ENGL 1302 ~ Lee ~ SAMPLE Midterm
Excerpt from The Prince by Niccolò Machiavelli
Name: ____________________________
Date: _______________
Directions for Body Paragraphs 2 & 3: Quote 2 statements from The Prince, by Machiavelli,
which are particularly interesting. Secondly, interpret them. Thirdly, discuss them: show how a
“prince” or a leader might fruitfully use Machiavelli’s ideas during his rule of a state. (The word
“state” as Machiavelli uses it is not one of the United States; instead, it means an entire country.)
Finally, comment on whether Machiavelli’s ideas work or not; evaluate/criticize his ideas.
To explain what I want to see, here is an example of a body paragraph using Thomas More’s
Utopia:
Topic Sentence One of the more important items discussed in the excerpt from Utopia is
the question of work and whether a person should work for himself or for the greater good of all,
which is a problematic notion for the average, contemporary, 21st-century, and North American
human. Signal Phrase: In this work, More addresses the 21st century reader, who reads his work
using contemporary notions, using ideas that have been proven wrong by history. Quotation:
More states that, “[i]n other ‘republics,’ practically everyone knows that if he doesn’t look out
for himself, he’ll starve to death. . . .* He’s therefore compelled to give his own interests priority
over those of the public[. . . .] But in Utopia, where everything’s under public ownership, no one
has any fear of going short, as long as the public storehouses are full[. . . . T]here are never any
poor men or beggars” (520)**. Interpretation: More is presenting the idea of a perfect world and
how it might work if all men were able to set aside thinking of themselves and instead think of
the good of the entire group. He is telling his readers that, in their ordinary world, they allow
people to starve if they do not look after themselves; consequently, each individual is forced to
put his own needs above those of the larger group. On the other hand, in Utopia, the food a
farmer produces is owned in common with the shoes a cobbler might produce. This means that a
man will not have to starve or go without shoes as long as each member of the group has done
his part and made sure that the storehouses are full and plenty of shoes are made. In fact, More is
talking about a form of communism in which people work together as they are able and then take
what they need in the amount they need. Discussion of Historical Implications: This is an idea
that was put to use in the Russia of the early twentieth century. Under the leadership of men like
Lenin a great experiment was tried in which people would work together according to the
Utopian model. Each person would produce what he was able, and he would receive according
to his needs. This was considered to be a great idea which would produce the greatest good for
the greatest number. However, because we are all human, because we are not yet ready for
Utopian living, the experiment failed. It turned out that when the Russian people were not
working for themselves, they tended to work less. Gradually, they began to produce so little that
the entire economy failed, so, today, Russia is working hard to dig itself out of the great financial
pit produced by communism. Criticism of More’s Philosophy: The 21st century reader, having
seen what happened in the Soviet Union at the end of the 20th century, will not be convinced that
the communist system suggested by More will work. More’s suggestion that people will be
willing to work hard when all their needs are met will simply not convince the modern North
American reader, who is steeped in the idea of making as much money as possible, that he or she
should give up his or her financial goals for the “greater good” as More sees it. Ultimately, More
is not convincing. His ideas sound great on paper, but his idealism fails among all too human
men.
* Notice how sometimes material is left out: ellipses [. . .] are used, and sometimes letters are changed from capitals to small letters or vice versa
([T]here) so that
1. Only the relevant portions of the quotation are used
2. What remains works as an excellent and very readable series of sentences.
** This is the parenthetical reference which indicates the page from which the quotation has been taken.
Work Cited
This must be included. In addition any other sources you might have used must be introduced,
have a parenthetical reference, and have a Work(s) Cited entry.
More, Sir Thomas. “From Utopia.” Critical Thinking, Reading and Writing. 7th ed. Ed. Sylvan
Barnet & Hugo Bedau. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2011. 509-522. Print.