A student is asked to write a critique of this excerpt from Utopia. If these metals were laid up in any tower in the kingdom it
would raise a jealousy of the Prince and Senate, and give birth to that foolish mistrust into which the people are apt to fall—a jealousy of their intending to sacrifice the interest of the public to their own private advantage. If they should work it into vessels, or any sort of plate, they fear that the people might grow too fond of it, and so be unwilling to let the plate be run down, if a war made it necessary, to employ it in paying their soldiers. To prevent all these inconveniences they have fallen upon an expedient which, as it agrees with their other policy, so is it very different from ours, and will scarce gain belief among us who value gold so much, and lay it up so carefully. They eat and drink out of vessels of earth or glass, which make an agreeable appearance, though formed of brittle materials; while they make their chamber-pots and close-stools of gold and silver, and that not only in their public halls but in their private houses. Of the same metals they likewise make chains and fetters for their slaves, to some of which, as a badge of infamy, they hang an earring of gold, and make others wear a chain or a coronet of the same metal; and thus they take care by all possible means to render gold and silver of no esteem . . . Which is a critique of the excerpt? Gold earrings are given to enslaved people and seen as cause for shame. The effects of slavery are much worse than the effects of materialism. To show their disdain for gold and silver, Utopians use them for chamber pots. Utopians make a great effort to treat precious metals for everyday purposes.
The correct answer is B. The effects of slavery are much worse than the effects of materialism.
Explanation:
A critique is an evaluation or assessment in which the author aims at analyzing the positive and negative aspects of some material (novel, story, movie). This implies for a critique to be valid it needs to provide some judgment that analyses a specific aspect of the material analyzed. In the excerpt presented from Utopia, it is explained the Prince or government decided to use precious materials such as gold or silver in objects such as chamber-pots or close-stools to avoid people feel these materials are special. Additionally, these materials are used to show slavers are inferior by creating gold chains and making slavers wear gold earrings. From this excerpt the statement that works a critique of it is "The effects of slavery are much worse than the effects of materialism" because this is the only statement that goes beyond summarizing the information of the excerpt by analyzing the effects the concept of materialism has in comparison to the existence of slavery by stating the use of gold and silver in certain objects is not as harmful as it is slavery. This means statement B. is evaluation the aspects of the excerpt which is the main purpose of a critique.
