Please respond to only ONE of the prompts and clearly indicate the prompt to which you are responding in the title adjacent to your name (Ex Dolan – #3).
Your essay MUST BE at least 850 words, and no more than 950, double-spaced, Times New Roman 12 with 1” margins, an intriguing Title, and a proper MLA heading. Any essay that fails to meet these criteria will automatically receive an F.
- Explain the motives for the behavior of a manipulative character in a play we have studied this semester.
- Define the term “irony” and explain how irony was used in a play or plays that we studied this semester. (Dramatic irony occurs when the audience knows more than one or several of the characters, Verbal Irony occurs when the intended meaning of a statement differs from what the words appear to express, the words, and Situational Irony occurs when the expected or intended result is different from what occurs).
- Choose the final scene of a play that we read this semester and argue for or against its being a fit resolution to the main conflict of the play.
- Define the term “catharsis” by referring to one of the plays that we studied this semester. (The term refers to the sensation that would ideally overcome an audience upon finishing watching a tragedy (a release of pent-up emotion or energy).
- Compare and contrast a major and minor character in ONE play that we studied this semester. Be sure to point out their similarities and differences.
- Discuss the importance of setting and stage directions in your reading of Trifles. You must also discuss how these two elements of drama enhanced your ability to understand the play and added to your enjoyment of this literary experience. (Essays that do not respond to all parts of the prompt will receive no receive a grade).
Essay Do’s and Don’ts
- Be sure you THOROUGHLY answer or discuss the question that is being asked.
- Do not include unnecessary plot summary.
- Do not use personal pronouns in your essay. (I, Me)
- Begin your essay with an introductory paragraph that contains a thesis statement. Your conclusion should address the significance of your thesis.
- If you use outside sources to support your position, be sure your in-text citation and Work Cited page are in the MLA format.
