Supporting an Argument
The Prompt:
What do memes have to do with our appearance? In her essay “Dr. Daedalus,” Lauren Slater
interviews the controversial Dr. Joseph Rosen about his ideas on plastic surgery and finds herself
strangely drawn to Rosen’s theories. Reread Slater’s essay “Dr. Daedalus” with Blackmore’s
theory of memes in mind. What would Slater say about Blackmore’s idea that human adaptation
to memes essentially creates an individual’s identity? Does Slater’s essay demonstrate that the
human identity is an ever changing collection of memes that could readily adapt to the addition
of wings and other physical modifications, or is there an inherent individual identity tied to our
human form that should be valued and not modified?
Your Assignment:
After reading both introductions below create at least 3 body paragraphs and a conclusion that
best supports ONE of the arguments embedded in each thesis/POV statement.
Requirements:
Best support = body paragraphs that are ordered in a persuasive sequence that start with topic
sentences that tie back to the thesis/POV in the intro paragraph. Body paragraphs must also
follow the Presentation Checklist:
Presentation Check List
Font: Times New Roman
Size: 12 point
Spacing: Heading = single-spaced; Essay = double- spaced
Heading:
Name
Assignment, Class and Period
Teacher’s Name
Date
Title
Due Date:
Tuesday, February 3rd
Introduction 1:
A Man with Wings: The Final Frontier
Our reflections in the mirror are a constant reminder of who we are—at least on the outside.
The majority of us believe that our looks do not tell the entire story of our identity, but it is hard to
ignore that our physical qualities do mark our outward individuality. It is common to toy with the idea of
changing one’s looks, and some use plastic surgery to do so; however, people rarely choose to
completely overhaul their features to achieve a look that is no longer human. In Lauren Slater’s essay
“Dr. Daedalus,” she interviews Dr. Joseph Rosen, a plastic surgeon, whose other worldly “dreams of
making wings for human beings” disturb many in the medical community. He does not see any problem
with making modifications to the human body that will allow us to transcend our ordinary lives. While
trying to make sense of Dr. Rosen’s ideas in Slater’s essay, it is important to remember Susan
Blackmore’s belief that an “original” identity is nothing but a bunch of memes. If one were to
attach wings to a human body, it has been proven that the human mind could adapt and readily
accept them as useful appendages. Since our minds can adapt to such modifications, there is
no problem with Rosen’s suggestions. Slater’s essay suggests that it is only a matter of time
before humans allow memetics to enable us to become our most beautiful, marvelous, and
protean selves.
Group Assignment: Find 6 pieces of evidence from “Dr. Daedalus” that best support the above
POV/Thesis
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Best Support = 1) Ordered in a persuasive sequence 2) Contextualized and Analyzed so
the POV is justified to be true 3) Presented in MLA Citation Format
Quote 1 (with analysis):
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Quote 2 (with analysis):
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Quote 3 (with analysis):
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Quote 4 (with analysis):
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Quote 5 (with analysis):
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Quote 6 (with analysis):
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Introduction 2:
The Sanctity of Human Identity
Our reflections in the mirror are a constant reminder of who we are—at least on the outside.
The majority of us believe that our looks do not tell the entire story of our identity, but it is hard to
ignore that our physical qualities do mark our outward individuality. It is common to toy with the idea of
changing one’s looks, and some use plastic surgery to do so; however, people rarely choose to
completely overhaul their features to achieve a look that is no longer human. In Lauren Slater’s essay
“Dr. Daedalus,” she interviews Dr. Joseph Rosen, a plastic surgeon, whose other worldly “dreams of
making wings for human beings” disturb many in the medical community. He does not see any problem
with making modifications to the human body that will allow us to transcend our ordinary lives. While
trying to make sense of Dr. Rosen’s ideas in Slater’s essay, it might be easy to cite Susan Blackmore’s
belief that an “original” identity is nothing but a bunch of memes and then conclude that the
human identity—including how an individual relates to his appearance—is malleable.
However, the situation Slater presents is more complicated. While the human brain may be
able to adapt to modifications like wings in theory, it does not mean that doctors should make
those modifications, nor does it mean these modifications will be successful. In her essay,
Slater cites complications of the protean brain and mysteries of the human body that suggest
that there is more to our identity than our relationships to the meme of beauty, transcendence,
and playing God.
Group Assignment: Find 6 pieces of evidence from “Dr. Daedalus” that best support the above
POV/Thesis

Best Support = 1) Ordered in a persuasive sequence 2) Contextualized and Analyzed so
the POV is justified to be true 3) Presented in MLA Citation Format
Quote 1 (with analysis):
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Quote 2 (with analysis):
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Quote 3 (with analysis):
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Quote 4 (with analysis):
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Quote 5 (with analysis):
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Quote 6 (with analysis):
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