Essay

English 101/Lowe

Assignment 2

In "Our Time," John Edgar Wideman writes of "the forces arrayed against" (432) his brother Robby, and argues that many of his difficulties were attributable to pressures placed on Robby by his community and culture that was rooted in a history of racism and oppression. We have discussed on-line, to some extent, the level of gains made by minorities in the twenty years since the events in "Our Time" took place; some of you have argued that these have been significant, but others would contend they haven’t made that much of a difference. What would John Berger say about this, and the difficulty each of us have had in changing the ways we see members of all communities? What keeps us from changing those viewpoints, and are those viewpoints responsible for keeping people (and points of view) in a place? Are there "formidable forces" arrayed against each of us in our society that make and map the paths we take in our lives?

While reading "Our Secret," you saw that Susan Griffin arrives at some of the same conclusions about how we are shaped and affected by our families, communities, and our histories, both private and public. (Indeed, one of her most passionate arguments is that we are affected by histories we don’t even know.) To put it in Berger's terms, powerful forces are at work in shaping "what we know and believe" and, of course, what we know and believe affects everything we see, and, according to Griffin, everyone we see.

2. Consider the issue of individual responsibility for criminal behavior in light of the Wideman essay and Griffin essays. Both Wideman and Griffin, though in vastly different ways, want to argue that environment does contribute to the decisions people make for themselves, both criminal and otherwise, and Griffin goes so far as to suggest that we, ourselves, are in some small way responsible or at least connected to events, criminal and otherwise, that occur half-way across the globe. Has your reading and Wideman and Griffin affected in any way your perception of criminal responsibility? And are their possibilities for genuine redemption for criminals who commit heinous acts?” Can you apply current international circumstances to a discussion of either the Wideman or Griffin texts? Write an essay that explores the issue of criminal responsibility and how it is shaped (or isn’t shaped) by exterior forces, using Griffin and Wideman to extend and develop your discussion. Don’t forget to establish a clear thesis stating your perspective early in the essay.

This essay should be a minimum of 1000 words long. Please consult Blackboard postings for due dates.