Exposition and Analysis of Abolition of Man

Order Description

Explain what C.S. Lewis is trying to say in this passage. Try to explain the substance of Lewis’s critique. That is, what does he think educators (of high school students, at least) should be trying to do? What is the mistake of “Gaius and Titius”—and why is it a mistake? Then analyze, explore whether there are any logical gaps in Lewis’s argument, or if any of the terms he uses are ambiguous and in need of clarification; this is a logical sort of analysis. You could also analyze the passage in a more sociological way, in terms of whether it has retained any cultural relevance. After all, it has been 70 years since Lewis wrote this. Has the cultural situation changed in any important ways that would either strengthen or weaken his argument? Is the “pressing educational need of the moment” still the cultivation of correct emotions in students?
Passage : “In the second place, I think Gaius and Titius may have honestly misunderstood the pressing educational need of the moment. They see the world around them swayed by emotional propaganda-they have learned from tradition that youth is sentimental-and they conclude that the best thing they can do is to fortify th eminds of young poeple against emotion. My own experience as a teacher tells an opposite tale. For every one pupil who needs to be guarded from a weak excess of sensibility there are three who need to be awakened from the slumber of cold vulgarity. The task of the modern educator is not to cut down jungles but to irrigate deserts. The right defense against false sentiments is to inculcate just sentiments. By starving the sensibility of our pupils we only make them easier prey to the propagandist when he comes. For famished nature will be avenged and a hard heart is no infallible protection against a soft head.”

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PHIL 1311, First Paper: Exposition and Analysis
Assignment, in general:
On pp. 13 -14 of The Abolition of Man, C.S. Lewis critiques “Gaius and Titius” for misunderstanding “the
pressing educational need of the moment.” It is an important passage, for it is revelatory not only of
Lewis’s understanding of education, but also his understanding of the human person. Your task in this
paper will be to undertak e a 3 -page exposition and analysis of this key passage. You will be explaining
what the passage means in your own words (exposition ), and then giving me argument s for i ts truth or
falsehood, its relevance or irrelevance, etc . (analysis).

Assignment, in detail:
The relevant passage begins on p. 13 with the words, “In the second place.” The passage ends with the top
paragraph on p. 14, with the words “infallible protection against a soft head.”
Exposition:
Your first task is to tell me what this passage means. Here’s the catch: I want you to carefully explain
Lewis’s point to me in your own words . Your ability to faithfully translate and expound on Lewis’s point
will let me know that you understand the criticism he is making. To do a good job of this, you will
probably need to say a bit more than Lewis does. Think of yourself as a teacher who has to explain this
paragraph to your students. My guess is that a good job of exposition should take around a page or so .
Try to explain th e substance of Lewis’s critique. That is, what does he think educators (of high school
students, at least) should be trying to do? What is the mistake of “Gaius and Titius”—and why is it a
mistake?
Analysis:
Your next task is to analyze the passage. That sounds difficult, but d on’t let it scare you. Just think of it as
“taking the discussion a step further.” There ar e many different ways to do it . You could explore whether
there are any logical gaps in Lewis’s argu ment , or if any of the term s he uses are ambiguous and in need
of clarification; this is a logical sort of analysis. You could also analyze the passage in a more
sociological way, in terms of whether it has retained any cultural relevance. After all, i t has been 70 years
since Lewis wrote this. Has the cultural situatio n changed in any important ways that would either
strengthen or weaken his argument? Is the “pressing educational need of the moment” still the cultivation
of correct emotions in students?
But above all, a “philosophical” sort of analysis is concerned with the issue of truth. I want to know if you
think what Lewis wrote is true or false, and I want you to give me reasons to support your opinion. Feel
free to bring your own experiences to bear upon the question.
1

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While your exposition of the passage can be accurate or inaccurate, you have considerably more freedom
in your analysi s of the passage . In the analysis portion of this paper, there are not really right or wrong
answers—what matters is you r critical thought. However , no matter what shape your “analysi s” takes, be
careful to avoid unsupported assertions. Offer reasons, arguments, and evidence to support your
conclusions.
A warning: “running out of things to say” is not a valid excuse for one’s paper falling short of the
required length. If your paper is not long enough, then try to “dig deeper” in some way. For example, you
might imagine some possible counter -argum ents to Lewis’s position. How might “Gaius and Titius ”
respond? Or broaden your focus: what would Lewis say about the current state of education in America,
etc.?

Grades, Due Dates, etc. :

The total paper length (excluding the cover page, which is required) will be at least three pages. Interpret
that to mean that your text will at least spill onto a third page (it does not matter how much). So you will
have a cover page, plus at least three additional pages .

This paper will be worth 15 points —that is, 15% of your course grade. Your papers will be graded
holistically based on their conformity with the assignment and formatting requirements.

The paper must be turned in to me, in hard copy, b y 2 p.m. on Friday, September 26th. That is not a day
on which our class meets, so you can either bring the paper to me in my office (Sullivan 212) on Friday or
sometime earlier in the week , or else turn it in to me at one of our regular class meetings on Monday or
Wednesday of that week.