Composition - Assess or Comment

Task III

Choose one of the following:

With regard to identity, there is a popular saying about helping a child develop: “There are two lasting gifts we can give a child. The first is roots. The other is wings.”

Assess whether Larry Ott (Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter) has had a chance to develop “wings” in the course of his life.

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Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter: Hier gehts zu den Summaries

College students throughout the US have repeatedly prevented speakers with extreme views from lecturing on campus.
This led the University of Chicago Committee on Freedom of Expression to issue a statement that “it is not its role to shield individuals from ideas and opinions they find unwelcome, disagreeable, or even deeply offensive.”

Comment on this statement.

(content 10 VP)
(language 15 VP)

Note:
Our solutions are listed in bullet points. In the examination, full marks can only be achieved by writing a continuous text.
It must be noted that our conclusions contain only some of the possible aspects. Students can also find a different approach to argumentation.

In Tom Franklin's novel "Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter," the character of Larry Ott faces a life marked by isolation and unresolved accusations
the quote, "There are two lasting gifts we can give a child the first is roots. The other is wings," invites us to assess whether Larry Ott has had a chance to develop these metaphorical "wings" in the course of his life
the process of forming a child's identity requires a stable environment, a solid ground to stand on as well as supportive parents for a child to spread the wings and start to fly
roots, serve as a metaphor for backing and support
wings is a metaphor for the encouragement a child needs to exploit its potential
even though it may sound paradoxical at first to give a child both roots and wings, it is essential for the child's development

Introduction
referring to task and explaining quote

Larry Ott is one of the two protagonists of Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter
he's geographically deeply rooted in his hometown
it's questionable, however, if he receives the encouragement he needs to grow into his full potential as well as pursue his dreams and start to fly

Main Body
quote with regard to Larry

instead of empowering Larry to spread his wings and thus achieve his dreams, he is tied to the ground by motherly overprotectiveness and fatherly condescension
his mother is constantly worrying about his well-being
due to her overprotectiveness, he never gets taught self-confidence
while she tries to support him emotionally, she makes him rather emotionally dependent
which she expresses in sitting at his bedside every night praying to god for her unhappy son
even though suppressing every kind of self-esteem, she seems to love him unconditionally compared to his father

The negative influence of his family:
motherly constricting love

Carl Ott's ideal of an athletic and assertive man cannot be achieved by Larry
he despises his son for being sickly and effeminate
with his condescending remarks, Carl incessantly undermines Larry's self-value

Paternal disdain

further, Carl refers to Larry as being mechanically incapable and often refuses to take him to the garage with him
during Larry's time in the army, however, he develops into a successfully mechanic
Ideas like a movable coop for his chickens show him as a creative and ingenious craftsman
yet Larry's youth is marked by the sense of worthlessness instilled in him by his father, which eventually makes him morose and withdrawn
family responsibilities (taking over his father's garage as well as nursing his sick mother) lead to his return to his hometown, making him doubting his abilities yet again

Increasing lack of self-confidence

in addition, Larry's formative experiences from school reinforce his negative self-image
his stutter, lack of athleticism, and shyness make him an obvious target for bullying
he's despised by whites as well as rejected by black students
his one and only friend from childhood is Silas though the friendship is shortlived due to its rather one-sided character
a fight provoked by Carl Ott leads to Silas turning his back on him, which reinforces the feeling of worthlessness and guilt yet again
Larry, who has no one to share his interests with, suffers from lacking emotional stability that he would require to free himself from rejection by those around him
the lack of support and self-worth has stunted the roots he would need to realize his potential and thus grow wings
the refuge in his books comfort but isolate him more and more from society

Rejection and verbal violence in school

the fact of him becoming a prime suspect in an alleged murder case further worsens his social standing in society
he becomes ostracised and spends his adult life living isolated on his parents' farm and working in the garage despite the lack of customers
even though deeply rooted in his hometown, all his attempts to connect with the city, society and childhood friends are in vain

Murder suspect; further impossibility to establish stable relationships

in Larry's case, the roots can be understood more as chains that bind him to a place that denied him to ever show his talent and potential
his family's behaviour, as well as a rejective and despicable response from his environment, reinforced his tendencies of being an introvert
thus he is denied the possibility to unfold his potential and to "grow wings"
with Silas' acquittal of all charges and his support, Larry may have a chance to integrate into society and develop his potential
that can probably be understood as the true meaning behind the metaphor "roots" in the saying
all in all only the support and backing provided by people you trust may give you the power "to fly " and thus realize your dreams

Assessment and Conclusion

U.S. college students have repeatedly blocked speakers with extreme views from lecturing on campus
As a reaction to these events, the University of Chicago Committee on Freedom of Expression issued the statement: "it is not its role to shield individuals from ideas and opinions they find unwelcome, disagreeable, or even deeply offensive.”
it is questionable whether the committee's response can be considered appropriate, as these types of controversies are becoming more common and continue to cause outrage at many universities across the country

Introduction
referring to assignment

the USA is a country that is politically deeply divided
thus American universities are under a lot of pressure to conform to the rules of political correctness
a university must provide protection as well as guidance to young people for whose education it is responsible
especially when propagandas contrary to human and civil rights are lectured, which conflicts with constitutional principles
all forms of despicable speeches and racist remarks must be prevented by institutions
propagators who incite violence and hatred are considered to have crossed the boundary of freedom of expression
individuals and groups must not feel constitutionally restricted in their freedom and equality by extremist and hostile speakers

Main Body
Possible counterarguments

it is questionable, however, if it can be considered appropriate to silence speakers before they've been given a chance to even utter their opinion
in the first amendment in the American constitution, the right of free speech is written down
can't a prohibition express one's own point of view be understood as a restriction of the freedom of speech and thus as a violation of a fundamental human right?
a university has always been and can be considered an autonomous space
there, intellectual freedom is required to allow complex academic discourses
accordingly, it is even of more importance to keep this space free of ideological and political influences
and thus to show its true open-mindedness character

Possible arguments to agree with Committee of the University of Chicago

universities must be considered as platforms where students are allowed to identify racism, as well as constitutional propaganda, as such
thus it's the perfect habitat for young people to have controversial discussions
to deprive professors and students of the opportunity to deal with such ideological and ethnic views that are clearly against the constitution would be inappropriately patronized
young students need intellectual challenges to learn to both analyze and critically question them
silencing extremist speakers does not make them cease
the prohibition of such extremist speeches has only the consequence that they get carried to places where people do not get the guidance and intellectual support to deal with them

Universities as platforms for controversial discussions

in conclusion, I can understand the contempt and outrage towards these ideological and hostile speakers
nevertheless, in my opinion, there is a need for an open dialogue with representatives of such extreme positions
this is only possible if this controversial discussion is also allowed to be conducted openly
populist speakers draw their strength from demeaning, belittling or even silencing others
the limited argumentation of such propagators must be confronted in open discussions
accordingly, I concur with the statement of the University of Chicago Committee on Freedom of Expression issued the statement

Conclusion