Monday, April 16, 2012
1980 Question
A recurring theme in literature is the classic war between a passion and responsibility. For instance, a personal cause, a love, a desire for revenge, a determination to redress a wrong, or some other emotion or drive may conflict with moral duty. Choose a literary work in which a character confronts the demands of a private passion that conflicts with his or her responsibilities. In a well-written essay show clearly the nature of the conflict, its effects upon the character, and its significance to the work.
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I would use the text Jane Eyre. When Jane discovers that Mr. Rochester has been lying to her, she feels the need to flee. She believes that it is her responsibility to leave, even though her heart desires to stay. She is torn between passion and responsibility, love and practicality.
ReplyDeleteI would explore the nature of these two feelings; both can force one to act out of line and think irrationally. But which one is the right one to act upon? Should we act upon what our instincts tell us or what society tells us? Jane initially acts upon feelings of responsibility but soon realizes that this does not help. Passion is ultimately her guiding factor because she cannot live without Rochester. She ultimately returns to him, proving that love and passion outweigh feelings of responsibility.
Morgan- I think Jane Eyre is an inspired choice here. But I do think it is critical for you to note that Jane returns to Rochester on her own terms- and after he has been maimed. She has to "check" her passion, so to speak- do what is morally right and self- sustaining. It is only when she is confronted with St. John that she realizes that there must be something more than simply responsibility.
DeleteI would probably choose Othello. The main character, Othello, is confronted with a personal crisis at a time when he is looked to as a leader of a sizable army. Iago, his plotting right hand man, convinces him that Desdemona, his wife, is cheating on him. Othello elects to steer away from open communication with his wife as anger and jealousy creep over him. As a result, he jeopardizes the entire power structure of the armed forces he is leading as both he, his wife, and Iago are killed in the final scenes. Othello allowed his personal struggles to cloud his perception of his responsibilities to all of the rest of the men on the island. Consequently, he lost everything he held dear in his private and public life.
ReplyDeleteDan- I like that Othello is your choice, but I'm not sure the military argument is a super-strong one here. The armies aren't really the focus of the play.
DeleteI would write about Heart of Darkness, and talk about Marlow's passion and curiosity about Kurtz versus his responsibility to lead those on his boat through the jungle. This struggle obviously has many effects on Marlow; as a result of his obsession, he lies, which is something he claims to detest. He also puts many people's lives in danger just to have a chance to talk with Kurtz. I would also explain how Marlow is aware of this conflict of emotions, and switches between admiring and hating Kurtz. Finally, I would talk about the significance of this conflict in the book by explaining that this relationship and conflict shows man’s obsession to have ultimate knowledge and understand the truth, and that it is impossible for Marlow to distinguish between the reality and fantasy of Kurtz.
ReplyDelete-->"this relationship and conflict shows man’s obsession to have ultimate knowledge and understand the truth"
DeleteI would probably also mention how this conflict prevents man from having "ultimate knowledge," because the conflict makes it easy for the cognitive dissonance (psych!) to act as a barrier preventing man from being honest with himself. But I like what you say!
the Power and the Glory
ReplyDeleteEven the most religious will ultimately fall victim to sin. With rules and doctrines set in place, religion resists progression, while stifling the needs and desires of its followers; thus, it requires people to fend for themselves and live with sin, rather than fight against it. In this state, even the religious figure, like The Priest, will have to stray in order to survive. Whether this straying from what is moral is an indulgence in alcohol or fathering a child (a product of his sin whom he can’t help but love), The Priest lives among these sins in an fallen, godless world, where sin no longer seems to exist, and evil dominates. It is now that the sin becomes the norm and sinners are now simply humans.
For the reader, there is now conflict between the values and expectations of religious traditions and the setting of the story--the overpowering, apocalyptic Mexico setting. With these worlds juxtaposed, right is no longer good and wrong is no longer evil. This is man’s struggle between his duty, as a religious leader in a dominant Catholic world, and his reality as a human being and father in a faithless, deteriorating world.
I would write my essay about the Power and the Glory. I would focus on the whiskey priest's temptation to end his struggle and give himself in to the authorities versus his decision to continue giving masses and hearing confession. Here, the priest's emotional struggle to escape the authorities represents passion and his decision to continue being a priest represents responsibility. To support this thesis, I would contrast the whiskey priest with Padre Jose, who forfeited his priesthood, and thus chose passion over responsibility. I would discuss how the priest's decision to remain a priest affects other characters. Specifically, I would discuss the priest's affect on Luis, and the role of priesthood in the novel.
ReplyDeleteThe Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
ReplyDeleteWhen I saw the word "passion," I immediately thought of 1) 100 Years of Solitude, and 2) Oscar Wao (Latin = full of passion). I chose Oscar though, because there are too many characters in 100YoS to consider...
Oscar is conflicted between his passing passion for many women and his responsibility for his family and himself.
Claim: Oscar's ultimate conflict is between what his rationalizing mind tells him to do, and how his passions guides him to act.
Outline:
Pt. 1 - Oscar jumping of the train tracks - In a cocktail of desperation, lost "love", and three bottles of Cisco (hah), Oscar acts out on his emotions by jumping of a bridge over the train tracks. (Is a responsibility to himself a legitimate point?)
-Significance to the work: When a bridge appears anywhere, it acts as a symbol of transition or change. After this incident, Oscar becomes less stable than he was before, but also more self-aware.
Pt. 2 - An instance where we see his morals overpower his love is when he rats out Lola('s location) to Belicia. Despite his great love for Lola, who is one of the only people who loves him unconditionally, he sees a greater necessity to follow traditional rules and respect and obey his mother.
