TOEFL integrated writing: Chevalier de Seingalt

The reading passage and the professor's lecture both talk about the Chevalier's memoir. Although the reading passage believes that his memoir was distorted and could not be used as historical resources, the professor affirms that the memoir is accurate overall and is a reliable historical resource.

To begin with, despite the opinion in the reading passage that Chevalier could not be wealthy because of loan from a merchant, the professor provides another explanation. She says that Chevalier needed to transfer his matter properties into money for several days. So at that time he needed to borrow money from a local merchant and spent them on parties and gambling. So he borrowed money in order to wait for the money arrival. So the professor objects the first counterpart in the reading passage.

Secondly, even though the accuracy of the conversations between Chevalier and Voltaire are suspected by the critics. The professor refutes this view and contend that the conversations are accurate. Each night after communicating with Voltaire, Chevalier would wrote down the conversation as accurate as he could. So when he wrote the memoir and wanted to capture the conversation, he could refer to his notes. Besides, Voltire confirmed the accuracy of the conversation. So these evidences make the second argument in the reading passage less convincing.

Finally, the professor rejects the view in the passage that Chevalier could not escape from the prison but was helped by his friends in political field. She argues that other prisoners who had more powerful political friends could not be freed from the prison, so it was hardly to free Chevalier with bribing the jailers. Plus, the old governmental documents noticed that the ceiling was repaired after Chevalier escape. So the jailers needed to repair the ceiling unless Chevalier broken the ceiling and escaped from the jail. So the professor proves that the last point in the reading passage is not trustworthy.