▶ Your Answer :
According to the reading, Chevalier’s memoir is not accurate with three episodes and evidence. However, the lecturer opposes this argument as follows, and claims that Chevalier’s memoir is still a reliable historical source.
To begin with, the reading explains that Chevalier’s life in Switzerland was not wealthy. He did live ostentatiously by partying and gambling, but he borrowed money from a local merchant. However, the professor refutes this idea while she acknowledged the fact that Chevalier loaned the money in Switzerland. This was unavoidable because Chevalier needed money in the process of exchanging his assets with his money.
Secondly, the reading indicates that in Chevalier’s memoir, his conversation with Voltaire is not accurate because it was written after many years the communication occurred. The listening goes against this idea because every night Chevalier made notes after having conversations with Voltaire, and the memoir also refers to these notes. Also, witnesses in this era confirmed that Chevalier consulted these notes and memos.
Thirdly, the reading maintains that Chavalier was able to escape from a prison in Italy because he used bribes with the help of politically well-connected with local friends in Italy, not by his own, using a piece of metal to make a hole in the ceiling and climbed up the roof of the prison. The professor disagrees with this argument as many prisoners in Italy even had more powerful friends than Chavalier. Additionally, the old Venetian government documents indicate the time when the ceiling was repaired matches with the time after Chavalier left the prison. (260words) |