“The Art of the Commonplace” by Wendell Berry

The Art of the Commonplace is a collection of essays that covers a wide range of social issues including agriculture and the environment, family and marriage, consumerism, and globalism. The topic of each of these essays ultimately ends up with government and politics having an effect or response on the issue.

The assignment is two-fold.

1. Summarize the entire book in half of your 6-page paper in the book review.

2. Relate your original conclusions to a single essay of the book and its issues in the remaining 3 pages of your essay.

In your conclusions, address how government would deal with the issues. You may not dismiss the issue by saying that government has no effect.

You may research the issue if you are unfamiliar to it as how government might address it. If you include that information in your paper, be sure to footnote and acknowledge the source in the bibliography of your paper.