Assignment One
Passage Analysis

Objectives

• To write an analysis of a brief passage from a text either by Friedrich Nietzsche, Walter Benjamin, or Martin Heidegger.

• To formulate an argument that engages with a philosophical text through interpretation, evaluation or both.

• To practice skills of close reading that require close attention to details in the text.

Procedure

1. Choose a difficult passage from one of the assigned texts from the first part of the semester. The more open to interpretation it is, the more you will have to work with.

2. Take some notes on the passage itself and on other passages that might contribute to your analysis of the passage. Where are the areas of ambiguity? What are the possible grounds for disagreement about the meaning of the passage?

3. Write a 5-page draft of your argument. Formulate a thesis statement that captures the gist of your argument.

4. Bring two copies of a draft of this argument to class on February 21 to exchange with classmates. Take two drafts home to edit, and return them on February 26.

5. Revise the drafts and work them into a final product. You decide which comments to heed and which ones to disregard, of course.

6. Turn in a final draft along with two edited working drafts on February 26.

Note

Formulate an argument about what this passage means, what kinds of problems it addresses or brings about, and why it is important. Organize the argument in a manner consistent with the expectations that you have established through your thesis statement. Use references to specific terms in the passage and quotations from other parts of the overall text to support your argument about how the writer has gone about presenting his or her point.