Philosophy Essay: Midnight Library Analysis
Budget: $10 – $30 USD
Essay #2:
The [Insert Your Last Name Here]
School of Philosophy
Purpose: Philosophers grapple with a recurring question: “What does it mean to live a good life?” Throughout The Midnight Library, you were exposed to several different philosophical schools of thought that each offered a different answer. They gave Nora a framework for understanding what was happening to her, which she then combined with her experiences to craft her personal philosophy. Now, it is your turn. Like Nora and all other philosophers, you will engage with existing philosophical schools of thought. Choose two ideas from philosophers included in the novel that you feel match up with what you believe it means to live a good life.
Task: You will write a multi-paragraph essay response to the question: What two philosophical ideas from the philosophers mentioned in The Midnight Library best fit with what you believe it means to live a good life?
· You will then create support paragraphs showing why you agree with these viewpoints based on your own experiences and analysis of examples provided by the book.
· Use your chart of the philosophical ideas presented in the book.
Criteria for Success:
· You must have an introduction, conclusion, and body paragraphs. The THESIS should be the last sentence of the introduction paragraph.
· Your introduction must provide context--in this case, you must first explain what you think it means to live a good life.
· Your thesis statement will directly answer the question: What two philosophical ideas from the philosophers mentioned in The Midnight Library best fit with what you believe about what it means to live a good life?
· Example Thesis: In The Midnight Library, Thoreau’s philosophy on prioritizing family as well as Camus’ philosophy on embracing uncertainty support what I believe it means to live a good life.
· You will then elaborate on your thesis statement with a combination of support from the book and personal examples from your own life.
· All body paragraphs must start with a TOPIC SENTENCE.
· The topic sentence of each body paragraph should be supported with a direct quotation from the novel of the philosophical idea, specific evidence of how the idea applies to the characters’ lives in the novel, and specific and concrete evidence from your personal experiences.
· You may not use any outside sources except The Midnight Library
· All textual examples (summary, paraphrase or direct quotes) included in the essay must follow the ICE method of source incorporation: Introduce, Cite, Explain.
· At least two direct quotations are required.
· You must use MLA (9th edition) Citation format for all textual examples (summary, paraphrase, or direct quotes), both in-text and works cited page.
· Word Count— 500-750 words (4-5 paragraphs)
· Point of View— You may use 1st person in this assignment, but no 2nd person “you.”
· MLA Paper format is required. Follow the example provided on page 358 of your Bedford Handbook. Failure to adhere to these formatting guidelines will result in an automatic 5-pt deduction.
· Your title should be The [insert your last name here] School of Philosophy (for example, if your last name is Jenkins, your title would be The Jenkins School of Philosophy).
· Any plagiarized ideas or use of generative AI for this response will result in a grade of zero and an academic referral.
Skills: The purpose of this assignment is to help you practice the following skills that are essential to your success in this and future college courses:
1. Analysis of Ideas
2. Synthesis of Ideas
3. Source Incorporation
4. MLA Citation and Paper Formatting
Submission Requirements
· Your revision must be submitted in Microsoft Word. If necessary, use your free Office 365 account that you can access through GTC4me.
· If you prefer another program, you will need to convert your document to Microsoft Word to submit. Keep in mind that converting files often results in spacing and indentation changes; it is your responsibility to correct these issues before submission.
· Google Docs and .pages files are incompatible with Blackboard and will not be accepted. Do not submit a link to your document.
· To submit your assignment, first download your paper to your computer as a Microsoft Word file. Then, open the assignment and click the submission box. Select the paper clip icon in the top menu and attach the document from your computer. Do not submit a shared file link from your Office 365 or Google Docs.
· The complete file should be uploaded to the assignment in Blackboard and submitted before the due date. After attaching the document, wait about ten seconds for the document to load and convert before submitting. If you have submitted the document correctly, you should be able to see and read the full response within the Blackboard submission window.
· If your document is not visible and readable within the Blackboard screen, email me the document before the due date. If you have any doubt that the document has been submitted correctly, attach the file to an email and send it to me before the due date. If you simply email me that you are having an issue without attaching the file, your response will be late and
will not be accepted.
I have completed the outline for this essay and it will need to go along the lines of that outline. I am also required to use the ICE method to cite everything out of The Midnight Library. Here is my outline.
Bailey School of Philosophy
Thesis: What is the thesis (1 sentence only) of your essay?
In The Midnight Library, Camus’ philosophy of embracing life as it is and Aristotle's philosophy of virtue and purpose in life are both ideas that would make a good life for me.
What will the topic sentence of your first support paragraph be (be sure it is directly connected to your thesis)?
Aristotle's philosophy on virtue shows how important it is to have relationships, family, and friends to live a happy life.
What example/s will you use to show that your topic sentence is true? (from the book and personal if desired). Give page numbers for book examples
If using the book as an example put the author’s last name & page number in parentheses following the example. Example: Mrs. Elm’s discussion of the chess rook piece (Haig 56).
