So we are trying to come up with ideas for the essay…. Right?? Haha well I think colonialism will most likely be the easiest for us to write about. This is due to the fact that we have talked about it a lot in class. We could use the articles from our last blog by Greenblatt and Will. I’m sure there are a lot more articles about this topic as well.
However, it is going to be very difficult to only talk about opinion. Since so many have already stated their opinion, it would be hard to not just summarize what they have already said. Although it is going to be difficult but I know that most of us are going to have to improve on removing summary from our essays. That is probably the number one thing I need to work on.
Anyways we could also write about the manipulation that is found in The Tempest. How Prospero manipulated the individuals as well as the whole situation. We could use the other texts we have read to compare the nature of reality and how easily it can be controlled. Although this topic would make for a mostly one sided argument it could still be done.
So the prompt could look something like this:
In discussions of The Tempest, one controversial issue has been colonialism. On the one hand, Greenblatt argues that it is difficult to avoid the obvious connection between natives and Caliban. On the other hand, Will contends that it is unfair to constrain authors by the belief of the time period. Others even maintain that we should view the text as an art form and study the structure of what was written. However, my own view is that once a author has passed away we will never know what the author’s stance was in relation to what other’s now believe.
Very good. You say, "my own view is that once a author has passed away we will never know what the author’s stance was in relation to what other’s now believe." Therefore, how can The Tempest be best read? Make sure to show us by analyzing the play itself.
ReplyDeleteAgain, good so far.