In 1-2 well-written pages, discuss one of the following topics:

1. Identify a story, character, or passage from the text which you find particularly interesting and explain why you think it is there. Or choose one of the topics below.

2. Taoist philosophy opposes the classification and labeling of ideas and objects. Is Chuang Tzu contradicting this fundamental belief by writing a book about Taoist philosophy?

3. How is death viewed in Basic Writings? Explain its significance and how it differs from Christian belief.

4. Examine the difficult passage, beginning at the bottom of page 34, on "this" and "that". Find a narrative passage that exemplifies the paragraph's ideas about false distinctions. Explain how your two passages make the same point in two different ways.

5. Take a look at the artists and craftsmen. What are their important qualities and what do they show us about the Way? In preparation for writing look at all examples of artists and craftsmen, but in your finished paper, focus on one or two examples.

6. Discuss one of the following key passages: the "butterfly dream" (p. 45) or the "fish trap" (p. 140). Both are extremely famous passages in Chinese literature. Explain how your chosen passage contains some idea essential to our understanding of Chuang Tzu as a whole.