Question

I have an essay due TOMORROW on modern day self-improvement vs. Franklin's idea of self-improvement.

To be more specific: Would Franklin agree with the ethics of The Biggest Loser (that's the part of modern self-improvement I'm working with)?

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I'd like some tips on this topic, NO proofreading.
However the outline is attached in the next comment.
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If you want more info on Franklin's values go read his "Arriving at Perfection" (in my 50 Great Essays, Penguin Academy 4th Edition book, it's page 133).
But if you want notes I took in class you'll have to tag me and request them specifically.

Answer 1

Here's the outline.

Answer 2

I found something interesting.
http://www.hillcountrychristianschool.org/files/4513/6940/6225/Q1_Franklin_vs_Lawrence_Essay.pdf

Answer 3

Your outline doesn't really say whether or not the show is or isn't ethical in the standards of either you or Franklin, which is kind of a key argument. There are lots of examples but nothing that they're really supporting (that could be somewhere else, I dunno)

Answer 4

Wai- what o.o

Answer 5

Well yes, I do need to supplement facts & quotes from Franklin, I know that.

Answer 6

But, like, the prompt is "Would Franklin agree with the ethics of The Biggest Loser?" The question you're outlining is, "Are the training methods of the show ethical? Does the show set its contestants up to fail outside of the boundaries of the program?" and then something something Ben Franklin.

So your position thesis would be either he would or wouldn't agree; I get that you're analyzing the ethics of the show in relation to what Ben Franklin might think, but the way I read the prompt (and from what is in that Arriving at Perfection essay) "ethics" isn't a moral question, like "ethical;" it's like work ethics. Do the things the show uses to try and improve the lives of its contestant jive with the way Franklin tried to improve his own life in Arriving at Perfection.

That's the way I read it at least. PROVE ME WRONG! ^_^

Answer 7

Sorry, I meant to write the outline as having ethics opposite Franklin's but left that out = n =;;

Answer 8

@AllTehMaffs if I were to cite Franklin (a quote), how would I do so? o.o
seeing as the entire source is in a textbook (Fifty Great Essays, Penguin Academy Fourth Edition)

Answer 9

like, an APA citation?

Answer 10

http://www.easybib.com/cite/form/book/mla7

Answer 11

wut no

Answer 12

how do I cite it if it's in a textbook not a separate soruce?

Answer 13

**Source
I don't think we can actually cite out of the textbook, since the source is probably supposed to be called "Arriving at Perfection" .-.
Our textbook is an anthology of sorts.

Answer 14

I totally just got what you were saying. And you just cite the book as the formal citation, and state that it's the essay you're quoting from in the body of your essay.

Answer 15

Wai- what?!

Answer 16

Seriously? That's okay?

Answer 17

Wait. Problem #2 just came up: How do I cite a source out of a textbook? Do I use the textbook author's name or Franklin's name?

Answer 18

Why not? The point of the citation is to help confirm that you're not making something up and establishing a trail to the actual original source. The book you're quoting from (hopefully) has a citation pointing to either a primary source or a secondary reprint of his essays from somewhere else, so citing the book containing essays is just a citation of the essay itself.

You wouldn't say "In my textbook Ben Franklin says..." You would either quote directly and add a footnote (AP English uses MLA citation styles) or be like,

\[ \textrm{In his essay, "Arriving at Perfection" Benjamin Franklin says, "I made a little book."}^1\] Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Nullam at risus et ipsum suscipit molestie a eu dolor. Donec a purus varius leo adipiscing auctor non vel orci. Ut aliquet, turpis quis tincidunt dapibus, massa urna cursus felis, a tempus justo erat nec tellus. Aliquam pellentesque libero enim, quis ullamcorper nisl pellentesque at. Sed imperdiet lectus sapien, in luctus nunc varius vel. In turpis lectus, mattis eget felis eu, porttitor placerat turpis. Mauris tempor at lectus at commodo. And that's why people eat food.

\[^1 \ \small \textrm{ This is my formal citation. Book, page number, year printed, publisher}\]

Answer 19

the formal citation is the book, within that citation is information about the section/passage you're using.

http://www.easybib.com/cite/form/chapter/pubtab/pubnonperiodical

Answer 20

aww, the 1 got cut off. There's a footnote superscript 1 after the end of that quote. Which is actually from the essay!

Answer 21

The textbook contains an excerpt from his autobiography called "Arriving at Perfection". We're citing the excerpt, not the entire autobiography.

Answer 22

This one