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Hussein Aljebur
Professor Tucker
English 124
25 February 2020
The Declaration of Independence
Pre-reading Questions
1.Under what conditions may a people alter or abolish their government?
Jefferson made careful arrangements to contend that the privilege of insurgency
was a constrained one, as in one couldn't do this for powerless or pointless reasons (or
"light and transient causes"). It was consequently that he and his associates gave such an
extensive rundown of complaints against the British ruler so as to demonstrate to the
world that their purposes behind revolt were not kidding, longstanding, and numerous
2. Why does Jefferson consider King George a tyrant?
Jefferson considers King George a tyrant because he is unjust, selfish, and uses his power
without consideration for the people. He commits numerous acts without people's consent. This
is not a democracy, this is tyranny.
Questions for critical reading
1. What laws of nature does Jefferson refer to in paragraph 1?
It is following the law of nature from John Locke that is based upon ‘reason and
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common equity’ All humans are under the responsibility to do what is good for all and
that is revealed through the reason. His arguments also call for justice to be undertaken
by any people if the law of nature is being neglected.
2. What do you think Jefferson feels is the function of government (para. 2)?.
Jefferson would note that the purpose of the government was to protect the “inalienable rights''
that man received from “their Creator.” In his view, if the government became 2 “destructive,” it
was the right of the citizens to “alter or abolish” that form of government and replace it with a
better one. Jefferson believed that governments derive their power “from the consent of the
governed.” In other words, the citizens of the nation permitted the government to rule
3. What does Jefferson say about women? Is there any way you can determine his views
from reading this document? Does he appear to favor a patriarchal system?
I believe that he mentions women specifically. I can not really determine his views on women to
an extreme. I believe he really favors it, this was written at a time when everyone had like views
about it. When he says “all men are created equal” he basically means all of the above.
4. Find at least one use of parallel structure in the declaration, what key terms are repeated
in identical or equivalent construction, and to what effect?.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by
their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are [life, liberty, and the pursuit of
happiness.". It emphasizes that these are our rights.
5. Which causes listed paragraphs 3 through 29 are the most serious? Are any trivial?
Which ones are serious enough to cause a revolution?.
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When Jefferson speaks of laws of nature he is referring to the laws entitled to all men by God. I
think Jefferson feels that the rule of government is to be aware of whether it is corrupt or not. It’s
their duty to throw out or establish a new or better government.
6. What do you consider to be the most graceful sentence in the entire declaration? Where
is it placed in the declaration? What purpose does it serve there?
I believe that one of the most graceful sentences in the Declaration of Independence is: “We hold
these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their
Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of
Happiness.” It is the first.
7. In what ways does the king’s desire for a stable government interferes with Jefferson’s
sense if his own independence?.
The king's desire for a stable government interferes with Jefferson's sense of his own
independence because the king has a completely different outlook on the situation. Due to the
king's absence in the colonies, he does not have the same knowledge Jefferson has to have a
successful government.
Calendar Questions
How does the document seem to define independence? Use this definition as a basis for
your own. To what extent does your definition agree with Jefferson?
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nations, such as France and the Netherlands, also had colonial interests in North America
and may have been concerned if British colonists declared independence for groundless reasons.
Also, because of Jefferson’s background as a lawyer, it might have also been true that he was
building his case for independence before the world community, similar to what he might do if
he were pleading a case before a jury.
Journal response:
The Declaration of Independence is “a document containing philosophical principles and a list of
grievances that declared separation from Britain. Adopted by the Second Continental Congress
on July 4, 1776, it ended a period of intense debate with moderates still hoping to reconcile with
Britain” (The American Promise, pg.164). The Declaration of Independence was printed and
handed out everywhere. It was read out loud in the celebration by many. “Printed copies did not
include the signer’s names, for they had committed treason, a crime punishable by death” (The
American Promise, pg. 164). I would save this from being lost to all future generations because
this was very important in American history. It is important for future generations to know about
The
Declaration of Independence because it is why we have the rights we have now. This document
changed history forever. Future generations need to know this information because it details
how we as Americans got our independence and our rights.
Another event or person I would save from chapter seven for future generations would be
the Treaty (Peace) of Paris, 1783. This treaty ended the revolutionary war. It “acknowledged
America’s independence, set its boundaries and promised the quick withdrawal of British troops
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from American soil”. Future generations need to know about this because if they didn’t, they
wouldn’t how and why the revolutionary war ended.
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Hussein Aljebur
Professor Tucker
Subject Name
25 February 2020
Machiavelli - the qualities of the prince
Pre-reading Questions
1- Why does Machiavelli praise skill in warfare in his opening pages? How does that skill
aid a prince?.
According to Machiavelli, being skilled in warfare is very important in keeping one's
state. He believes that a prince (or leader) not skilled in warfare will easily lose their
state. In Machiavelli's, The Qualities of the Prince, he says that "...it is evident when
princes have given more thought to personal luxuries than to arms, they have lost their
state.
2- Is it better for the prince to be loved or to be being feared?
Sure, every politician wants to be popular; we want to be seen as friendly, generous, considerate,
thoughtful, accessible, caring, and compassionate. We want photographs and news stories to
capture us helping people, serving the community, reaching out, smiling as we hand over the
cheque to the local charity.
