Overview
For this essay, you will need to identify the ‘root metaphor’ or central idea of your own life. This paper must have a thesis, as per the Gordon rule requirement. You must submit at least 1200 words, include your thesis to receive full credit on the first draft. Make sure the paper is double spaced. I want to be able to see how you are developing your ideas and how you are supporting your thesis.REMEMBER: BE PITHY. DO NOT WRITE FILLER, YOU’RE IN COLLEGE.
You will analyze yourself using the theoretical frameworks for analysis presented in this class. The purpose of this assignment is to assess whether you understand the basic concepts of the study of religion by identifying what is sacred in your life and then demonstrating how whatever is sacred in your life gives you hope and power to not be overcome by the human problem and the problem of evil.
- Have an intro paragraph where you identify what is sacred or what you worship in your life. This will serve as your thesis for this assignment.
- Spend the first part of the body of your essay clearly articulating what is sacred in your life, and how it acts in your life according to the definitions below:
- What you worship: Here’s something else that’s strange yet true: in the daily trenches of adult life, there’s really no such thing as atheism. There’s no such thing as not worshipping. Everybody worships something. The only choice we get is what to worship. And the compelling reason for perhaps choosing some form of god or spiritual path—whether it’s Jesus Christ, Allah, Yahweh, the Wiccan Mother Goddess, the Four Noble Truths, or an unwavering set of ethical principles—is that almost anything else you worship will consume you. If you worship money and things, if these are where you find meaning, then you will never have enough, never feel you have enough, you will feel empty. It’s a hard truth. Worship your body, beauty, and sexual appeal, and you will always feel flawed. When age starts to show, you will suffer a thousand deaths before the final one. On some level, we all know this already. It’s embedded in myths, proverbs, clichés, epigrams, parables—the bones of every great story."-David Foster Wallace, This Is Water: Some Thoughts, delivered on a Significant Occasion, about Living a Compassionate Life
- How what we worship acts in our lives: “Religion [or the sacred] is (1) a system of symbols which acts to (2) establish powerful, pervasive, and long-lasting moods and motivations in [people] by (3) formulating conceptions of a general order of existence and (4) clothing these conceptions with such an aura of factuality that the moods and motivations seem uniquely realistic.” –Clifford Geertz [Brackets my own]
- Spend the second part of the body of your essay articulating and demonstrating how what you worship, (or what is sacred to you), and how it acts in your life gives you fulfilment despite the human problem.
- The Human Problem is the root of distress, conflict, and ignorance. It’s the source of our overwhelming feelings of alienation, weakness, and inadequacy. Simply put, it represents the emptiness and lack of fulfillment within the human experience. The impact of this problem is evident in the widespread agreement among people: life often feels far from what it should be.
- Spend the third part of the body of your essay articulating and demonstrating how what you worship, (or what is sacred to you), and how it acts in your life gives you hope despite the problem of evil and suffering in the world, so that you are not overcome by despair and hopelessness.
- The problem of evil and suffering are realities humanity must deal with, that we all experience. This is evil, injustice, and suffering that exist in us, around us, and generally in the world. You can look at Chapter 11 if you need reminding.
5. Have a conclusion paragraph where you restate your thesis in light of what you’ve argued above.
6. Have a bibliography and a clear, consistent citation style throughout your essay. This paper requires 4 citations for the final essay and 3 for the first draft.
Begin your paper with an introductory paragraph that clearly presents your thesis. This paragraph should end with a concise and specific thesis statement—an argument or claim that you will substantiate throughout the essay. Think of the thesis as the backbone of your paper, so ensure it is both academically sound and contextually relevant.
The body of the paper will then support your thesis, following the outline set by the final sentence of your introduction. Each paragraph in the body should reinforce and develop your thesis. Conclude your paper with a paragraph that summarizes your argument, restating your thesis and how you have proven it throughout the essay. Finally, include a bibliography on a separate page, listing your references alphabetically and using an approved citation style."