Essay Topics and Guidelines

Please choose one of the following topics for your essay:

1. Chapter II of On Death and Dying by Elisabeth Kübler-Ross (1973)* presents a modern perspective on death. Read “Society’s Contributions to Defensiveness” (PDF pages 1-9) and compare this perspective with Socrates’ attitude toward death in the Apology. Do you believe that Socrates’ view of death is relevant today, or has his way of thinking become obsolete?

2. “Semiautomatic” is a children’s story about memory loss and recovery. How is recollection as portrayed in “Semiautomatic” related to the geometry lesson in Plato’s Meno? Compare the girl in the story with the boy in the dialogue — both remember, but in different ways. Look for an underlying structure in the words and images of the story that parallels what we see in Meno.

3. In the spirit of Socrates, write a fictional dialogue between two characters who attempt to determine if SHU consistently upholds its values. For example, one can argue that SHU’s relationship with military contractors such as GE is incompatible with the values of the New Testament (e.g., Luke 6:27-37). Similarly, you can write a dialogue in which two characters debate whether a Catholic university is justified in charging high tuition rates. Read SHU’s core values and consider whether the University could defend itself against a modern-day Socrates. Feel free to have one character criticize SHU to the utmost, but be sure to use Socratic reasoning as a model. Use the same format that we see in Meno and similar dialogues.

4. “The Death of Little Hen”** is a short folk tale from the Brothers Grimm that stands in contrast to The Death of Ivan Ilyich. Compare the endings of “The Death of Little Hen” and Tolstoy’s novel. How do they differ? In your view, which text provides the most truthful portrayal of death?

5. How does Nikolai Berdyaev define hell? In addition to discussing Berdyaev’s claims, quote passages from Tolstoy’s The Death of Ivan Ilyich that illustrate Berdyaev’s idea of hell. Is Berdyaev’s philosophy of hell convincing?

6. HYPER-REALITY is a motion picture that presents a dystopian world submerged in layers of images. Using Simone Weil’s concept of reading, explain how the protagonist, Juliana Restrepo, “reads” what she sees, hears, and feels. Describe how Weil’s concept applies to Juliana’s readings of herself and her surroundings. Do you think that Weil’s essay is useful for understanding or interpreting the kind of technology seen in HYPER-REALITY?

If you would like to have comments along with your final essay grade in Blackboard, the essay should be submitted by the end of Thursday, Oct. 14th; otherwise, please submit your essay by the end of Monday, Oct. 18th. A link will be provided in Blackboard for submission. Please note that in either case, there is only one submission of your essay; the only difference is that I will provide written feedback (a paragraph or so) with your final grade if you submit by the end of Thursday.

Your essay should be at least 700 words (maximum: 1,000 words). Feel free to use and develop comments that you have posted in a discussion. In addition, you may cite comments posted by your classmates. In the latter case, or when citing any material from outside the discussions, please use the MLA citation format (see the MLA Formatting and Style Guide for more information). Course textbooks and online texts should also be cited. Let me know if you have any questions about citing or if you prefer to write on a different topic.

* Source: Kübler-Ross, Elisabeth. On Death and Dying. Routledge, 1973. SocINDEX. Accessed 19 July 2019.

** This is an excerpt from a recent (2014) translation of the 1812-1815 edition of Kinder- und Hausmärchen, a collection of European folk tales published by the Brothers Grimm. Additional publication information is available on the first page of the PDF.

Guidelines:

If you have a question about this assignment, feel free to contact me. Good luck!