A Comparative Analysis: Thinking Through Binaries
GW of Literature 2850 Fall 2019
Paper One
Paper Specs:
2,000- 2,500 words ( about 4 to 5 pages) /Times New Roman/ 12pt. font
Due October 3rd IN CLASS
– Subject Line Must Read “GW19, Last Name, Paper 1”
MLA Format and Citations (must have a bibliography)
Must have a title !
In our short time together we have focused on the theme of Reason and more specifically how very complicated it can be to define what Reason is in any given context. We looked at Kant and Descartes who created a very specific philosophical vision of Universal Reason meant to fuel the Enlightenment as a movement. Wollstonecraft gave us an argument against the dangers of hierarchical reason. These initial texts gave us a lot of pros and cons to think about (think about the ‘double edged sword’ of Enlightenment). We also looked at those who have critiqued this idea of reason (Moliere, Akinari).
One of the results of this kind of Universal Reason (or even of the Mind/Body split) is the creation of many binaries. Good/Evil; Feminine/Masculine; Strong/Weak; Naïve/Experienced; Pessimism/Optimism; Religious beliefs/ Secular beliefs (there are many more).
For your first comparative analysis paper, I would like you to discuss what you think happens when these binaries break down (as they do in the case of every text we have read thus far).
Please create a thesis statement that allows you to discuss this binary using the a comparative approach to the texts we’ve read thus far in class (Tartuffe, Bewitched, Kant, Wollstonecraft, and Descartes.) Tell me how the binary is being questioned in the texts you’ve chosen and what this means for the meaning of each text as a whole and finally for your argument.
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