Essay 2 Prompt

Applying “Allegory of the Cave” lens to “The Truman Show”

The Assignment:

In 7-8ish MLA formatted pages (Works Cited does not count as a page), you will demonstrate your expertise in the lens by applying it to example(s) from “The Truman Show”. A successful paper will be able to introduce and explain both the lens text and “The Truman Show” text, as well as engage the reader with thoughtful analysis of how to view the example through the selected lens. By applying this lens, your goal is to develop an argument that demonstrates how “The Truman Show” performs and/or challenges our perceived knowledge laid out through the lens text. You are essentially answering the question: How is “The Truman Show” asking its audience/viewers to question what they believe to be true? 

A successful paper will have the following components: 

An overall introduction to the paper, which sets your reader up for what to expect when reading your paper and a clear thesis stating what you hope to accomplish in your essay.

A secondary introduction paragraph offering all the necessary context of “The Truman Show”, including the rhetorical situation and overall main argument of the film.

A third introduction paragraph including a discussion of the lens text (Plato’s Allegory of the Cave) including the rhetorical situation and overall main argument of the dialogue.

Several body paragraphs detailing specific scenes that align with or challenge the selected lens. Body paragraphs should engage in thoughtful analysis of how the lens applies to the chosen examples.

A conclusion paragraph wrapping up the analysis and discussing how the example contributes to the larger conversation the lens authors/creators are having.

An optional secondary conclusion discussing the importance of using lenses outside of rhetorical analyses.

MLA-formatted pages (12-point Times New Roman font all throughout, 1-inch margins, double-spacing, appropriate headers, original title, and no additional spaces in between paragraphs)

1. 3 Introductions
2. Plato 
3. Truman 
4. Discuss the AGECAP (author, genre, exigency, context, audience, & purpose) and the main argument in both texts and introductions
5. “Yours” 
6. Thesis
7. How is “The Truman Show” asking its audience/viewers to question what they know to be true? The format of your thesis should be a Claim (something that is a statement that cannot be argued *here is where you can talk about the Allegory of the Cave*) with a Reason (something that is opinionated/can be argued *where/how you see it in the text*) and finally a So What (why your claim+reason matters for the reader *what you are proving to me/the audience in your paper*)

Body Paragraphs

Include sub claims from both texts

analysis of Truman text with Plato sub claims