This paper should be five to seven pages long, 1200-1700 words (double-spaced and typed). Please be sure to use correct grammar, punctuation and spelling; points will be deducted for sloppy English and grammatical mistakes. You should state a thesis or position at the outset and then argue for that thesis in the rest of the paper. You must refer to specific passages to support your claims, but you should avoid lengthy quotations—you do not have the space. For example, you might write: “Jacob’s encounter with the angel foreshadows his encounter with Esau (Gen 32:23-33).” Or: “Oedipus becomes so angry at Teiresias that he almost accuses him of murdering Laius (345-349).” Or: “When Oedipus exclaims, ‘Why should one look to the Pythian hearth’ (964-965), he reveals the true extent of his hubris.”
Try to avoid merely summarizing or paraphrasing the text in your own words. Please provide line numbers or page numbers. All references must be to the editions specified on the syllabus.
If you use secondary material, please provide full bibliographic information of the works cited in the footnotes. (Though there is no need to do any secondary research.)
The Prompt: Compare Montesquieu’s use of the term “nature” in Persian Letters and Rousseau’s use of “nature” in the Second Discourse. What are the main ways each author uses the term? In what ways are they similar and in what ways are they different? How does the term figure in their overall arguments? For Persian Letters ̧see 9, 15, 22, 26, 33-34, 38, 62, 63, 114, 161 and others.
