Renaissance, Reformation, Early Modern Europe
Related book:
1. Michel de Montaigne, The Essays: A Selection
“To the reader,” “On solitude” (I.39), “On three kinds of social intercourse” (III.3)
“On the resemblance of children to their fathers” (II.37), “On repenting” (III.2), “On the Cannibals” (I.31)
“That it is madness to judge…” (I.27), “On cruelty” (II.11), “On the lame” (III.11)
2. René Descartes, Discourse on the Method, Pt III-IV (9/5 Version)
3. Blaise Pascal, Pensées and Other Writings
4. William Shakespeare, The Tempest
Requirement: The essay should be a minimum of 5 full pages in length (no more than 7) in the Humanities format* and a counterargument is required. Reminder: Do not use outside sources in a Humanities essay. The argument should be your own and the only material used should be the assigned readings.
Respond to one of the following prompts:
1. Montaigne suggests that “barbarous is only what we are not accustomed to.” How does Shakespeare’s The Tempest reinforce and contradict Montaigne’s views on barbarism?
Note: In constructing Montaigne’s views, you must draw on more than“On the Cannibals.”
2. What knowledge can we gai from imagination and fantasy? Construct your argument by comparing two of the following—Montaigne, Descartes, Pascal, and Shakespeare.
3. How does reason help and hinder self-understanding? Construct your argument by comparing two of the following—Montaigne, Descartes, and Pascal.
4. How and why do boredom and distraction lead to human unhappiness? Construct your argument by comparing Montaigne and Pascal.
5. What are the conditions and reasons for Prospero’s transformation or lack thereof in The Tempest? Construct your argument using the moral vision of one of the following—Montaigne, Descartes, and Pascal.