Essay Assignment #1
Feb 17th, 2014 by amcadams
A Violent Confrontation on a Mid-Town Bus
“Lenin and one of his Economist adversaries accidentally find themselves sitting next to each other on a crowded bus. They immediately get in a violent argument.
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 profess to support in State and Revolution.”
Lenin answers: ‘Well, Comrade Economist, the trouble is that if we follow your approach to revolution, 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 bus 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.
Please note: There is no single, correct answer to this question. There are only better or worse arguments.
Remember. 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. Use evidence from your readings. Think debate!
Be concise and to the point. If you throw in a fancy word or phrase that is not essential to your argument, delete it immediately. 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 2 typed, double-spaced pages (12 point font and regular margins) of incisive reasoning. It should also have a carefully-chosen title.
This assignment is both straightforward and demanding. I strongly recommend that you begin it immediately. My expectations are not unreasonable. I merely expect you to compose the two best pages of prose that you have ever written in your life.
This paper is due next Tuesday, October 25, 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!
Putting your ducks in a row:
