Love Romance and Identity

Length:                                   At least 1200 words, plus “Works Cited” Secondary sources:               At least two print or electronic sources from Hammermill Library, plus one or more internet sources Prompt:  Choose or create your own topic   Robert Feldman maintains that “when we’re with our friends, when we’re with people we’re just meeting for the first time, even when we’re with our spouses and loved ones, the lies are thick and furious” (272). He then adds that the problem with these small white lies is that they easily result in bigger, more serious lies. Do you agree with his overall claim? Why or why not? Creating a working definition of “lie” will be important for your argument here. Make an argument about the dangers and/or benefits of online dating sites for single people. Do you think that the benefits outweigh the dangers? Why or why not? Deborah Tannen’s work has been enormously influential for the ways in which we think about male and female conversational styles. Based on your experience, observation, and research, do you agree with her model of gender differences in communication? Why or why not? Given that Plato’s Phaedrus was composed around 370 BC and addresses love between an older man and younger boy, one might argue that Socrates’s definition of true love has little relevance for heterosexual or same-generation couples in the 21st century. Do you agree with this statement? Why or why not? Write an essay drawing on recent research in which you argue that the children of alternative or single families do/do not have better financial futures and social mobility. Using Bernstein’s essay “Sibling Rivalry Grows Up” as a model, make an argument about the effects of competition and jealousy on friendships or romantic relationships.