Category: Society

  • An Essay on the Principle of Population

    In his famous “An Essay on the Principle of Population“(1798), the English economist Thomas Malthus argued that, since geometric growth of population outstrips arithmetic growth of the food supply, we actually need poverty, disease, and starvation to restore the balance. While this theory was popular in the nineteenth century, very few would accept it today.…

  • Real Estate Speculation

    Today many people speculate in real estate, especially around large cities like Toronto and Vancouver, or Fort Lauderdale homes for sale if you’re my retired parents. But how is it done? First consult a real estate agent or someone you know who has profited from real estate. Focus, then write a brief outline to establish…

  • Third-World Children

    For one week read the international news feed from your favorite news site, paying special attention to reports that have implications for Third-World children. Choose one event or issue that arouses either your approval or your indignation, then respond to it in an essay. Using evidence from the article, make an inductive argument for your…

  • A Job You Have Had

    Think of a job you have had. Write a page of rough notes about it, then, looking these over, decide how socially useful or useless the job was. Now write an inductive argument showing the evidence for your conclusion. After a rapid first draft, examine what you have said: Do the examples support your thesis?…

  • American Influence in Canadian Life

    What degree of American influence do you detect in these aspects of Canadian life. Computer software Eating habits Fashions Film distribution Foreign policy Hockey Inflation Interest rates Language Pollution Popular music Social services Television programming Textbooks

  • A Group That Has Been Poorly Treated

    Identify a group that you believe has been poorly treated by Canadian society (for example the handicapped or disabled, the elderly, native peoples, farmers, immigrants, refugees, single parents, etc.). Take notes, then write an inductive argument in which you present the evidence that led to your belief. In your next draft revise to seek an…

  • Age of Anxiety

    The poet W.H. Auden called the age we’re living in “the Age of Anxiety.” Would you agree? Is there a lot of anxiety in your life? What specific anxieties do you face and what is their effect upon you?

  • Utopia

    Throughout the history of the world, writers have tried to conceive better worlds than the ones they actually lived in. Look up the word “utopia” in Wikipedia and read about the various attempts at conceiving the perfect society. Do you think these efforts were worth the time and energy the authors put into them? Or…

  • “Snivelization”

    Herman Melville referred to civilization as “snivelization.” What do you think he meant? Look up the word “snivel,” digest all of its meanings and then write an essay agreeing or disagreeing with the author of Moby Dick.

  • Cities

    Is the big city “a wondrous toy” as the song goes, or is it a hill of swarming ants? Is it a creative showcase for a country’s talent and skill or is it a drain on the energies of millions of people who must struggle for survival from day to day? Can it be both?…