TPO8 (integrated)

The reading states that, there are many critics who have doubted the accuracy of Chevalier memoir, and provides three reasons of support. On the contrary, the professor explains that no memoir is correct in every detail; however, there are some proofs for Chevalier memoir that states that they are reliable. She refutes each of the author's reasons.

First, the reading claims that for the sake of borrowing considerable sums of money from a merchant, Chevalier was not that wealthy. The professor contradicts this point by saying that; this does not mean to be poor. Actually, he was waiting for some amount of his spent money to come back, so only for just a couple of days he ran out of money and do so.

Second, the article posits that, the written papers about Chevalier and Voltaire are not trustable, because they were written many years after the conversations took place. However, the lecturer explains that, there are some witnesses who confirm that each night he wrote down these conversations and he just kept them for some years before revealing.

Third, the reading proposes that, the statement about his escape from prison by drilling the ceiling is incorrect for the reason that he had many friends there, who might receive a bribe to free him. The professor opposes this point by explaining that, there are some governmental documents, which proofs that, the ceiling has been repaired soon after his escaping.