Chapter 9

Why does Grendel find the Priest's conversation "strange?" Why does the younger priest believe that Ork's "vision proves there is hope for us all"!In Chapter 8, the sign is Scorpio.In Chapter 9, the sign is Sagittarius represented by the Archer. Please look up both signs and explain why Gardner might have used these signs as the symbols for each chapter.

SIGNS: SAGITTARIUS AND SCORPIO

The zodiacal constellation Sagittarius represents the centaur Chiron. Most of the centaurs were regarded in myth as bestial--they were, after all, half horse. However, the ancient Greeks had a great deal of respect for the horse, and so were reluctant to make the centaurs entirely bad. In fact, Chiron was renowned for his gentleness. He was an excellent archer, musician, and physician, and tutored the likes of Achilles, Jason, and Hercules.
Chiron, however, was accidentally shot and wounded by Hercules. The arrow, which had been dipped in the poison of the Lernaean Hydra, inflicted great suffering on Chiron--so great, in fact, that even the talented physician could not cure himself. In agony, but as an immortal unable to find release in death, Chiron instead offered himself as a substitute for Prometheus. The gods had punished Prometheus for giving fire to man by chaining him to a rock. Each day an eagle would devour his liver, and each night it would grow back. Jupiter, however, had at the request of Hercules agreed to release Prometheus if a suitable substitute could be found. Chiron gave up his immortality and went to Tartarus in place of Prometheus; in recognition of his goodness, Jupiter placed him in the stars (Pasachoff, 139).
From the northern hemisphere, Sagittarius may be seen only in the summer, lying low in the south. The Milky Way runs through Sagittarius.

Scorpius is a zodiacal constellation. The scorpion is generally believed to be responsible for the death of the great hunter Orion. According to some myths, the scorpion stung Orion in response to his boast that he could defeat any beast; according to others, it was sent by Apollo, who was concerned for his sister Diana's continued chastity.
In either case, Scorpius was placed in the opposite side of the sky from Orion so as to avoid any further conflict. It is to the southeast of Libra, and is marked by the bright red star Antares. (Antares is Greek for "Rival of Ares," the Greek war-god. The star is so named because of of its brightness and color, which are approximately the same as of the planet Mars. Mars, of course, is the Roman name for Ares.)

The sign of "Scorpio" is used in Chapter 8 since the sign was born from the conflict with Orion. This is representative of the conflict between Grendel and the Scyldings. The sign of "Sagittarius" is used in Chapter 9 since there are references to "bows" and "arrows." Hrothgar's "bowmen" are described in the beginning of the chapter. Sagittarius symbolizes war and the death that comes through war.

"I watch one of Hrothgar's bowmen (Sagittarius references) puruse a hart" (126). "And then, incredibly, through the pale, strange light the man's hand moves- click click click click- toward the bow, and grasps it, and draws it down, away from the shoulder and around in front (click click) and transfers the bow to the slowly moving second hand, and the first hand goes back up and (click) over the shoulder and returns with an arrow, threads the bow" (127).

Grendel finds the conversation with the priest named "Ork" unusual. This is because Ork mistakes Grendel for being a god:

The chief of the priests had previously wailed, "Ghostly destroyer, defend the people of Scyld and kill their enemy, the terrible world-rim-walker!" (127)

"There is no conviction in the old priests' songs; there is only showmanship. No one in the kingdom is convinced that the gods have life in them. The weak observe the rituals- take their hats off, put them on again, raise their arms, lower their arms, moan, intone, press their palms together- but no one harbors unreasonable expectations. The will to power resides among the stalactites of the heart" (128).

Ork, the blind eldest and wisest of the priests, mistakes Grendel for being the king of the gods. He says, "The King of the Gods is the ultimate limitation and His existence is the ultimate irrationality" (131). "For no reason can be given for just that limitation which it stands in His nature to impose. The King of the Gods is not concrete, but He is the ground for concrete actuality. No reason can be given for the nature of God, because that nature is the ground of rationality" (131).

Grendel is surprised after Ork has been moved to tears: "I [Grendel] raise my fingers to my mouth, baffled" (132).

