Exemplary Lives Essay

 

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Throughout the semester, we have examined the lives of individuals who may or may not be considered      exemplary, and we can linked this with our study of the differing relationships between individuals and their various communities.  In this final cumulative essay (3 - 5 dense pages), you are to consider the many issues that we have discussed this semester and write a essay that presents your final words on the topic which also incorporates much of the work that we have done this semester.  One way to begin might be to think about two individuals who you identify as exemplary who are very, very different from one another.  Why are they both exemplary, in your mind?  This may or may not show up in your essay but it will provide a way to test out your theories on exemplary figures. And you know how I love theories.

 

 These are some of the questions that you may address:

• what is exemplary?

• in what ways is the concept of "exemplary" useful to us/ to you?

• would you like your life to be exemplary?  To whom?  How might you achieve that and why might it be a worthy goal?

• is there a definable relationship between the community and the exemplary individual?  Does "exemplary" necessitate a relationship to a community or communities?

• why would one bother to identify individuals who one finds exemplary?

• what is the cultural value, if any, of the concept of "exemplary"?

• what might we do with the reality that exemplary individuals are often also seriously flawed?  Kennedy may be exemplary in Thirteen Days but he was also having affairs and probably had connections to the mob. When do a person's flaws negate his or her status as exemplary?

Remember to keep in mind the good traits of an essay: well-focused, strong and clear thesis and topic statements, lots of supporting detail and evidence, , and most importantly, say something that you find valuable. One of the things that I will be looking for is a development of your ideas since the beginning of the term.

 

"The unexamined life is not worth living" (Socrates).