Throughout the year, as a class, we have read, analyzed and discussed a variety of works in our process of unmasking the hidden wonders of literature. Theme is a common thread or repeated idea that is incorporated throughout a literary work. With the AP exams approaching, it is vitally important to be able to understand the variety of themes that we have discovered during our journey this year and be able to incorporate and apply them in essays and multiple choice questions. As a means of studying for the exam, pick a work that we have read this year in class. Analyze the major theme in the work and discuss how it crafts the characters and influences their actions overall. Each response should include three examples of the theme impacting individual characters or the importance of it on the work as a whole.
By: Kelsey Smith and Taylor Neuburg
Just to refresh my memory, as well as the entire class’s, I have chosen to delve into the theme of independence versus love and relationships prevalent throughout in Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God. From the onset, when Janie plants a kiss on a traveling indigent passing by to the final chapter when she euthanizes Teacake, Janie’s thoughts and her actions, which drive the plot, revolve around her decisions concerning the men in her life. First, wedded unwillingly to her first husband Killicks, Janie struggles with finding not only true happiness, but also the essence of herself: her independent and free spirit as a woman. Leaving Killicks for the high-rolling, extravagant lifestyle of her second husband Starks, she experiences love but loses any attraction to the façade of a man that her husband becomes over the years. Although in love with the perks of her position as “First Lady” of the Eatonville, she need for freedom pervades. Lastly, Teacake, whom she truly loves because he grants her liberty of conscience and equality in marriage.
ReplyDeleteOne work we studied this year was William Shakespeare's Hamlet. A vital part of Hamlet is the theme of madness. In an attempt to dupe his uncle, Hamlet believes that if he acts as if he is mad, then he can successfully seek revenge from his uncle for his father's death. His yearning for revenge is so deep that he truly begins to become insane because he has suicidal thoughts that are depicted in his “to be or not to be” soliloquy. Hamlet feels that he has an empty existence. His madness provides fuel to his already unstable mind, which makes him make impulsive decisions. For example, upon his father's passing, Hamlet portrays himself as an orphan because his mother is now her "husband's brother's wife". The thought that his mother remarried his uncle constantly serves as a reminder of his father's death. When he sees Gertrude with the new king, the thirst for revenge provokes him to do all in his control, which makes the reader question if Hamlet was pretending to be mad or had he truly become insane. The theme of madness is also seen in the scene where Hamlet forces his mother to sit down and think about her actions and the consequences her actions have led to. He tells her that she cannot move until she ponders upon her behavior. Seeing this atypical behavior of Hamlet, Gertrude feels frightened for her life. Even though Hamlet "pretends" to be mad, in this situation, his mental stability is questioned due to his rash impetuous behavior. Another example is Hamlet's madness is depicted when he kills Polonius. Without checking what or who it is, Hamlet instantaneously pulls his dagger out and slays Polonius. His behavior in this scene is so impulsive that it can be paralleled to the behavior of an animal. Even after slaying Polonius, Hamlet remains indifferent to the situation. No sign of guilt is depicted. These examples depict Hamlet's insanity and substantiate the theme of madness. The theme of madness serves as an important part of the play because it not only carries the plot forward but is slowly shows the increasing mental instability of Hamlet.
ReplyDeleteShakespeare is known for his dramatic plays, eloquent language, and unique themes. One theme that Shakespeare highlights in his play, Hamlet, is the theme of a son seeking revenge. The young Hamlet is completely distraught when his father suddenly dies, and later learns that his uncle murdered his father. Hamlet swears to seek revenge against the murderous sins of his uncle in the name of his father, which thus drives the entire plot of the play. Hamlet becomes so consumed with murdering Claudius, his uncle, that he accidentally kills Polonius. Polonius’ son, Laertes, thus becomes consumed also with seeking revenge against Hamlet because he killed his father. This entire theme drives the entire plot of the story as both Laertes and Hamlet are consumed with seeking revenge, which ultimately ends in the tragic ending of almost every main character dying. The theme of a son seeking revenge is an integral part of Hamlet because it both drives the plot of the story and results in the epic tragedy of many of the main characters dying including Laertes, Hamlet, and Claudius.
