Paper Topic Two

The literature we have looked at so far this semester seeks to understand a simple truth about human existence.Do we ever, it asks, see the world as it truly is or are we continuously blind to the mechanics of our lives.We might think of this in terms of the movie The Wizard of Oz; if we were able, as Toto does in the film, to pull the curtain back, what would our world look like.Would we be happy with what we see?

We’ve seen the metaphor of blindness used to describe our typical, everyday state, the state of being on the other side of that curtain.Blindness rules us, our writers have said.This may be the blindness of distraction, of television, drugs and alcohol, as in Carver’s story.It may be the blindness of false but easy truths, the ones that those in Socrates’ cave prefer.Both Updike and Daniel Alarcon describe the blindness of youth. Hemingway tells us of the blindness of stupidity, that which comes from an inability to imagine the worst possible truths. Sophocles takes the firmest stand about blindness, ultimately arguing that each and every one of us is blind to the truth of the world, and that we should prefer it that way.You may even consider The Sunset Limited as showing both sides, two options of what we would see were we able to.

While each writer agrees that we delude ourselves when we believe we understand the world around us, each presents a different truth about the world once we see it.Some of these are worlds of order and beauty; others are chaotic, nihilistic, and ugly beyond our capacity to look at.

For this paper you will Paper Topic Two

The literature we have looked at so far this semester seeks to understand a simple truth about human existence.Do we ever, it asks, see the world as it truly is or are we continuously blind to the mechanics of our lives.We might think of this in terms of the movie The Wizard of Oz; if we were able, as Toto does in the film, to pull the curtain back, what would our world look like.Would we be happy with what we see?

We’ve seen the metaphor of blindness used to describe our typical, everyday state, the state of being on the other side of that curtain.Blindness rules us, our writers have said.This may be the blindness of distraction, of television, drugs and alcohol, as in Carver’s story.It may be the blindness of false but easy truths, the ones that those in Socrates’ cave prefer.Both Updike and Daniel Alarcon describe the blindness of youth. Hemingway tells us of the blindness of stupidity, that which comes from an inability to imagine the worst possible truths. Sophocles takes the firmest stand about blindness, ultimately arguing that each and every one of us is blind to the truth of the world, and that we should prefer it that way.You may even consider The Sunset Limited as showing both sides, two options of what we would see were we able to.

While each writer agrees that we delude ourselves when we believe we understand the world around us, each presents a different truth about the world once we see it.Some of these are worlds of order and beauty; others are chaotic, nihilistic, and ugly beyond our capacity to look at.

For this paper you will choose one of these stories (“Cathedral” Raymond Carver; “Emergency” Denis Johnson) and use another narrative, typically a story or movie that you think utilizes the metaphor of blindness, and compare each writer’s view about the true nature of existence.This is a simple comparison paper.You will need to do no outside research.You will construct a thesis and walk your reader through that thesis using concrete examples from each work.This mean you will need to use quotes extensively. You may use another narrative, typically a story or movie that you think utilizes the metaphor of blindness, but one story must come from something we have read about blindness (Catedral and Emergency).

It will be impossible to do this in fewer than four pages.A typical paper will be in the five to six page range.Try not to go over seven pages.

Lastly, in your conclusion, you must argue that one of the views of the world is correct.You must agree that the world is one way or the other.Use anything you want in your argument, but you must take a stand.Do not be fooled into an argument of perspective or relativism.What you say will be true not only for you but for all of us.

Double space.Use Times New Roman twelve point font.Set the margins to default. Do not employ white space between paragraphs.Use only black ink.Most of all, proofread your paper before handing it in.This is a simple comparison paper.You will need to do no outside research.You will construct a thesis and walk your reader through that thesis using concrete examples from each work.This mean you will need to use quotes extensively. You may use another narrative, typically a story or movie that you think utilizes the metaphor of blindness, but one story must come from something we have read about blindness (Catedral and Emergency).

It will be impossible to do this in fewer than four pages.A typical paper will be in the five to six page range.Try not to go over seven pages.

Lastly, in your conclusion, you must argue that one of the views of the world is correct.You must agree that the world is one way or the other.Use anything you want in your argument, but you must take a stand.Do not be fooled into an argument of perspective or relativism.What you say will be true not only for you but for all of us.

Double space.Use Times New Roman twelve point font.Set the margins to default. Do not employ white space between paragraphs.Use only black ink.Most of all, proofread your paper before handing it in.