Paper Two – Position Paper
This paper is a position paper that supports a specific point of view in a controversial setting. The model paper that we used in class (Why Iran Should Get the Bomb) is a very good example of how to construct a position that argues fairly at least both sides of the issue. You should do this in your paper.
What should we do with the statues and monuments commemorating Confederate Civil War figures?
National myths serve the purpose of telling the story of a people and what we should believe about ourselves. These stories are aided by symbols to help visualize, memorialize and even sacralize (make holy) that story.
One strong narrative is symbolized by the statues and monuments commemorating Confederate Civil War leaders, such as – but not limited to – Robert E. Lee. For your paper, first see the lecture one scholar’s coming to terms with the person and memory of Robert E. Lee in the video lecture from Ty Seidule, author of Robert E. Lee and Me: A Southerner’s reckoning with the Myth of the Lost Cause (St. Martin’s Press, 2020)
Video to be viewed: Ty Seidule, “Robert E. Lee & Me: Reflections on Confederate Memory by a W&L Grad, Soldier & Scholar” (youtube.com)
Then, in your paper make reference to this scholar’s examination of this narrative of the Myth of the Lost Cause. What is it, how and by whom was it shaped, and to what end was this narrative created? Examine this narrative more closely to discover the message behind the symbols. Here are some further general questions about the Confederate war monuments that should be examined:
-Where are most of the Civil War monuments in the US? What do they commemorate?
– When, and by whom were the Confederate monuments erected and why?
– What is the historical context of the erecting those Confederate statues, especially in correlation to the African American population and access to voting?
– What is the story (myth, narrative) that these statues seek to communicate, and who do they honor? Is this an inclusive message or does it seek to exclude or marginalize some?
– What role do these symbols play today? Who should decide what happens to these monuments?
With this informing your view, offer your thoughts as to what should be done with these statues in light of America’s story and elaborate what narrative your suggested actions with the statues is meant to convey.
– Don’t use first person references (e.g., I believe, I think). Argue instead from the data (e.g., the research demonstrates…). See the model essay on how the author makes his point, shares his view, without stating ‘I believe’ or ‘I think’.
– Don’t use AI (like chatGPT)
Note about sources:
Your sources need to be reputable and acceptable by academic standards.
E-Journal articles obtainable through our library search or Google Scholar (scholar.google.com) are acceptable.
Newspaper articles from reputable newspapers (not tabloids) are acceptable, but these usually reference a single event in time.
Wikipedia should not be cited as a source. However, Wikipedia is useful in two significant ways, namely, a) if you know little about the topic, it can introduce it to you, and b) the hyperlinks in the notes can lead you to good and reputable sources.
Accessing partisan (one-sided) websites is useful to find out about the arguments for and against your topic and can be cited with certain qualifications, usually acknowledging the partisanship of the source (example: referencing the Russian news service on the war in Ukraine). However, they should be only sparingly used.
