Revised Open Prompt #4

1994. In some works of literature, a character who appears briefly, or does not appear at all, is a significant presence. Choose a novel or play of literary merit and write an essay in which you show how such a character functions in the work. You may wish to discuss how the character affects action, theme, or the development of other characters. Avoid plot summary.

            People affect other people: that is a fact of life.  An Inspector Calls by J.B. Priestley examines how little things can affect others through Eva Smith.  Although Eva Smith never appears in on stage, interactions with her define other characters.  Priestley uses this to push how British values failed those at the bottom of society.

            When Inspector Goole shows each member of the Birling family how they contributed to Eva Smith’s suicide, their reaction defines them.  Mr. and Mrs. Birling’s denial and anger exhibit the broken old beliefs.  Because Eva Smith was a working girl, Mr. and Mrs. Birling have no sympathy for her plight. Even though she was pregnant with their grandchild, they are more upset that their son gave her money than for the role they played in her death. These reactions indicate Priestley’s views on the fading British social order.  Horror and guilt plagues Sheila and Eric Birling showing the audience that there is still hope for them, the next generation.  Reactions to Eva Smith’s death put the characters into categories: those who uphold the strict British social order and those who dare to care for the less fortunate.

Eva Smith may not be real in the context of the play.  She is given multiple names and she never comes onto the stage.  The doubt of her existence only broadens Priestley’s message: Inspector Goole says, “…there are millions and millions and millions of Eva Smiths” (Priestley).   Eva Smith’s faceless character puts the Birlings’ responsibility for her death on everyone. Whether Eva Smith is a person or an idea, she is pertinent to the play.

Anyone could have been Eva Smith.  Society failed to help her, and because of that she died.  The Birling family is defined by how they treated Eva Smith, a character who never appears on stage, yet Eva Smith’s anonymity aids Priestley’s in critiquing all British values.

Revised Open Prompt #3

2005, Form B. One of the strongest human drives seems to be a desire for power. Write an essay in which you discuss how a character in a novel or a drama struggles to free himself or herself from the power of others or seeks to gain power over others. Be sure to demonstrate in your essay how the author uses this power struggle to enhance the meaning of the work.

            Most humans strive for power; whether it is over a spouse or an entire country.  In Shakespeare’s Macbeth, the title character spends the entire play forcing his way to power, to the throne.  In Macbeth, the ascension to power corrupts only those who thirst for it, as shown by Macbeth as opposed to Malcolm.

            Shakespeare portrays Macbeth negatively as he thirsts for power.  The first passage Macbeth is mentioned in, he is a war hero.  The language is elegant and Macbeth is god-like.  But when Macbeth begins his quest for power, he loses his heroic qualities.  His sanity is questioned.  Although the audience does not witness the murders, they must see the mess he creates both figuratively and literally.  Seeing blood impresses on the audience Macbeth’s corruption.

            Malcolm isn’t a main character; although he plays a large role in the plot, he rarely appears on stage.  Malcolm tests Macduff’s intentions to assure that his country will be safe while Malcolm is exiled.  Malcolm is forced into the throne, although he may have desired it, he did not actively seek the throne.   He is displayed positively next to Macbeth, who did everything to become King and no longer answer to any authority.

            Malcolm and Macbeth are not complete opposites, but in their ascension to power, Shakespeare makes it clear that Macbeth’s thirst for power lead to his ultimate demise, where Malcolm remained successful.

Revised Open Prompt #2

In retrospect, the reader often discovers that the first chapter of a novel or the opening scene of a drama introduces some of the major themes of the work. Write an essay about the opening scene of a drama or the first chapter of a novel in which you explain how it functions in this way.

People say, “Don’t judge a book by its cover”, but often one can judge literature by its first chapter or scene.  Such a work is Shakespeare’s Macbeth. After reading the play, the reader should recognize witchcraft, and the meaning of fate as a major theme, both of which are in the first scene.  Shakespeare uses witches throughout the play to reinforce the struggle between fate and freewill and the line between good and evil.

The three witches in Macbeth, during their first scene, say “Fair is foul, and foul is fair” (Shakespeare).  This line introduces a major struggle in Macbeth, good and evil.  As the play progresses the line is a commentary on Macbeth as a character.  Is he truly evil or is he merely misguided?  Does surrendering to temptation make him evil?  These are all questions implied in one line, “Fair is foul, and foul is fair” (Shakespeare). 

