Value Claim*: On Perfectionism
In Lawrence Weschlers The Furniture Philosopher, the furniture designer Ed Weinberger and his builder, Scott Schmidt, pursue an idea (or ideal) of furniture to what many might call extremes: finishing unseen areas of pieces, creating hardware and finishes with little to no consideration of profit (other than an aesthetic one), and so forth. In a culture where good enough in design and construction seems the prevailing mantra, doubtless many would find such practices curious, but it is clear that those few who pursue the kind of perfection (putative) to be found in the furniture find the chase worthwhile. In a well-developed essay, and using The Furniture Philosopher and at least five additional written works as sources,
defend or denounce perfectionism as a practice (and, by extension, perfection as a goal).
Your paper must offer a fair, balanced treatment (you should make assertions, but also anticipate and address serious objections) and have a clear, unambiguous, and manageable thesis that is appropriately qualified.
Note: Some student writers like to devote a separate paragraph or section to opposing points of view. I think that makes for a highly artificial-seeming read; I recommend that you instead bring in opposing points of view at various points in your text.
You should incorporate some assertions of fact into this value claim; however, because you are making a judgment, a claim rooted in subjectivity, emotionrecall the pathetic appealis also allowed, as are philosophical positioning and other relatively nebulous rhetorical strategies, for you are to make a judgment pertaining, in part, to aesthetics (defined by the Oxford Dictionary as a set of principles concerned with the nature and appreciation of beauty, especially in art). Of course, you must establish some standard upon which your aesthetic judgment rests. I acknowledge that there are reasons outside aesthetics that could be used to support a position in this matter of perfectionism, and you may use them as you argue, but I do want you to pay some attention to aesthetics, to the art of creation and its benefits, or follies, or both.
Required number of pages: four, of sources: six), including Weschlers The Furniture Philosopher” (see “files” for a copy). Sources, at least two of which must be from this colleges academic databases, must be of high quality (as a rule, begin your searches with peer-reviewed journals), electronic only, easily accessed by your instructor, and documented in MLA style (in-text citations and a Works Cited page). Your paper should have a reasonably creative title.
checklist for writer must have each one checked before submitting paper:
I have developed a clear, unambiguous, manageable, and appropriately qualified thesis: _____
I have argued for a specific position and come to a conclusion: _____
I have attended to opposing points of view and managed them in an appropriate fashion: _____
I have written to the assigned length (and not one sentence under): _____
I have used the required number of high-quality, electronic sources: _____
I have incorporated some assertions of fact into this value claim: _____
I have scanned my paper carefully for grammatical and spelling errors: _____
I have followed MLA style throughout (margins and font included); my formatting is perfect: __
I have run my paper through one or more research paper checklists (see MLA under files): ____
I have cited sources using present tense: _____
I have introduced quotations, not merely dropped them into my text: _____
I have used direct (that is, word-for-word) quotations for no more than ten percent of the total text: _____
I have included graphics that help illustrate my points: _____
I have composed a creative title (not just, say, Value Claim): _____
I have remained on task throughout: _____
I have, when necessary, taken advantage of others expertise, including, but not limited to, that of my instructor, my peers, and my schools librarians and tutors. (If I have consulted the latter, I have submitted to them both a copy of my essay and a copy of this handout.): _____
I have used no word-for-word portions of this prompt in my essay: _____
I have met every assignment requirement: _____
I accept that the burden of quality rests with me, the writer of this work: _____
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