The Pain Scale
1.When looking at both texts, there is a question that emerges which we should wrestle with.
Thoughtfully answer the following question:
Of the two authors, Benjamin and Biss, which do you think was more successful at what they were trying to achieve, and why?
2.Some of use are already collectors, and that will make the text hit differently. But even if you aren’t a collector, Benjamin is trying to convey something important to us.
Thoughtfully answer the following two questions:
What is the final “mode of acquisition” that Benjamin describes? What explanation are we given for it being the reason that he loves to collect so much?
What sort of thing do you like to collect? Or, if you aren’t a specific collector, how else might you try and answer this question for the sake of it?
3.After having read “The Pain Scale”, we can see how she is trying to build our understanding of what certain people go through, but to what end?
Thoughtfully answer the following question:
If Benjamin has “modes of acquisition” then what can we say Biss is using? And not the obvious “numbers”, that’s a surface level observation (and we’re done with those).