Grendel is further surprised when Ork begins violently shaking and thinks that perhaps he is just cold. Instead "he [Ork] stretches out his arms toward the sky, huge-knuckled fingers gnarled and twisted as if to frighten me. 'O the ultimate evil, such as hatred, or suffering, or death!' The ultimate evil is that Time is perpetual perishing, and being actual involves elimination. The nature of evil may be epitomized, therefore, in two simple but horrible and holy propositions: 'Things fade' and 'Alternatives exclude'" (133).

The younger priest believes that Ork's "vision proves there is hope for us all." After hearing of Ork's vision of "God" he says, "A vision of the Destroyer! Of course, of course! Before we know it, you'll be kissing girls! Can't you grasp it, brothers? Both blood and sperm are explosive, irregular, feeding-pitched, messy- and inexplicably fascinating! They transcend! They leap the gap! O blessed Ork! I believe your vision prove there is hope for us all!" (136).

The youngest priest is hopeful about Ork's vision, since Ork's thought process had always been mainly rational and he could never believe anything irrational. Therefore, Ork's vision of Grendel represents a step for him outside of his normal thought process and so the priest takes it as a good sign. However, Ork does not necessarily believe that the youngest priest actually buys into his vision.

Chapter 8

In what ways does the character of Red Horse embody the political concept of Machiavellianism? If you have not been exposed to Machiavelli - learn about him today!Red Horse also has some Anarchist tendencies - can you give me an example?Also, what does Hrothgar have to do with Plato's Republic?Finally, Grendel says at the end of the chapter, "I made him what he is." In what ways does that connect to page 91 where Grendel exclaims, "My enemies define themselves on me?"Can you think of a person that might be uttering this phrase at this very moment?

MACHIAVELLIANISM: (definitions)

the political doctrine of Machiavelli: any means (however unscrupulous) can be used by a ruler in order to create and maintain his autocratic ...wordnet.princeton.edu/perl/webwn
Machiavellianism is the term that some social and personality psychologists use to describe a person's tendency to deceive and manipulate others for personal gain. The concept is named after Renaissance diplomat and writer Niccolò Machiavelli, who wrote Il Principe (The Prince). ...en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Machiavellianism
A measure of the degree to which people are pragmatic, maintain emotional distance, and believe that end justifies means.www.crfonline.org/orc/glossary/m.html
A personality dimension characterised by the manipulation of others.www.tabmd.com/md/m-4.htm

There is a parallel that exists between Grendel’s relationship with the dragon and the Red Horse’s relationship with the character Hrothulf. The dragon had served as a philosophical teacher to Grendel, and the Red Horse serves as a teacher to Hrothulf, as well.

“If the Revolution comes to grief, it will be you and those you lead have become alarmed at your own brutality” (117). “The total ruin of institutions and morals is an act of creation. A religious act. Murder and mayhem are the life and soul of revolution. I imagine you won’t laugh when I tell you that. There are plenty of fools who would” (118).

Red Horse explains to Hrothulf that he must find a way to frame his revolution, which has to be violently executed. Machiavellian concepts are shown through his descriptions of government as a branch that only protects the powerful and ignores the weak.

Allusion to Plato's Republic:
"Hrothgar, keen of mind, is out of schemes. No fault of his. There are no schemes left. And so he waits like a man chained in a cave, staring at the entrance or, sometimes, gazing with sad, absent-minded eyes at Wealtheow, chained beside him" (122).

ANARCHIST (plural anarchists)
One who believes in or advocates the absence of government in all forms (compare anarchism), especially one who works toward the realization of such.
One who disregards laws and social norms as a form of rebellion against authority.
By extension from previous sense, one who promotes chaos and lawlessness; a nihilist or terrorist.
One who resents outside control or influence on his or her life, in particular a government, and therefore desires the absence of political control.

The Red Horse's anarchist tendencies are shown through his rejection of governmental ideas. "The state is an organization of violence, a monopoly in what it is pleased to call legitimate violence. Revolution, my dear prince, is not the substitution of immoral or moral, or of illegitimate or legitimate violence; it is simply the pitting of power against power, where the issue of freedom for the winners and enslavement of the rest" (119). "But I'm a simple man, you see," he said, "and that's exactly what I do. All systems are evil. All governments are evil. Not just a trifle evil. Monstrously evil." "Though he smiled, he was shaking, only half controlling it. 'If you want me to help you destroy a government, I'm here to serve. But as for Universal Justice-'" (120).

