Composition A - Assess or Discuss

Task III A

Choose ONE of the following.

In Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter, Silas experiences different kinds of loss. Assess his ways of dealing with them.

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Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter: Hier gehts zu den Summaries

"The greatest nations are defined by how they treat their weakest inhabitants." (2010) Jorge Ramos, Mexican-American journalist

Explain Ramos' statement and discuss whether, according to his definition, the US is a great nation in the 21st century.

content 10 VP
language 15 VP

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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.

Silas grows up in Chicago, where he lives primarily with other blacks and feels at home in his neighbourhood
the boy has a somewhat tense relationship with his stepfather, but all in all, he enjoys a good childhood. He goes to a better school and also lacks nothing materially
he and his mother have to move away from Chicago to Chabot due to the separation of the mother from Silas' stepfather
Silas' mother sells most of her possessions before the move to earn money. Here, too, Silas experiences the loss of old familiar objects, some of which have sentimental value for him
the extent of the financially strained situation becomes clear to Silas when he suspects that his mother has prostituted herself so that they can be taken away by a driver in a car
much of the furniture and goods they still own are stolen during the move

Main Body
Loss in material and domestic terms

due to these numerous unfamiliar intrusions into his hitherto safe and peaceful life, Silas experiences an overload of the situation
he runs away, possibly traumatised and confused by the unfamiliar occurrences

This is how Silas reacts

the friendship between Larry and Silas breaks up as a result of a scuffle between the two over a gun instigated by Carl Ott

The experience of losing a friend

Silas no longer pays attention to Larry after their argument but also does not see that the dispute between the two was initiated by Carl Ott and that reconciliation would, therefore, be possible
since Larry called him the N-word, Silas understandably refuses to take a step towards him, as his pride forbids him to do so
Silas had hit Larry quite severely after Larry had insulted him. Whether Silas regrets the hard hand in retrospect or is ashamed of having touched his friend in such a way is open to question

This is how Silas reacts

when Silas is questioned, he does not tell the officers that he was with Cindy the same night she disappeared
he does this even though he learns afterwards that she has died and therefore, loses his former childish innocence

Loss of honesty

because of his dishonesty, Silas wants to leave Chabot behind as quickly as possible and leaves the place. He runs away from his problems
Silas' silence prevents the police from catching the real culprit, and the latter is never brought to justice
Silas' behaviour and the fact that he breaks off contact with his former friend leads to Larry's family life being ultimately ruined
he shirks all responsibility and thus causes irreversible damage

This is how Silas reacts

Silas experiences the consequences of loss in a dramatic way. He also has to experience how irreversible some of the deeds he has done can be
the protagonist experiences loss at a very young age and accordingly adopts avoidant behaviour whenever there is any kind of loss
however, he also has to admit to himself that running away from complications and difficult situations alone is not a solution. It can be just as fatal as it is unpleasant to face the confrontation with the respective issue

Conclusion

"greatest" refers to a superlative adjective, which has the same positive connotation as its synonyms such as strongest, most honourable, exemplary, considerable
the third word in the present quotation, "nation" represents a country's leadership and the citizens who follow it
the term "weakest" denotes the weakest link in the food chain. The weakest would be those who fall outside the average secure, political as well as legal grid. Minorities, whether because of their origin or their cultural, political or sexual orientation, are also meant by the "weakest". In our latitudes, children are also among the weakest
both citizens and immigrants are considered "inhabitants"

Introduction
Explanation of the quote

as a great nation, America's image to the outside world is one of equal opportunity and the American Dream, regardless of background

Main Body
Claim

legally, America stands up for minorities and the rights of those who occupy an outsider position in society by supporting affirmative action, for example
in the states, small associations and minority businesses can also finance themselves through donations, and financially illiquid students have access to scholarships. When it comes to social security, the American state has offered its citizens Obama Care (health insurance) since 2013, for example
American citizens are also politically active. That is how movements such as Black Lives Matter or the establishment of the LGBT scene in the States came into being
as is usual for a country with freedom of the press, minorities also find a voice in the news by reporting on social injustice. At the same time, a large part of the population is also involved in voluntary work

Arguments supporting the claim

although America is legally pro-minority, there are repeated outbreaks of police violence, racist behaviour towards black people and the marginalisation of the poor
the inadequate security means that many people end up on the streets after a life crisis, where they receive neither unemployment benefits nor access to care or education
even though Trump has now resigned and at least some of the damage he left behind with his miserable and inhumane immigration policy can be repaired, there are still disagreements within the parliament

Arguments against the claim

one can conclude from the quote that society must always take responsibility for the weakest among them
also, the quote states that the truly moral face of a person is not shown in its respect for obvious authority figures, but its interaction with vulnerable beings

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