Essay Four: Paumgarten

Rough Draft Due: Thursday, October 6

Final Draft Due: Tuesday, October 25

Format and Requirements: 3-4 pages, double-spaced, Times New Roman font, 1-inch margins, no cover page

This assignment asks you to consider the role of memories in our lives: how we record them, how we preserve them, and how we use them to understand ourselves. Paumgarten seems to bemoan the idea that “life is footage” or “pics or it didn’t happen,” where documenting our experiences takes priority over the experiences themselves. What do we have to lose from this approach to memory and experience, and what do we have to gain?

Assignment Objectives:
For this assignment, draw from Paumgarten’s essay as well as your own experiences to make an argument about how our photographs and videos shape our memories of ourselves and our experiences. You may cite up to two other academic resources for this paper. What does our video-saturated culture help us see more clearly about ourselves, and what does it cause us to miss out on?

Further questions you might consider include:

• How do you document your experiences through photographs and video, and how do these recordings shape your memories of your experiences? Does more documentation result in better memories, or just more photogenic ones?
• Does our desire to document our experiences change the way we approach them? Does it inspire “Kodak courage” or lead us into “GoPro Fails”?

Criteria for Evaluation:

• Argument: Argument directly and fully answers the prompt; is clearly stated early in the paper; is original, compelling and logical, avoiding absolute claims
• Evidence: Appropriate amount of relevant, accurate, and justifiably interpreted quotation. Quotations are thoroughly introduced, explained, analyzed, and connected to argument. Possible counter-arguments are considered.
• Organization: Paragraphs maintain argumentative focus, exclude extraneous information, appear in a logical order, and transition smoothly. Introduction sets forth argument and goals of essay. Conclusion opens up avenues for future research.
• Audience: Consistent, academic tone. Appropriate amount of contextual information, anticipating audience questions. Addresses significant issues and makes them important to audience.
• Grammar and Format: Errors in grammar, spelling, and usage limited or non-existent. Correct MLA format, including proper quotation citation.