Write an evaluation. Read carefully, judging them by the paper rubric below. Give paper a grade, according to the paper rubric, and write a paragraph explaining the strengths and a paragraph explaining the weaknesses of the paper.
Student One
Introduction to Philosophy
Teacher Name
September 8, 2007
Obey the gods
Many of the great men of history, from Jesus up on to our own day have been willing to die rather than to be untrue to their own principles. If one compares the Crito and the Apology, it appears that Socrates may be contradicting himself. In the Crito he tells us that we should obey the state above all things, but in the Apology he tells the jury that even if they release him on the condition that he stop doing philosophy, he will disobey them. These two statements make it appear that Socrates, who attacks others so violently for their inconsistencies, is actually inconsistent himself. I will argue that what is really happening here is an insistence by Socrates that he be consistent with what he has done his whole life.
If we read the Apology, we see that Socrates has spent many years basically living the same life. He goes around to various members of Athens and has philosophical conversations with them. In fact, he has become so famous for this that Aristophanes wrote a play about ‘Socrates swinging about there, saying he was walking on air and talking a lot of other nonsense’ (19b). If Socrates were to accept the order of the state, to stop doing philosophy, he would be contradicting himself and everything he has stood for, and would feel terrible.
Socrates has also been talking for years about how important it is not to fear anything, especially death. He has made a lot of noise about how brave he is, and especially in a culture where everyone values courage. If he were to accept Crito’s offer to escape from prison, he would be admitting that he is really a coward. Escaping would be completely inconsistent with what he has been saying his whole life, so, again, this choice would make him feel terrible.
He has no choice, in other words, but to remain consistent with who he has always been, and obey the state when it tries to kill him and also to keep doing his philosophy. Seen in another way, you can see that what Socrates is doing is actually committing suicide. Socrates believes that it is actually a good thing to die, because then you won’t have the body around, but he also doesn’t think it is right to commit suicide. So what Socrates actually does is force the state to do the job for him. On the one hand, at his trial he does not plead for mercy and even says that he would keep doing what he has done even if they told him to stop. Once they agree to kill him, he certainly isn’t going to walk out of prison. Remember, he is 70 years old already, so it is time for him to die, because in those days people didn’t live much more than 70 anyway.
So Socrates really is consistent. He wants to live as he has always lived and also he is ready to die. All of his actions are designed to bring him to those two conclusions.
Term Paper Rubric
Category
Description
Percentage of Grade
Details
A meaningful title, student name, course number, professor’s name, a date, page numbers, and works cited section at the end. References follow MLA style. Under five pages of double spaced text in length (there is no minimum length).
10%
Assignment
Does the paper actually fulfill the assignment?
10%
Audience
Should be written for members of this class who have already read the passage fairly carefully. Should not assume that the reader already agrees with the paper.
5%
Introduction
Avoids pompous generalizations such as ‘since the dawn of time, men have always…’ Indicates what the paper is about, excites reader’s interest in the paper. States a thesis that the paper will defend. Possibly gives the reader a brief map of how the argument will proceed.
10%
Thesis
Should be clear, but not obvious to someone who has already read the text. It should appear near the beginning of the paper, preferably in the first paragraph. Sometimes the thesis may even seem surprising, until the reader has actually read the paper and been convinced by the argument.
15%
Topic sentences
Ideally each paragraph should begin with a topic sentence that offers support to the thesis. (Some writers recommend that if all topic sentences are put together they would form a summary of the paper).
5%
Evidence
Points made should be backed up with evidence from the text. Check to see if the evidence actually supports the point being made. If you find that you can do this paper without detailed textual evidence, you are probably doing the assignment in too superficial a way.
20%
Avoiding unnecessary summaries
Since the audience already is familiar with the text, the paper should not merely summarize the texts. Instead, the paper should focus our attention on aspects of the text that are important to supporting the thesis.
15%
Conclusion
In a short paper, the conclusion should be more than just a repetition of what the reader has already read. Ideally, the conclusion gives the author an opportunity to draw broader implications, raise new ideas or reflections, or raise thoughtful questions.
10%
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