Phil 120: Paper 2
Due: Thursday 3/15 by 9:15 a.m.
Assignment: Write a paper with the topic and format of one of the following options:
 You find yourself back in the 1950s, and you get one chance to interrupt Leave it to Beaver with your own
Public Service Announcement. (Your paper will be the text of your presentation to the viewing public.)
You should use your time to persuade the viewing audience of two key points: (1) Leave it to Beaver and
the way of life it advocates is a horrifying example of herd mentality, slave morality and weak nihilism. (2)
These things are bad and America should wake up and reject this way of life. In order to educate and
persuade your audience, you should use Nietzsche’s ideas, including direct quotes from his works that we
read, to support your case.
 You have just finished reading The Book of Daniel, and now you will write a letter to its narrator (Daniel)
expressing your views on the extent to which Daniel is on his way to becoming an Overman, or perhaps
even has already become one. You make take any stand on this you think best (not on his way at all, totally
there, somewhere in between), but your stand should be clearly stated in a thesis statement and your views
should be supported with evidence from the Nietzsche texts and from The Book of Daniel.
 Write a traditional essay comparing and contrasting the characters of the Madman in Nietzsche and
Ginsberg in his poems we’ve read. Your essay should have a thesis statement that gives helpful and
specific information about the paper that is to follow, i.e. not a general statement like, “Ginsberg and the
Madman are similar in some ways but different in others.” To what extent do their attitudes, views and
goals seem similar? To support your arguments, use specific evidence from the Ginsberg poems and from
Nietzsche’s “Parable of the Madman.”
Whichever option you choose, your paper should be typed, double-spaced, 900-1500 words. Your format should be
appropriate for the chosen option. The only exception will be that you should make use of parenthetic citations for
page numbers where appropriate. For any format you choose, your target audience will have a short attention span,
so it is recommended that you make every effort to stay within the maximum total word limit. (For instance, Daniel
probably got a lot of letters in response to his book, so he doesn’t want to read any overlong ones!)
Electronic submission: You must email your paper to me by the deadline above. Send the paper as a Word
document attachment. If you’re using a Mac or a different word processing program, simply paste the paper into
the body of the email instead. If you send the paper as an attachment (which is preferred), it must have a file
extension of .doc or .rtf. Email to dinkinscs@wofford.edu. Please send only one file. No separate files for Works
Cited pages. Your paper should be saved under the filename Firstname2.doc, as in Sally2.doc. Your email subject
line should be “120 Paper 2.” You do not need to turn in a hard copy of your paper.
Sources: You may only use primary texts. Since you are using texts from the course, you do not need a Works
Cited page unless you’re using a different edition from the ones ordered for the course. You of course should still
cite quotes and paraphrases in the body of the text. Please use ¶ numbers when citing from the Madman parable.
Any un-credited use of secondary sources or others’ ideas is plagiarism and will be reported to the Wofford Honor
Council. You should see me before you turn in your paper if you have any concerns on this matter.
Evaluation criteria: In evaluating your paper, I will ask myself the following:
Style/presentation:
 Does the paper have an effective introduction and conclusion?
 Are the points presented in a logical order?
 Are the overall structure and style appropriate for the chosen format?
 Is the paper clear and cohesive, with an evident direction throughout?
 Is the paper professional and polished (e.g. no typos or incorrect grammar)?
Content:
 How well does the paper demonstrate an understanding of the original text and relevant philosophical and
social issues?
 How persuasive are the key arguments of the paper? (To be persuasive, they must be reasonable and well
defended.)