You have read Amin Maalouf’s Violence and the Need to Belong: In the Name of Identity. Please read the excerpt and then respond to the question below (our prompt):
“Language has the marvelous characteristic of being both a component of identity and a means of communication. That being so, and contrary to my attitude in the case of religion, I regard any attempt to separate language from identity as neither possible nor desirable. Language is bound to remain the mainspring of cultural identity, and linguistic diversity the mainspring of all other diversities” (Maalouf 132).
Prompt:
Do you agree with Maalouf that, in particular, “language is […] the mainspring of cultural identity, and linguistic diversity the mainspring of all other diversities”? What do you think about this claim? Do you agree wholeheartedly, do you find some truth in it but are not fully convinced? Explain why, or why not. Find at least one more source from our textbook, Reading the World, that either supports or refutes your position in connection with Maalouf.
As an aside: this is a rather broad topic, so, in order to be successful, try to narrow down your topic since you will be writing a rather short essay. I hope that you can see this broad topic could “fit” in with many essays we have read: most notably, Anzaldua, Lorde, Tan, etc. I’m inviting you also to look for less “obvious” examples from our textbook.
How to Structure Your Final Essay Exam:
In your introduction, briefly summarize Maalouf’s point and some of his supporting points; then state your thesis (don’t write your thesis stating that you “agree” or “disagree” with Maalouf’s claim; rather state your thesis as a proposition, i.e. what you are proposing to prove in this essay).
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