Wisdom From History

A century ago, Spanish philosopher, essayist and poet George Santayana wrote that those who do not know the past are doomed to repeat its mistakes. If he's right, the only logical way to avoid the pitfalls in history is to carefully analyze specific successes and failures. Everything I've asked you to do has been working towards helping you to this goal.

Over the past few weeks, I have attempted to help you cross the bridge from the state of ignorance into the world of, say for example ancient Sparta, medieval Europe, or modern Nigeria in search of wisdom we can use.

Once you have found something worth sharing, the challenge is to bring it back to our class. That is why I'm asking you to write an analytical persuasive essay, share it, and join in the class conversation.

Only then can we transform history into rules or laws that we can apply to today's challenges as a nation, as a local community or as individuals. Yes, this is a challenge, but unless we do this our study of the past will result in little more than trivia or be an exercise in "filling the pail," as the poet Yeats was alleged to have said. Regardless of who deserves the rightful attribution for this quote, our school community from the board, to parents, administrators, teachers, staff and students voted to make this our core value in the fall of 2011, and that gives us an obligation to try to "light the fire."

The ability to figure out how to do things better than the last time is a skill. Like any other skill, it requires practice to get good at it. Also, just like any other skill, you can learn to do it by breaking it down into distinct steps, elements, or mechanics, much like how professional baseball players looks at pitching or hitting or how guitarists look at technique.

Since being reflective about the past can be difficult. The good news is that I've streamlined it down a step-by-step process whereby you can succeed at coming up with a useful claim. My approach was inspired by a protocol created in 1985 by the U.S. military's Center for Army Lessons Learned (CALL). To underscore the global nature of this idea, consider the Japanese concept of "hansei" as embedded in the fourteenth principle of the Toyota Way. The Toyota Motor Company asks their employees to strive to learn "through relentless reflection (hansei) and continuous improvement (kaizen)."

Please attend carefully to each and every step below:

1. Hunt for insights

Look over your notes, the readings on abc-clio, and primary sources about the successes and mistakes in the history of whatever culture or period we've been studying, like classical Sparta. Make a list of things that selected individuals and societies in this era did 'right' and another of things that they got 'wrong.' The most important of these will feed into step two.

If you haven't kept up with the readings and class notes, this will be impossible to do. Read first before going any further.

2. Turn the insight into a rule we can use

Turn the insight into a rule we can use: For the most important successes and failures, think about WHAT WE SHOULD DO. What rules could we live by to ensure that successes gets replicated mistakes gets avoided. The product is a moral, rule, adage, brocard, principle, law, or maxim that would benefit us if we followed it. Your rule needs three critical features, applicability, utility, and relevance:

A. Applicability: Your rule must be broad enough that it could apply to any time or place. We seek timeless human wisdom that has relevance across continents and the ages. By that I mean, your rule would be good advice for not only ancient Spartans, but also medieval China, and contemporary Brazil. For example, if we were writing about Hitler, you could say that the lesson would be that, "a responsible society should not classify people by race." Someone else studying contemporary Germany might write, "to be prosperous, a responsible society should be generous to their neighbors."

B. Utility: While your rule must be broad enough to accommodate all human societies, your rule must also be specific enough to draw a clear line between what is acceptable and what is not. This is a delicate balance. What do we need to do (or avoid doing) in order to stay within the moral boundaries you are attempting to set? Make sure that your rule is written narrowly enough to render atrocities like the the Holocaust and 9/11 unacceptable, unless of course you think those events were good, in which case history would suggest that you and your generation are in for a bumpy ride.

If your rule has this problem, the solution is to reflect and ask yourself what concrete actions or policies can we take (or avoid) to make sure that the "good thing" happens again or that the "bad thing" is avoided?

C. Relevance: We are looking for rules that will be useful for us to confront today's challenges. Therefore, please look for rules that would not be obvious to someone who has not studied this era. Use the "well-duh" test to see if your rule passes. If you can prove using properly-cited quotes from reliable journalistic sources that there are substantial numbers of people living today who don't yet follow your rule, it is non-obvious.

