The Four Deaths of Acorn Whistler

For this assignment, please write a 1,400- to 1,600-word response essay to the below prompt. A successful essay will have a clear thesis statement presenting a well-defined, concise, and provable argument, as well as sensible organization. DO NOT fall into the trap of giving me a book review. I’ve read the book; I know what it’s about. The purpose of this exercise is not to show that you can regurgitate summarized information, but rather that you can understand a complex argument and apply it towards a complex question. In many ways, this is a preview for writing your research paper.

Papers should be formatted with 1inch margins and 12-point font. There is no need for outside sources, only use the book The Four Deaths of Acorn Whistler by Joshua Piker. When citing Piker, a simple parenthetical citation (as seen below) will suffice:

Piker aptly notes that Governor Glen aspired for more than “to get satisfaction for the two Creek assaults” when he framed his tactful lies (69).

Prompt:

“As TV doctor Greg House frequently concludes, ‘everyone lies.’ As such, the death of Acorn Whistler was really a pretty simple, common event. When it comes down to it, a Creek chief made himself a target and fellow Creeks’ lied to save themselves. The lie worked because the local governor didn’t understand the Creeks and some local colonists used the situation to make themselves rich. At the end of the day, this was just one of countless local frontier killings which had little-to-no macro-level implications.”