asmoreno

In J.K. Rowling's acclaimed series, there is a clear separation between good and evil. The reader is aligned with Hogwarts and the 'good' wizards, and Voldemort and his followers are clearly characterized as evil. Dementors and Death Eaters are continuously attempting to invade the walls of Hogwarts, and are willing to kill anyone who gets in their way of securing power. If J.K. Rowling drew upon World War II for the series, can that view be shifted to how the series can now be read in relation to terrorism? Analyze the ways in which Death Eaters resemble terrorist organizations. What does this say about our culture? How can we learn from the series using this lens?

Around three-quarters of the way through RPW's masterpiece, Jack Burden observes Adam Stanton perform a lobotomy on one of his patients. Some have argued that the lobotomy represents Jack's disassociation with the present, yet some will go further and say that Jack is watching himself undergo a lobotomy, as a sort of 'out of body' experience. Talk about the possible reasons for Jack's fascination with the surgery…what is the relationship between "The Great Twitch" and the lobotomy? Are Jack's "Great Sleeps" just the same as a lobotomy? Analyze the implications of a lobotomy in terms of Jack's existential crisis, and perhaps suggest an explanation for Jack's eventual disgust with the surgery.