Essay 2

General Instructions

• Your essay must have a title, something brief and pithy that captures in miniature your thesis, the central point of your essay.
• Your essay must begin with a clear thesis. This thesis must be an opinion, something requiring an argument. If the thesis is merely factual, it is not a thesis. Ask yourself, “Can my thesis be refuted? Can it be doubted? Is it possible to imagine a contrary point of view?” If the answer is “no,” then the thesis is not a thesis. Discovering and refining a good thesis is not possible by writing a single draft, so be sure to schedule time to revise your paper. Several drafts might be necessary.
• You must state your thesis clearly and build a sustained argument supported by evidence from the reading(s). This evidence should be selected judiciously. Do not fill your essay with many references or quotations; a pertinent few will suffice. As a rule, the analysis preceding and/or following a quotation should be at least as long as the quotation itself. Dedicate as much space as possible to your argument, quoting only enough evidence as is necessary to support it.
• There is no need to consult secondary sources. The central task here is for you to grapple with and analyze the readings in light of some particular problem or issue. References to specific passages should be clear and simple. For example, if you quote lines 23-25 from Act 3, Scene 2 of a play, follow the quotation with (3.2.23-25). There is no need to write “Shakespeare” or “King Lear” or the words “Act,” “Scene,” and “Lines.” Keep it simple; do not fill space with padding. If the passage is from a poem, simply cite the line numbers (or page number(s) if there are no line numbers).
• Do not refer to yourself. Phrases such as “I think” or “I believe” are totally unnecessary and should be avoided. Also, be sure to use the literary present tense. For example, do not write, “Cordelia said to Lear"; write, “Cordelia says to Lear.” What happens in a work of literature happens in the present—every time we see or read it. Do not think of it as taking place in the past. Finally, be sure to edit your final draft carefully. Essays riddled with spelling and/or grammar errors will receive a grade of F.

Prompts

1. Though tragedy typically has a single plot, King Lear has two. Discuss the ways in which the Gloucester-Edmund-Edgar sub-plot complements the principal plot involving Lear and his daughters.

2. Shakespeare was as much a poet as playwright. Discuss the ways in which a specific type of imagery is used to enhance some important thematic aspect of King Lear. You could focus on the imagery of light and darkness, the human body, sexuality, or some other set of images appearing frequently throughout the play. Be sure that your observations about the images are organized around a single thesis/argument rather than presented merely as a list of instances (see second item under General Instructions above).

3. Analyze and compare two lyric poems by Alice Oswald. You may focus on some combination of thematic content (meaning) and form (the material aspects of the poem). Formal features might include structure (stanzaic arrangement, the relationship between rhyme scheme and syntax); figures or sound effects such as meter, rhythm, rhyme, alliteration, assonance, caesura, enjambment, repetition (e.g., anaphora and anadiplosis); tropes or conceits (imagery and metaphor). Do not merely list examples. Rather, be selective in choosing which of these features to include, for your analysis should be organized around a thesis, an argument about some significant difference or similarity. Consult the introduction to lyric poetry for review. For clarification of poetic terms, consult Sylva Rhetoricæ.

4. Compare Shakespeare’s handling of female characters in King Lear with Behn’s in The Rover. Do not automatically assume that their gender determines the authors’ sympathies (or lack thereof). You may well conclude that Behn is more sympathetic toward women than is Shakespeare, but either way be sure that your argument is based on evidence from the readings.

5. Even though it concludes with the pairing-off of characters in marriage, as is typical of comedies, The Rover remains in some respects a deeply disturbing and unsettling play. Discuss the ways in which Aphra Behn’s comedic conclusion complicates her society’s apparent social values.

6. Formulate some other topic or problem, based either on something from the class discussions, or something addressed neither there nor in any of the prompts above. Another option is to alter one of the prompts. Consult with me first if you plan to do this.