Description
Over the next few class sessions, you will be reading Richard Matheson’s 1954 novella, I Am Legend. This book tells the story of Robert Neville, who is the last man on Earth, the survivor of a plague that has turned the rest of humanity into vampire-like creatures. As you read, you will see Neville’s mindset regarding his situation change and evolve.
While Neville’s situation in I Am Legends fictional, we can read his actions and thoughts as a reflection of the ways fear and isolation can impact real human beings.
Before we start our discussion of the novel, you will read “How to Build a Happier Brain,” which is an interview with neuropsychologist Dr. Rick Hanson; his work revolves around the idea of how our brains respond to stressors and the ways we can train our brains to process positive and negative experiences in more helpful ways.
For your third essay this semester, your task is to write a fully organized essay in response to this question: How does fear change us?
Your response must include a detailed analysis of Robert Neville from I Am Legend and the ways you see fear affecting him. Your essay must cite I Am Legend and at least two other scholarly sources. You may include “How to Build a Happier Brain” if you want to, but you are not required to use that article if you don’t find it helpful.
Here are a few possible ways to focus your analysis. Please note that these are just suggestions. You do not have to write about any of the ideas below and you certainly should not write about more than one if you choose to use these ideas to guide your work.
According to experts whose work you have read, does Neville’s response to fear make his situation better or worse?
Has Neville’s experience with fear caused him to lose his humanity? How do his experiences correspond with or contradict what experts say about the effects of fear on our personalities?
How does living with fear heighten Neville’s good or bad characteristics? How does this correspond with or contradict what experts say about the effects of fear on our personalities?
At different points in the book, Neville considers faith, science, the wisdom of authorities, and other things as a means of solving his problems. Among these possible solutions, do any actually help him? If so, what point is the text making about the way these types of “solutions” could affect people living with fears in the real world? Do expert opinions you have read agree or disagree with this outlook?
Solid papers will have a clear sense of “They Say, I Say,” and I would encourage you to use templates from the textbook to introduce and respond to the ideas of other writers.