All essays should be 500-1000 words, double spaced 12 point Times New Roman font. You will be graded for clarity, accuracy, communication, knowledge of the texts and style, grammar and spelling. Please send all essays to:
Axes & Alleys
Special Essay Submission
c/o President Armstrong
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
Washington, DC 20500
Select One of the Following Questions for Your Essay:
1. Compare and contrast the role of police in a post-modern urban society with the texture of shag carpeting.
2. Does the Galaxy, as described by Douglas Adams in the Hitchhiker’s Trilogy function in a way that is more or less democratic than the 17th Century Viceroyalty of Panama? What part did warfare and piracy play in the development of both societies?
3. In what ways is the Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis consistent with ship building techniques of the Medieval period and in which ways does it differ? Bonus credit for a detailed comparison to the nails used in English fishing boats of the period.
4. If calligraphy involves a great deal of skill and practice, why is it still so hard to read? Define user interface as it relates to the calligraphy of the 18th Century.
5. Compare the parallel development of blimp technology, mayonnaise and the recent evolutionary developments of beetles (if any).
6. What was the influence of the Cold War on the politics of the area around the Piazza Santo Spirita in Florence, Italy in the second week of May, 1964?
7. Several important people have noted that the character of Boo Radley is never shown onscreen during the Back to the Future Trilogy. What are some of the reasons that the authors would have left him out of the films? In what ways can the Back to the Future series be seen as sequels to the book To Kill a Mockingbird?
8. Contrast the cuteness factor (h23A) of the lowland chinchilla with the overbearing power of a thermonuclear explosion without falling into the classic Dremel Dixon Conundrum.
9. Discuss the prevalence of anthropomorphic animals and objects in children’s stories, programs and films. In what ways does this relate to the common animistic religions of indigenous populations?
10. In what ways can the film Kelly’s Heroes be seen as an allegory? What would Don Rickles’ character “Crapgame” represent? Compare and contrast this with the role of the beast Orgolio from Edmund Spencer’s The Fairy Queen. Is it just a coincidence that Spencer’s work rhymes with the restaurant Dairy Queen?
All essays are due by 9:15 A.M. (Zulu Time) 8 November 2006
