1
SAN DIEGO MESA COLLEGE
PHIL 111
SPRING 2012
INSTRUCTOR: PROF. NINA ROSENSTAND
PHILOSOPHY IN LITERATURE
STUDY-GUIDE, MIDTERM MARCH 12 (new date)
Office hours: MTWTh: 10-11:05, MT 2:10-2:30, H-301G.
Messages to Instructor: (619) 388-2407
E-mail: nrosenst@sdccd.edu
Website: http://classroom.sdmesa.edu/nrosenst
STAY INFORMED ABOUT CHANGES TO THE READINGS AND TEST DATE!
FORMAT OF MIDTERM
Use a Scantron form 882 and a small Blue Book. You must use a pencil #2 for the scantron, and a pen for the Blue Book.
Make sure your scantron answers are clear and unambiguous; otherwise the scantron machine can’t read them. Read the
question carefully. You may write on the test. Total possible points: 100. NO BOOKS, NO NOTES ALLOWED.
Plagiarism policy: Using open books, unauthorized electronic devices or notes during the test, or consulting with other
students, will result in an F on the test, and will be reported.
12 True/False questions; each correct answer is worth 2 points.
13 Multiple Choice questions; each correct answer is worth 2 points.
6 short essay questions. Answer 5 out of 6. (Min. ½ page in a small blue book per question, max. 1 page per question.) Max.
10 points each.
READINGS:
Phil 111 Course Reader: Rosenstand, “Stories and Morals”
Course Reader: Rosenstand, The Moral of the Story 6th edition Ch.2
Narratives in Ch.2: The Sorrows of Young Werther, “The Education of Mingo”
Course Reader: Pippin, Searchers
Course Reader: Hart
KEY CONCEPTS [the asterisks signify possible short essay topics]:
Course Reader: Rosenstand, “Stories and
Morals”
Stories can be used to evaluate the future
Nussbaum: stories are well-suited to discuss
moral issues
Rosenstand: why do we tell and listen to stories?
To create order out of chaos
Categories of moral theories: utilitarianism
(maximize happiness for the maximum number);
deontology (doing one’s duty); ethical relativism
(each culture is morally right in its own way);
virtue ethics (one should develop one’s
character); egoism (everyone should look out for
themselves).
Personhood in the future: the film Gattaca. Only
those who are genetically engineered count as
persons. The film is a “caveat”: beware of
creating such a future. *
Course Reader: Rosenstand, The Moral of the
Story 6th edition Ch.2
Themes in literature/film: “tropes” [from your notes]
Didactic stories: “Boy Who Cried Wolf” *
Examples of stories used in professional contexts:
Bibliotherapy; medical ethics; psychology; criminal
justice system
Aristotle: history deals with facts, but poetry deals
with Truth
2
Myths in ancient times: making sense out of chaos
The Trobriand grandmother story: death introduced,
blame young women
Fairy tales: damaging for children, or tensionrelease? Ex. “Cinderella” *
Parables: story of the Prodigal Son. Point of view is
important.
Abraham and Isaac: a story of sacrifice and
obedience *
Fables and Counterfables: Fables: moralistic, didactic
tales for children. Counter-fables: satirical spoofs.
Mark Twain and modern comedies taking story
clichés to an extreme
Stories with role models: positive and negative: Lord
Jim, Madame Bovary
Fantastic tales for grownups:
Story archetypes: The Bargain, the Good and Bad
Twin, the Quest.*
The Bargain: Gambling with one’s soul, or
someone else’s: Jephtha’s Daughter, Faust.*
Good twin, bad twin. Often symbolizing two
sides of one person, such as Jekyll and Hyde.
Shrek; East of Eden.*
The Quest: search for meaning. Gilgamesh
loses immortality. The revenge quest vs. the
noble quest: The Moby Dick theme, The
Searchers. The Holy Grail quest. Lord of the
Rings.*
Contemporary story genres:
Wartime stories: Duty and Honor.
Westerns: Hard choices. *
Science Fiction: Thought experiment for the
future. The artificial human being/person.
The concept of personhood [from your
notes]. The golem/the monster theme
(Frankenstein’s monster)*
The Pygmalion theme, creating the perfect
person (woman)*
Mystery and Crime: Fight against Evil.
Stories to Live and Die by:
The Enlightenment/18th century phases: The
declining power of the church > science flourishes >
demand for general education > demand for
democracy > revolutions. General assumption:
Reason will solve all problems. [from your notes]
The effects of Goethe’s story of Werther *
3 reasons for Werther’s popularity: mass production
of books; literacy; start of Age of Romanticism, end
of rationality-focus *
Narratives: Sorrows of Young Werther: Werther kills
himself out of unrequited love.*
Charles Johnson, “The Education of Mingo.”
Frankenstein theme, Jekyll and Hyde theme,
Pygmalion theme. Mingo becomes Moses’ alter ego.
The creator bears responsibility for his creation.*
Course Reader: Pippin, The Searchers
Three elements in classic Westerns: (1) conquest of
aboriginal peoples, (2) Conquest of harsh nature, (3)
conquest of inner passions. Altogether: Conquest of
Nature. *
Basic plot: Ethan Edwards and Martin Pawley search
for little Debbie, the sole survivor of the Comanche
raid on the Edwards ranch. As time passes, Ethan
resolves to kill Debbie, because she has been
“contaminated” by living with the Comanche. But in
the end, he rescues her instead.*
Ethan is a racist, but so is the white community
(Martin’s girlfriend Laurie). In the end, Ethan is
excluded from the community.*
Tropes (themes): outside in wild nature (Ethan) vs.
inside the house (family). Ethan doesn’t belong
inside. *
Twin trope: Chief Scar and Ethan are twin souls. *
Blindness = doesn’t see the light, must wander
forever.*
Course Reader: Hart: (Time permitting)
Literature and moral philosophy need each other
Charles Johnson’s “The Education of Mingo”: Mingo
is an African slave, taught everything by Moses. His
mistakes are reflections of Moses’ subconscious
wishes. When Mingo kills several people, Moses has
three choices: Turn him in, let him escape, or kill
him. He chooses to escape with him and protect
him.*
John Steinbeck’s “Of Mice and Men”: George takes
care of the mentally disabled Lennie. When Lennie
kills a woman by mistake, George has two choices:
Abandon Lennie to the lynch mob, or kill him.
George chooses to kill him.*
Hart: Both choices are morally responsible; one is
based on equality, the other on caring. Both illustrate
the ultimate responsibility of friendship.*
3
SAMPLE SHORT ESSAY QUESTIONS:
(Min. ½ page in a small blue book per question, max. 1 page per question.) Max. 10 points each.
What is the fundamental philosophical issue in Gattaca?
What is the moral point of the “Twins” trope? Give an example.
What kind of trope is “Jephtha’s daughter” an example of? Give a brief account of the story.
What is the moral lesson explored in the golem trope? Give at least two examples.
What is a didactic story? Give an example.
What is the main issue in the moral theory of deontology? Give an example of a story genre or an individual
story where that issue is prominent.