Nora first gives us an idea that she is not close with her brother Joe when Ravi comes into String Theory, and as he is leaving Nora says, “Tell Joe I said Hi, please” (Haig 15).
When Nora enters a life where she is a rockstar, she finds out that Joe passed away from a drug overdose (Haig 181) She feels disappointed by not having her brother and disappears out of this life.
In the life that Nora is married to ash she goes back to Bedford and sees her flat at 33A Bancroft Avenue (Haig 253) and realizes Mr. Banerjee's yard doesn’t look nearly as beautiful as it did in her original life and that Mr Banerjee must have went to live at the care home.(Haig 255) She realizes that all the little things she did to help him is what made it possible for him to stay in his home. Mr. Banerjees was a friend of Nora’s.
Once Nora leaves the Midnight Library she wakes up vomiting (Haig 272) and goes to Mr. Banerjee’s to ask him to call for help. He saves her life by calling for help this shows the importance of friends and family.
What will the topic sentence of your second support paragraph be (be sure it is directly connected to your thesis)?
In The Midnight Library, Nora begins to embrace life as it is, reflecting Camus’ philosophy of finding meaning and accepting life as it is by letting go of regret, accepting her imperfect reality, and appreciating the small moments.
What example/s will you use to show that your topic sentence is true? (from the book and personal if desired) Give page numbers for book examples
In The Midnight Library, Nora begins to embrace life as it is by letting go of her regrets. The first time she opens “The book of regrets” (Haig 34) Nora sees that she has many regrets. Throughout the many lives Nora lived she began to accept her imperfect reality and finds meaning in the small things life has to offer. Nora says “It is easy to regret, and keep regretting, ad infinitum, until our time runs out. But it is not the lives we regret not living that are the real problem. It is regret itself.” (Haig 277)
Nora thought the life with Ash and Molly was the perfect life for her, but she ends back up in the library (Haig 262) shortly after, the library began destroying itself because Nora became just as unsatisfied here as she was in her root life. This is where Nora commits to wanting to live the original life she was given even with all of her disappointments and regrets. Nora writes “I AM ALIVE” on a blank page and goes back into her root life where she now appreciates life and no longer wants to die (Haig 275)
What will the topic sentence of your third support paragraph be?
What example/s will you use to show that your topic sentence is true? (from the book and personal if desired) Give page numbers for book examples
If using the book as an example put the author’s last name & page number in parentheses following the example. Example: Mrs. Elm’s discussion of the chess rook piece (Haig 56).
The [Insert Your Last Name Here]
School of Philosophy
Purpose: Philosophers grapple with a recurring question: “What does it mean to live a good life?” Throughout The Midnight Library, you were exposed to several different philosophical schools of thought that each offered a different answer. They gave Nora a framework for understanding what was happening to her, which she then combined with her experiences to craft her personal philosophy. Now, it is your turn. Like Nora and all other philosophers, you will engage with existing philosophical schools of thought. Choose two ideas from philosophers included in the novel that you feel match up with what you believe it means to live a good life.
Task: You will write a multi-paragraph essay response to the question: What two philosophical ideas from the philosophers mentioned in The Midnight Library best fit with what you believe it means to live a good life?
· You will then create support paragraphs showing why you agree with these viewpoints based on your own experiences and analysis of examples provided by the book.
· Use your chart of the philosophical ideas presented in the book.
Criteria for Success:
· You must have an introduction, conclusion, and body paragraphs. The THESIS should be the last sentence of the introduction paragraph.
· Your introduction must provide context--in this case, you must first explain what you think it means to live a good life.
· Your thesis statement will directly answer the question: What two philosophical ideas from the philosophers mentioned in The Midnight Library best fit with what you believe about what it means to live a good life?
· Example Thesis: In The Midnight Library, Thoreau’s philosophy on prioritizing family as well as Camus’ philosophy on embracing uncertainty support what I believe it means to live a good life.
· You will then elaborate on your thesis statement with a combination of support from the book and personal examples from your own life.
· All body paragraphs must start with a TOPIC SENTENCE.
· The topic sentence of each body paragraph should be supported with a direct quotation from the novel of the philosophical idea, specific evidence of how the idea applies to the characters’ lives in the novel, and specific and concrete evidence from your personal experiences.
· You may not use any outside sources except The Midnight Library
· All textual examples (summary, paraphrase or direct quotes) included in the essay must follow the ICE method of source incorporation: Introduce, Cite, Explain.
· At least two direct quotations are required.
· You must use MLA (9th edition) Citation format for all textual examples (summary, paraphrase, or direct quotes), both in-text and works cited page.
· Word Count— 500-750 words (4-5 paragraphs)
· Point of View— You may use 1st person in this assignment, but no 2nd person “you.”
· MLA Paper format is required. Follow the example provided on page 358 of your Bedford Handbook. Failure to adhere to these formatting guidelines will result in an automatic 5-pt deduction.
