Did the student accurately represent the philosophical point in his or her presentation?

There is an accurate representation of the philosophical point in the argument. Developing philosophical points can be quite challenging and thus the need to remain as simple as possible to avoid getting confused on points that will enable a person to present their arguments. For example, there is a precise and straightforward introduction that provides the foundation for the debate. There is also mentioning of Coleridge’s position in Argument 8.3 that the artists use secondary imaginations as a way of influencing people positively. The introduction also has an explanation on the significance of influencing the audience and also poses a question that gives further direction on what is essential to discuss and that is the personal worldview examination. The introduction is straight to the point as it explains how art is a significant social function due to the impact it has on people.

The argument has simple quotations and paraphrased sentences that capture the attention of the readers thus makes the reader understand the argument from a personal point of view and not focus much on the author. The quotations and paraphrased words have references to indicate that it is a borrowed idea from the author’s work. Poems enable individuals to connect to different situations in life; thus poems influences a person in a positive manner, and any reader would, therefore, want to connect with the poem. Within the argument, there is also the question of whether poetry was an artifact of the Romans and the Greeks. There is a comparison of this ancient question to current questions asked on the significance of poems. The current personal worldview on poetry provides the answer according to the author’s point of view.  However, authors like Shelley objects the claim as he believes that poetry is a combination of wisdom and happiness to create the imagination that enables the audience to connect with the artists.

There is a careful organization of the argument, and it has a logical flow of ideas. One can easily read it and understand the argument. The argument has the right words that are simple and straight to the point and not confusing to the reader. Any person reading it does not have to stop and think on the meaning of certain words since every use of word present an idea to the reader and easy to connect. The words do not appear to be biased as they point out what individuals can relate to their life experience. It is also necessary to appreciate the work of the author on several occasions by paraphrasing or quoting then referencing the work. It is thus possible for any other person reading the argument to conduct further study on the author’s claim and develop their argument.

Did the student advance the logical investigation of some aspect of the philosophical point in a “pro” or “con” evaluative stance?

The argument has an evaluative stance by choosing the significant benefit of poetry in social life. It has the premise of the author on how the secondary imagination influence people and how poetry has an influence on a person in a positive manner. It is possible that poetry can address any challenge in life. For example, if there are increased injustices in society, artists can compose poems that address such issues. People tend to connect with the message and changes their attitude and behavior for the benefit of everyone in the community.  The argument succeeds logically as it gives brief information on the role of poetry and compares to that of the personal world view and gives the authors claim from one of his works thus provides a standard form of argument.

The argument has  supporting evidence for the argument by using the author’s work. The final decision is that poetry was not only an artifact for the Greeks and Romans as claimed by many people, but it involves the combination of wisdom and happiness to create the imagination that enables the audience to connect with the artists. The general belief is on the positive impacts of poetry and proves that it is even much easier to understand the artist if the audience portray themselves in the artist’s work and understand the poem to details thus the poem creates significant impact in their life.

Did the student connect the abstract philosophical point to some events in the contemporary world in which the student lives?

There is the connection of the philosophical point to some events that take place in the contemporary world through the personal worldview. Individuals tend to live satisfying lives but continue to examine their worldview. The perceived personal worldview is a combination of the values and beliefs that people hold to be correct. The audience thus uses their imaginations to view the current situation and try to connect with the author. It is true that every person has their unique values and believes in different perspectives about life. The artists thus address various issues in the society that the audience relates with for better understanding of their purpose in life. For example, a poem might be about English Civil War, and there is a belief that the events of the seventeenth century in England takes place now and that an individual can either take the role of the royalists or the round heads. Once the audience is free to assume the role of the subject in the poem, they have a better understanding of the historical events as well as the challenges the subjects had to go through before they could succeed in life.

The English Civil War is an event that took place in the seventeenth century and individuals who were present at that time experienced a lot of challenges. The poem could be one that relates to the military troops on the battlefield and how they lived in deplorable conditions and could not contact their families but only wait until they return home. A person reading such a poem cannot fail to have the imagination of a soldier’s life in a foreign country and how uncertain they lived without knowing if they will die on the battlefield or not. Often individuals might lose hope in life after going through the traumatizing experience. They lack the motivation that enables the audience to connect their life to that of a soldier who was once enthusiastic about fighting for his country, but as he experiences challenges in the battlefield, they tend to give up. The use of the English Civil War is thus the most appropriate example that relates to events in everyday life.

The argument highlights the personal worldview of people in 1800 on the question of whether poetry was only part of Greek and Roman’s culture and not connecting to the life of other people. However, in the modern world people still, have the same perception. Instead of people enjoying poetry, they relate it to a particular culture or the artist. It is important to note that Shelley’s claim on poetry is that it is a combination of wisdom and happiness. For a person to enjoy the poem, they have to identify elements in the poem that relate to the events in their lives and enjoy the flow of the poem to learn from the content of the poem.

Questions

• How can someone know that the poem has an impact on their social life?
• Is it necessary that for a person to connect with the events in the poem, they must have experienced an almost similar event?
• Does every poetry work has to influence a person positively?