What is Truth?

Essay Assignment

Due in Hard Copy

Thursday, Dec. 3
3-5 pages, MLA Format
I dont tell

truth,

I tell what ought to be

truth.

-Blanche, A Streetcar Named Desire (145)

Consider the above quote and analyze the ways in which ought-to-be-truth functions to
replace, conceal, or expose truth or vice versa across two of the works weve read in
this unit (we will have read all the short stories before the break). Construct a wellwritten argument with an identifiable thesis claim and use direct evidence from the two
texts to back up your claim.
You may think about this question in regards to specific characters or the work as a
whole, but either way your argument should extend to some deeper understanding about
the work as a result of your inquiries.
Thought questions:
How is truth manipulated? How is ought-to-be-truth manipulated? Who or what
does the manipulating and why?
What qualifies as truth? Can truth come from an unreliable source?
In what way(s) is truth limited (e.g. by scope or perspective)? Is truth always
limited?
Can truth be objective or absolute? What are the requirements for objective truth?
Is subjective truth still truth?
Do we need more than truth to understand a story/perspective/human being?
How and when does truth fail in some way, and why?
List of works:
Sophocles, Oedipus Rex
Plato, The Allegory of the Cave
Tennessee Williams, A Streetcar Named Desire
Ambrose Bierce, An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge
Flannery OConnor, The Life You Save May Be Your Own
William Faulkner, A Rose for Emily