"Zebra" and "Letters To A Young Artist" By: Potok and Smith

Does a person need empathy to create great art?

I think a person does need empathy because people can feel better and know that your life isn't over when you show them empathy.

It may be possible that a person:

Does not need empathy to create great art.

2 points to prove my thesis

1. Artists need to use their heart when creating great art.

2. If you have empathy you are able to relate to people and your creations.

Here are the authors

Evidence from the text to prove my 2 points

Here is my evidence

1. "Empathy requires a more intelligent developed imagination." (Smith,124)

2. "The fundamental to becoming an artist is having position and heart." (Smith,123)

Explain the Evidence

1. This shows that artist need to love art to do their best work. This proves that artists need great empathy to be an artist.

2. This shows that artist with empathy have a more developed imagination. This proves that a person does need empathy to create great art.

Acknowledge the Counterclaim

Even if someone does not have empathy they can still create meaningful art.


If someone is a good artist they can still create good art.


A person needs to have great feelings to create art. In conclusion, I feel that an artist who has empathy has a more developed imagination.