· Your title should be The [insert your last name here] School of Philosophy (for example, if your last name is Jenkins, your title would be The Jenkins School of Philosophy).
· Any plagiarized ideas or use of generative AI for this response will result in a grade of zero and an academic referral.
Skills: The purpose of this assignment is to help you practice the following skills that are essential to your success in this and future college courses:
1. Analysis of Ideas
2. Synthesis of Ideas
3. Source Incorporation
4. MLA Citation and Paper Formatting
Submission Requirements
· Your revision must be submitted in Microsoft Word. If necessary, use your free Office 365 account that you can access through GTC4me.
· If you prefer another program, you will need to convert your document to Microsoft Word to submit. Keep in mind that converting files often results in spacing and indentation changes; it is your responsibility to correct these issues before submission.
· Google Docs and .pages files are incompatible with Blackboard and will not be accepted. Do not submit a link to your document.
· To submit your assignment, first download your paper to your computer as a Microsoft Word file. Then, open the assignment and click the submission box. Select the paper clip icon in the top menu and attach the document from your computer. Do not submit a shared file link from your Office 365 or Google Docs.
· The complete file should be uploaded to the assignment in Blackboard and submitted before the due date. After attaching the document, wait about ten seconds for the document to load and convert before submitting. If you have submitted the document correctly, you should be able to see and read the full response within the Blackboard submission window.
· If your document is not visible and readable within the Blackboard screen, email me the document before the due date. If you have any doubt that the document has been submitted correctly, attach the file to an email and send it to me before the due date. If you simply email me that you are having an issue without attaching the file, your response will be late and
will not be accepted.
I have completed the outline for this essay and it will need to go along the lines of that outline. I am also required to use the ICE method to cite everything out of The Midnight Library. Here is my outline.
Bailey School of Philosophy
Thesis: What is the thesis (1 sentence only) of your essay?
In The Midnight Library, Camus’ philosophy of embracing life as it is and Aristotle's philosophy of virtue and purpose in life are both ideas that would make a good life for me.
What will the topic sentence of your first support paragraph be (be sure it is directly connected to your thesis)?
Aristotle's philosophy on virtue shows how important it is to have relationships, family, and friends to live a happy life.
What example/s will you use to show that your topic sentence is true? (from the book and personal if desired). Give page numbers for book examples
If using the book as an example put the author’s last name & page number in parentheses following the example. Example: Mrs. Elm’s discussion of the chess rook piece (Haig 56).
Nora first gives us an idea that she is not close with her brother Joe when Ravi comes into String Theory, and as he is leaving Nora says, “Tell Joe I said Hi, please” (Haig 15).
When Nora enters a life where she is a rockstar, she finds out that Joe passed away from a drug overdose (Haig 181) She feels disappointed by not having her brother and disappears out of this life.
In the life that Nora is married to ash she goes back to Bedford and sees her flat at 33A Bancroft Avenue (Haig 253) and realizes Mr. Banerjee's yard doesn’t look nearly as beautiful as it did in her original life and that Mr Banerjee must have went to live at the care home.(Haig 255) She realizes that all the little things she did to help him is what made it possible for him to stay in his home. Mr. Banerjees was a friend of Nora’s.
Once Nora leaves the Midnight Library she wakes up vomiting (Haig 272) and goes to Mr. Banerjee’s to ask him to call for help. He saves her life by calling for help this shows the importance of friends and family.
What will the topic sentence of your second support paragraph be (be sure it is directly connected to your thesis)?
In The Midnight Library, Nora begins to embrace life as it is, reflecting Camus’ philosophy of finding meaning and accepting life as it is by letting go of regret, accepting her imperfect reality, and appreciating the small moments.
What example/s will you use to show that your topic sentence is true? (from the book and personal if desired) Give page numbers for book examples
In The Midnight Library, Nora begins to embrace life as it is by letting go of her regrets. The first time she opens “The book of regrets” (Haig 34) Nora sees that she has many regrets. Throughout the many lives Nora lived she began to accept her imperfect reality and finds meaning in the small things life has to offer. Nora says “It is easy to regret, and keep regretting, ad infinitum, until our time runs out. But it is not the lives we regret not living that are the real problem. It is regret itself.” (Haig 277)
Nora thought the life with Ash and Molly was the perfect life for her, but she ends back up in the library (Haig 262) shortly after, the library began destroying itself because Nora became just as unsatisfied here as she was in her root life. This is where Nora commits to wanting to live the original life she was given even with all of her disappointments and regrets. Nora writes “I AM ALIVE” on a blank page and goes back into her root life where she now appreciates life and no longer wants to die (Haig 275)
What will the topic sentence of your third support paragraph be?
What example/s will you use to show that your topic sentence is true? (from the book and personal if desired) Give page numbers for book examples
If using the book as an example put the author’s last name & page number in parentheses following the example. Example: Mrs. Elm’s discussion of the chess rook piece (Haig 56).