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1993 D.C. Heath Student Essay Contest Winners The editorial board of the Heath Anthology of American Literature and its panel of judges are pleased to announce the winners of the 1993 D. C. Heath Student Essay Contest. The first-place essay was collaboratively written by Jeff Forret and Brian Farrell, both students at St. Ambrose University in Davenport, Iowa. The second-place essay is by Candace L. Robertson, a student at Mercyhurst College in Erie, Pennsylvania. The winning essays, reprinted here and in the next issue of the Newsletter, demonstrate excellent student writing and creative thinking. Not only do these essays and the assignments that inspired them demonstrate how canonical works and works from the expanded canon can inform each other, but they also show how literary works can shed light on contemporary American culture. We thank all the students who entered essays in this third annual contest and all the instructors who shared their assignments with us. Instructors may feel free to duplicate these essays and assignments for classroom use without requested permission. First Place Essay Title: A Discussion with Benjamin Franklin, David Walker, and Henry David Thoreau on the Issue of Ross Perot Authors: Jeff Forret and Brian Farrell
Essay assignment:
A Discussion with Benjamin Franklin, David Walker, and Henry David Thoreau on the Issue of Ross Perot Through an unexplainable quantum leap, the famous writers Benjamin Franklin, David Walker, and Henry David Thoreau have time travelled to Washington, D.C., where they will appear on this week's episode of The McLaughlin Group. Taping has already been completed as the writers discussed Texas billionaire H. Ross Perot, both as a politician and as a person. Here is a peek at what you will see on Sunday: John McLaughlin: Issue one--Perotmania. Do you see any potential problems with a third party candidate like Ross Perot getting involved in the system? Hank Thoreau! Henry David Thoreau: No, I don't see where Perot would cause problems at all. He brings diversity and a unique perspective into the political game. That can only be good for the system. David Walker: But Mr. Thoreau... McLaughlin: Ben Franklin! Benjamin Franklin: I agree with Henry. Perot sees the problems that are out there and has plans to do something about them. In my day, there were great politicians out there--my good friends Tom Jefferson, Jimmy Madison, and President Washington. Those men confronted the issues and worked on them. In the 200 years since my death, this wonderful nation has not had people like that. Now, the guys inWashington are more concerned with politics than government. The Constitution has been turned into a mere plaything. Walker: Your Constitution is just that! How can you honor a document that was written for just portion of the population? Ther e are more people in this country than adult, white, male landowners, Mr. Franklin! What about that most wretched, degraded, violated, oppressed, and subjugated group of all--the slaves? McLaughlin: I refer you to the thirteenth and fifteenth amendments. Walker: Which were added long after Mr. Franklin's time. Franklin: Times change. I helped write that Constitution, Mr. Walker. I knew the problems in this country. I also realized that the document would not be perfect. That's why we allowed for amendments to be made. McLaughlin: But what about Perot? Franklin: My Constitution--excuse me, the Constitution I helped create--was made to handle situations like the one Perot presented. I don't know where people got the idea for a two-party system in the first place. Jimmy Madison and I expected elections to go to the House of Representatives all the time. Perot just used the system the way it was designed. Exactly! To say that an outsider should not be part of government threatens our liberty. Each person must do his part and follow his beliefs if he expects government to be his. Perot is going against tradition, but that's good. He's confronting problems now so the country will be better off later. Walker: But you're still talking about a white, male government... McLaughlin: Get off the slavery kick, Dave. That problem has been dealt with. Walker: Still, I am a champion for the underclasses. Perot, a rich white man, wants to solve all of this country's problems right now. If he tries to do everything at once, the poor will suffer. Haven't you noticed the severity of his programs? A fifty-cent gas tax? Cuts in Social Security and Medicare? Why not just make these