"I made him what he is" reflects back to the quote "My enemies define themselves on me." This means that people are shaped by opposition. Without an external struggle, people have to reason to fight or attack. Therefore, Grendel serves as a conflict that the Scyldings must overcome. Without Grendel, there can be no heroes among the Scyldings to take him down. Grendel causes the Scyldings many problems and deaths, but he is an essential part of their society.

Chapter 6 & 7

Considering what happens to both Grendel and Unferth in Chapter 6, why do you think the Chapter begins with the line: "Nothing was changed, everything was changed." Why do you think Skepticism defines this chapter?In Chapter 7, Grendel states that "My enemies define themselves (as the dragon said) on me." Considering what we have studied about Monsters and 'The Other', do you agree with Grendel? In your opinion, does Wealtheow represent a Christ figure? Provide specific examples to support your claims. Where is the sign of Libra found in Chapter 7?

Previously in Chapter 5 Grendel had encountered the dragon. In Chapter 6 Grendel realizes that the dragon has put a charm on him, since when the men attack him they do not injure him. After Grendel learns that he cannot be attacked, he laughs about it. "I laughed. It was outrageous: they came, they fell, howling insanity about brothers, fathers, glorious Hrothgar, and God" (81). "Nothing was changed, everything was changed" describes how seemingly nothing unusual had happened to Grendel after he visited the dragon. In Chapter 5 the dragon had tried to reach Grendel through in depth conversations, but Grendel's immaturity prevents him from understanding the dragon's wisdom. However, Grendel soon comes to the realization that he no longer has to fight off men, but is instead completely omnipotent. His quest for power over the men continues as he keeps the blood bath going by taking lives of countless men. Grendel is happy with his new found power, but also angered after he hears the Shaper's song: (pg. 77) "I no longer remember exactly what he sang. I know only that it had a strange effect on me: it no longer filled me with doubt and distress, loneliness, shame. It enraged me. It was their confidence, maybe- their blissful, swinish ignorance, their bumptious self-satisfaction, and, worst of all, their hope." This reveals Grendel's distress and how he still feels alone in the world. Power is not enough because he does not have anyone else. His mother has nearly abandoned him by not protecting him and just sits in the cave. Instead Grendel has to fight on his own like a bully preying on smaller children. Skepticism defines Chapter 6 because Grendel is skeptical about the philosophies that the dragon has told him in Chapter 5: "What god? Where? Life-force, you mean? The principle of process? God as the history of chance?...My advice to you, my violent friend, is to seek out gold and sit on it" (74). During Chapter 6, Grendel is still skeptical about what the dragon has told him, but he still think about it. He is confused on account of his new power, but he is also saddened because he know that he will always be at war with men. "My enemies define themselves (as the dragon said) on me." I agree with Grendel's statement from Chapter 7, since without Grendel the men that attacked him would not be "heros." Unferth's purpose in attacking Grendel was to go down in songs and myths as a hero. If Grendel was not the enemy to defeat, then the Scyldings would have no huge conflict. Therefore Grendel is as much a part of them as they are a part of him. Grendel likes to pick the men off one by one and would not have that instant gratification if they were not there. Grendel only is a "monster" because the men around him think that he is. If Grendel was all alone then he would not be a "monster." Society deems monsters; people create monsters. Grendel alone would not be a monster. Weatheow is portrayed in a god like manner in Chapter 7. "As if for my benefit, as if in vicious scorn of me, children came from the meadhall and ran down to her, weeping, to snatch to her hands and dress" (100). This is a biblical allusion to Jesus who would have children run up to him and touch his hands and feet. "She did not look at them, merely touched their heads. 'Be still,' she said- hardly more than a whisper, but it carried across the crowd. They were still, as if her voice were magic" (101). "I could see myself leaping from my high tree and running on all fours through the crowd to her, howling, whimpering, throwing myself down, drooling and groveling at her small, fur-booted feet. 'Mercy!' I would howl" (101). Grendel is helpless in the presense of a person of god like status. "She would gladly have given her life to end my suffering - horrible, humpbacked, carp-tootled creature, eyes on fire with useless, mindless love" (102). The sign of "Libra" is symbolized by the scales. The scales are also a symbol of justice. Libra's symbol is the only symbol in the zodiac that is inanimate (it is not represented by an animal or person).

