PAPER #2: DRAMA

DUE: Monday, November 10, 7 P.M.

English 104 with Professor Russell

ASSIGNMENT: Address one of the following topics as it relates to Henrik Ibsen's A Doll House, Tennessee Williams's The Glass Menagerie and/or Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman:

1. Consider (compare/contrast) the "search for identity" in two of the following characters: Nora, Tom, Biff. What are the obstacles to each character's search? What is the end result? (That is, is the character successful or not?) How is the search for each one's identity related to the conflict of duty to oneself and a duty to one's family? How does each character resolve that conflict?

2. Compare/contrast the characters of Amanda Wingfield and Willy Loman. What kind of parent is each? (Examine the parent-child relationships in the two works.) How is each character influenced by the past? What is the role of "dreams" in each character's life? What are the strengths and weaknesses of each character?

3. As discussed during the first class on drama and in Arthur Miller's essay "Tragedy and the Common Man", a tragic hero or tragic character possesses a fatal flaw (hamartia) that brings about his/her downfall: the tragic hero is responsible for his/her own destruction. In contrast, a pathetic character is a victim of circumstance and is controlled by events outside of him/herself. A pathetic character does not examine life; a tragic hero examines life, but often too late (anagnorisis), and ultimately, usually faces his/her fate with a certain degree of dignity. Consider whether you feel Torvald or Nora Helmer, Amanda Wingfield, and/or Willy Loman is an innocent victim or whether this character is at least partially responsible for his/her fate. Explain. (You might need to re-read Miller's essay.)

4. Develop your own thesis about one/several of the plays, including August Wilson's Fences. Support your thesis with specific examples and references (quotes) from the text.

You should have a specific, sophisticated thesis statement in your introduction paragraph: this is what you will spend the remainder of your paper defending. Defend your assertions with examples from the text. Include at least two direct quotes from the play or plays and be sure to adhere to MLA format (parenthetical citations and Work(s) Cited information).

FURTHER REQUIREMENTS: This paper should be typed, double-spaced, with one-inch margins, in 12-point, Times New Roman font. Be sure to include a proper heading (your name, my name, the course, the date) and header (your last name and the page number). Your paper should have a dynamic title (that is, something other than "Paper #2"). Do not include a cover page. Your finished work should be 3–4 pages in length. Be sure to write in the present-tense, third-person. (No "I"/"me"/"my"/ "you"/"your"/"we"/"our".)

SUBMISSION: You should submit your final paper both to the TurnItIn.com web site and also to me in class. The information for this class is as follows:

class ID: 2312007

enrollment password: literature

Submit your paper to the PAPER #2: DRAMA folder on Turn It In.

Again, please bring a printed copy of your paper to class on Monday, November 10, in addition to turning-it-in-dot-com. You can print your paper at home or in the library on campus.