2010 Writing Prompt

Read Daniel de Vise's 10/18/09 Washington Post article "Colleges Speaking Up to Protect Shy 'Sexiles'", chapter 27 of Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre, and chapter 5 of Will and Ariel Durant's The Lessons of History. Discuss broadly the trends of teen sexuality over the last thirty years and any and all observed harms and benefits for individuals, families, communities, and the country. Please indicate things that can be done, either by the government, civil society or both, to reverse the trends, if desirable and possible. Please cite facts and published information supporting your arguments, and associate that with your own life experience and observations. Within the essay be sure to address the following:

- Analyze and discuss the following passage in Jane Eyre: "I care for myself. The more solitary, the more friendless, the more unsustained I am, the more I will respect myself. … Laws and principles are not for times when there is no temptation: they are for such moments as this, when body and soul rise in mutiny against their rigour; stringent are they; inviolate they shall be. If at my individual convenience I might break them, what would be their worth? ... Preconceived opinions, foregone determinations are all I have at this hour to stand by; there I plant my foot."

- What did the Durants mean when they wrote that a "youth boiling with hormones will wonder why he should not give full freedom to his sexual desires; and if he is unchecked by custom, morals, or laws, he may ruin his life before he matures sufficiently to understand that sex is a river of fire that must be banked and cooled by a hundred restraints if it is not to consume in chaos both the individual and the group." Do you agree or disagree with their judgment?

- Do you think it is wise for colleges to have "loosened rules about romantic guests as they have brought the sexes closer together, first in coed dorms, then coed floors and finally coed rooms"? Why or why not? Has it been helpful to individuals and families, or harmful?

Your audience is a jury of peers. You will be judged both on the clarity of your ideas and the way you present them. Think carefully about your arguments and develop them such that the essay is clear, focused, readable, and persuasive. Also be precise in your grammar and spelling. All essays must be in PDF (single spaced, 12 point font) and sent electronically by 11:59pm April 6, 2010 to info@communitylevee.org . Absolutely no late entries will be accepted.

2009 Writing Prompt

Read Jessica Dolezal’s March 25, 2007 Washington Post op-ed “Young, Female and Taking a Stand Against Provocative Fashion” and Stacy Weiner’s February 20, 2007 Washington Post article “Goodbye to Girlhood” and answer the following questions in an essay of between 1500 and 2000 words:

1. Explain what the roles of women and men have been in society and how they have changed in the last 100 years, especially as it relates to children and families. Point out those you believe are positive changes and those that are negative, and why.
2. Do you agree or disagree with the inference of harm presented in Ms. Weiner’s article? Please explain. 3. What do you think about Ms. Dolezal’s argument that modesty in dress is important? Define modest clothing.
4. Read chapters 33 and 51 in Don Quixote and respond to Cervantes' statement that “there are no locks, or guards, or bolts that can protect a young girl better than her own modesty.” Do you agree or disagree? Why?
5. Does immodesty have harmful repercussions for society? If so, what are they and what can be feasibly done to improve the situation? If not, defend that position. 

Your audience is a jury of peers. 

You will be judged both on the clarity of your ideas and the way you present them. Think carefully about your arguments and develop them such that the essay is clear, focused, readable, and persuasive. Also be precise in your grammar and spelling. Please cite at least three sources to buttress your arguments, using the MLA style. No URLs allowed. 

All essays must be in PDF (single spaced, 12 point font) and sent electronically by 11:59pm April 1, 2009 to info@communitylevee.org . Absolutely no late entries will be accepted.

 





2008 Writing Prompt

 

 

Baron de Montesquieu wrote that "Rome was a ship held by two anchors, religion and morality, in the midst of a furious tempest" (Montesquieu, Charles-Louis. The Spirit of Laws , Chicago: The University of Chicago & Great Books, 1952, p.55). Is morality necessary for a healthy society? What institutions and philosophies preserve virtue and morality from generation to generation? How can Montesquieu's statement be applied to the United States today, if at all?