Abracadabra: Language, Memory, Representation

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Essay/Review

Due Date: March 28th, 10am.

Choose one of the two following assignments:

1. Write a movie review and comparison of Memento and Rashoman written as one of the following people:

• Giulio Camillo
• Jorge Luis Borges
• Vannevar Bush
• A.R. Luria
• Ramon Llull

Before you write, look at some movie reviews: I suggest The New Yorker (especially those by Anthony Lane and David Denby) the New York Times on Fridays.

The review should be 1250-1500 words. Don't worry about spoiling the film.

2. Describe some of the differences between "social memory" and "individual memory" as discussed in the pieces by Mary Carruthers. Use one or two monuments such as the following to illustrate the differences:

• Mt. Rushmore
• Holocaust Museum(s)
• The Berlin Wall
• The statue of Will Rice in the Quad
• The San Jacinto Monument
• etc. (i.e. pick a monument you know something about)

This should be a scholarly paper of between 1500 and 2000 words and should properly cite (with footnotes and references) all works referred to.