1) Compare the accounts of enlightenment in Plato’s “Allegory of the Cave” and Dave Eggers’ short story “After I Was Thrown in the River and Before I drowned.” In the allegory, Plato seems to describe enlightenment as transcendence (leaving the cave and attaining a higher level of knowledge), and while something similar happens at the end of Eggers’ story (Steven dies and transcends to an afterlife and a higher level of knowledge or awareness), Steven seems a little underwhelmed by it all, no longer running and even saying he misses his old life. Does Eggers offer a different account of enlightenment through Steven’s experiences of racing and “floating” over the drainpipe? Is this and Steven’s underwhelmed experience of the afterlife a critique of Plato’s version of enlightenment? Why or why not?2) In both Dave Eggers’ short story, “After I Was Thrown into the River and Before I drowned” and Frederich Nietzsche’s “On Truth and Lying in an Extra-Moral Sense,” the primacy of the human perspective/human knowledge is put into question. For example, humans tend to assume that they experience and understand the world in a much more sophisticated and accurate way than other creatures. In Eggers’ story, the narrator is non-human, a dog named Steven, who is critical of how humans live such conventional, predictable, sheltered and thus limited lives. In Nietzsche’s essay, he attempts to de-center the human perspective by stating it is “utterly human,” meaning human knowledge only has reference to, and meaning for, humans. While these texts do so in very different ways, what are they both saying about humans and human knowledge? Are they suggesting there is a danger in assuming that the human perspective coincides with universal truth? Why or why not?3) In “The Allegory of the Cave,” Plato describes the philosopher king as an enlightened individual who returns to the cave to rule selflessly over the cave dwellers to achieve the greater good for all. Thus, philosopher kings are given the responsibility of leading society due to their attainment of true knowledge, while the cave dwellers continue to live in a world of shadows (ignorance). In Miguel de Unamuno’s “Saint Manuel Bueno, Martyr,” Don Manuel is the spiritual leader of a small Spanish village; however, while untiringly instilling religious faith in the villagers, Manuel himself does not believe in god or the afterlife. In this sense, Manuel, similar to Plato’s philosopher king, carries a truth the villagers have no knowledge of while also perpetuating an illusion (existence of god and afterlife). To what extent is Manuel’s position in his village similar to a philosopher king in the Plato’s cave? Why do the enlightened figures in both Plato’s allegory and de Unamuno’s story work to preserve an illusion rather than share the truth with everyone?4) In Miguel de Unamuno’s “Saint Manuel Bueno, Martyr,” Don Manuel promotes what he believes to be a lie (belief in god & afterlife) in order to conceal from the villagers what he believes to be a truth (there is no god or afterlife). He does so because he believes the villagers would be unable to live happy lives without the promise of, and faith in, eternal salvation. How does this relate to Nietzsche’s “On Truth and Lying in an Extra-Moral Sense,” where Nietzsche says, “Truths are illusions about which it has been forgotten that they are illusions”? Is Don Manuel’s belief that the truth must be hidden and replaced with a comforting illusion similar to Nietzsche’s argument or would Nietzsche critique Don Manuel’s actions as selfish and dogmatic?5) In Plato’s “The Allegory of the Cave,” Socrates uses the imagery of light and dark to draw a distinction between the eternal, true knowledge found when one transcends the limits of the cave, and the false shadow knowledge found inside the cave. In Ernest Hemingway’s “A Clean Well-Lighted Place,” Hemingway also uses the imagery of light and dark; in his case to contrast the brightly-lit interior of the café with the darkness or nothingness waiting outside. What do these images represent in Hemingway’s story, and how do they differ from the way Plato uses them in the allegory?*I know these topics are long, but I wanted to give you some idea and context for how to approach your argument in the paper. Do not combine topics; just pick one and focus your argument on that topicInstructions: Compose a paper of AT LEAST 1100 words that includes an introductory paragraph (including a thesis statement as its last sentence) and enough body paragraphs to meet the assignment’s minimum word count requirement. Paragraphs should be at least 5-sentences long. You must include at least one quote in each body paragraph (quotes are not needed in intro and conclusion paragraphs), and, in the entire paper, at least two quotes from each text. Include a Works Cited list at the end of your essay (I will provide the citations). NO ADDITIONAL SOURCES!- just use the two readings mentioned in your topic. Strive to be as grammatically correct as possible and to write clear, logical sentences. This requires a lot revising / editing / proofreadingGuidelines: Papers must be at least 1100 words, entirely double-spaced, properly formatted (MLA), 12′ Times New Roman font, paragraphs indented, no extra space between paragraphsAdvice:1) Follow my directions! Ignoring the guidelines described in this prompt will greatly decrease your ability to do well on this major assignment2) Avoid waiting until the last minute to do this assignment. The two independent papers are critical for you to develop your skills as a writer, and they are a large portion of your overall grade. Devote as much time as possible on this paper3) Be sure to email me with any questions or difficulties and utilize the Writing Support Center’s online tutoring sessions.4) Do not plagiarize! If you do, it will be discovered and you will get a zero on the assignment, which will make it hard to pass the course with a CWorks Cited Citations: (make sure you alphabetize by last name)Eggers, Dave. “After I Was Thrown in the River and Before I Drowned.” Course Handout.Hemingway, Ernest. “A Clean, Well-Lighted Place.” Course Handout.Nietzsche, Fredrich. “On Truth and Lies in an Extra-Moral Sense.” Course Handout.Plato. “The Allegory of the Cave.” Course Handout.de Unamuno, Miguel. “Saint Manuel Bueno, Martyr.” Course Handout.