Since we can only really control our own actions, it's best to find rules that would apply to us, where if we followed them, people's lives would improve. Still, you can also look to North Korea, Saudi Arabia, and Syria to find societies lead by people who in many regards have not yet gotten the memo about how to do right by their people.

Be warned, everyone needs their own rule. When we workshop them in class, make sure yours is different from the others.

3. Find support for your rule:

The right answer is the one you can support! Even a great claim will change nothing unless it is coupled to persuasive evidence.

Please go through everything we've covered in this unit looking for examples. These can include MUSQed primary and secondary sources, class presentations, notes and quotes from experts in any film we saw about the period we have studied and make a list of three unique examples that prove your rule is a good idea.

There are two kinds of examples. These can be either examples or instances of people, events, or institutions who were either...

a. A positive example: followed your rule who found success, moral correctness, happiness or

b. A negative example: who broke your rule and created failure, misery, and/or a sub-optimal state of being.

You should have at least one of each kind, a positive and a negative example. In order to have a grand total of three examples, you should have at least two from one category. For example, you could say that my positive example is Socrates, and my negative examples are Hammurabi and Julius Caesar.

Make sure you have a quote from a primary source, abc-clio, or any other reliable non-wiki source that can back up each and every example. Need more? Click here for my portal to research evidence.

4. Put your Wisdom in Writing

Congratulations! If you have completed the first three steps, you now have an idea that matters and enough reliable information to defend it. The next challenge is to transform this knowledge into a persuasive essay that show us the process whereby you arrived at your insight in an essay that satisfies the following requirements

At a minimum, below you can find the formula I'm looking for. For each number, look at the models and advice and follow them. I've linked each below:

Title:

20 - Make it catchy and build in the topics and your claim or rule. Write it last.

Intro: Start here.

1 - Topic sentence(s) Hook your reader with a surprising anecdote, a compelling question, or a paradox.

2 - An applicable, relevant and useful rule as a claim. The best advice for creating them are steps one and two here.

3 - A list of 3 (or more) examples, people, events, institutions, that you assembled in step 3 etc.

3 body paragraphs or sections:

1c - A transition/topic sentence referencing the rebel and the reason you're including them

7 - A non-parenthetical citation introducing a quote.

4 - A relevant, reliable quote from abc-clio (u: joelbarlow p: barlow) or a primary source.

9 - Impact analysis linking the quote to your claim

16 - You have at least three body paragraphs that follow the formula from above, right? Remember one rebel needs to be from Greece, another from Rome, and a third from neither.

Conclusion: Write it next to last.

17 - A conclusion that proves your rule would have a positive impact for people living today.

Here's more specific directions to spell out how to do this:

FIRST, Write an intro

Hook your reader, introduce the topic, your rule, and your reasons. (That is to say a paragraph that avoids problem 1., problem 2., & problem 3.) Click the links for models & advice.

SECOND, Create THREE meaty body paragraphs that have...

A. Opinion: introduces your rule and a specific example. (i.e. avoid problem 1c & problem 11.)

B. Facts: Quote & cite a supporting example. (i.e. avoid problem 4. & problem 7.)

Yes that requires at least three pieces of specific proof such as famous people, events, ideas, trends. You must quote at least one primary source! You can't get anything higher than a C if you rely only on facts discussed in class.

Advice on sources and citation...

CITE ALL YOUR HISTORY! You weren't there, so give credit to your sources. Add new facts to the discussion by pulling from historical details we ignored that come from abc-clio. Be sure to say WHERE your facts are coming from e.g. "according to Xenophon..."

NO PARENTHETICAL CITATION IS ALLOWED!!!

You can also reference moments from films, such as Terry Jones' 1995 Crusades documentaries, episode 1, Pilgrims in Arms and episode 2, Jerusalem.

