Paper #2: The Real Thing (due October 14th)

English 1213

Paper #2: The Real Thing

INTRO: In the comic “The Real Question,” the character with the strange name says, “I don’t need a body. I’ve lived on, and will live on, in the head, the heads of the authors who write me…I’m living in your head right now…Ideas are agency” (Landis). What he means by this, of course, is that a single idea can live forever when passed from one mind to another, over decades or even centuries, becoming as real as anyone who ever lived. Maybe more real, since more people know the idea than the people who dream them. So a symbol, like Superman, can live for a thousand years if enough people keep him alive in their minds and believe in his existence (or what he represents).

PROMPT: For your second paper, I want you to write about a work of art that is extremely meaningful for you—something you literally believe in. By ‘art’ I mean a book, movie, show, song, or actual piece of art that isn’t exactly real—that portrays fictional characters and events or ideas—but that feels to you as real as anything else in your life. Explain how you first discovered this work of art, and why you connected with it: what it seemed to teach you or helped you see or understand. Then discuss why it has stayed with you over time, and also what others see in it as well. Consider how it, like Superman, has continued to evolve over time, so that many people in many different times and lands can identify with it. Do other people see the same thing you do? Or do you see something unique when it lives inside your head?

REQUIREMENTS: For this paper, you need at least FOUR sources, ONE of which must be Superman: American Alien. Obviously, you don’t have to write about Superman, but you should use these ideas in the comic to help you discuss your own work of art. Then find at least THREE sources that help you discuss it, either articles or interviews or websites about the work of art itself, or anything that helps explain “why does it matter?” to us, as well as “why it matters to you.”

PAGE LIMIT: Up to you, but be sure to actually address the assignment, and have a CONVERSATION with your sources.

CITATION: Cite all sources using MLA or APA format. If you need help figuring out how to cite sources, check out this helpful site: https://owl.purdue.edu/ (choose MLA or APA Guide). Include a Works Cited page for all your sources.

DUE: Tuesday, October 14^th by 5pm either in hard copy OR via e-mail. PLEASE use Word for this paper—do not write it out long hand.