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Mini Essay #1
Ethics and Human Rights
UMSL
ENG3100/Section M01
Explanation: Having explored who we are and the ways we know what we know, we now move to
knowledge of the spheres outside our strictly personal references. We move to areas that encompass
our communities and the ways we interact within society, particularly the ways we treat each other.
What is ethical behavior? Do we have ethical standards? Are ethical “standards” situational? Do ethical
standards always produce humane behavior? Do/Should our ethics extend beyond our species to the
other animals and plants of the planet? To the planet itself? The ways we answer these questions
determine the types of societies in which we live. In large part, they determine what we consider to be
human rights—the rights we inherit at birth simply because we are human.
Questions like these are rarely answered in an absolute fashion. Rather, ethics change as we both
evolve and devolve. (Think of the Dark Ages and the Modern Period, which encompassed the
Holocaust—we don’t always move forward!) Thus, the essays we have read in this section lead us,
hopefully, to a better understanding of what it’s like to be human and how we should conduct ourselves
and treat others. Reading and writing about ethical and human rights issues are ways we can clarify our
thoughts about these matters and, hopefully, keep the conversation going amongst human beings so
that we never lose sight of our obligation to conduct ourselves both morally and ethically.
Assignment: Choose any ethical or moral dilemma and write a 3-4 page essay about it. (You may write
more if you like! But, the “mini” essay is designed to be short, so you won’t be penalized with regard to
your grade for writing 3-4 pages only.) You should clearly define and delineate the parameters of the
ethical or human rights issue about which you write. You will either take a stance on this issue (i.e.,
write an argument/persuasive essay) or you will simply inform your readers about it (i.e., you will write
an informative essay). (See below, after “Evaluation,” for topic ideas.)
Evaluation:
Focus:
Your essay clearly focuses on ethics/human rights. You clearly define
the ethical and/or human rights issue about which you write. As well,
you define, if pertinent, the parameters of this dilemma.
You develop a thesis or a theme about the topic that either argues or
explains your particular viewpoint/knowledge of the issue at hand.
Your essay supports that thesis and/or remains on that theme
without undue digression.
Format:
Your essay is typed, double-spaced, in APA format. You may use Calibri
or Times New Roman font, 10 or 12 point.
Correctness:
Your essay is “clean,” free of major errors in grammar, punctuation,
spelling, usage, etc.
Coherence:
Your essay is well-developed. You communicate your points clearly.
Your writing is refined and displays writing proficiency at the upper
division collegiate level.
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TOPIC IDEAS and QUESTIONS FOR BRAINSTORMING:
Human trafficking: (What is human trafficking? How prolific is it? Does it
occur in the US? Can it be stopped? Why isn’t it being stopped?
Are we as guilty as the traffickers if we know it is occurring yet do
nothing to stop it?)
Legal/illegal use of drugs: (Why are some drugs legal and others illegal?
Why are people imprisoned for using drugs? Should drug use
be punished like violent crimes?)
Torture: (Is torture ever an ethical choice? Does torture work? What
makes a civilized society choose to torture prisoners? If torture
is acceptable sometimes, where do we draw the line—should
US citizens in federal prisons be tortured?)
Imperialism: (Does Empire exist today? Is Empire justified? Do the colonized,
either in fact or in spirit, have the right to revolt? What are ways
Empire is at work today? Is the US an Empire? Does the Empire
see itself as unjust?)
Animal Rights: (Do animals have the same rights as humans? Why or why
not? Do humans have the right to experiment on animals, even if
such experiments are painless? Should animals die to save or improve
the conditions of human lives?)
Poverty/Economics: (Are the poor at fault for their own condition? Do we, as a
society, have the obligation to help/support the poor? Do
economic conditions favor the wealthy? Are members of the
middle class participating in a form of capitalistic slavery? Is
capitalism a just system?
Government Responsibility: Thinking of the essay, “The Clan of the OneBreasted Women,” can/do we hold government responsible for
its mistakes? Does the need for a strong military (if that is a
need) override the right to the health and lives of citizens? That is,
must military experiments be performed even if they harm
civilians?
Privileged and Other1: When asked what he thought of Western civilization,
Gandhi responded, “It would be nice.” However, most Westerners
believe that Western societies are civilized whereas Eastern societies
are backward and underdeveloped. Do humans privilege one society
over another? (Western over Third World, urban over rural,
industrialized over non-industrialized, etc.) One group of people over
another? (Men over women, Adults over children, Whites over other
races, etc.) What are the ramifications of such hierarchies? How is
privileged status viewed by the Privileged? By the Other?
“Buying” Power: The movie Blood Diamond depicts the means by
which diamonds are obtained for sale to customers primarily in the
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Privileged means the group that is dominant against which all other groups are compared. Other means those
who are not part of the preferred group who must measure themselves according to the standards of the
Privileged. For example, in Colonial India, to be British was preferred. The best to which the Indian could
proscribe was to be anglophile—like the British.
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West. The film illustrates the shocking means by which these
diamonds are mined—males’, both adult and children, hands
are cut off to ensure they can do no other work; villages are
burned and villagers killed, “employees” are forced to work
18 + hour days in unsafe conditions for little or no pay
and under the watch of cruel work lords, etc. Do people who buy
diamonds have an obligation to boycott such products? If they do not,
are they just as guilty as those who cut off children’s hands? In other
words, does one’s “right” to or desire for a diamond outweigh the
rights of those who suffer to produce that diamond?
WHAT TOPICS CAN YOU THINK OF? Hopefully, these ideas have caused you to
brainstorm, to think of a topic that interests you. You may write about any ethical/human rights issue,
including those listed here. Just be sure to explore this issue in an intellectual manner, using logical and
academic means to inform or persuade your readers. (Remember that too much emotion in an essay is
like too much salt on your food. . . a little bit adds flavor, a lot creates non-edible fair.)