Compare and contrast the depiction of the murder in “Trifles” to the real life murder?

I am a C student. I need this essay to pass my class with a C, so you don’t have to go crazy. The biggest thing is just following his directions I will attach below exactly. He is very particular. It is an essay on a choice of three prompts I about three plays we went over in class. We went over in class, I do not care which one you pick. Instructions from professor:

This essay will allow you to explore one or both of the plays we have discussed as a class. Choose one of the questions on the next page to answer. Remember to cite and provide a works cited page when necessary. Failure to do so will be reflected in your grade.

Remember to make some mention of all three “heads” of drama: the words on the page, the institutions of theater, and performance. Also remember that stage directions count as words on the page, not performance. It may help to find a performance of the play to watch and to research the play.

Your essay must be formal MLA and 2-3 pages in length. Two pages means all the way down to the bottom of the second page; works cited pages do not count towards page count. Email the finished essay to me attached as a .doc or .docx file—no Google Docs, no .pdfs.

1. “Trifles” is based on a real murder sensationalized by newspapers, a story Susan Glaspell herself covered for the Des Moines Daily News. The real suspect, Margaret Hossack, was initially convicted but acquitted in appeals, a decision that outraged most Americans. As most of Glaspell’s audience was familiar with the Hossack murder, how does that affect the play “Trifles”? Compare and contrast the depiction of the murder in “Trifles” to the real life murder? How do the words on the page and the institutions of theater reinforce your answer? How could a performance?

2. In The Glass Menagerie, Tom refers to Jim as both “the most realistic character” and “a symbol” (Williams 1131). How is Jim the most realistic? How is Jim a symbol, and what is he a symbol for? How do the words on the page and the institutions of theater reinforce these depictions of Jim? How could a performance reinforce these depictions?

3. An important aspect of drama is catharsis. How do “Trifles” and The Glass Menagerie use catharsis similarly? Differently? How do the words on the page and institutions of theater reinforce catharsis? How could a performance reinforce catharsis?

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