Plan for the Final Four Chapters of Grendel

Chapter 12:

Throughout the chapter there are allusions to water and pisces: "feeling the dark power moving in me like an ocean current, some monster inside me, deep sea wonder (173). "Shapes vague as lurking seaweed surround us" (170).

Color imagery: green dust, purple dust, gold

Grendel moves "voluntarily" to his death as he walks toward the edge of the cliff.

"I seem to desire my fall, and though I fight it with all my will I know in advance that I can't win" (173).

Grendel had just sang the song: "The wall will fall to the wind as the windy hill will fall, and all things thought in former times: Nothing made remains, nor man remembers. And these towns shall be called the shining towns!" (172). This song foreshadows Grendel's plunge off of the cliff. In the end Grendel becomes like the Shaper as he predicts what is to come. Like the Shaper, Grendel eventually dies.

"I do not listen. I am sick at heart. I have been betrayed before by talk like that" (170).

"'Poor Grendel's had an accident,' I whisper. 'So may you all'" (174). After Grendel becomes wise and has predicted the future as a "Shaper," he dies. He refers to his entanglement with Beowulf as an "accident," since he had slipped on blood when Beowulf grabbed hold of his arm. In the end as Grendel is about to walk off the cliff, he calls it an "accident."

PISCES: "As you see it is, while the seeing lasts, dark nighmare-history, time-as-coffin; but where the water was rigid there will be fish, and men will survive on their flesh till spring." Biblical reference: fish. Beowulf is symbolically the "fish."

Diction: illusion, dream, chance, fire, darkness, tricks, accident

"The world is my bone cave, I shall not want..." Beowulf says this directly to Grendel. As opposed to Grendel, Beowulf does not need a cave sanctuary to hide out in for protection. Instead the world is Beowulf's "bone cave."

"Art is a lie that tells a truth." Art is the depiction of reality but is not in fact reality. However, what one gets out of a piece of art can speak loudly. Powerful artwork depicting significant historical events has moved people to discover "truth."

Rough Draft of TOK Essay

Laura Fenney
Theory of Knowledge Rough Draft

Theory of Knowledge prescribed titles:

2. When should we trust our senses to give us truth?

Senses have been relied on too often to give us truth. Unfortunately it is regularly forgotten that much can be lost through relying on sensory perceptions. This is because senses are not reliable at all times, since we can miss things in just the blink of an eye. When people are under pressure or extreme stress they may think that they are seeing something for what it is, but there are often holes in what they perceive. Therefore senses provide a first account of an event, but should not be only used to determine truth. Instead, truth should be sought through not only senses, but also through logic and reason.
In Seven Seconds in the Bronx: The Delicate Art of Mind Reading, the case of sensory perception regarding Amadou Diallo is addressed. In this case, three men in the special division of the New York Police Apartment spotted Diallo, a black male suspiciously sitting on a porch area in the middle of the night. The police officers were certain that Diallo was up to something, so they decided to go after him. Diallo did not speak English and figured that the undercover police officers were trying to rob him in his apartment, so he ran. When Diallo reached into his pocket for his wallet, attempting to either pay the robbers or to identify himself, the police officers assumed that he had a gun and began shooting.
The undercover officers might have used their priori knowledge, knowledge based on previous experience and decided that they should shoot Diallo to defend themselves. They claimed that they singled out Diallo, since he fit the description of a rapist in the area of the Bronx. The officers probably thought that he was acting as a lookout, since he was standing out on the porch late into the night. The officers also thought that Diallo was brazen and so he appeared dangerous as he reached for his wallet. Their senses had dictated to them that he was reaching for his gun because they did not have time to wait around to find out if he was armed or not. Diallo said nothing because he spoke no English. Therefore, the officers reacted by shooting to defend themselves.
The actions of the police officers cannot be fully justified, since they shot Diallo with forty one rounds. It was not one police officer who was in a pressured situation, but it was three police officers. Even if they all believed that Diallo was armed with a gun, forty one rounds would not be necessary to defend themselves. Their reaction goes far beyond thinking that someone was dangerous, since Diallo did not ever show a weapon.
Another explanation for the officers’ reactions is found in the section titled “Arguing with a Dog,” which describes the idea of “temporary autism.” When extreme stress ensues under high pressured situations the results can be tunnel vision, extreme visual clarity, diminished sound, and the feeling that time is actually slowing down. These symptoms are described as a form of “temporary autism,” which shows how sound, memory, and broader social understanding are sacrificed for heightened awareness of the threat directly in front of us.
Dave Grossman states that at the optimal state of arousal, stress improves performance when our heart rate is between 115 and 145 beats per minute. However after 145 beats per minute, complex motor skills deteriorate. Furthermore at 175 the forebrain and the mid-brain, the same part of your brain as a dog’s, shuts down. Therefore, this gives some credibility to why after a police chase officers go into dangerous states of arousal. For example, three of the major race riots have been caused by what the cops did at the end of the chase. This reflects the theory that heightened arousal leaves us mind blind with “temporary autism.”
Senses are not meant to be the only element to prove truth. They serve as great importance and help determine what exactly history and other events are dictated as. However as is shown through the case of Amadou Diallo, sensory perception can prove to be fatal. The police officers’ thought that they Diallo pulling a gun out and reacted without a second thought. If they had time to reason out everything, then this case might not have proved to be so disastrous. Therefore when people are trying to determine truth, they should use their senses, but should try to think before they act. Moreover, thinking before executing a form of defense will always prove difficult for police officers, since they do not have the time to plan their moves. However for people not under dangerously high levels of stress, they have the chance to perceive, reason out, and then decide what to do. Logic and perception are two elements that should go together in regard to determining truth.
There should never be recorded historical truth or any established truth that is based solely on senses. Humans are limited to their five senses, which can be deceiving. Primary sources have been praised to be the most valuable sources of information, but are limited. Biased viewpoints, information left out, and things not perceived are all issues that surround primary sources. Reliability is a key issue to finding truth, but it is difficult to determine what exactly makes a source “reliable” for truth. Therefore, it is important to take first hand accounts written by people with their empirical knowledge and combine them with logical reasoning. Even though truth is nearly impossible to determine, it is easier to reach a conclusion when information has been analyzed from all sides of an issue.