-Significance to the work: The idea of a character's responsibilities or duties to his/her mother presents itself in both Oscar's relationship with Beli, Lola and Beli, and Beli's relationship with La Inca, and it's an important dynamic that is evident in each of these relationships.
Pt. 3 - Final hero's return to the Dominican -- Rationalizing mind knows it will be his last trip, but his love for Ybon prevents him from seeing past his passion. His self-realization manifests itself in this action.
-Significance to the work: His passion for Ybon is the climax of his journey to self-realization.
Like aileen, there was a certain part of the question that really stuck out at me but seeing as how I'm not as loving or passionate as she is (note how she helped bake cupcakes for class..) I focused on the "desire for revenge". This vindictive quality was most present to me in "Medea". I would begin by giving a brief summary as to the plot of the play and eventually use the essay to show how Medea's focus on causing her husband pain led her to ignore her duties as a loving mother but helped the work as a whole showcase the liberation of her own life from the confines of womanhood. In order to touch upon the effects on her character I would also mention her descent into a obsession driven madness and not the shifts within the chorus's perception of her.
ReplyDeleteI would also use Medea, partly because I find it easier to write about and short enough to remember the whole play (so I wouldn't have to worry about being vague or remembering something wrong). I would definitely focus on writing it through a feminist lens because I think that's what Medea is really justifiably passionate about. I'd focus on how the play makes Jason the villain, unlike in the myth, to show the wrong he commits and how immensely unfair society was. (I'd also need to use him as the villain to explain away the dead children and not make Medea lose all credibility) I would mention her reasons for revenge are deeper than just her husband cheating on her and how she's not just a character, she's a representation for women in general. I would probably stay away from discussing any descent into madness, because I think that would take away from her credibility and the feminist aspects of the novel. My point would be more that there is something wrong with society and maybe Medea is mad because of this.
DeleteLike Wallis, I focused on the "desire for revenge" part of the question and immediately thought of "Medea." I would begin by mentioning the reason behind her revenge; her husband's adultery. But I would also need to note how much the power resided with her husband. He cheats, yet she still remains powerless, at least in the beginning. I would focus the essay on the progression of Medea's gain of power based on how she strips away the responsibilities women of that time were meant to hold. In the essay I would want to make it clear that Medea understands the unfair balance of power and by acting out and seeking revenge (all while striping her motherhood and her status as an outsider) attempts to restore that balance. This awareness humanizes her actions and more so justifiable.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteI would use Crime and Punishment to answer this question.
ReplyDeleteRaskolnikov's belief that he is an Ubermensch, an individual above the laws and morals of society, drives him to prove his conviction. Much of his time is spent agonizing about the murder, more time than it takes to commit the murder itself. In the throes of his feverish pondering, he neglects his responsibilities as brother, son, and friend. He has trouble distinguishing fantasy from reality--he is even unclear about his own identity and purpose. Ultimately, his struggle to balance his role in society and his inflated self-concept lead him to question the very nature of his existence.
I would use 100 Years of Solitude for this question, and I'd talk about Colonel Aureliano Buendía and his conservative friend Moncada. Although they are close, and Moncada helped the town out when Buendía was away, Aureliano decides to execute him because Moncada is conservative and Aureliano is Liberal. He feels it's his duty as colonel. I'd also mention how this reflects in his legendary status (surviving a ridiculous amount of bullet wounds, etc.). It's almost like the man has to compete with the legend. As to its effect, I would talk about how it shows the erosion of compassion war has on Aureliano. As an example, I'd use the 10 foot circle of solitude he puts around himself, and the scene where he realizes that they're fighting the war for power only. As to the significance to the work as a whole, I'd say it shows his solitude, how he can't escape the family cycle of destructive behavior.
ReplyDeleteI would either choose Jane Eyre or Hard Times
ReplyDeleteFor Jane Eyre, I would talk about how Jane is brought up at Lowood and taught to be responsible, while Mr. Rochester is super passionate. From Rochester, Jane learns how to have passion. Although she leaves Rochester after finding out about Bertha because she thinks it is the responsible thing to do, in the end she follows her passion back to Rochester, and in turn, realizes that she has a passion and a responsibility for Rochester.
For Hard Times, I would talk about Louisa's struggle to be happy because of her strong sense of responsibility and her lack of passion or emotion. Because she is brought up with just facts and feels a responsibility to help her brother, she marries Bounderby, who she never loves. She later comes to resent her father and her upbringing because she is never able feel passion the way Sissy can. Meanwhile, Sissy is brought up in a passionate environment and is still able to maintain her sentimental side, while still fulfilling her responsibilities to the Gradgrinds.
I would use 100 Years of Solitude, like Sam, but in a different way. At the start, Juan Arcadio Buendía developed passions for various scientific discoveries. Although these were relatively tame at first, eventually they consumed his whole life. This created huge problems in terms of his relationship with the rest of the Buendía family. While Juan Arcadio Buendía was off creating magnifying glasses or selling his wife's money for magnets, Úrsula, his wife, had to take care of his entire family. Although the patriarch loved his family, his passion for his hobbies consumed his life. Ultimately, Juan Arcadío Buendía goes insane. He babbles on in Latin and has to be tied to a tree.
ReplyDeleteIn general, having Juan Arcadío Buendía go insane allows him to pass along, and for other strong males to come into power for the family. 100 Years of Solitude is the story of the whole Buendía family. Through Juan Arcadío's loss of sanity, others are allowed to take his place.