an email attachment no later than next Wednesday, December 16 at 12:00 noon.  Naturally, I will be delighted to receive it earlier.  Please title the document:  [your name].final essay

Good luck!