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| The wonders of Iceland--where Santillan got lost |
Answer TWO of the following in a short paragraph each—a few sentences. Remember, give a thoughtful and useful reponse rather than just an ‘answer.’ These are not yes or no questions, and I’m not looking for a specific answer...I want to see how you respond to these questions and what you think the essay is getting at. The more work you put into these questions, the more you’ll have to say/write in your larger papers.
Choose TWO of the
following:
Q1: Why does the essay
suggest that “Compulsive use of mapping technology may even put us at greater
risk for memory loss and Alzheimer’s disease” (140)? How could a technology aid
designed to help us get around actually impair or ability to move
around?
Q2: Based on the essay,
why did Icelanders find Santillan such a fascinating character? Are they making
fun of him? Feeling sorry for him? Or something else? What did he come to
represent for the Icelandic nation (and perhaps, for the author)?
Q3: For ancient cultures,
the author explains, “time reckoning and direction were intertwined” (146). How
does this work, and why might this be an important way of seeing the world? Why
have we lost this in our own society?
Q4: Scientists now call the
phenomenon of dying based on bad GPS directions “death by GPS ” (140). Why do you think people would ignore
common sense and logic and drive to their doom based on digital directions? Do
you most people are more—or less—likely to do this? Or is Santillan an
exception?
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