In The Adventures of Kavalier & Clay, Michael Chabon questions whether superhero comics are a tool of social change, a cheap escape from reality or, worse yet, an indulgence of people’s worst revenge and power fantasies. Given that superhero comics reflect problems and anxieties present in our culture, what, if anything, do they have to contribute to our responses to those problems and anxieties?

Midterm

Instructions: Choose two of the three questions listed below and, for each question, write a ballpark 750 to 1000 word essay that answers it. You should treat your responses as essays, which means you are expected to provide an argumentative thesis, support your claims with evidence and detail drawn from our texts including specific references to the text (you should use multiple sources for each text), organize your writing into focused paragraphs, observe grammar and mechanics standards, and cite your sources appropriately in MLA Style (please refer to the Purdue OWL MLA site for advice and a refresher on how to do so). Each essay response is worth 150 points, with 100 points assigned to the argument and its quality and 50 points assigned to structure (please see the assignment rubric for more detail) making this exam worth 300 points overall.

Each essay response should be labeled with the question you are responding to and its number on this list.

You may choose between these questions:

1. A common criticism of superheroes is that they too often support the values and ideologies of dominant groups (i.e. the state, the ethnic majority, capitalist values) through their promotion of blind patriotism, adherence to law and promotion of The American Way, but others argue that superheroes are an equally powerful tool for the criticism of social injustices and serve as a useful figure through which to question our assumptions about what constitutes a just society. Write an essay arguing your point of view on this issue, and make sure your response addresses this question directly.

2. In The Adventures of Kavalier & Clay, Michael Chabon questions whether superhero comics are a tool of social change, a cheap escape from reality or, worse yet, an indulgence of people’s worst revenge and power fantasies. Given that superhero comics reflect problems and anxieties present in our culture, what, if anything, do they have to contribute to our responses to those problems and anxieties?

3. The archetype of the superhero, like all cultural figurations, tends to change and adapt across different time periods, dependent on the needs, interests and views of society. In what ways do you believe superheroes have changed over time, and how are superheroes now different from their original Gold Age roots? How have they remained consistent? Be sure to address the social events that have caused such changes/consistency.