“All Disquiet on Home Leave”

On a dark day in the middle of World War I, Paul Baumer, Elie Wiesel, and Carolina Maria de Jesus find themselves in a deserted café.  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.

This assignment presents you with a two-fold challenge. First, you need to decide who would be best positioned to persuade Paul that there is reason to keep on living.  Elie and Carolina are not dramatically personalities, so you will need to look closely at their respective examples to identify their reasons for hope. Second, based upon your choice of either Elie or Carolina, you will need to decide whether his or her approach will be enough to persuade Paul to be hopeful.

Like gymnastics, this essay assignment has a higher “degree of difficulty” than your previous assignments.  Thus, I recommend that you resolve each of the above questions before you write your first paragraph.  Once you know what you want to argue, then you can formulate your introduction in such a way that 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 (if not earlier). It is always a good idea to let these types of assignments percolate through your brain.

As always:  I should be able to follow your argument effortlessly from the first sentence to the last.  Keep counterarguments in mind. Use evidence to support your points.  Clarify your terms.  At the same time, be concise and to the point. Don’t forget your name.  When you are finished, stop.

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

Also 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.

Your essay is due by 9:00 a.m. on Monday, May 8.  Of course, I would be absolutely delighted to receive it earlier. Please email your response to me at amcadams@nd.edu. Please use the following structure to name your document: [your name].finalessay.doc

Good luck!