Guidelines for Developing Your Paper Topic
The “Writing about Literature” section of your Perrine’s Literature textbook (pp. 1–54) and the “Writing” section of Harbrace Essentials (pp. 1–12, 15–16, 18–21, 22–28) provide helpful pointers for writing your literary essay and for academic writing in general. Be sure that you have read this section before doing any further work for this assignment. Take particular notice of the examples of drama essays on pp. 48–54 of your Perrine’s Literature textbook.
Choose 1 (ONE) of the prompts below to address in your paper:
Write an essay explaining how Sophocles’ Oedipus exemplifies or refutes Aristotle’s definition of a tragic hero. Review pp. 1250–1254 and 1257–1258 in your Perrine’s Literature textbook for the background and overview of Aristotle’s concept of tragedy/the tragic hero and drama. Then, re-read Sophocles’ play, Oedipus; you may review additional audio-visual resources on the play as well.
Discuss William Shakespeare’s Othello, the Moor of Venice as a tragedy. As defined by Aristotle, is it correct to label Othello a “tragic hero” and to classify the play as an Aristotelian tragedy? Review pp. 1250–1254 and 1257–1258 in the Perrine’s Literature textbook for the background and overview of Aristotle’s concept of tragedy/the tragic hero and drama. Then, re-read Shakespeare’s Othello, the Moor of Venice; you may review additional audio-visual resources on the play as well.
Discuss the author’s perception of death and the treatment of death in Everyman. Be sure to re-read the play in Module/Week 7 before you begin your essay. You may review additional audio-visual resources on the play as well.
Finding Scholarly Sources
For your papers, you are only permitted to use academic sources. Resources such as 123Essays, Spark Notes, Cliff Notes, and Masterplots (or similar resources) are not scholarly and will not be permitted in your papers. To find appropriate sources, access the Jerry Falwell Library through the Services/Support link on the course menu on Blackboard. From there, you can use the Library Research Portal to find peer-reviewed, scholarly journals. The Literature Resource Center is an excellent resource for these types of papers.
If you need additional help finding the right sources, you can contact a librarian from the Jerry Falwell Library by emailing your questions to research@liberty.edu. You are also free to visit your local library or do some research on the Internet; however, you must make sure that you have credible sources. If you are uncertain, email the source to you instructor in advance.
