I'm writing an essay on this topic:
"In great literature, no scene of violence exists for its own sake.
Choose a work of literary merit that confronts the reader or audienc with a scene or scenes of violence. in a well organized essay, explain how rthe scene or scenes contribute to the meaning of the complete work. avoid plot summary."
i have to write this on King Lear, and this is my crappy thesis:
Looking at Cornwall and Regan's cruel beating of Gloucester reveals the theme of having sight without sight, the realization of sin after suffering and the contrast between Regan's inhumanity and Glocester's innocence.
is it okay? any suggestions?
TT
Good morning.
I think this is a very fine start! Don't be so hard on yourself! Sheesh!
OK, let's look at this more closely:
I really like the first sentence, but it leaves me wondering what you mean by "sight without sight"; expand upon this statement more to tell your readers exactly what you are describing. This applies to "sin after suffering" (which should have a comma after it) and "contrast." On this last one, consider your audience; if they are intimately familiar with the work, you might be able to get away with this last statement, but if there is anyone in the audience that has not read the piece or hasn't read it in a long time, be more specific.
In your thesis, great detail is expected, thus narrowing your topic down to a fine point, the "core" of your paper. The length of the thesis doesn't matter; what matters is that it is concise, complete, and considerate (of your audience).
I wish you good luck!
Regards,
Gloria
Moderator, EssayForum.com
I have this assignment too but I don't understand this at all. What does it mean?
Do I have to find the work of literary merit about violence from someone else and write about it?
What does it mean about "explain how the scene or scenes contribute to the meaning of 'complete work." What does it mean by complete work?
I'm SO CONFUSED. ):
Good evening :)
The quote means that in great texts, the authors didn't put violence in the pieces just to have violence (think "Pulp Fiction"); they always had a reason for any violent acts.
You are to choose a text that has literary merit (something substantial, not pop fiction or the like) which contains violent scenes and then explain how the scenes help develop, move along, or explain the overall tale/story/message the author is trying to convey. Don't just re-tell the story in your paper, analyze and interpret why you think the author put these scenes in; what purpose do they serve? Complete work means just that; the whole story/tale/poem, etc.
You need to find a story/play/poem/tale etc. that contains a violent scene; think "Romeo and Juliet," "The Jungle," "Crime and Punishment," "Hamlet," "Macbeth," or something of the like, read it, and analyze the violence in the piece. If you just regurgitate what someone else wrote you will not only probably plagiarizing, you will not be learning anything.
Regards,
Gloria
Moderator, EssayForum.com
