Hello writer, sorry for the short time but the paper is based on reading I will link. Below are the rubric and what the paper is about.
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Dear Living Historian,
My name is Marius Jansen, and I am a dead historian. I used to teach at Princeton University (I taught Professor Wooldridge’s own professor, so I am kind of like his grandfather). Years ago I wrote a textbook called The Making of Modern Japan. In that book, I said that one of the most important things that happened in the Tokugawa Period was that the difference between rich peasants and samurai got more and more blurry.1 Villagers tended to have low taxes, and they were mostly left alone, so some villagers were able to become wealthy. Samurai, on the other hand, got fixed stipends that did not change even as prices increased. Furthermore, samurai, because they “had to maintain a certain standard of living appropriate to their honor” tended to spend more than they could afford. So rich peasants became richer, and samurai became poorer, and thus it got harder and harder to tell the difference.
Sadly, I had not read Musui’s Story. Fortunately, you have the book. Now that I’m dead, I don’t like reading books, but I do enjoy letters. Of course, I don’t get many of those either. So I was wondering if you could write me back. I want you to tell me: do I need to change my views about the Tokugawa period in any way?
As you answer the question, please consider how reliable you think this book is. You should use examples to support your answer, and when you do so, explain why you think Katsu is telling the truth and whether you think the information is true only of Katsu or whether it applies to the samurai class in general. I am a very old dead dude. I am crotchety, and I do not have a lot of patience. This question is important to me, so I would appreciate it if you could type about five pages, double-spaced. In your first paragraph, make sure you give me a one-sentence answer to the question. This is your thesis statement, and it should come at the last sentence of your first paragraph. Then, you need to prove to me that what you are saying is true. Each following paragraph should have a main idea and provide clear details and quotations from the book. You should cite your sources so that if I do get interested in something I can find where you found it. Cite the book in footnotes.
Thanks!
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RUBRIC
Grading Rubric (10 points each)
Thesis statement: the first sentence at the end of the first paragraph answers the question in one sentence.
Argument: the argument is logical and answers the question.
Paragraphs: each subsequent paragraph until the conclusion has a sentence at the beginning and/or end that explains its relevance to the overall argument.
Organization: there is a clear logic to the arrangement of paragraphs, and that logic is communicated to the reader.
Evidence: each paragraph contains rich details to support the argument.
Source criticism: in using evidence, the paper evaluates the limitations of the source.
Alternative explanations: the paper considers possible alternative arguments.
Citation – sources are cited in appropriate place and manner. For this class, that means we use footnotes.
Grammar – the paper conforms to the conventions of standard academic writing.
Historical content – the paper contains information that is true rather than false and reflects an understanding of Japan in the nineteenth century.
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The main useful points for you are
1. The word “samurai” is not normally capitalized. If it is at the beginning of a sentence or in a book title, or if somebody named her kid “Samurai,” then sure (and also — weird), but otherwise, you can just write “samurai” and “peasants” and “merchants.”
2. The plural of “samurai’ is “samurai.” “I saw fifteen samurai yesterday. I was having lunch, so I was glad that they were not killing themselves.” “Samurais” is not a word in English, and it also for some reason bugs me, like fingernails on the blackboard. There are other words in English that do not change in the plural. “Furniture” is one. So is “mud.” You would not say the word “muds,” so please do not write the word “samurais.”
3. Finally, in formal papers, book titles should be in italics: The Making of Modern Japan, Musui’s Story, Lost Names. An important exception to this rule is the Bible, but even there: Genesis, Exodus, John, Job, Revelations. I think “Koran” is not capitalized, but Buddhist scriiptures are: The Lotus Sutra.
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There is a bit of reading, however, I don’t expect you to read it all. Once again sorry for the short time but I will definitely rate 5 stars so long as the essay follows the rubric and answers the question above.