ReplyDeleteA major theme in A Prayer for Owen Meany is that of fate and free will. Owen believes that he has this set fate of using “the shot” to throw a grenade out of a window in order to protect the lives of some Vietnamese children and John. Believing that everything he does each day is preset and predetermined, Owen is determined that God has set this path for him and he is unable to control future. Unlike Owen, John has no idea what the future holds for himself and takes advantage of his free will. John is able to control his actions each day and in turn control his fate. The contrast between Owen and John is exemplary of the contrast between our own fate and free will. If you believe that you are predestined for a certain thing you are still in control of your day to day actions that will eventually lead yourself to this destination. This is Johns outlook on his own life once Owen shares his fate with him. Owen simply believes that his actions are controlled by God and have been predetermined, but his actions and life occur for a reason. This theme running through the novel allows for John and Owen to interact on different levels and in different ways.
ReplyDeleteAn integral theme in The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka is Gregor’s overwhelming sense of guilt. One major axiom of Gregor’s guilt deals with his struggle to provide for his family. He feels incredibly obligated to tend for his ungracious family even in his current bug-like condition. Also, Gregor is even torn apart by the fact that he can no longer work to provide his sister with violin lessons anymore. She grudgingly cares for him in his new futile state while he is feeling guilt over trivial matters. Lastly, Gregor feels guilty for the “bind” he put his boss in. He is now a grotesque bug and he is worrying about what his boss will say when he doesn’t show up to work. Gregor’s overwhelming feelings of guilt is an omnipotent theme in this novel.
ReplyDeleteAmong the most prominent and urgent themes of The Glass Menagerie is the difficulty the characters have in accepting and relating to reality. Each member of the Wingfield family is unable to overcome this difficulty, and each, as a result, withdraws into a private world of illusion where he or she finds the comfort and meaning that the real world does not seem to offer. Of the three Wingfields, reality has by far the weakest grasp on Laura. The private world in which she lives is populated by glass animals—objects that, like Laura’s inner life, are incredibly fanciful and dangerously delicate. Yet her brother, Tom, has no more motivation than Laura does to pursue professional success or romantic relationships and he prefers to retreat into the fantasies provided movies and drunkenness. Amanda’s relationship to reality is the most complicated in the play. Unlike her children, she is partial to real-world values and longs for social and financial success. Yet her attachment to these values is exactly what prevents her from perceiving a number of truths about her life. She cannot accept that she is or should be anything other than the pampered belle she was brought up to be. Amanda’s retreat into illusion is in many ways more pathetic than her children’s, because it is not a willful imaginative construction but a wistful distortion of reality. Even Jim, who represents the “world of reality,” is banking his future on public speaking and the television and radio industries—all of which are means for the creation of illusions and the persuasion of others that these illusions are true. The Glass Menagerie identifies the conquest of reality by illusion as a huge and growing aspect of the human condition in its time.
ReplyDelete@Bracey- Great way to simply word the theme of relationship struggles in Their Eyes Were Watching God. It was a great basis on what the majority of the plot was about.
ReplyDelete@Prutha- Really good examples backing up the statement that Hamlet is actually mad. Specific details are really important. Good job!
@Tasha- Nice tie in of the sons seeking revenge with the tragedy aspect of the play!
@Lauren- Creative way to relate your theme to the book. Really good theme to carry on through an essay.
@Tyler- Your use of specific examples really helped analyze your theme. Nice job finding a not-so-obvious theme.
@Caroline- Using the three main characters as your examples of theme were a good look into theme as well as character analysis. You really put thought into it!!
One work I enjoyed reading this year was A Doll's House. An overbearing theme within the play was the oppressed nature of womanhood during the time period. The circumstances and reality women were forced to deal with eventually caused Nora to break free from all of this and become an independent person. Another theme that is vital to the story would be trust. Nora's husband obviously did not have much trust in her as he grew angry with her withdrawal of cash from the bank even though it was for his own good. Trust is important to any relationship in life and determines how far and serious a relationship will last. This lack of trust between these two caused them to separate. A third theme would be society's overall utopian mindset. Although there were many obvious things wrong within the society the story took place in, the inhabitants chose to overlook it and pretend everything was normal. It took Nora leaving her husband in a dramatic, shocking manner to help the citizens of the community to realize what was happening.
ReplyDeleteThe them of alienation is a prevalent one in Kafka's Metamorphosis. Gregor initially feels socially isolated by his family and unfitted to his occupation as a traveling salesman. His first module of isolation is therefore inward. One morning he wakes up as a non-humane creature and must face the inward alienation that spread to his outward appearance. His family further alienates him, including his sister who he had the closest relationship with. After he realizes he is unloved and wanted, he understands the importance of self-appreciation and surrended to his own inner drives. While his death marks the end of the tale, his departure from vivacity marks the only way for him to be accepted: through his absense. This theme relates to other themes in literature regarding isolation, pessimism, and justice
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