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6B- _____
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ELA: Book 3  Sample Essay for Paired Readings:
Demosthenes and Daedalus
Directions: Use the following sample essays to help you write your own comparecontrast essays, either in block or point-by-point form.
Block Form
Ask a random stranger about determination, and she’s likely to extoll its
virtues. Drop your head in despair, and you’re just as likely to hear a cheery, “If at
first you don’t succeed, try, try again!” But why do we almost universally assume
determination is so virtuous? To answer this question, we need only turn to the
ancient Greeks. In fact, John Haaren’s biography “Demosthenes” and Josephine
Preston Peabody’s myth “Daedalus and Icarus” do just this. “Demosthenes” recalls
the grit of the title character, whose determination in pursuit of a skill is aweinspiring. The maze-maker Daedalus shows similarly impressive fortitude in
“Daedalus and Icarus.” While these characters are somewhat alike, they are also
quite different from each other.
Determination helps Demosthenes overcome obstacles, and it ultimately
leads to his triumph. Demosthenes loses his fortune to his legal guardians, who
steal it from him. Fortunately, Demosthenes witnesses a dazzling legal argument
that motivates him to become a lawyer. In public speeches, however, Demosthenes
encounters many obstacles. He stammers; speaks too softly; and makes odd faces
when his speeches fail. Perhaps worse, the public and even Demosthenes’
friends discourage him from speaking in public. Nonetheless, a gifted actor tells
Demosthenes, “You can learn to speak just as well as I do… if you are willing to work
patiently. Do not be discouraged, but conquer your difficulties.” In response,
Demosthenes asserts, “I will.” And he does. Demosthenes speaks with stones in his
mouth to correct his stammer; he practices at the seashore amid the crashing waves
to prepare for the commotion of a busy public forum; and he suspends a sword over
(over)
his shoulder to correct his bad habit of speaking with poor posture. Finally,
Demosthenes builds an underground room where he practices privately for months
without distraction, copying the speeches of Thucydides to learn eloquence.
Basically, Demosthenes doesn’t allow either the theft of his fortune or his
shortcoming as a speaker to hamper his effort to speak eloquently and to practice
law. Never giving up, Demosthenes takes his guardians to court and defeats them,
recovering much of his lost fortune in the process. Still not satisfied, he refines his
craft, and, according to Haaren, “in this way the awkward boy who had been laughed
out of the assembly became in time the greatest orator of Athens. Not only was
Demosthenes a graceful orator, but he was wise and patriotic. He soon acquired
great influence in Athens and became one of the ten official orators.” Essentially,
Demosthenes’ determination earns him not only justice, but also respect.
Like Demosthenes, Daedalus uses steadfastness to surmount his problems,
but, in contrast to Demosthenes, Daedalus’ quest culminates in tragedy. Similar to
Demosthenes, the noted architect Daedalus and his son, Icarus, find themselves with
a problem to solve; whimsical King Minos imprisons them on the island of Crete,
from which they are unable to escape, even after they’ve broken free from the where
they are detained. Just as Demosthenes finds inspiration in the world around him,
so does Daedalus. Observing seagulls in flight above the island, Daedalus decides to
gather as many of their fallen feathers as possible. Upon doing so, he stitches the
feathers together and shapes them into wings with wax. With remarkable
determination, Daedalus uses trial and error to teach himself, and then his son, to fly
so they can escape the island. So in the end, Daedalus, like Demosthenes, relies on
determination to solve his problems, refusing to allow his captivity to stifle his spirit
or diminish his creativity. Ironically, instead of feeling disheartened by his
confinement, Daedalus uses it to set free his imagination. After learning to fly,
Daedalus and his son, Icarus, rise majestically above Crete. However, Icarus, awed
by the freedom of flight, ignores his father’s warning and flies too close to the
heavens. Tragically, the warmth of the sun melts the wax in Icarus’ wings, and he
plunges to his death in the waters surrounding the island. Yes, Daedalus escapes,
(next)
2
but he does so alone, without his son, which is a hollow victory. In fact, describing
Daedalus’ response to his son’s death, Peabody notes that “[Daedalus], in heavy
grief, went to the temple of Apollo in Sicily, and there hung up his wings as an
offering. Never again did he attempt to fly.” So, while Demosthenes’ determination
makes him a hero, Daedalus, on the contrary, is a tragic figure.
Overall, these stories depict determination as an impressive strategy for
facing obstacles but not as a perfect solution to the characters’ conflicts. Essentially,
when the ancient Greeks Demosthenes and Daedalus display their grit, they reveal
that hard work and a strong will can in fact yield great triumph. However, if not
paired with wisdom, patience, and humility, determination can appear to be no
more than greed or obsession by another name.
