drama

This shorter paper (2-4 full pages) will be worth up to 50 points; it must be in MLA format and use parenthetical citations when quoting the plays.

Why is this paper Optional with a question mark?

If you did well on Papers 1 and 2, you do not need to do Paper 3. Only the two highest scores go into the grade book; however, if you missed Paper 1 or 2, or if you did not do as well as you would have liked on either of those two, then you should do Paper 3 to take the place of that missed or low score.

---

If you are doing Paper 3, your paper must be at least two full pages, or they will not earn passing grades (at least three full pages if you are trying for a "B" or an "A")

Papers should be on topic, focused, edited, proofread

Any paper not in standard MLA format will not be graded; please review your handbook

Late papers will not be accepted; this is due the last day of the semester

If you have any questions, please contact me via e-mail

Your third paper will look at drama; you have a few questions below; you will choose one to write about.

but first

That's right, drama is actually cited differently from prose or poetry. Since you absolutely must read closely, quote relevant (often very brief) sections of the play, and document those quotations parenthetically, you will need to know how to cite correctly. Instructions on citing plays can be found here: How to Cite Drama.


now the choices


  1. "Trying to Find Chinatown" explores the question,What, really, is identity? When people ask me, "What are you?" (I do get asked that more than you might imagine), my quick answer is, "I'm Irish," but am I? I have never been to Ireland, do not speak the language, rarely eat the food (though I do love potatoes; is that a stereotype?), and so on. To be fair, I am (like many in the U.S.) more of a mutt with some smatterings of Scottish and English as well, but Corbally is an Irish name still known in County Limerick.

    Discuss the following: Which of the two characters, Ronnie or Benjamin, has the better claim for being Chinese (or, if you prefer, Chinese-American)and why?

      TIPS:

    • Don't rush here; this one-act play is a lot more complex than it might seem (and so is the question about what makes up identity).

    • Also, be sure to support your position with details from the play (I certainly would not overlook the long monologue where Ronnie names a whole lot of people (you will want to look them up) or the fact that the stage directions mention he is playing his violin like Hendrix.

    • You may even want to look some things up, such as Chinese, ethnicity, race, and so on. What do current sociologists have to say about this?


  2. Some critics argue that the protagonist of Sophocles's Antigone of the play is not Antigone but Creon. Who exactly is the progagonist (you should definitely look that word up) of this play? Make a case for your answer, and be sure to use examples from the play to back it up.


  3. Discussing Sophocles's Antigone, one student paper argued, "Antigone is a stubborn fool bent on her own destruction. Her insistence on giving a corpse burial causes nothing but harm to herself, to Haimon, Eurydice, and all of Thebes. She does not accomplish anything that Creon would not eventually have agreed to do." Discuss this view. Why is it so important to Antigone that the body of Polyneices be given proper burial? Could she have accomplished that without getting caught? Why does she die so quickly (within a few hours of being put in the cave)? What is the timeline showing that she does/does not have an impact on Creon's decisions? Is she heroic or just a fanatical nut?

    4.