English Assignment for Week of February 13-17
"Love"
"Sanskrit has ninety-six words for love; ancient Persian has eighty; Greek three; and English simply one." -probably from Robert Johnson.
This sounds cool, but it is not really true. In English we have many words for kinds of love: lust, desire, affection, adore, longing, family, respect, admiration. We will say, "I adore him," or "I am hot for her," or "I totally respect you," or "I am fond of you," or "You are like family to me."
Yeow! No wonder we are confused about love. Think about all the kinds of love you have known.
This quote is all over the web, and I haven't sourced it yet.
It's not quite true, though.
From Swamp Donkey, a blog: All you need is love?
Friday October 07th 2005, 11:18 pm
Filed under: thoughtful inklings, Philosophy
The writing assignment is to research the term “love”. Look at the three types of love: agape, eros and philia. Which do you think is the most valuable? Do you think love is the most effective weapon against hate?
Is there a role for romantic love in the world, or is this a western concept which is highly overrated? Are greeting card businesses and the candy stores a means to exploit the insecurities of the public?
Am I being too cynical?
What’s wrong with flowers and candy on Valentine’s Day? What would the world be like without Cupid, Hallmark, KKSF, candlelight and special delivery?
After reading about the different expressions of love, and the three linguistic interpretations of the word “love,” choose one aspect of the word to support or deny its virtues. Remember, after you determine your angle on the topic, complete the essay planning sheet, and perhaps develop an outline (Hacker, Ch. 1).
Be certain to use a variety of support for your claim or thesis: examples, analogies, definitions, expert opinion, statistics, anecdotes, etc. Be prepared to present your argument to class on Wednesday, Feb. 15/Thursday, Feb. 16.
Posted by englishcoa
at 4:31 PM PST
