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Essay Instructions: Please respond to the following question in the form of a short essay of 1200 words maximum:


It is sometimes said that Plato is to Derrida as Aristotle is to Foucault. What do you think? (To respond to this question, you;ll need to summarize relevant points from all four theorists and organize your paper schematically and carefully. One could write a dissertation in response but not in this context! Try to cut to the chase and construct a logical argument in response to this cryptic challenge. You may use, but are not limited to the material in the Norton Anthology of Theory and Criticism).

Recommended Sources:
Plato - Ion; Phaedrus; Republic
Derrida - Of Grammatology (1967); Dissemination (1972)
Aristotle - Poetics; Rhetoric
Foucault - What is an Author? (1969); Discipline and Punish: The Birth of The Prison (1975); Truth and Power (1977)