Starting in the first scene, the witches predict Macbeth’s future, questioning whether it’s his choice to be king, or if he is fated to be king.  The audience may believe two things about Macbeth’s future: he was fated to live and die the way he did or he formed his life around the witches’ predictions.  Either way, those three witches greatly influenced his life.  Shakespeare doesn’t beat around the bush; he introduces the witches and the theme of fate versus freewill.

Beginning Macbeth with the witches has purpose: Shakespeare uses the witches to introduce fate versus freewill and good versus evil.

Revised Open Prompt #1

Choose a character from a novel or play of recognized literary merit and write an essay in which you (a) briefly describe the standards of the fictional society in which the character exists and (b) show how the character is affected by and responds to those standards. In your essay do not merely summarize the plot.

           Many people believe that environment determines how its people interact, but people also determine the environment.  In Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights, Heathcliff, a gypsy child, is brought into a wealthy English family, but abused by his jealous foster siblings.  Heathcliff’s environment shapes him into as a cynical monster.

          Heathcliff was thrust into the racist upper-class Victorian society.  As a gypsy, he was scorned by the all, and especially by his foster brother, Hindley.  Hindley persecuted Heathcliff, forcing him to do hard labor, separating him from the family, and verbally degrading him.  Wuthering Heights becomes depressing when Hindley succumbs to alcoholism.  During this time, the evil in Heathcliff emerges; he is no longer the victim.  

          After Hindley takes away Heathcliff's only friend, Catherine, Heathcliff turns inward, and by Hindley's death Heathcliff is crueler than Hindley.  Diction emphasizes Heathcliff's new character, describing him as a monster at many times in the book.  Heathcliff is constantly shown in shadows, creating a dark atmosphere.   Heathcliff's character has turned dark, and mysterious.

         Bronte proves her point through Heathcliff, a dynamic character.  Hindley’s racism turns Heathcliff, the happy child, into a monster.

Synthesis #4 The Vocab

All students are thrilled when their literature teacher hands them a mile long list of vocab.  However, our vocab has proven helpful.  Why just today, Guildenstern was full of delightful non-sequiturs.  when writing Synthesis #3, I stumbled across my friend hamartia. Vocabulary may seem like a side note in a literature class, yet without these new words my essays are full of unnecessary descriptive phrases.  I also didn't know all of these concepts before learning the words for them, and so I am able to find new evidence and better support the essays I write..

Synthesis #3 Want a Frye?

Northrop Frye wrote about the definitions of comedy and tragedy.  While many people have defined comedy and tragedy, Frye defined the two in a very simple diagram.  Using a circle, Frye depicts the rise or fall of a hero.  A tragic hero starts at the top of the circle as nobility, then slowly falls until he realizes his flaw.  Unfortunately this epiphany is too late and the tragedy ends with the death of the hero at the bottom of the circle.  A comedy follows the opposite path; the hero begins at the bottom of the circle as a commoner.  The hero climbs the circle and the social ladder as the play continues, and ends with the hero at the top of the circle.  

This simple visual really make comedy and tragedy simple to understand.  However Arthur Miller had to shake things up.  He says that since society has changed, and so has tragedy. Miller asserts that tragedy is now a common man struggling against his societal place and failing.

Synthesis #2 AP Essays

I write awkward sentences, but the template for the AP Essay has partially fixed that.  The three sentence opener eased my fear of introductions.  The pieces of thesis for topic sentences made my essays more organized and logical.  This new organization technique has not only made my writing more readable, but it also makes analyzing text more organized.  As I read, I can use this template to notice certain parts of the essay formula.  Thesis answers prompt.

Synthesis #1 Applying Allusions

Over the summer we read about allusions in Foster's, and expanded our knowledge of Greek and Biblical allusions.  We thought we were done on the third day of school when we took that test.  But no, allusions came back to haunt us.  With every text and test, we have to examine for allusions and what they mean.  We spent almost the entire hour on Biblical allusions in Hamlet.  When someone pointed out that Biff was 34, Jesus died at 33, Death of a Salesman took on a whole new light.