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Fate and Karma Essay

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Fate and Karma Essay
Total Cost: $25.00
Instructions
This essay should be a 500-750 word essay focusing on the assigned readings from Weeks 2, 3,
and 4. It is due by 11:55 pm ET on Sunday of Week 4.
This should be a close reading essay, and should use as evidence primarily passages from the
story or stories that you discuss. You may not use ANY outside sources without the instructor's
approval.
The essay should be in MLA essay format (see the sample essay here) and should have the
student/teacher cover letter (which should answer these questions) as the first page. A works
cited entry and in-text citations for each text discussed are required.
The essay should be focused on making a debatable claim about the work(s) in question;
informational essays or essays consisting of summary are not appropriate. The claim should be
supported with discussion of specific passages from the text(s) on which the essay is focused.
Fate and Karma: Fate and Karma are 2 major cultural ideas that came up in these first two
weeks. Are these 2 concepts mutually exclusive? Can we have both fate and karma in a story, or
must we have only 1 or the other? Use passages from either The Iliad OR the Sakuntala as
support.
Essay Cover Letter:
The essay cover letter is designed to give you practice evaluating your own writing, and also to
give you a chance to request specific feedback from the instructor. In the Cover Letter, please
respond to the following questions:
1. 2. If the prompt allowed you to choose what works to write on, which work or works did
you choose and why?
The assignment in which I chose to discuss was that of fate and karma and whether or not
the two are mutually exclusive; more specifically, if they are mutually exclusive in the
commission of war. I chose this particular topic for a couple of reasons, the main reason of
which being the fact that I am a strong believer in karma and I have always believed that
what you put into life you will get back the same. This can also be a reflection of the Biblical
saying do unto others…. Regardless of how well we treat ourselves and others, karma is not
always something that can be recognized or presented in our lives but fate is an undeniable
part of life that cannot, and will not be changed.
2. What do you feel are the strengths of your essay?

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Strengths of my essay, I believe, would be the implementation of several different
supporting facets regarding fate and the presence of fate in The Iliad. The passages that were
utilized to represent fate as it was portrayed in The Iliad further validated my understanding
as well as my opinion that fate is outside of our control as individuals but the ways in which
we live our lives can determine how we will be remembered once that fate has been
delivered.
3. What parts of the essay do you feel are weaknesses or areas that could use more work?
Weaknesses of the essay would undoubtedly be the presence of examples from The Iliad
referencing karma. Upon reading the different books of The Iliad, there were no viable
references to karma that I was able to find and use for the purpose of this essay. Without the
opportunity to use outside sources, the comparison of applicability was increasingly difficult.
4. Are there any particular parts of the essay on which you would like more feedback?
I would like more feedback regarding the manifestation of the belief of karma in The
Iliad and how karma might have been germane to the story.
Essay:
Fate and Karma are not mutually exclusive. The ways in which each are carried out and
recognized are increasingly different from one another. For example, fate can be recognized as a
predetermined part of one’s life while karma is the result of conscious decisions that one makes
during their life (ultimately predicated on choice). To further express the primary differences
between the two, karma can be associated with something such as religious beliefs and choosing
to live one’s life with the solicitation of such beliefs, choosing to be disciplined and most
importantly, accepting responsibility for one’s actions. These are not aspects of fate as fate is
ultimately the development of events and/or responses that are outside the realm of a person’s
control.
In Homers poem The Iliad (800 BCE), there are a number of examples wherein there is a
clear expression of fate having occurred; exemplifying this, it is acknowledged as the work of
fate that Hektor is to be killed by the great warrior Achilles. Additionally, it is also fate that Troy
will fall during the commission of war as they are/were on the losing side of the battle.
Expressions of fate are recognized continuously throughout The Iliad and is not simply revered
to that of death but can also be in repute to fate regarding wealth, health and poverty. The
following excerpt from the Iliad suggests that fate is different from that of Karma:
“Now so long as the day waxed and it was still morning their weapons beat against one another,
and the people fell, but when the sun had reached mid- heaven, the sire of all balanced his
golden scales, and put two fates of death within them, one for the Trojans and the other for the
Achaeans” (Homer 145).
There are no direct references to the ideation of Karma in Homers The Iliad as it is
primarily focused on the occurrences of fate; book VIII of The Iliad continues on the aspect of
fate in Homers expression “I pray in hope to Jove and to the gods that we may then drive those

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Fate and Karma Essay Total Cost: $25.00 Instructions This essay should be a 500-750 word essay focusing on the assigned readings from Weeks 2, 3, and 4. It is due by 11:55 pm ET on Sunday of Week 4. This should be a close reading essay, and should use as evidence primarily passages from the story or stories that you discuss. You may not use ANY outside sources without the instructor's approval. The essay should be in MLA essay format (see the sample essay here) and should have the student/teacher cover letter (which should answer these questions) as the first page. A works cited entry and in-text citations for each text discussed are required. The essay should be focused on making a debatable claim about the work(s) in question; informational essays or essays consisting of summary are not appropriate. The claim should be supported with discussion of specific passages from the text(s) on ...
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