Summary
Sample--Be sure to read through the whole thing!
Sentences
are numbered. The first bit is full of phrases taken directly from the reading.
The second paragraph of each number is the sentence that you come up with--THIS
IS THE ONLY PART WHICH WILL BE TURNED IN--NOT THE "WORKSHEET"
VERSION. Your first summary, as agreed to in class, can be this one, to which
you must add six more sentences, completing the summary. Then you must do
one more to complete the two-summary assignment.
1.
course of human events – becomes necessary – to dissolve political bands
–assume separate and equal station Laws of Nature and God entitle them –
respect of mankind requires they declare the causes -- to the separation
=
(My words) At times in history, a group must break
ties with another, due to the equality promised by God, and reverence for
civilization calls for those splitting off to explain why.
2.
truths – self-evident – all men are created equal – endowed by their Creator
with inalienable rights – Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness – to
secure these rights, Governments are instituted – deriving powers from the
consent of the governed –
The
following facts are indisputable: every human is made as great as the other;
“life,” freedom, and seeking joy are “rights” given to all people by God; and
people build governments to protect these rights and the people.
(my
words)
3.
when any form of government becomes destructive – Right of the People to alter
or abolish it – to effect their Safety and Happiness – Governments should not
be changed for transient causes – mankind is more disposed to suffer while
evils are sufferable – than to abolish the forms to which they are
accustomed. But a long train of abuses -- to reduce them under absolute
despotism—it is their duty to throw off such Government
While
the human tendency is to “toe the line” even when situations are extremely bad,
when rulers disturb their people’s rights to tyrannical extremes, the ruled are
obligated to change or eliminate the elected leadership.
4.–
such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies – and the necessity to
alter their former Government – the history of Great Britain is a history of
repeated injuries – establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To
prove this, let facts be submitted.
The
silent abuse imposed on the Colonies by Great Britain has forced them to do
just that, and here is the proof.
When
you complete your summary, you will only take the completed sentence portion of
the work above, and fashion it into a paragraph, as per the assignment
directions. Be sure to proofread that the sentences not only make sense
independent of one another but also flow together, as follows:
At times in history, a group must break ties with
another, due to the equality promised by God; reverence for civilization calls
for those splitting off to explain why. The following facts are indisputable:
every human is made as great as the other; “life,” freedom, and seeking joy are
unassailable “rights” given to all people by God; and people build governments
to protect these rights and the people. While the human tendency is to “toe the
line” (even when situations are extremely bad), when rulers disturb their
people’s rights to tyrannical extremes, the ruled are obligated to change,
reinvent, or eliminate their elected leadership and the way in which governors
rule. Such has been the silent abuse imposed on the Colonies by King George of Great Britain, and here is the proof:
(Note: I edited the last couple sentences from
numbers 1-4 above, so they make complete sense, both on their on and together.)
Note:
this is incomplete! You may not use the "Declaration of Independence" for your summary!
Below is an effective, faithful student's summary:
Summary or Machiavelli’s "The Qualities of the Prince"
Most rulers come
to power with the help of weapons during war, thus it is necessary for them to
prepare for this act of war especially during time of tranquility to prepare
strategically. In order to prepare for a possible assault, the leader must also
prepare mentally by studying the histories of great generals and leaders and
follow their examples. While a leader must possess qualities that are
traditionally considered virtuous, he must balance them with human qualities
which are considered ghastly in order to preserve his property. In order to
prevent himself from being hated, the ruler must not have a reputation of a
generous man, but that of a stingy person, as when one is stingy, nothing more
than the ordinary is expected out of him. In order not to be taken advantage
of, the ruler must instill a healthy dose of fear (without being overly
malicious) in the hearts of his citizens in order to keep peace in his land. Yet
when it comes to his army, a wise ruler would show great brutality in order to
discipline the soldiers and prevent any kind of mutiny. Only a wise leader
knows that since all men are fickle by nature, he must learn to manipulate and
deceive, not worrying about kept promises. One way to manipulate the men is to
seem merciful and not let his true actions be seen to the public, thus
promoting peace and stability and his state. The only thing that a ruler has to
fear is conspiracies from both within and outside, thus, as long as the ruler
keeps his subjects happy and is not despised by respecting their property, he
will be able to keep stability on the inside and ward off enemies from outside.
