Essay Assignment #1
Oct 1st, 2014 by amcadams
A Violent Confrontation on a Trolley in St. Petersburg
Lenin and one of his Economist adversaries accidentally find themselves shoved up against each other on a crowded trolley. They immediately get in a violent argument, so much so that the other trolley riders get off at the next stop.
The Economist says: ‘Comrade Ilyich, the problem with the conspiratorial party that you advocate in What is to be Done? is that it will inevitably create a revolutionary dictatorship rather than the just and egalitarian society you say you want in State and Revolution.”
Lenin answers: ‘Well, Comrade Economist, the trouble with your approach to revolution is that if we follow it, we will never have even a chance of realizing a truly just society.”
Who is right, the Economist or Lenin?
Assignment. Please respond to this question with one cohesive argument. Your paper should accomplish three objectives: 1) It should unequivocally state which of the two trolley riders is correct; 2) It should spell out the two riders’ stands; and 3) It should clearly explain why you are choosing one of them over the other. Remember: your goal is to persuade your reader that you are right. Anyone who argues against you is wrong.
In fact, there is no single, correct answer to this question. There are only better or worse arguments about it.
Please note: You are writing one paper, not two. Make sure you are answering this question and not some other question that you wish I had asked. Address counterarguments the entire time you are writing. Drawing upon evidence from your readings. Remember our debate!
Be concise and to the point. Your reader should be able to proceed effortlessly from your first sentence to your last. If you throw in a fancy word or phrase that is not essential to your argument, delete it immediately. If you make a point that you do not fully understand, the chances are good that I won’t understand it either. When you come to the end of your argument, stop. Do not write another paper! Do not do additional reading!
Requirements. Your essay should be no more than 4 typed, double-spaced pages (12 point font and regular margins) of incisive reasoning. It should have a carefully-chosen title.
This assignment is both straightforward and demanding. I strongly recommend that you begin it immediately. Then, put it aside. Then, return to it and revise it. And so on. My expectations are not unreasonable. I merely expect you to compose the four best pages of prose that you have ever written in your life.
This paper is due next Wednesday, October 8, by 9:00 a.m. Please email your response to me at amcadams@nd.edu. You are responsible for getting your paper to me on time.
Good luck!
