Your essay should present a clear, insightful central idea, should have a clear sense of order and logic, should be well developed with specific details to support your assertions, and should use effective language that is free of grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors. Avoid plot summaries and provide quotations from the text to support your ideas. Also, be sure to spend ample time writing and revising your essay.
Please ensure you reviewed the previous page on Character Analysis. Feel free to refer back to this information and the sample paper as you need to for this assignment.
Your Assignment:
Write a 1500-2000-word essay responding to the following prompt:
Compose a character analysis that compares and contrasts characters from two or more works we have studied this term.
Note: For the final paper, at least one work must be a work you have not written about in a unit essay assignment before.
Avoid summary in your essays; all writing should be directly tied to proving your argument and furthering your analysis of the works. Be sure to spend significant time directly comparing the works that you choose to write about.
This is a Research Essay, and you must include at least four secondary scholarly sources (not Wikipedia or other study guide sites). Do not simply repeat what someone else has concluded; instead, offer your own commentary or insight on what you have learned from your outside sources. You must also properly quote or paraphrase, including citations in MLA form.
Formatting:
Please utilize MLA style when citing sources. For information on citing using MLA, access the Purdue OWL MLA Formatting and Style guide. Here is an example of a well-written paper using MLA citations.
Typed/printed, double-spaced, 1″ margins. Change them in “Page Setup” on the “File” menu.
Paragraphs indented ½ inch at left; do not separate paragraphs by extra blank lines.
Quotations of four lines or less (approximately 50 words) should be integrated into the text; longer quotations should be formatted as block quotations.
All sources must be cited. Avoid USING Wikipedia and other online study guide websites, such as Shmoop. All sources must be scholarly.
Your essay should have a specific title – one that suggests what is the most interesting or important about what you have to say.
BASIS:
Compare the main female characters from “The Yellow Wallpaper” and “An Exotic Marriage,” explore how each woman’s circumstances and experiences shape her character and the themes they represent.
**The Yellow Wallpaper:**
– **Character:** The protagonist in “The Yellow Wallpaper” is a nameless woman who is suffering from postpartum depression. Confined to a room with barred windows and a bed nailed to the floor, she becomes increasingly obsessed with the room’s wallpaper, seeing a trapped woman behind the pattern. As the story progresses, her mental state deteriorates, leading to a final act of liberation as she tears down the wallpaper.
– **Themes:** The story explores themes of mental health, the oppression of women, and the consequences of societal control over individuals, particularly women, during the 19th century. The protagonist’s gradual descent into madness is a poignant commentary on the stifling effects of patriarchal society.
**An Exotic Marriage:**
– **Character:** In “An Exotic Marriage,” the protagonist, Alice, is a young woman who marries a man from a different culture. She finds herself isolated and struggling to adapt to her new life, particularly in understanding her husband’s customs and expectations.
– **Themes:** This story delves into themes of cultural differences, identity, and the challenges of marriage across different cultural backgrounds. Alice’s experiences highlight the complexities and conflicts that can arise when individuals from diverse backgrounds come together in marriage.
**Comparison:**
– Both stories feature female protagonists who experience a sense of confinement and isolation, though in different contexts.
– While the protagonist in “The Yellow Wallpaper” is confined physically and mentally within her environment, Alice in “An Exotic Marriage” is more confined by the cultural and societal expectations of her new life.
– Both stories highlight the struggles of women in patriarchal societies, albeit in different ways. “The Yellow Wallpaper” focuses on the psychological effects of societal control, while “An Exotic Marriage” explores the challenges of navigating cultural differences and expectations within a marriage.
– Ultimately, both protagonists undergo transformative experiences, with the protagonist in “The Yellow Wallpaper” finding a form of liberation through her madness, and Alice in “An Exotic Marriage” facing the complexities of cultural adaptation and personal identity.