Wikipedia is NOT a source you can cite unless you have obtained my permission. Check abc-clio, primary sources or the footnotes within wikipedia to verify anything you see there.

Primary material 'a plenty found here:

http://www.fordham.edu/Halsall/ancient/asbook07.asp#Sparta

http://classics.mit.edu/Plutarch/lycurgus.html

http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/ancient/xeno-sparta1.asp

http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/ancient/aristotle-sparta.asp

LOTS MORE!!

http://www.calstatela.edu/library/guides/psweb.htm

C. Impact: Build a bridge between your support and your rule. Analyze your examples!! Historical facts don't count for anything unless you show explicitly HOW they support your rule - or contradict someone else's. (i.e. avoid problem 9.)

Below is a model of a completed body paragraph, but first, here are the steps I took to write it in a demonstration for a western civ. class. If you want to do it quickly and accurately, I recommend you follow this basic structure:

First, find a quote that proves your rule.

Second, write a citation before your quote, making sure that if flows naturally into it.

Third, write the impact analysis after the quote, linking it to your rule.

Fourth, write the topic sentence transition.

Fifth, read it aloud and make changes to fix mistakes and improve it.

Here's what this process looks like in more detail...

1. I copy-pasted the 4-part formula for a body paragraph from the gboard into my google doc to remind myself of what I need. I clicked each of the four links and read about what a good topic sentence, citation, support, and impact analysis should be like.

2. When writing analytical persuasive essay, I always begin with a quote from the best available support, framing my arguments around it. In this case, I opened a tab and logged into abc-clio. I searched for "Moses" in the ancient history database and clicked on the first result.

3. I read the essay. All of it. I frequently referred back to my rule, reminding myself of what I was looking for. When I found the quote I wanted, I copy-pasted it from abc-clio into my doc.

4. I clicked citation on abc-clio, using the information to build the first part of the sentence before the quote, layering in the date, author, the publication, the article's title. I then read it aloud to myself, moved around a few words until it flowed smoothly.

5. While the quote was fresh in my mind, I decided to analyze it before doing anything else. I wrote a sentence after the quote, attempting to link it to my claim.

6. I reread what I wrote and decided I needed more specific proof to make my claim more persuasive. I went back to the abc-clio piece on Moses to find another quote and layered it in. In so doing, I ended up splitting that quote in half into two different sentences to make my point more powerful.

7. Now that I was relatively happy with the impact analysis, I went back to the top and and wrote the topic sentence. I thought of the ways in which Moses was connected to the previous paragraph about Urukagina. I used things they had in common to make a bridge and mentioned my rule again.

8. I reread what I had and decided I needed to make a link to the present. I knew that many people today still follow many of Moses' laws, so I searched Wikipedia page called "list of religious populations" to find out how many Jews, Christians, and Muslims there were. Adding it up, I learned that it works out to about 54% of people.

9. Knowing I couldn't cite wikipedia, I clicked the links on the wikipage to check the source. Since the Pew data seemed both reliable and recent, I used their information and hyperlinked the quote using "command K."

10. Once I had the number and the citation in place, I THOUGHT about what the number proved. I then crafted the second half of the sentence showing the scale impact that Moses efforts to protect the vulnerable has had on present-day people.

11. Last, I fire-tested the paragraph. I reread the whole thing out loud to myself and found five or six mistakes which I fixed. These edits included adding missing words, fixing typos, removing excess clauses, reordering a few words, and rewording a couple of phrases to make them clearer.

"Another leader from the ancient middle east was the Hebrew prophet Moses who seems to have followed in the footsteps of Urukagina by liberating slaves. In 2004, J.B. Tschen-Emmons in the ABC-CLIO article about Moses described how the prophet worked to, "free the Hebrews from bondage, lead them out of Egypt, and present them with God's laws." When Moses freed the Hebrews, he was using his authority to protect the most vulnerable people in Egypt, which in this case were the Hebrew slaves. The aforementioned article then goes on to describe how Moses' laws, the Ten Commandments helped protect his people, "against murder, theft, and other crimes." These laws which "were the basis for Hebrew law" still exist today in the morals taught by Jews, Christians and Muslims. Given that according 2011 studies by the the Pew Center, together these groups comprise 54% of the world's population, Moses' work to help his people has had a lasting impact on humanity."

