We are to imagine a terrible storm like that which opens Verdi's Othello. The pavement of the piazza is awash. Saint Mark's pigeons are flying about, looking for land. The Venetian sun has gone down like a gondola in the lagoon. As we wade along in the dying light, a baby in a basket passes. It is being swept out to sea with the rest of the city's garbage. So is a large painting, beautifully framed, which floats its grand nude by us as if she were swimming. Then the question comes, bobbing like a flotsam itself: Which one should we save, the tiny tot or the Tintoretto? the kid in the crib or the Canaletto? --William Gass, The Baby or the Botticelli Which would you save? Why? Explain. Avoid personal anecdote and statements such as "I think x should be saved because...". Be sure to form a logical, complete argument, and remember to take time to plan and proofread. Consider employing one of the logical techniques we've covered: identification/description, comparison/contrast, cause/effect, division/classification, definition/process. Good luck!