Task
Tyranny in Literature (Literary Analysis)
Timothy Snyder’s On Tyranny provides examples from history to teach people how to prevent
tyranny now. For this paper, you will be using the literary texts from the course to discuss how
the theme of tyranny has both transformed and remained consistent through the artifacts and
scholarly sources.
Requirements
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● You must write a research proposal (description below) as a first step toward
completing this assignment
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● Your paper must be 5-7 pages in length, not including your Works Cited page
● You must pick at least one “lesson” from On Tyranny .
● You must use at least two of the three literary artifacts ( Brave New World , V for
Vendetta , The Interview )
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● You must have at least two scholarly sources from the last five years.
● You must cite all sources properly using MLA Style for in-text citation and Works
Cited
page
Description
Write a paper in which you use ideas from our readings to develop a research
project on a specific issue related to tyranny . Unlike Paper #1 in which you
primarily analyzed another author’s argument, your purpose in Paper #2 is to devise
entirely your own argument as it relates to the texts in this course, using both course
material and research sources to support your ideas. Thus, Paper #2 requires that you
present a clear, informed position on a narrowly-defined topic of your choice.
The best way to identify a topic for this paper is to pay attention to the ideas or
questions that spark your attention while reading our course texts or during discussions
in class. We realize that not everyone comes into English 0802 interested in tyranny, so
you may need to manufacture a sense of curiosity or interest in order to create the spark
of attention. The better you are at being curious about what we’re reading and
discussing, the more likely it is that you’ll find something to write about that becomes
interesting to you over time. We will work in class on narrowing down topics, as well.
Once you have a topic in mind, focus on creating a complex argument of your own
about that topic. Do not worry about identifying an argument that is ground-breaking or
presents something radically new for humankind. This is just English 0802! But also,
keep in mind that you are not writing a report of facts you have found, nor are you
writing an overly-simplified opinion piece. You must have something to say that other
scholars could reasonably disagree with, and what you say must be nuanced and
complex . Again, we will work in class to identify complex arguments as models for
your own process.
Writing the Research Proposal
A research proposal is a common genre that you are likely to write again in other classes and
potentially in your career. Research is a broad term that includes ethnography, observation,
focus groups, generating statistics, running controlled experiments, analyzing data for
correlations, investigating historical records, analyzing texts, etc. For your papers in English
0802, research will most likely involve consulting Paley Library for articles that other scholars
have published. You may also use other literary artifacts in addition to library research if it is
relevant to your topic.
As Paley Librarians will certainly tell you, research is NOT a process in which you try to find
the perfect source to back up your argument. Such a source will not exist and you’ll only find
yourself frustrated if you go searching for it. Instead, you should focus on finding sources that
are adjacent to your topic, and then use your own analytical skills to create the connection
between your argument and the arguments or evidence of others.
Your Research Proposal for this assignment should be one-page in length, and it should state
your topic, your argument (or what you think will be your argument), and a list of possible
research sources you’ve found in library databases or books. The list of sources should be in
MLA format similar to a Works Cited page. The purpose of a Research Proposal is to give you
a chance to see your argument on paper to be sure it makes sense and seems appropriate
before writing the first draft. It will also give us a chance to intervene if you are on the wrong
track or if we can be helpful in some way.
My Research Proposal
Thesis: Propaganda and tyranny
Sources:
• One chapter from On Tyranny (Ch. 2, defend institutions)
• The Interview and V for Vendetta
• 2 scholarly sources
o tyranny, fascism, propaganda, control, censorship, media, news, autocracy
Snyder, Timothy. “Chapter 2: Defend Institutions.” On Tyranny.
`The Interview.
Vfor Vdenet
Sample of Research Proposal
Paper #2 Research Proposal
Thesis: Gun violence and mass shootings have created a tyranny of fear in the United States. Increased
and better enforced gun laws would allow Americans a greater sense of security and thus freedom.
Sources:
Anisin, Alexei. "Antagonisms and the Discursive Sedimentation of American Gun Culture." Cultural
Studies/Critical Methodologies, vol. 17, no. 2, Apr. 2017, pp. 133-139. EBSCOhost,
doi:10.1177/1532708616670078.
This article offers a new critical viewpoint of American gun culture through the use of political
discourse theory. I argue that the historical evolvement and position of guns in the United States
has coincided alongside a process of discursive sedimentation. The latter has fostered a
contradictory antagonistic relationship which hitherto, has not been properly accounted for by
scholars and activists. Specifically, this antagonism is indicative of a binary relationship that
exists between a notion of socio-political freedom and its discursively relational opposites,
slavery, anarchy, and tyranny.
Gopal, Anandasivam and Brad N. Greenwood. "Traders, Guns, and Money: The Effects of Mass Shootings on
Stock Prices of Firearm Manufacturers in the U.S." Plos ONE, vol. 12, no. 5, 18 May 2017, pp. 1-29.
EBSCOhost, doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0177720.
We investigate how mass shootings influence the stock price of firearms manufacturers. While it
is well known that mass shootings lead to increased firearms sales, the response from financial
markets is unclear. On one hand, given the observed short-term increase in demand, firearm stock
prices may rise due to the unexpected financial windfall for the firm. On the other, mass
shootings may result in calls for regulation of the industry, leading to divestment of firearms
stocks in spite of short-term demand. We examine this tension using a market movement event
study in the wake of 93 mass shootings in the U.S. between 2009 and 2013.
Hirschman, Elizabeth C. “Social Contract Theory and the Semiotics of Guns in America.” Social Semiotics, vol.
24, no. 5, Oct. 2014, pp. 541-560. EBSCOhost, doi: 10.1080/10350330.2014.937077.
We present a semiotic model of gun possession in America based upon the social contract
theories put forward by Locke, Rousseau, and Rawls. Our central focus is upon the rights of selfpreservation and the protection of property. The model proposes that American political history
has cycled between two sets of symbolic threats to the social contract:tyranny imposed by a
despotic central government and chaos represented by outsiders designated as savages.
Lowe, Sarah R. and Sandro Galea. "The Mental Health Consequences of Mass Shootings." Trauma, Violence &
Abuse, vol. 18, no. 1, Jan. 2017, pp. 62-82. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1177/1524838015591572.
Mass shooting episodes have increased over recent decades and received substantial media
coverage. Despite the potentially widespread and increasing mental health impact of mass
shootings, no efforts to our knowledge have been made to review the empirical literature on this
topic. We identified 49 peer-reviewed articles, comprised of 27 independent samples in the
aftermath of 15 mass shooting incidents. Based on our review, we concluded that mass shootings
are associated with a variety of adverse psychological outcomes in survivors and members of
affected communities.
Wolpe, Bruce C. "Australians Swift and Decisive on Gun Violence." Public Health Reports, vol. 113, no. 1,
Jan/Feb 98, p. 96. EBSCOhost,
search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=334339&site=ehost-live.
Focuses on gun violence in Australia, highlighting the government's policy to counteract this
problem in 1998. Reference to an incident which resulted in 35 fatalities in 1996; How Australia
is affected by American news and culture; Details on a law which enforced a ban on automatic
and semi-automatic weapons.
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