Read one (1) play from the Oresteia
trilogy.
Compose a paper, 2 pages in length, that addresses an aspect
of the tragedy you choose. Suggested topics appear on the
guides to the individual tragedies.
The primary purpose of the assignment is to encourage you to read
the text closely and to engage the ideas contained in it. The secondary
purpose is to help you practice your analytic and writing skills
in a highly disciplined manner. Be concise. Organize your thoughts
coherently. |
1. Identifiable thesis sentence.
2. Topic sentences at beginning of each paragraph.
3. A title - something meaningful, not "Paper One."
Spelling, grammar, and everything else you learned in English
111 counts.
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Read the text. |
- All the action scenes (murders, flight) take place off stage.
The compelling scenes are the confrontations, spoken face to face.
There is no trickery, no deception, no lying (except where surprise
is necessary). Instead we see real points of view in conflict.
There is no possibility of compromise between these points of
view, and consequently the characters clash.
- We do not want to hear about hubris or tragic flaws
or other high-schoolish interpretive devices. Instead, read the
text. Build your argument upon what you see there yourself. Support
your argument with frequent and specific reference to the text.
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Write on whatever topic you think you can argue best.
- Formulate an argument: "Clytemnestra deserved to die, and
here's why."
- Support with lots of evidence from the text.
|
Footnotes, endnotes, bibliography are not necessary.
Simply indicate the line number in parentheses: (A, 1272-84)
means Agamemnon, lines 1272 through 1284. Use L for
Libation Bearers, E for Eumenides. |
Two pages
Typed in a font not smaller than 10 point
Double spaced
One-inch margins all around |
Papers will be evaluated on their
- reasoning
- clarity
- organization
- use of specific evidence from the text
Do merely summarize the
text. |
When you finish reading the tragedy, write a first draft
where you try to develop your ideas for the first time. After completing
the first draft, set the paper aside for a while. Think critically
about your own work, and if possible have a friend or family member
critique your draft. Then write the paper a second time. Before turning
the paper in, proofread it for errors. And above all, use your spell
checker. |
Tuesday of Week 3 (Feb. 2) at the beginning of class. Upload via Blackboard. |