Open Prompt #5

1988. Choose a distinguished novel or play in which some of the most significant events are mental or psychological; for example, awakenings, discoveries, changes in consciousness. In a well-organized essay, describe how the author manages to give these internal events the sense of excitement, suspense, and climax usually associated with external action. Do not merely summarize the plot.

       Waking up after a very vivid dream can be very disturbing, that is, until we realize that it was only a dream and everything is okay. But what if you couldn't distinguish the difference between reality and these vivid occurrences? In the play a "Death of a Salesmen" by Arthur Miller, the main character Willy often goes into very vivid flashbacks allowing the audience to understand Willy's struggle and constant strive for perfection.

       Willy Lowman seems like an average man, until you observe his actions for more than a couple of minutes. One minute Willy is over-the-moon extatic, and the next minute he is screaming and yelling. But these are not the strangest of his actions. The strangest is when Willy begins to talk to himself about the past or repeats his words from very intense moments in his life and imagine that these moments are happening over again. Although these actions are not always kept inside of Willy's head, the hallucinations and flashbacks are purely a creation of Willy's mind. 

       Miller uses these "internal events" to shape the entire plot of the play. When Willy sees, thinks, or hears about something that reminds him of a past event, he automatically segues into a memory. In the beginning of the play, when Willy is talking about driving, he starts to think about the past. He thinks of the red car, Biff and Happy's youth, and successful business days. Then, later on in the play, when Willy is talking to Biff and Happy at the restaurant with their dates about Biff's current failure, Willy is reminded of Biff discovering Willy's affair. This shapes the play by tying the current issues of the play with the issues of the past allowing the reader to understand the tribulations of both Willy's life and his family's life.

      These "internal events" put a great deal of strain on Willy, and allow us to understand the breakdown of this man. Because Miller puts in these events, and because they are often the most dramatic parts of the play, we are able to look further into the mind of Willy Lowman and see how this man has died before reaching success. 

Open Prompt #4

2007, Form B. Works of literature often depict acts of betrayal. Friends and even family may betray a protagonist; main characters may likewise be guilty of treachery or may betray their own values. Select a novel or play that includes such acts of betrayal. Then, in a well-written essay, analyze the nature of the betrayal and show how it contributes to the meaning of the work as a whole.

    The reason why someone betrays us can sometimes never be clear, but authors leave their readers with the ability to analyze why a character did something with the help of context clues. In Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, betrayal plays a huge role in the ending of the novel. Through analyzing the novel we are able to understand that the murder of Lenny was based off of protection and love.

     George and Lenny begin the novel on the run looking for a new life. Lenny has once again caused problems where they were, and George decides that they should be relocated. At first it seems as if George is stuck with a dim witted friend who is constantly reeking havoc, but as the novel continues we see that George actually cares for Lenny.  Because of these emotions, most readers are in pure disgust when they read about George killing Lenny for doing something he has no control over. 

     This act of betrayal was out of love and protection. By killing Lenny himself, Geoge spared Lenny from being tortured by the people who didn't know the truth about Lenny. However, the first time reading this novel, many people are caught up in how vile and repulsive George's actions are until they look through his eyes and see what he saw. George knew that he had to kill his best friend, to spare him the pain and torture that was coming, even though it would cause himself pain as well. George's act of betrayal was not driven by hatred or disgust, but by love and fear. George wanted Lenny to go peacefully, so he betrayed his own best friend to spare his feelings.

Open Prompt #3

1995. Writers often highlight the values of a culture or a society by using characters who are alienated from that culture or society because of gender, race, class, or creed. Choose a novel or a play in which such a character plays a significant role and show how that character's alienation reveals the surrounding society's assumptions or moral values.

      In the popular TV show Glee, the main characters constantly step out of their comfort zone to highlight the other boring high-schoolers that attend their high school. People who are different often contrast how others are the same and are percieved. In "The American Dream" by Edward Albee, the Grandmother is an older and wiser character used to juxtapose the younger characters to show Albee's opinion of the old and new american dream. 

      Many times in the play, we see that Grandma was raised in a different environment and age period in comparison to the younger characters like her daughter and her daughters husband, their son, and one of their friends. The Grandma in this play is contrasted to the younger characters such as Mommy and Daddy by having conversations full of substance and truth instead of talking about the color of a bag. Grandma's monologues are constitent in the way that she is always pointing out the truth and being honest. By doing this, Albee represents the old American dream as truthful and full of substance. 