THIRD, CONCLUSION: Prove that your rule matters today & show how to use it. (i.e. avoid problem 17.)

Conclude with a paragraph that demonstrates that you know how you might actually apply the rule to your life and contemporary problems. You need to prove this by citing and quoting some recent, reliable journalism or perhaps an academic study. Show your reader the line between what it means to follow your rule and how we might break it. Who today needs your rule? Who is breaking it? Why do they need to change their ways? Who will it benefit?

In other words, show how we might put it into effect in our society, as a nation, as a state, as a community, as a school, as a member of a family and/or as an individual. Be realistic.

FOURTH, TITLE: A good title has three features:

1. It references the topic of your essay,

2. It contains your claim, which is in this case is your rule,

and 3. it is catchy.

Look at problem 20. for models and to learn why a title should be the last part you write.

5. Firetest:

Once you've finished writing a draft of your essay. Read the 20 common problems document and then read your paper OUT LOUD making sure that it is free of typos, unsupported claims, weak logic and vagueness. When you're confident that your post is up to snuff, scroll to the bottom, paste it in along with your name.

Late posts can't get anything higher than a C. Why? Having something to bring to the table is essential to make our discussions fruitful.

HOW TO SUBMIT:

1. Post your three writing goals BEFORE the title of your paper in your google.doc. Remember to color the goals the same color as the applicable text within the paper.

2. You MUST also share your doc with me at rsmith@er9.org AND turnitin.com. Remember to title your documents correctly:

correctly colored goals

title

essay

6. Join the conversation: Class parliament

What good is a great idea if only you and your teacher know about it? Debating the meaning of history is where you get to apply what you learned from writing about the past and test your ideas against the knowledge of others. In the end, hopefully the best ideas will survive and weaker ones will be improved or swept away. Aristotle called this process "dialectic."

During class, make sure you actively argue for your ideas in the manner of a parliament. Here's the order of operations:

1. Proposal: Students will take turns arguing for a rule while another scribes the rule and evidence on the smart board. The scribe records the rule and its author's name is at the top in black, evidence for the rule is in green on the left, evidence against the rule is in red on the right, and the final tally of votes is in blue recorded thusly: votes for - votes against - abstentions, e.g. 14-4-2.

2. Q&A: When you finish making your argument, you take questions from everybody else in the class. Students can propose amendments or changes to the rule during Q&A, too.

3. Floor speeches: When Q&A finishes, students can speak for or against the motion, adding new evidence or impact analysis for both sides. When considering other peoples' proposals, be sure to argue in good faith using evidence for or against their ideas. Silence, disrespect and a lack of evidence will impact your grade.

4. Ending debate: When it seems like nobody has anything new to say, somebody makes a motion to end debate and vote on the rule saying, "I move to call to question." The scribe then counts votes, the "yeas," the "nays," and abstentions and records them in blue on the SmartBoard. When the motion is seconded, the class will vote on whether or not to adopt the rule. If you vote down a rule, its opposite gets recorded as a rule.

5. What you decide matters: The results of these debates will be recorded and are open to future revision. You will need to use them on your exams. Stay tuned!

Since the bulk of your test grades in this course comes from these writings and discussions, it is essential that you do them and that you understand what I am looking for:

A - You will write and post a piece before the deadline that is well crafted, original that adds background to the discussion that hasn't come up in class & will offer your views in class.

B -You will write and post a piece before the deadline that is well crafted, original, well supported & will offer your views in class. You can't get an 'A' without looking beyond the prescribed curriculum.

C - You will write and post a piece before the deadline that is well crafted, original and well supported. A 'C' is the price of silence.

D-F Don't bother... You'll probably have to repeat Western Civ. next year.