Description Your essay is to be argumentative in its approach. That is, you are to create a thesis statement that reflects your interpretation of what Sophocles is saying about a particular topic. (Please understand the difference between Sophocles' views about politics, power, fate, and free will, as expressed in the plays, and your own personal views about these topics. I'm interested in the former--what you infer that Sophocles is saying about these topics. I'm not interested in the latter--your personal views.) Although you should focus on one of the plays, your paper should also make references to the other plays, in which you may see similar ideas (or different ones) being expressed. Once you have expressed your opinion in your thesis, choose passages and incidents from the texts of the plays to argue that your opinion is a valid interpretation of whatever topic you choose. In your writing, I'm looking for a reasonable tone and for logical explanations and connections of dialogue and action within the plays. I don't want an essay based on emotions. I want critical thinking that reflects intelligence and thoughtfulness. If you want a further explanation about what a thesis statement for a literary paper should do, refer to my web site, under thesis statement. The essay should be at least one thousand words. It should also use the standard MLA form of documentation that we will discuss in class and that is included in the back of your Diana Hacker text, The Bedford Handbook. This documentation consists of in-text documentation and a works cited page. The due date for the essay is on your syllabus. Take your time writing, and be sure to proofread the final draft. I will evaluate you not only by what you say but also by how well you use language to support your points. For further information about how I will evaluate your work, refer to the section of my web site that deals with evaluation criteria. Suggested Topics 2. What do you believe Sophocles' attitude toward women is in the Theban Plays? 3. Sophocles dramatizes the struggle between a character's fate and that person's ability to choose his or her own course. Argue which you believe is a more powerful force in these characters' lives--fate for free will. 4. In a related question to #3, what do you believe is Sophocles' attitude toward prophecies in these plays? Do prophecies reflect the ability of the gods to see the future, given the characters' personalities, without actually shaping it? Or are prophecies to be taken as the gods' determining the future, thereby depriving characters of their own choice? 5. Which of the Theban Plays is the most aesthetically pleasing in its construction? That is, which of the plays is dramatically the most sound in its plot (consider the chain of incidents, the cause-effect relationship between them, and the plausibility of the incidents), in its portrayal of character, and in its writing. Format of the Essay Confine your direct quotations to no more than fifteen percent of your paper. And don't waste a great deal of time summarizing the stories. We've all read them. Nothing is more boring in an essay than a student's retelling a story that the author has told more eloquently. As a general guideline, you should include about two-to-three sentences of analysis for each sentence of summary of the plot. If you do little more than summarize the plays, you will earn no higher than a "D." I want to know what you think Sophocles is saying in these works, why you think this way, and how you evaluate his plays. As long as you are willing to support your points with evidence from the texts, don't hesitate to say "I think." Do the best you can with this paper. No one can ask more of you. Good Luck! |
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