Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics
Directions:
Using Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics (Books 1, 2, and 4) in conjunction with Willa Cather’s short story “Neighbour Rosicky” provide a critical analysis in which you APPLY Aristotle’s ideas to Cather’s text in order to help us interpret and understand it.
Organization:
Introduction:
Begin your essay with an introduction that briefly identifies both texts and the major ideas that readers can expect to see covered in your essay.
Thesis: end your introduction paragraph with a developed, unifying, and complex thesis statement about how you believe Aristotle’s ideas apply to Cather’s text.
Introducing the texts: after your introduction paragraph (which includes your thesis), provide one paragraph in which you summarize Aristotle’s text and one paragraph in which you summarize Cather’s text. Your goal in these two paragraph is to introduce Aristotle’s text and Cather’s text to someone who is not in our class and has not read these texts.
Body: Develop your thesis in well-constructed paragraphs that begin with analytical topic sentences that control the supporting details of each paragraph. Each topic sentence of each body paragraph should identify a specific claim by Aristotle and apply that claim to a specific element of Cather’s text. Provide concrete details and sufficient explanation throughout your body paragraphs. Your body paragraphs should be unified, coherent, and developed. Moreover, you should use effective transitions to help “guide” the reader through the paper and further create effective coherence in your writing.
You will need to decide how many paragraphs you need to present your application analysis, BUT you need to write about at least three points of application of Aristotle’s ideas to Cather’s text.
Evidence: Be sure to use quotations effectively (as we have been discussing in class) from both Aristotle and Cather to support and develop your analysis.
Special Note: there are many other sources out there on both Aristotle and his writings and Cather and her books, both in print and on the web. Do not use any of these outside sources when writing your essay. Only use our class texts, handouts, and your notes from this class.
For more information on Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics read this:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicomachean_Ethics
