The Idea of an Essay, Volume 2

118 “Benefits of Philosophical Diversity in Art” by Raymond Cordova Instructor’s Notes In this persuasive essay, Rebecca sets up a duel argument: the US was partially responsible for the plight of the Mayan people in Guatemala, and, thus, is responsible to provide aid. Notice how she supports and refers to those arguments throughout the essay, never losing sight of her purpose in writing. Using references to her thesis like, “obligation to help,” “should provide continued assistance,” and “must take responsibility,” to support the first half of her argument and “America’s obsession with ending communism,” “the American-backed army targeted the indigenous people,” and “partially responsible for the economic hardships” to support the second half of her argument, Rebecca supports her thesis well. Writers’ Biography Raymond writes a persuasive paper arguing that Christians can benefit intellectually from non-Christian art. I had tasked him with taking a definitive stance on a controversy relating toChristianity and the arts. Observe how Raymond thoroughly develops each paragraph, supporting his claims with multiple examples. He is still working out his style in this paper (it’s a bit wordy at points), but Raymond’s triumph in the paper is his determination to understand viewpoints that differ from his own. Bravo, Raymond. Benefits of Philosophical Diversity in Art As Robert Hugh Benson explained in Papers of a Pariah, “Ignorance may be bliss, but it certainly is not freedom…The more true information we can acquire, the better for our enfranchisement” (34). A scholarly approach to the arts should embody this mindset in order to produce intellectual and spiritual maturity. On the other hand, intellectual impairment is the inevitable result of the mind’s prohibition from anything not explicitly Christian. The scholar should not limit intellectual curiosity for the sake of keeping his