This document provides instructions for a term paper assignment on the topic of "Mirror, Mirror on the Wall: Variations of Reflection". Students must write a 3-4 page paper in MLA format, using only two required sources: Ovid's myth of Narcissus and a Japanese folktale. The paper must include two quotes from each source and address how the sources present different perspectives on reflection and mirroring. It should also discuss how technology has impacted how people scrutinize appearances and representations of reality.

1. TERM PAPER
Deadline: November 24th (as .doc or .docx file only). No extensions allowed.
Academic honesty: a.) Do not collaborate with another student and b.) Do not look for inspiration
online. Trust your own intellectual abilities!
Format: MLA (12 Times New Roman; 1’ top/bottom; left/right)
Length: 3-4 pages (double-spaced)
Sources: You can use only Ovid’s “The Myth of Narcissus” and the Japanese folktale, “The
Matsuyama Mirror” (to be sent as attachment).
Quotes: 2 per each source (4 in total).
Step one: read and underline important passages from the two sources (above).
Step two: create an outline for the main argument that you will demonstrate in your paper.
Step three: Write! 
Step four: Proofread your paper to eliminate both logical and grammatical errors. Also, make sure
your statements are clearly presented.
Topic: “Mirror, Mirror on the Wall: Variations of Reflection”
Premise:
This is a paper that addresses representation. You may briefly reviewPlato’s “The Theory
of Forms/Ideas.”
Mirrors and the act ofmirroring are both example of re-presenting reality. The surface ofa
lake/body ofwater may be a reflecting source. The mirror itselfis another and it is also an
object that facilitates reflection. The works offiction go a step even further by proposing to
use words and stories to help us reflect on our identity and therefore re-present yet another
“look” into our identity. We cannot “see” our personality mirrored, but we may be able to
see it reflected in our actions, reactions, and interactions.
Human beings have been designed to inquiry into the nature of things and to find them an
explanation. Stories about reflection have been presented since immemorial times. What might
Ovid’s myth tell you about reflection and what may come as a result of it? What is the myth’s
teaching and thus memorable points? On the other hand, what may the 20th
-century Japanese
folktale (it was published in 1908) add to the theme of mirroring? Where does it intersect with
Ovid’s and where does it veer into a different direction? How do you find the “dialogue” between
one literary piece produced in a period labeled as B.C. and one from last century?
In your concluding paragraph, bring the theme of mirroring to our times via smartphones and
other highly advanced devices. How has technology helped us scrutinize our appearances and
what might that propose to the very old theme of “mirroring”? Will technology create a problem
towards what we see reflected or will technology (re)present reality the way it is? If that is so,
what about Photoshop and other features that we add to enhance and/or alter a photo? Do we
make then reality look “better”?