What is your favorite work of fiction, and how is the social contract expressed therein?

The Social Contract in Fiction
Fiction is a Petri dish for the human condition. Authors of fiction
are like scientist gods, sprinkling bits of humanity across fertile
ground to see what takes root and how it grows. We all have a favorite
piece of fiction—book, game, TV show, graphic novel, or film—that speaks
to us about what it means to be human. Whether that favorite is comic,
tragic, or something in between, it expresses something important to us
about our existence and how we experience it.
This week, we are studying the concept of the social contract (the
agreement between a given group of people about how they will function
in relation to one another). Although most works of fiction don’t
explicitly mention a social contract, most of them do include some form
of one. Think about the social contract as it’s expressed in the world
of the TV show Friends: A bunch of self-interested people find
happiness through working as a team. Or the social contract as it’s
expressed in the more recent Breaking Bad: A lone wolf preys on
a society that has failed him morally and financially. Each of these
works of fiction expresses a world view in terms of how people are (or
are not) responsible for one another.
What is your favorite work of fiction, and how is the social
contract expressed therein? See if you can state the social contract in a
sentence that relates the individual to the group as in the examples
above. What does this work of fiction seem to want you to learn or
remember (through laughter, horror, tears, or introspection) about the
human condition via this social contract?
This assignment is a little more free-form than our first two
assignments. There is no set structure for it. However, it is an
academic paper, so it should have an introduction with a clear thesis
that leaves no mystery about what you will put forth; body paragraphs
that are ordered and connected to support the thesis; and a conclusion
which reflects on your findings. You should assume that your reader has a
passing knowledge of your favorite piece of fiction, but you should
briefly explain things like character (who’s important and why), setting
(time and place), and conflict (the reason people are interacting as
they are) so that there are no unsupported leaps in logic. You should
use examples as you need them to illuminate your assertions. You can
find these examples in the fiction itself, for example, paraphrasing the
climax of a novel or quoting important dialogue from a movie.
You MUST USE evidence from John Locke and/or Thomas Hobbes (or other early modern philosophers from your textbook, pages 149-152),
whom we are covering this week (see our lesson and/or use outside
sources), to support your ideas about the social contract in the work of
fiction. Their ideas may or may not dovetail with the social contract
as expressed in the fiction you’re covering. You can use them as
comparison, contrast, or both. You MUST CITE their works where you refer
to it.
Your focus here should be explaining your favorite work of fiction in
the context of the social contract. You don’t have to convince your
audience that this is the best work of art of all time, just that
it holds specific ideas about how individuals do or should interact in a
given group.
This assignment is three to five pages. Evidence (cited) from your
work of fiction and support (cited) from an early modern philosopher
(see your textbook, pages 149-152) should be used to illustrate your
ideas, not in place of them. APA format.

Greater Good Analysis
Purpose

This paper
must have a clear purpose that carries from the thesis through the body
paragraphs to the conclusion. The purpose is to connect a work of
fiction with its unique social contract, using an early modern
philosopher as support (see your textbook, pages 149-152).

Development

Thesis, body
paragraphs, and conclusion do the work of exploring and supporting the
paper’s purpose. The overall argument is structured so that paragraphs
build the thesis’ position logically, with ample detail.

Support

Analysis shows
depth of critical thought. Quotes or paraphrases from Locke and Hobbes
(or another early modern philosopher of you’re choosing from the
textbook, pages 149-152) are chosen and contextualized by the paper
writer’s own words to strengthen the argument. Any material from Locke
and Hobbes (or another early modern philosopher of you’re choosing from
the textbook, pages 149-152) is cited. Course or outside material (e.g.,
quotes or paraphrases from the work of fiction) is clearly referenced
and cited.

Grammar, Mechanics, and Style

Grammar refers
to correct standard American usage, for example, subject/verb agreement
and correct parts of speech. Mechanics refers to correct idiomatic
usage; for example, capitalized proper nouns, word choice, and word
order. Style refers to dynamic writing that avoids passive constructions
and maintains the reader’s interest via generous use of detail.

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