Sunday, November 11, 2012
Prompt 11-11
2002. Morally ambiguous characters -- characters whose behavior discourages readers from identifying them as purely evil or purely good -- are at the heart of many works of literature. Choose a novel or play in which a morally ambiguous character plays a pivotal role. Then write an essay in which you explain how the character can be viewed as morally ambiguous and why his or her moral ambiguity is significant to the work as a whole. Avoid mere plot summary.
In the book Beauty Queens by Libba Bray, one of the main characters is Taylor Hawkins. The representative from Texas, she is the very model of a conservitive modern southern bell. She prays to Jesus, never swears, owns guns, is blonde, and is, in other words, perfect. This causes us to naturally want to dislike her, and her attitude does nothing to make her endearing. She is controlling, and very against any swearing or "using the lord's name in vain". It's only when you reach the end and realize that the reasons that she acted like this is because her mother left, it's then you feel sympathy. When you look back at the book and how she was acting, it was all a way to try to hold her world together, clutching the fragments that had shattered when her mother left her when she was 6. Taylor is not a loveable character though. Even if you want to hug her and comfort her, you still do not want to be her friend.
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Hey Anna!
ReplyDeleteThis is a pretty good start, but there are some things that could use some work. First, there really isn't much of a structure to the essay. Also, the examples you used while trying to describe the character don't really show how she's evil. It's more like she's just an annoying character to some people. A few more examples from the story to show how she's controlling, for example, would also help.
First off, maybe separate the prompt from the essay. Thanks
ReplyDeleteCaitlyn has some good advice - more evidence would be good, maybe a stronger focus. Are you trying to say that being annoyingly and ostentatiously moral is in a way immoral? This needs some working out, and some examples of moral dilemmas. Make sure you really answer the question, and the whole question.
"Choose a novel or play in which a morally ambiguous character plays a pivotal role. Then write an essay in which you explain how the character can be viewed as morally ambiguous and why his or her moral ambiguity is significant to the work as a whole."
Hi Anna!
ReplyDeleteThis is definitely a great example. However, I would probably add a little more support to make your point stronger. You provide nice details but I feel like upon closer inspection, they don't all quite add up. First, you say she prays, never swears, and is blonde, ergo perfect. But then, right afterwards, you say she has a bad attitude, indicating she is not perfect. So.. this makes me confused... Does the reader not like her because she is the perfect blondie who's gorgeous? Or does the reader not like her because she is mean? Or both?...Also, her hair color is not an effect of her mom leaving her...Do you see where I'm getting at? I feel like this is a great start and conclusion, but you need more body to make it work.