Questions for critical reading:
1- The usual criticism of Machiavelli is that he advises his prince to be unscrupulous. Find
examples for and against this claim.
As were Cyrus, Caesar, and Alexander; for spending the wealth of others does not lessen your
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reputation but adds to it; only the spending of your own is what harms you.” – I am against this
claim because this quote is showing nothing but a forceful dictatorship that ruler compels the
wealthy man to give up his properties under the ruler’s power.
2- Why do you agree or disagree with Machiavelli when he asserts that the great majority
of people are not good? Does our government assume that to be true too?
Among the precepts espoused by Machiavelli: leaders should always mask their true intentions,
avoid inconsistency, and frequently “act against mercy, against faith, against humanity, against
frankness, against religion, in order to preserve the state.” His name has become synonymous
with cunning tyrants.
3- Politicians — especially heads of state — are the contemporary counterparts of the
prince. To what extent should successful heads of modern states show skill in war? Is
modern war similar to wars in Machiavelli’s era? If so, in what ways?
I think modern politicians are likely to succeed by following most of Machiavelli’s
recommendations. For example, Machiavelli’s “On Avoiding Being Despised and Hated” states,
“internal affairs will always be stable when external affairs are stable.” This quote is still
succeeded by modern politicians in order to win people, utilizing external, concerning foreign
powers.
Moreover, modern politicians seem not to keep his word and find the occasion to do, when it
comes to their disadvantage. Just like Machiavelli states, “A wise ruler, therefore, cannot and
should not keep his word when such an observance of faith would be to his disadvantage and
when the reasons which made him promise are removed.”
4- Clarify the advice Machiavelli gives concerning liberality and stinginess. Is this still
good advice?.
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it is important to establish that "liberality" for Machiavelli means a willingness to spend lavishly,
not any political ideology in the way the term is used today. With that in mind, Machiavelli
observes that it is good for a prince to be regarded as liberal in nature, but that this raises a
problem.
5- Are modern politicians likely to succeed by following all or most of Machiavelli’s
recommendations? Why or why not?
Machiavelli gives advice to the prince. His rhetorical devices are quite powerful; appealing to
both common sense and historical experience, suggesting an alternate argument, and discussing
opposing-pairs. Among advice from Machiavelli, some can be appropriate for accepting in
modern society, where citizens’ intelligence and scientific technology have definitely developed;
however not all things that Machiavelli said are right. In recent days, there are many countries in
the world and each of them is trying to achieve successful wealth and military power, searching
for some recommendations from Machiavelli.
Calendar Questions:
1. Define the ends and means, and explain why they are important?
Ends: A point that marks the limit of something or
The point at which something no longer continues to happen or exist.
Means: To design, intend, or destine for a certain purpose or end
A means to an end is an idiom. It is used when something you are doing (work) is not as
important to you as what you hope to achieve by doing it (in this case, probably money).
Whoever says this does not really enjoy their job in itself, it is a job they are just doing to earn
some money.
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2. Compare Machiavelli’s advice with the behavior of a specific politician?
critical of rulers who abused their power. He argued that the mistreatment of people
would not win loyalty, trust, or obedience. But, he said, expedient methods could be justifiable if
there are clear and measurable benefits from those acts. Machiavelli today is also known from
the adjective “Machiavellian,” which suggests something evil, underhanded, and sneaky in
politics. But that too is a false impression.
3- Under what political circumstances might the ends justify the means?
A characteristic behavior in today’s society is the belief that the ends justify the means. This
means actions people take are justified regardless of how they go about achieving their desired
end result. For example, some students I have taught justified lying on their resume because it
could help them get a job.
Journal response:
It is difficult to come up with one conclusion, in my opinion, about whether a prince should be
loved or feared. If he is loved he is supposed to have the loyalty of his subjects, as well as their
support. Yet it seems if a prince is only loved and nothing else that he may, at one point in time,
loose this loyalty and his subjects may rebel and turn against him. This is the point in which I
agree with what Machiavelli has to say. The way I see it (and it is obvious Machiavelli also sees
it this way) is if a prince is feared he gains his subjects’ respect. Then in turn from gaining their
respect, he gains their obedience, which then becomes their loyalty. This is a different loyalty
than that of being a loved prince, for a feared prince will never lose his subjects’ loyalty because
they are all too scared of the repercussions of their actions if they were to attempt to rebel. I
believe a good prince is both loved and feared; he just has to know when he wants to be loved
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and when he needs to be feared. Although if I must pick only one quality, I would say a feared
prince is a better ruler. My opinion is in agreement with Machiavelli’s which states, “I reply that
one should like to be both one and the other; but since it is difficult to join them together, it is
much safer to be feared than to be loved when one of the two must be lacking". Having such a
strong power over one’s subjects that the prince actually scares them out of doing something
against his will, seems to me, to be the ultimate ruler. In my opinion, the ultimate ruler/prince is
one who unites this army and people, keeps them in line, and rules fairly for many years.
Although, I believe a prince can be strict and feared without having to resort to cruelty all of the
time.
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