Today's WL Prompt

As is likely clear already, modern democracies (including the US) descend in part from Athens, which tends to be held up as the early model of enlightened political rule. Sparta, meanwhile, has received the opposite treatment - used as an example of poor and uncivilized governance. Why is that the case? What makes Athens seem so superior to us?

To answer this effectively, you should:

• Identify key areas in which Athens and Sparta differ
• Explain why these differences are so significant to us => Why do we value the Athenian style more?
• Consider whether we are being entirely fair to Sparta => Are there aspects of Sparta's government that we do emulate or should emulate?

Other guidelines / pieces of advice:

• A great response will include at least one quote from each of this week's assigned readings
• Please have a brief intro paragraph that includes your thesis. For an in-class write like this, it is acceptable for the intro to be only your thesis statement
• An easy way to structure this essay would be to find three key issues in which Athens seems to be superior to us than Sparta, devote one paragraph to each, and explain the specific issue and its importance to those of us in the US today
• If you believe, personally, that Sparta is superior to Athens, that's ok. This essay prompt isn't asking you to go against what you believe. What is undeniable, though, is that Athens has been more important in influencing the American system - and that's what the question is asking you to explore.
• You do not need a full works cited page - just include the page number from the packet in parentheses after the quote.