Essay Assignment: John Dower calls his study of the Pacific conflict a “War Without Mercy.” In the course of this study, he describes the dynamic of a “middle-register discourse,” including specific “commentaries on the enemy” (27) that were created and propagated by both sides in this conflict as potent forms of propaganda for public consumption.
For your essay, please select two examples that Dower discusses, one each created by American and Japanese propagandists from the wartime period. Then analyze each one closely, exploring the ways in which they serve as an illustration of Dower’s own argument. How did this “middle-register discourse” work? What made it effective during the Pacific conflict? What details in Dower’s examples and study stand forth as particularly telling evidence (or complicating evidence)? Build your own analysis.
For a strong essay, you will want to both demonstrate your own command of Dower’s argument and a creative analysis of your own. To do so, you’ll want to consider topics such as the ones below and also be sure to pursue the following points of a strong analytic essay:
-What are the questions Dower raises and conclusions that he builds towards in his study?
– What are the key points and terms of Dower’s argument?
– What does Dower mean by the “middle-register” phrase and how does it relate to other specific points of his argument?
– What types of evidence does Dower use to build his analysis (don’t overlook his own citations…)
– Don’t forget to use concise quotations and examples to support your discussion (with citations)
– What are the specific next questions in relation to this topic to explore, investigate, or research?
Paper length: 4-6 pages
Format: double-spaced, 1-inch margins, 12 point font.
Citations: Chicago / Turabian footnote format (including precise page numbers) and Works Cited Bibliography
Remember, a quality essay is one that includes:
a thesis, central argument and focused statement of your main point(s) in the paper, clearly set forth in your paper’s introduction.
2. concrete evidence – refer directly to the text(s) we have read to support your analysis or arguments, using footnotes in the Chicago / Turabian citation format . Short quotations are appropriate and effective, but avoid longer “block” quotations which are unwieldy and often less useful. Remember that page citations should be precise, to specific pages on which the material you are quoting or paraphrasing resides; avoid listing imprecise page ranges (e.g. “pp. 20-55”).
3. a concluding paragraph summarizing your main points and raising further issues or questions.
this is the reading https://archive.org/search?query=war+on+mercy
