Please choose only one of the two questions below. Carefully consider the questi

Please choose only one of the two questions below. Carefully consider the question of your choice in relation to the texts we have read for the class. Write a 7-page paper (double spaced, 12 pt. font) that addresses the question.
Your essay will be evaluated on a combination of these dimensions: (1) the strength of your understanding of key concepts and ability to articulate different points of view in the course materials, (2) the clarity and sophistication of your own main argument or position, (3) your ability to demonstrate your points by marshaling relevant textual evidence, (4) the cogency of your paper’s structure, and (5) the clarity of your prose. Your creativity is an added bonus!
Good luck!
The political theorist Hannah Arendt once wrote, “The greatest enemy of authority, therefore, is contempt, and the surest way to undermine it is laughter.” Do you agree? Why or why not? Could laughter be a form of resistance? If so, under what circumstances? Drawing on the work of Étienne de la Boétie, James C. Scott, and Lila Abu-Lughod write a letter to Arendt discussing her comment.
“The power to think and the desire to rebel. These faculties, combining their progressive action in history, represent the essential factor, the negative power in the positive development of human animality, and create consequently all that constitutes humanity in man.” These words are written by the nineteenth century anarchist thinker Mikhail Bakunin. Do you agree? Why or why not? If rebellion is one of the essential features of human nature, how does this manifest in history? Drawing on Étienne de la Boétie, Michel Foucault, and James C. Scott, write a letter to Bakunin discussing his comment.