English 1C: Critical Thinking Essay (6 – 6 1/2 pages, MLA 12pt font times new roman)

Due Date: (8/2/17)

Assignment: Consider one of the topics: I choose to propose my own topic. (received teacher’s approval)

Requirements: Use 1-2 in class philosophical texts (I have them in the attachment) and 3-4 academic sources (requires research) to analyze, explore, and make connections to each other. Needs to have at least one quote in each body paragraph.

My proposed topic:

In class, my teacher he talks about a scenario where people from different cultures tend to have different views and values, but people who were raised in both cultures can have an internal conflict between their cultures, causing to choose one over the other, have a mix of both (as in a hybrid form of culture), or identify themselves to another culture that lies somewhere in between, or maybe even reject both cultures.

In Nietzsche’s essay “On Truth and Lying in an Extra-Moral Sense”, he says “for between two absolutely different spheres such as subject and object, there can be no expression, but as most an aesthetic stance, I mean an allusive transference, a stammering translation into a completely foreign medium. For this, however, in any case a freely fictionalizing and freely inventive middle sphere and middle faculty is necessary.” In connection to people who have lived in two different cultures this inventive “middle ground” and “aesthetic stance” is essential for them to embrace their own set of values and beliefs.

For the research part of the essay, I wanted to explore people who have immigrated to another country from their own home country since a young age, for their development is heavily influenced by the struggles of living in multiple cultures. (I’m one of them myself). In sociology, Ruben Rumbaut was the first to coin the term “1.5 generation immigrant”, which means the people who have arrived in another country before their adolescence. Based on the age in which they immigrated, some of these immigrants might feel a stronger connection to a particular culture where some might feel they belong right in the middle, being unable to identify themselves to either of their ethnicities. (Just providing possible examples)

Optional (If there isn’t enough topics): Also for immigrants who might choose one culture over another. It can possibly relate to another philosophical text. In Plato’s “The Allegory of the Cave,” Aristotle argues that there are two mediums of knowledge that exists: the physical/sensory world(cave), where people(prisoners) are living happily in an illusion, and the intelligible world, where people can achieve a perfect form of knowledge through learning philosophy. For people, who have acquired the “perfect knowledge” of philosophy, when they go back to the sensory world, they will have a better and clearer perception of the world than those in the sensory world. They also have developed a responsibility of “quietly ruling” the people in the sensory world without directly contradicting their beliefs. In the context of immigrants, when they immigrate to a new country, their perception of the world is changed significantly. When they go back to their home country, they will have a better understanding of the world and will feel the responsibility of having to “quietly” persuading their natives. If Plato’s allegory is used, I wish it can connects to Nietzsche’s essay in any way possible.

I have included the philosophical texts in the attatchments.The titles are “The Allegory of the Cave” by Plato, and “On Truth and Lying In An Extra Moral Sense (1873)” by Friedrich Nietzsche.

I also attatched a previous essay I wrote in class. It might give some insight to what my teacher wants.

For the academic sources, please provide the works cited a the in-text citation.

If you quote Nietzsche’s or Plato’s essay, I will do the works cited and in text citation for those texts.

If there there are any questions or if there’s anything that is unclear, I am very willing to discuss. Please do a good job 🙂