The passage below is an excerpt from Empire of Illusion by Chris Hedges. Read the passage carefully. Then write
an essay in which you develop a position on Hedges’ argument that “the most essential skill . . . is artifice.” Use
appropriate, specific evidence to illustrate and develop your position.
The most essential skill in political theater and a consumer culture is artifice. Political leaders,
who use the tools of mass propaganda to create a sense of faux intimacy with citizens, no longer
need to be competent, sincere, or honest. They need only to appear to have these qualities. Most
of all they need a story, a personal narrative. The reality of the narrative is irrelevant. It can be
completely at odds with the facts. The consistency and emotional appeal of the story are paramount.
Those who are best at deception succeed. Those who have not mastered the art of entertainment,
who fail to create a narrative or do not have one fashioned for them by their handlers, are ignored.
They become “unreal.”
An image-based culture communicates through narratives, pictures, and pseudo-drama.