DIRECTIONS:
Please choose EXACTLY FOUR of the following questions to answer for up to 10 points each. DO NOT ANSWER ALL OF THESE QUESTIONS.
You are required to discuss Clare Murphy’s, J Jeremy Wisnewski’s, and Mark Hay’s articles in this reading journal. Please address each of these articles in the first three questions you choose to address, one article per one question.
For the fourth questions, pick EITHER Alyssa Newcomb’s or the Laurence Goldman encyclopedia article. This will give you a total of four answers and four articles for the journal.
Make sure you pick four questions that allow you to discuss four different articles in the assignment.
Here is your list of questions to choose four from.
Based on what you read, what makes people judge certain types of cannibalism as more acceptable than others? Feel free to briefly discuss the types of cannibalism, but don’t let simple definitions take over your answer.
Based on what you read, what type of cannibalism did Armin Meiwes partake in? Why does it not fit the other two types of cannibalism?
Based on what you read, why is it significant that Meiwes and Brandes’ act was consensual? How does this fact make their act different than cannibalism that other people such as Jeffrey Dahmer, Issei Sagawa, Katherine Knights, Omaima Nelson, or Albert Fish partook in? (You can look these people up easily and see what they did, but beware. It’s awful.)
Based on what you read, do you think Meiwes and Brandes’ act was morally wrong? What are the best arguments for the act being wrong that you read in this reading assignment?
Many are quick to label these men as mentally ill. What. does the reading say about these men’s mental health? Who does this information come from? Why is this significant?
Based on what you read, do you see any problem with the Brandes’ consent? If so, explain why his consent may not be valid and the act might be, therefore, immoral.
Based on what you read, do you think Meiwes and Brandes’ act was not morally wrong? What are the best arguments for the act not being morally wrong that you read in this reading assignment?
Is what the Dutch TV hosts did morally wrong? Why or why not?
According to the reading, what are vore forums and online communities? Do you think partaking in these online discussions would have or should have satisfied Meiwes and Brandes? Why or why not?
Aside from morality, why is your opinion of what you read about the legality of cannibalism?
Wisnewski talks about obligations to the dead as a possible argument against what Meiwes and Brandes did. What are our obligations to the dead, if any? How did what Meiwes and Brandes did interfere with or not interfere with those obligations, if they do exist?
Based on what you read, how have accusations of cannibalism been used in the past as a tool of imperialism and racism?
Please adhere to the following technical guidelines:
Double-space your document and use at least a 12 point font.
Do not type the question but number your answers 1-4. It’s ok if the numbers don’t exactly correspond with the number on the list above, as long as I can see four separate, numbered answers
Show that you read four pieces in the reading assignment and that you address the three required articles.
Clearly name the author or article title in each answer.
Write at least 900 words total
Distribute your development evenly so you earn the maximum points on each question
Include at least one well-chosen quotation in every answer. Avoid including more than two per answer. The purpose of reading journals is to show you did the reading. In order to earn credit, it must be obvious that you are responding to the reading, not the case in general.
Place quotations early in your answers and analyze them thoroughly. The main point is to analyze something specific the article says. Spend time dissecting the quotation you choose to include in each answer.
There are five separate pieces, here (an encyclopedia piece followed by four articles). As the previous reading journal stated, you should include Murphy’s, Wisnewski’s, and Hay’s articles in your first three answers but can choose between Goldman and Newcomb for the fourth answer.
The general topic of this reading assignment is consensual cannibalism, and the specific case you should pay the most attention to is the one involving Armin Meiwes and Bernd Brandes, two German men who engaged in an act of consensual cannibalism.
The most useful article in the group is the longest, the scholarly article by J. Jeremy Wisnewski. Do not forego reading this article and give yourself enough time to really appreciate its structure and content. The way Wisnewski organizes his arguments and clearly and logically supports them is definitely something to behold and, while you won’t use his exact structure, you should try to emulate the spirit of his argumentation skills in your own upcoming formal argument.
Obviously, this week’s topic is gruesome and very taboo, but the readings are not too graphic or gory, and I’ve never had a student struggle with getting through the reading. I’m just offering a little warning, and everyone’s sensibilities are different, but I don’t think it will be that difficult for you to read and discuss.
You will carefully analyze quotations from these articles in Reading Journal #2 and in Essay #3: The Formal Argument.
The artwork in the pdf, by an artist named Renee French, is pretty creepy, but appropriate, I thought.
