Name: ______
“Walter Mosley on America’s Obsession with Crime”
Annotations Packet
Paragraphs 1-4
1.What is Mosley referring to when he writes, “This is a truism of the West”?
2. Based on context, what is the definition of truism?
3. Original sin is the Christian explanation of the human condition—sin is with us when we come into
the world and will always be with us. How does Mosley connect guilt and original sin?
4. Why does Mosley include all of these historical references?
5. According to Mosley, what have we been guilty of “in 2,000 years of Western Civilization”?
6. How does paragraph 2 relate to the claim and historical references in paragraph 1?
7. According to Mosley how is guilt related to “Death and Taxes”?
8. Mosley claims, “our relationship with guilt is as old as the DNA that defines our species.” How does
this relationship change over time?
9. What is Mosley’s central claim in the first 4 paragraphs? Write 1-2 sentences
Paragraphs 5-11
10. What is Mosley referring to by “This” when he writes, “This is because most of us see ourselves as powerless cogs in a greater machine”?
11. Why would someone “feel stupid for doing what they were taught was right”? How this does relate
to our vulnerability?
12. Explain what Mosley means about life in “smaller societies.” What is different today?
13. What does Mosley mean by “the illusion of understanding”?
14. What does Mosley mean by “the media misinform”?
15. Why might we distrust an “objective opinion source”?
16. What central idea is the author making that connects vulnerability to guilt in paragraphs 5–11? Write 1-2 sentences.
Paragraphs 12-16
Paragraph 12:
17. According to Mosley, why do we turn to fiction for truth?
18. According to Mosley, what do fiction and entertainment provide for us?
Paragraph 13:
19. What role do fictional “heroes” play for us in our lives, and how are they limited?
20. What does Mosley mean when he says dilemmas? Give an example of a dilemma from the text.
Paragraph 14:
21. What does Mosley mean by salvation?
22. What is the “machine that covers the world with its cold, gray shadow”? How does Mosley’s use of
“cold, gray shadow” refine the central idea of vulnerability?
Paragraphs 15–16:
23. Why, according to Mosley, do “We need forgiveness and someone to blame”?
24. How is guilt related to our fascination with real and fictional crime stories?
25. What central idea about truth, information and the media does Mosley develop in the last part of his article? Write 1-2 sentences.
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