Knowledge and Emotion


People often associate the knowledge that they acquire and emotions together, even though they may not recognize this. Emotions play a central role in acquiring knowledge. However, there are ways of gaining knowledge without using emotion. This is shown through when people learn about subjects such as math, which do not require in depth emotion. Although when someone hears devastating information, then they will always associate emotions with the news.

TOK Essay

Laura Fenney
Theory of Knowledge

Is science, or ought it to be, value free? What implications does your answer have for the regulation of science? Considering the fight over Intelligent Design vs. Evolution (as well as Research Scandals and Bayer Study), who should decide whether particular directions in research are pursued?

Value free science implies that science remains untainted by any moral or religious beliefs. I think that these religious beliefs and morals should not be fit in with scientific theories. In today's world church and state should remain separated not together as one. The question of mixing science with religion has long been battled out in the education system. Finally the controversy caused it to become outlawed in public schools across the United States. However, even in today’s world, religion has been repeatedly intertwined with education. It seems rational to separate religion and school, since young people are so easily influenced by knowledge of authority, which includes teachers and parents. Therefore, it should be up to the parents to establish moral guidelines and religion if they wish, not teachers.
The problem with the "theory" of Intelligent Design is that it is not actually a proven theory, and seems too similar to Creationism, which is based solely on religious beliefs not scientific evidence. Creationism is reflected in the Bible, in which Christians believe that a god created the world. On the opposite end is the process of Evolution, contradictory to Creationism, since Darwin believed that humans evolved slowly to adapt to their environment. Darwin’s Evolution is opposite to Creationism, since he believed that humans evolved and were not simply placed on earth fully equipped with all their unique traits.
Intelligent Design states that a higher “being” created the universe. Its book definition manages to differentiate its definition from Creationism because it does not state that a god made the universe. The problem is that Creationism and Intelligent Design are nearly the same with the exception of their names. Intelligent Design’s definition is phrased differently, in the hope of not being identified with Creationism. Therefore by changing Intelligent Design’s definition slightly, this “theory” was just far enough away from being religious that it was allowed into textbooks in Dover, Pennsylvania. The controversy over religion in public schools ensued afterwards.
It is impossible to prove religion using science. After all scientists do not have the power to create a formula to determine if a god created the universe. Believing in a higher being is faith not science. In science, often people who want to uncover religious truth will use Confirmation Bias because otherwise there is overwhelming evidence undermining the religious evidence that they believe they have. It is a constant struggle to prove religion in science because religion takes a leap of faith and can not be broken down into a scientific formula.
Darwin’s Inductive Theory of Evolution can not be proven and remains defined as just a theory. Although I believe that there is more evidence in that theory than in Intelligent Design. Evolution has always been a mystery to scientists because there is no exact proof that can undermine the religious claims or Intelligent Design’s claims involving a “higher being” creating the universe. However, there has been much more research in the field of Evolution than in Intelligent Design. Still it is impossible to know exactly how humans came to inhabit the earth, but for now all we can do is hypothesize potential theories of how they originated. Based on the evidence that is presented from both sides of Intelligent Design and Evolution, Evolution has a stronger argument about humans evolving for the idea of “survival of the fittest” as opposed to humans being placed on earth by a “higher being.”
It is difficult to know what direction scientific research should head because truth is nearly impossible to determine because it varies from one person to the next. I believe that particular directions in research should be determined by scientists who have great expertise in a certain area of science, whether in the hard or soft sciences. If religious scientists are dictating what religious endeavors should be pursued, then this undermines what truth might be uncovered through scientific research.
