Memory Erasing Pills? | HTX Engelsk A | 23. august 2012

This study guide will help you focus on the topic of memory erasing pills. We will show you examples from three texts that cover the topic and focus on the most significant elements that will be relevant for a discussion about memory erasing pills. In these notes, we will focus on outlines, an account of how the memory erasing pills would work against mental traumas, the pros and cons of memory erasing pills, and help you argue either for or against the use of memory erasing pills.

Exam question

This study guide is based on the written exam in English A on HTX from 23 of August, 2012:

Write an account, essay, or contribution to a debate in which you discuss the topic of memory erasing pills using the three sources:

I: Docs Work to Erase Memories in War Veterans (video)

II: Memory Erasing Pill? (video)

III: Pill to erase bad memories: Ethical furore over drugs 'that threaten human identity' (text)

Presentation of the topic

In recent years, scientists have conducted medical research on the brain focusing on ways to help people deal with trauma and they have discovered that it might be possible to use pills that could erase or block traumatic emotional memories. So far, most of the research has been conducted on animals, but there have also been a few trials on humans. The pills work by preventing the brain from producing the proteins that are responsible for emotional responses to a traumatic event.

Some believe that such pills would be beneficial, particularly for soldiers suffering from PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder). Others argue that such pills raise a series of ethical questions because they might influence people’s personalities and their ability to learn from previous experiences.

Further help

Do you want additional help with analysis of non-fiction? See our general guide to non-fiction analysis.