people slaves again? Thoreau: That fifty-cent gas tax comes about by a ten-cent increase over five years. Besides, if you don't like it, don't pay it. Follow your conscience before you follow your government. McLaughlin: Mr. Civil Disobedience! Franklin: That's anarchy! I'm enraged! We must all hang together or we will all hang separately! No wonder you were in jail! John, I can't believe you have convicts on your show. Walker: Good advice, Mr. Thoreau. Government is an agent of the people. It is something we shouldn't even have to have. Perot ran as a representative of the people, and I applaud his efforts. McLaughlin: Well stated. Perot's impact on the campaign was excellent. Exit question: On a scale from one to ten, with one being total impossibility and ten being absolute, metaphysical certitude, what are the chances that Perot will return in 1996? Ben! Franklin: I hope the chances are an absolute ten. McLaughlin: Hank. Thoreau: I agree with Mr. Franklin. I can see where. . . McLaughlin: David. Walker: I hope about a one. McLaughlin: Wrong! The correct answer is 7.842. Issue two--Perot as a person. Mr. Perot was defeated as a political candidate, but what did you think of the man himself? David Walker! Walker: I think Perot has focused too much on himself. With all of his money and power, he could have been working on society's problems for years, looking at the plight of entire groups or races of people. Unfortunately, he's just an egotistical, overbearing, greedy white man--very typical of his race. McLaughlin: Ouch! Response, Bifocal Benny! Franklin: Are you speaking to me, sir? McLaughlin: Of course, lightning man. Franklin: I disagree with Mr. Walker. If you have read my Autobiography or "The Way to Wealth," which are available at public libraries everywhere, you will read about my advice and my plans for self-improvement. I list thirteen virtues, and the good Mr. Perot possesses many of them: Order, Resolution, Frugality, Industry. They're there. Mr. Perot made the most of himself in the computer business through choices based on reason and experience. We cannot penalize him for his success. He earned his three billion using the virtues that I live my own life by. McLaughlin: Except Humility. Hank. Thoreau: I somewhat admire the man. He does act as an individual in a political scene dominated by parties. He's doing what he thinks is right for the country. On the other hand, I think he might be too wealthy. He lacks simplicity. What about his spiritual side? All of his money, I fear, will hide what is truly important to him. Mr. Walker has brought up the issue of Negro slavery. Mr. Perot, I believe, is something of a slave to material things. Franklin: Please, Mr. Thoreau! Prosperity and financial gain are wonderful! Walker: Gentlemen, you are forgetting an important fact: he quit the race in July! Slaves could never quit anything they started. How could people trust him? Like whites in general, he exploited those around him. Franklin: First of all, I take offense to all of your statements about whites. I want to clarify that Mr. Thoreau and I both opposed slavery. Now concerning Perot's quitting, he did what he thought was best for the country at the time. I was supposed to only alter the Articles of Confederation, but I saw larger problems, so I threw them away entirely because circumstances called for it. His sense of duty happened to call him back. Walker: Even if he did do what he did in order to promote the good of the nation, he still quit in July at the expense of the citizens. He disregarded the feelings of his volunteers, and his plans demonstrated a lack of caring for the disadvantaged. Thoreau: His supporters asked him to run, though, and he came back. Walker: I grant you that, and in a way I'm glad he did. I endorse the concept of people uniting to bring about change. Still, I don't like it that he quit, regardless of the reason. McLaughlin: Exit question: What grade does Perot get as a person? Benjamin Franklin! Franklin: A. He works hard and... McLaughlin: David Walker! Walker: C-. McLaughlin: And Henry David Thoreau? Thoreau: B+/B. McLaughlin: Wrong! His work ethic is counterbalanced by a tendency to quit when the going gets tough. Ever hear of the navy or General Motors? The answer is B-. Bye-bye! Be sure to tune in on Sunday for the full broadcast. Writers Benjamin Franklin, David Walker, and Henry David Thoreau are present for one show only. Eleanor Clift, Morton Kondracke, Jack Germond, and Fred Barnes will return next week with more political issues of the day. |