In the case of Intelligent Design in Dover, parents and teachers, who were religious, advocated that this "theory" be covered in textbooks. However, there were other teachers and parents who were religious, but saw the fault in including Intelligent Design in the classroom. The concept of mixing church and state is lethal when it comes to public schools. When the Dover textbooks began discussing Intelligent Design, then they were just advocating the religious theory of Creationism, which is the foundation of Christianity. Moreover, it is not good to forcibly teach high school students, even elementary school students this form of religious "science," which has not even been researched enough to have sufficient evidence.
Since Intelligent Design has not been researched as thoroughly as Evolution, it appears invalid to me. It seems as though it was used as a ploy to undermine Darwin's theory of Evolution in school. Even though Darwin's theory of Evolution is only a theory, as Intelligent Design advocates have frequently repeated, there is some underlying substance that has enriched the scientific field. Also there has been enough research conducted among scientists to prove that it is a worthy theory and not something just thrown together to appeal to the religious teachers and members of society.
One of Intelligent Design’s arguments was that science textbooks should include other alternative theories to Darwin’s Theory of Evolution, since Evolution has been taught as though it is a fact. Therefore people in favor of Intelligent Design argued that there should be nothing wrong with putting other scientific theories about the creation of humanity into textbooks. I think that it can be positive to expose students to different ideas and theories in science and all areas of life, as well. However, I believe that Intelligent Design advocates had other motives than just trying to show students different ways of hypothesizing how humans came to be. Intelligent Design advocates tried to incorporate their own religious beliefs about a god creating the universe into the textbooks. This is a negative message because it means that any theory is valid. If Intelligent Design, virtually Creationism in disguise, is a scientific theory with little proof except for individual faith, then does that mean that anyone can just make up theories and throw them into textbooks?
Fortunately today religion and science are forced to be kept apart in the public education system. However, there are the occasional slips of certain schools, which include the case of the Dover school. Occasionally religion even plays a role in scientific investigations. This is shown through how sometimes very religious scientists will use Confirmation Bias and only look for the "god" in their investigation. This is understandable because Evolution, for example, would undermine their belief in Intelligent Design. Therefore, the scientists avoid the significance of Darwin's Theory of Evolution. Confirmation Bias occurs often in areas of research, whether religious or not, because people do not want to have to throw out their theories, of which they have invested much time and effort in proving them valid.
In conclusion, when it comes to deciding where scientific research should turn, people should forget their moral and religious beliefs, and instead they should focus on the evidence in front of them. Religion is something that varies among individuals, and so I think that it should not have a place in the scientific field. Science should discard all values held by a person and instead should be about what is seen or proven. An idea should only become an established theory if it has been thoroughly investigated and has ridden itself of all religious ties. After all if religion was always incorporated into science, then half of today’s theories would have been thrown out for alternative religious interpretations.

Part 1: Essay on prescribed title

A. Understanding knowledge issues
5: Some effective links are drawn between areas of knowledge and/or ways of knowing.

B. Knower’s perspective
6: There has not been enough of an attempt to discuss different perspectives.

C. Quality of analysis of knowledge issues
3: There is some justification of main points and a coherent argument. Counterclaims have not been addressed.

D. Organization of Ideas
6: It is satisfactorily structured and organized. The word limit has been met.

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