      One major comparison of characters in this play is the comparison between Grandma - the old american dream, and the young man - the new american dream. Grandma is old and worn down and is always complaining about how old she feels. The young man appears handsome and both full of energy and life. This comparison between the two dreams represents how Grandma was once like the young man both promising and full of hope.

     Albee's comparison of these two types of characters, the young generation and the old generation highlight the differences of the two types of dreams and the way they are used. 

Open Prompt #2

1977. In some novels and plays certain parallel or recurring events prove to be significant. In an essay, describe the major similarities and differences in a sequence of parallel or recurring events in a novel or play and discuss the significance of such events. Do not merely summarize the plot.

     Each time we revisit a familiar place, new memories are created; no two visits are exactly the same. In our minds, we view these revisits as normal experiences, but in literature, these occurrences are almost always symbolic. In The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, Hester's visits to the scaffold represent both the progression of the novel and the unraveling of the novel's biggest secret. 
     There are three instances in which Hester stands on the scaffold. Each time she stands there Hawthorn is emphasizing a major event. In the beginning of the novel, Hester stands before the town with her baby Prim in her arms. She is stoic as she stands alone and refuses to say the name of the father of her child. This visit to the scaffold emphasizes how brave Hester is and how cowardly Dimmesdale is. 
      In the middle of the novel, Hester, Prim and Dimmesdale meet on the scaffold in the middle of the night by chance. In this scene, Dimmesdale is acknowledging the fact that he is Prim's father and also a sinner. In comparison to the first scene on the scaffold, this scene has both Hester and Prim again with the addition of Dimmesdale, except the towns people are missing. This scene represents the start of Dimmesdale's acceptance, but because this meeting is in the  dark of night with no witnesses besides Hester and Prim we can see that he has not fully forgiven himself.
     In the final visit to the scaffold, both Hester and Prim are present once again, as well as the towns people and Dimmesdale. Here, Dimmesdale reveals his secret to the entire town and then shortly dies afterwords. While the three are standing on the scaffold, they are all free of their secrets as they are displayed in front of the entire town. This scene is free of secrecy as compared to the first encounter on the scaffold where Dimmesdale remained hidden from the public. By having Dimmesdale stand on the scaffold in front of the town, Hawthorne is emphasizing the fact that Dimmesdale has come clean and accepted his sin.  
     These three visits to the scaffold are emphasizing the beginning, middle and the end of the novel by comparing who is on the scaffold and who they are in front of. These scenes cause the novel to tie itself together and creates a better sense of what is going on in the novel.

Open Prompt #1

Prompt:1991. Many plays and novels use contrasting places (for example, two countries, two cities or towns, two houses, or the land and the sea) to represent opposed forces or ideas that are central to the meaning of the work. Choose a novel or play that contrasts two such places. Write an essay explaining how the places differ, what each place represents, and how their contrast contributes to the meaning of the work.

Our location can influence our actions, emotions, and thoughts; you wouldn’t act like you do in your house like you would at school, would you? In The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Huck is influenced by the actions of others on land, but is able to think on his own on the raft in the river. In this novel, the contrast of the Mississippi River and the land surrounding it represent the difference between innocence and corrupt values.

On the river, Huck is alone on a raft with Jim, a runaway slave, which would be considered absurd to anyone who saw the two of them. If anyone were to know the truth of their relationship, the two would be judged severely and punished. However, none of this matters to Huck because on the river, he is his own person. Huck has no one to tell him how to act or how to think. Twain writes these river scenes to allow Huck to interpret Jim’s words and treat him as an equal.

However, when Jim and Huck stop on land, Huck is suddenly influenced by everything and everyone around him. Not only does he treat Jim differently, but he lies, cheats, and ventures around as if he were a parrot repeating someone else’s words. Huck’s actions are directly related to his location. Each time Huck steps his foot on land, he is back to thinking like a typical southerner of the time period would.

Twains juxtaposition of the land and the river contrast the ideas found in each location. On the Mississippi River, Huck and Jim are out of sight from everyone else leaving there minds free and untainted. But on land, these two deal with blending into the expectations of society. Twain uses this method of comparing the two places to put emphasis on Huck’s actions when he is being watched, and when he is not.