Point-by-Point Form
Ask a random stranger about determination, and she’s likely to extoll its
virtues. Drop your head in despair, and you’re just as likely to hear a cheery, “If at
first you don’t succeed, try, try again!” But why do we almost universally assume
determination is so virtuous? To answer this question, we need only turn to the
ancient Greeks. In fact, John Haaren’s biography “Demosthenes” and Josephine
Preston Peabody’s myth “Daedalus and Icarus” do just this. “Demosthenes” recalls
the grit of the title character, whose determination in pursuit of a skill is aweinspiring. The maze-maker Daedalus shows similarly impressive fortitude in
“Daedalus and Icarus.” While these characters are somewhat alike, they are also
quite different from each other.
In particular, both Demosthenes and Daedalus use determination to face
obstacles. Demosthenes loses his fortune to his legal guardians, who steal it from
him. Fortunately, Demosthenes witnesses a dazzling legal argument that motivates
him to become a lawyer. In public speeches, however, Demosthenes encounters
(over)
3
many obstacles. He stammers; speaks too softly; and makes odd faces when his
speeches fail. Perhaps worse, the public and even Demosthenes’ friends
discourage him from speaking in public. Demosthenes speaks with stones in his
mouth to correct his stammer; he practices at the seashore amid the crashing waves
to prepare for the commotion of a busy public forum; and he suspends a sword over
his shoulder to correct his bad habit of speaking with poor posture. Finally,
Demosthenes builds an underground room where he practices privately for months
without distraction, copying the speeches of Thucydides to learn eloquence.
Basically, Demosthenes doesn’t allow either the theft of his fortune or his
shortcoming as a speaker to hamper his effort to speak eloquently and to practice
law. Similarly, the noted architect Daedalus and his son, Icarus, find themselves with
a problem to solve; whimsical King Minos imprisons them on the island of Crete,
from which they are unable to escape, even after they’ve broken free from the where
they are detained. Not unlike Demosthenes, Daedalus resolves to stitch the seagulls’
feathers together and shape them into wings with wax. With remarkable
determination, Daedalus uses trial and error to teach himself, and then his son, to fly
so they can escape the island. So in the end, Daedalus, like Demosthenes, relies on
determination to solve his problems, refusing to allow his captivity to stifle his spirit
or diminish his creativity. Ironically, instead of feeling disheartened by his
confinement, Daedalus uses it to set free his imagination.
Unfortunately, while Demosthenes’ determination helps him become a hero,
Daedalus’ effort culminates in tragedy, instead. Never giving up, Demosthenes takes
his guardians to court and defeats them, recovering much of his lost fortune in the
process. Still not satisfied, he refines his craft, and, according to Haaren, “in this way
the awkward boy who had been laughed out of the assembly became in time the
greatest orator of Athens. Not only was Demosthenes a graceful orator, but he was
wise and patriotic. He soon acquired great influence in Athens and became one of
the ten official orators.” Essentially, Demosthenes’ determination earns him not
only justice, but also respect. Quite the contrary, Daedalus’ determination leads to
(next)
4
Icarus’ death. Awed by the freedom of flight, Icarus ignores his father’s warning and
flies too close to the heavens. Tragically, the warmth of the sun melts the wax in
Icarus’ wings, and he plunges to his death in the waters surrounding the island. Yes,
Daedalus escapes, but he does so alone, without his son, which is a hollow victory.
In fact, describing Daedalus’ response to his son’s death, Peabody notes that
“[Daedalus], in heavy grief, went to the temple of Apollo in Sicily, and there hung up
his wings as an offering. Never again did he attempt to fly.” In effect, Icarus’ reckless
disregard for rules spoils his father’s resolve, so Daedalus humbly offers his wings,
the symbol of his creativity, to the god of the sun, Apollo, suggesting that Daedalus
believes his flight to have been an act of hubris. He learns, in essence, that his
determination has brought him, by flying like a god and his son, by flying so close
to the sun too far. So, while Demosthenes’ determination makes him a hero,
Daedalus, in contrast, is a tragic figure.
Overall, these stories depict determination as an impressive strategy for
facing obstacles but not as a perfect solution to the characters’ conflicts. Essentially,
when the ancient Greeks Demosthenes and Daedalus display their grit, they reveal
that hard work and a strong will can in fact yield great triumph. However, if not
paired with wisdom, patience, and humility, determination can appear to be no
more than greed or obsession by another name.
5