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Post by Daniel Li on Mar 7, 2009 15:31:18 GMT -8
ok, swift said our tiny forms are kinda failing right now. at least, the ones she's glimpsed through.
the only point she's told me so far is that THEME is something that goes beyond that one book; you can't say tom is a theme. instead, the cultural expectations binding people to certain unpleasant tasks IS a theme. got it? good.
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Post by Daniel Li on Mar 8, 2009 18:47:13 GMT -8
OK, got the email from swift. finally.
2009 – Problems with The Tiny Form
1. You managed to get the author/title/publisher/pages (LOL)
2. This asks you to identify the central argument of the text and then analyze both the tactics the author employs to create his argument and then to identify the effect on the audience
• This means you have to identify the argument in the thesis paragraph. Here, argument means theme – identify the theme of the text.
o Be explicit – identify it clearly
o Make sure to give enough background information so that I can understand what you are talking about
o This thesis paragraph will be more than one or two sentences since you are laying out your argument that the theme of the story is what you say it is
o Then the bodies will prove you are right - theme can be revealed through character, plot, climax, symbol, motif, etc – any of the literary elements may contribute to the development of the theme
• Themes are universal – they can be applied to more than one story. They are sort of like lessons of life – what the author wants to convey to you about life, the meaning of life, what is important, what is to be valued, etc.
• Themes are never about a specific character since that character is confined to the one text – the character is the means through which the author shapes his theme. “This message is usually about life, society or human nature. Themes often explore timeless and universal ideas. Most themes are implied rather than explicitly stated. The theme is different from the superficial outlay of the text; it is normally the meaning of the text on a more abstract level.”
• Example: “In One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, McMurphy represents human individuality and freedom of expression. The institution, a symbol of society as a whole, turns McMurphy into an automaton. Kesey's theme is that modern society endeavors to squash individuality and destroy free expression.”
• Make sure to answer the last part – effect on audience. This means you must identify the primary audience before you can assess the effect. Look at the time period, the historical context, etc. The Glass Menagerie and Death of a Salesman are as relevant today as the day they were first written – the economic atmosphere then and now as well as human fears dictates this relevancy.
3. Evaluate the argument, why or why not it is effective. Hmmm – this makes it mandatory to clearly identify the primary argument/theme in question 2 (which for most of you I have no idea what you are talking about). This is a personal assessment reflecting your maturity and knowledge of both historical and current context. You cannot say it is ineffective because you did not like it – what kind of mature response is that?
4. Granted that I should have made question 4, question 2 (making you identify this first which would have perhaps made for a clearer discussion of theme and effect), however, answering this at all thoughtfully should have forced you to reflect on what you wrote in response to questions 2 and 3. You were typing these so you could go back and easily edit/correct/clear up your earlier responses (unless, of course, you were writing this right before the turnitin deadline and had allotted no time for reflection). Either one of these (I find the second option easier) is geared towards your knowledge of an historical era (one that is easy to research on line – which by the way is The Great Depression and its aftermath with Willy Loman). This question is easy – you only have to reflect on the ways in which historical circumstances (economic/social/political/cultural/geographical/etc. factors) played into the lives of these characters. These characters did not live in a vacuum - consider what external factors and to what extent these external factors played in determining the outcome of their lives.
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