Archeologist William Laurens Rathje says that societies go through three stages of evolution: “First comes…the Florescent Period, when a set of small, scrappy villages coalesce into…a rising civilization that has learned how to make a living…through warfare, trade, irrigation or some other method of consolidating and capitalizing on resources. Then, having reached a pinnacle of development, the civilization enters its Classical Period, in which it enjoys prosperity, steady growth and dominance… A culture at that stage can afford extravagance. It can be—or at least believes itself to be—unharmed by waste” (Humes180). Finally, “either through competition from other cultures or simple exhaustion of available resources, a civilization…enters an inevitable decline. This is the post-classic or Decadent Period…Cultures entering this terminal phase begin husbanding resources, recycling, and repurposing like mad.” And, Rathje argues, civilizations in the Decadent Period never survive: “Think Easter Island, the fall of Rome, and any number of empires, from Persian to Ottoman to Spanish. Always, the fall approaches and the wising-up comes too late” (181). To what extent, if any, do you think American civilization has entered the Decadent Period?
Manuscript Notes: You must use a total of four sources for this essay. Two of your sources MUST BE SCHOLARLY. The other two must be credible or reliable sources (meaning they should come from the Oviatt Library and/or Google Scholar. You may use the course reader for sources. This essay should be four to five double-spaced pages and calls for MLA documentation; you must include a “Works Cited” list at the end of your essay (and your Works Cited page doesn’t count as a page). When you quote key phrases or clauses from the essay, you must provide parenthetical documentation. Follow the guidelines in Rules for Writers (see “Writing Papers in MLA Style”).