Beloved and Hamlet

Hamlet, Beloved

Assignment:
Each paper will:
Refer to and quote from each of the two literary works studied this quarter.
Develop a unique, sophisticated thesis and divisions of proof addressing one of the suggested topics. Clearly indicate which topic you are addressing.
Exhibit an understanding of the controlling structural strength of topic sentences.
Quote appropriately (passages which support the argument, strengthening the paper rather than simply padding it) from a minimum of three sources, preferably a mixture of text and internet.
Refrain from plagiarizing and cite all material found in other texts or on the internet.
Have a works-cited page separate from the body of the essay.
Follow essay suggestions from the Hamlet and Beloved assignments

Choose one of the following
Topics:
1. Our theme for this quarter has been choices and consequences in these key literary works. In each, characters are required to make very difficult choices. Which is the hardest or most disagreeable choice? Is this choice rewarded, or greeted with troublesome consequences? You must examine each work in your essay and will gain strength from discovering and analyzing strong options from the texts that you feel fall short (with this and with all the following topics.)
2. The choices made by mothers in these two works are clearly notable. Which of the three, Gertrude, Baby Suggs, or Sethe is faced with the greatest burden of choice? Which pays the greatest price for her choice or choices? What do you conclude from this?
3. In two of these works, actual ghosts play a part in the decision making process of the characters. The ghost also happens to represent the unknown, perhaps the very embodiment of xenophobia. Which haunting plays the most significant role in the decisions made by the haunted character or characters? Have strong divisions of proof for your argument.
4. Although it takes a unique form in each, redemption certainly plays a role in these literary works. In which work does the flawed, problematic choice of the protagonist or another major character bring that personage closest to redemption of self and others affected?
5. Crimes play a key role in each of these works. Rape and robbery, regicide, infanticide, poisoning (both physical and psychological/emotional) these deeds are condemned by virtually all civilized society. Which crime is most human? Explain in terms of personal and societal forces and place as well in the context of the other works.
6. Innocence is a major factor in each of these works. Which innocent character has the greatest impact on decision making and the difficulty of choices? Or, if you like, argue that innocence serves a similar function in each of these works and explain the thematic and dramatic purpose achieved.
7. While Hamlet is generally considered to be a brilliant young man, certainly one of the most intelligent characters in literature, different sorts of intelligence may be involved in making difficult decisions in life. What sorts of intelligence and what personal qualities produce the strongest decision or decisions in the literary works under consideration? Develop a theory of this pattern of intelligence/personality and examine the play and novel in this light.
8. Spying, advice-giving, and meddling in the lives of others are essential to the dramatic fabric of these works. Which author seems to come down with the greatest force and conviction against the act of interfering with the path of another?
9. Each work deals powerfully and directly with the truth of human consciousness (ones self) as the ultimate prison. Denmark, Sweet Home and 124 Bluestone Rd. are symbolic representations of this brutally real human phenomenon. Which is the most effective in dramatic and symbolic evocation of this theme of ones imprisonment in the self? Which most forcefully deals with liberation from this prison?

10. Books and levels of literacy are dramatic considerations in these two works. In which is this motif most fully and effectively employed? (Paul Ds illiteracy, etc.)

11. Secrecy is a key element in each of these works. Like us, these people live in close proximity to each other and yet harbor great secrets; the closer the connection, it seems, the deeper the secrets. Examine both works and argue which does the best job of exploring this theme/idea.

12. Beauty is both the ultimate effort of human attainment and a counterpoint to ugliness and horror in life. Sometimes beauty and horror seem inextricable. Which work most fully exemplifies this paradox.

13. The theme of ownership is addressed in each of both of these works. Who owns Denmark? Who owns Hamlet? Beloved, of course, announces this theme from page one and never lets go. We are asked if we will take ownership of our actions, our work, ourselves. Why does it mean taking ownership of ones self? Which work best explores this complex issue?

14. While BELOVED is clearly the work that deals most directly with stream-of-consciousness writing for the purpose of exposing the mental process of various characters, both the play and novel take us into the minds of the individuals portrayed. Hamlets soliloquies are, of course, classic cultural icons. Which work does this most effectively, powerfully and creatively? Why?

15. In which work is the dark side of masculinity best portrayed?

16. Which is more historically accurate? Less?
You must include in your essay/research paper your conclusion of whether or not historical accuracy or divergence enhances or hurts the play or novel.

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