Paper #3

Essay # 3
Draft Due for peer review Monday April 6
Paper due Wednesday April 8

What I’m looking for:
Length 900-1100 words (3-4 pages)
Independent intellectual effort and thoughtfulness
A clear and wel1-focused thesis that is specific and interesting
A clear scheme of organization: introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion
Unified paragraphs with topic sentences and strong transitions between paragraphs
Backing up your ideas with examples rather than summarizing/generalizing
Quotes that are integrated in way that demonstrates close, thoughtful reading
Skillfully constructed sentences
Evidence of reflection and revision
Proper use of MLA citation and documentation (i.e. in-text citation and a works cited page)

Plato

1. What does the allegory of the cave imply for people living in the world of the senses. To what extent are people like (or unlike) the figures in the cave? To what extent is the world we know like the cave?

2. Plato opens by talking about the extent to which we are enlightened. What is the effect on our enlightenment of the allegory he presents? What does an understanding of the allegory cause us to realize about ourselves?

Freud

1. To what extent do you think children’s love/hate of their parents is normal? Freud implies that such feelings exist in all children. Do you think that is likely? If so, what would contribute to those feelings? Should children worry about them? Or are they just normal feelings resulting from their having very little power in the family setting? Argue a case that suggests that the mental states Freud describes are essentially normal and nothing to worry about.

2. In another essay, Freud says that dreams are expressions of one’s wishes and fears and can be “inserted into the chain of intelligible waking mental acts.” If you have had a recent dream that you know can be connected to events in your waking life, describe the dream carefully and make the connection clear. What is the relation of that dream to your waking life? How do you interpret it? Does it seem to involve wishes, fear, or shame? How might Freud interpret this dream?

Gilligan

1. In reference to paragraph 34, establish what you see as the current sex-role stereotypes that appear to be accepted by those people you know best. What is the prospect in the future for a breakdown of these stereotypes? Do you feel optimistic that there will be progress in dealing with the stereotypes? Do you know people who are comfortable with them? Do you know people who are uncomfortable with them? What seem to be their views?

2. Gilligan refers to several fairy tales, such as “Sleeping Beauty” and “Snow White.” Each one portrays women in a passive role. Choose a fairy tale or popular narrative that you feel either supports Gilligan’s views about the distinctions between men and women, or contradicts them. Analyze the fairy tale/narrative for its deeper meaning in the same fashion that Gilligan analyzes certain tales. Do you think fairy tales shape gender beliefs in the young? Should they? Will you read these fairy tales to your children?

Got an idea? Run it by me.