"The Lady or The Tiger" - Story as Thought Experiment

ASSIGNMENT: In a well-structured essay, argue what you believe the conclusion of the story is: did the princess send her lover to the lady, or to the tiger?

First, state your claim clearly and defend your choice with a close analysis of the princess's character. You must support your argument with specific evidence from the text, analyzing how details about her passion, her jealousy, and also her "semi-barbaric" nature, and her relationship with the lady at court point toward your conclusion. (This is probably best completed as its own paragraph with evidence and commentary).

Second, and most importantly, explain how your answer reflects your own view of what wins out in human nature and society. Does your conclusion suggest that love and compassion will always triumph, or that the passions of jealousy and selfishness are the stronger human impulses? To answer this, you are pivoting FROM your position on the story to the world we live in; is what is true of the princess true in general? Use specific examples from our real world—historical events, current events, your own experiences or universal human behaviors—to support this broader philosophical claim. (This is probably best completed as the second paragraph with its own evidence and commentary drawing from both the story and the real world).

Your essay's ultimate purpose is to use the princess's choice to reveal what you believe is the fundamental force that drives people.

ASSIGNMENT: In a well-structured essay, argue what you believe the conclusion of the story is: did the princess send her lover to the lady, or to the tiger?

First, state your claim clearly and defend your choice with a close analysis of the princess's character. You must support your argument with specific evidence from the text, analyzing how details about her passion, her jealousy, and also her "semi-barbaric" nature, and her relationship with the lady at court point toward your conclusion. (This is probably best completed as its own paragraph with evidence and commentary).

Second, and most importantly, explain how your answer reflects your own view of what wins out in human nature and society. Does your conclusion suggest that love and compassion will always triumph, or that the passions of jealousy and selfishness are the stronger human impulses? To answer this, you are pivoting FROM your position on the story to the world we live in; is what is true of the princess true in general? Use specific examples from our real world—historical events, current events, your own experiences or universal human behaviors—to support this broader philosophical claim. (This is probably best completed as the second paragraph with its own evidence and commentary drawing from both the story and the real world).

Your essay's ultimate purpose is to use the princess's choice to reveal what you believe is the fundamental force that drives people.