writing 2

Terr 2

Vivian Terr, J.D.

Woodbury University

INDS 104.S1 and S2, Knowledges

May 2015

Knowledges: Take-Home Midterm Exam

We have studied the following texts (among others) in the second half of this semester:

· Shakespeare, Othello

· Akutagawa, “In A Bamboo Grove”

· Sontag, “In Plato’s Cave” and “The Image World”

· Levy, “Magritte and The Triumph of The Simulacrum”

· Felluga, “Modules on Baudrillard: On Simulation”

· Mann, “Jean Baudrillard: A Very Short Introduction”

· Baudrillard, “The Divine Irreference of Images,” “The Hyperreal and The Imaginary,” and “The China Syndrome”

Writing Prompts – Please respond to one of the following two writing prompts, in an essay which complies with the Basic Instructions below:

First Writing Prompt:

“We are prone to rhetorical ways of knowing and presenting which misrepresent the truth about ourselves, about events, and about our relationships with other people.”

Please discuss how Shakespeare and Akutagawa explore this idea, using three examples each from Othello and “In a Bamboo Grove.”

Your discussion of Othello should also explore how Shakespeare uses “dramatic irony” (the gap between what the audience knows and what a character knows) to show us how we “see what we want to see.”

Second Writing Prompt:

“Reality has always been interpreted through the reports given by images …. The powers of photography have in effect de-Platonized our understanding of reality, making it less and less plausible to reflect upon our experience according to the distinction between images and things, between copies and originals. … the force of photographic images comes from their being material realities in their own right, richly informative deposits left in the wake of whatever emitted them, potent means for turning the tables on reality—for turning it into a shadow.” (Sontag, 153, 179-180)

Please discuss how the “image world” has made “reality” either (a) an irrelevant concept, or (b) a less important concept, in our lives today. Your essay should discuss all five of the following works:

· Sontag’s “In Plato’s Cave” and “The Image World”

· Assigned selections from Baudrillard’s writings

· Felluga and Mann explanatory articles

Basic instructions: Your 750 to 1,000-word essay (three-four pages) should meet each of the following content and format requirements:

· Create a thesis that focuses your essay, supported by well-organized paragraphs and a well-reasoned conclusion

· Include at least four short quotations from the assigned readings to support the reasoning in your essay

· Document all primary and secondary sources according to the Modern Language Association (MLA) or American Psychological Association (APA) method of documentation with parenthetical citations everywhere you quote, paraphrase, or summarize

· Include a Work(s) Cited/Reference section at the end of your paper, and a header with your name, course number and section, and date

· Be word-processed, double-spaced, in 12 point font with no more than one inch margins all around, and be free of spelling and grammatical errors

· Be uploaded as a Word document by Wednesday, 6 May no later than 9:00 a.m. for INDS 104S1 students

· Be uploaded as a Word document by Monday, 4 May no later than 10:30 a.m. for INDS 104.S2 students