TPO 08 Integrated Writing TaskToward the end of his life the Chevalier de Seingalt 1725 1798 wrote a Chevalier memoir recounting his life and adventures The Chevalier was a somewhat controversial figure but since he met many famous people includin

The lecturer and the article both discuss the reliability of Chevalier’s memoir. Whereas the article states that his memoir is somehow inaccurate, the lecturer points out that the memoir is high in reliability. The lecturer puts three points forwards and acutely contradicts the article’s opinions.

First of all, the article says that Chevalier lies about his wealth because he borrowed considerable sums of money from a Swiss merchant. In contrast, the lecturer claims that Chevalier had a lot of valuable assets and he need time to convert them into money. So loaning from the merchant does not necessarily mean that Chevalier was poor. Chevalier needed immediate currency for his extravagant lifestyle which he would pay them back later. Her theory is logical and sound.

Second, in the article, the critics are skeptical about the accuracy of the conversations recorded in Chevalier’s memoir between himself and Voltaire. While according to the lecturer, this is not the case. The lecturer says that Chevalier wrote down the conversation in detail every night after talking with Voltaire. Such behavior was confirmed due to the fact that Chevalier consulted journals while writing his memoir.

Finally, the reading states that instead of breaking the Venetian prison by digging a hole in the ceiling, Chevalier is more likely to break the jail by bribing the jailers. While the lecturer claims that Chevalier’s memoir is very likely to be true because some prisoners that had more powerful connections outside could not able to bribe the jailers. Moreover, the records show that the ceiling of Chevalier’s cell was being repaired around the time Chevalier was imprisoned.

Though it may seem a bit dramatic and over the top, at the outset, the lecturer is convinced that the memoir was reliable and accurate, and of high historical value.