Once again, I'll be imposing a loose time limit on myself, for the sake of both exam practice and my sanity. I'm aiming for forty minutes, but I'll spend as long as I need to finish the essay. Pre-writes are on a separate piece of paper. I'll post them if anyone really wants to see them, but they're mostly incoherent scribbles. The passage and prompts can be found on the main course blog.
PROSE ESSAY PROMPT
In the following passage from Cormac McCarthy's novel, The Crossing (1994), the narrator describes a dramatic experience. Read the passage carefully. Then, in a well-organized essay, show how McCarthy's techniques convey the impact of the experience on the main character.
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Prose Essay:
Because emotions are by default difficult to describe with simple words or statements, complex scenes such as ones described in The Crossing by Cormac McCarthy necessitate the use of a combination of techniques. Taken alone, the passage does not provide much background, but within the context of inferred information, the reader is given a fuller picture of the main character's experience. This information is derived almost entirely from the unique style and literary devices that McCarthy uses. It essentially boils down to the use of both vibrant imagery and communicative syntax.
Before McCarthy can even begin to convey the main character's emotional or psychological state, he must set up the physical elements of the scene. His heavy use of concrete imagery establishes the fundamentals. Simple descriptive language such as "he reached the first talus slides under he the tall escarpments" create a housing for the less tangible aspects of the character. Even abstract suppositions like the relation of a hanging sheet to the rituals of an occult sect serve to establish a believable setting. Besides this basic scene setting, McCarthy provides details that hint at the character's past experiences and current state. A strikingly brutal example of this is the blood that covers the character's trousers. This inclusion connotes a whole range of experiences. For one, there is the obvious inference of violence. Even though additional information is lacking (it is not even known for sure whose blood it is), the reader already knows that the character was engaged in some kind of struggle. Even beyond that, the fact that the blood is dried conveys that this struggle took place some time ago. In this way, vivid imagery infers that the character has faced something that left him worn and weary.
McCarthy's use of syntax is somewhat more subtle. Stylistically, it is quite unusual. McCarthy makes frequent use of drawn out sentences, such as the one that describes the process of him transporting the wolf and preparing the fire. The rolling fluid structure gives off a strong sense of continuity, which in turn mimics the character's stream of consciousness. For instance, the routine procedure of preparing camp is completed in one long rambling sentence. Coupled with the knowledge that the character has been through some kind of conflict, McCarthy is able to convey a "one step at a time" type of mentality without explicitly stating any physical condition. A similar method is used at the end of the passage, as the character's pensive and philosophical mood is shown with vaguely worded questions.
The experiences of a character can be effectively broken down into two aspects -- the physical and the intangible. McCarthy effectively handles both facets with life-like imagery and carefully worded sentences. Through these methods the reader is presented with a detailed description communicated almost entirely through inference.
[I'll admit, this essay was really shaky for me. It's questionable whether I actually answered the prompt at all.]
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OPEN ESSAY PROMPT
The eighteenth-century British novelist Laurence Sterne wrote, "No body, but he who had felt it, can conceive what a plaguing thing it is to have a man's mind torn asunder by two projects of equal strength, both obstinately pulling in a contrary direction at the same time."
From a novel of play choose a character (not necessarily the protagonist) whose mind is pulled in conflicting directions by two compelling desires, ambitions, obligations, or influences. Then, in a well-organized essay, identify each of the two conflicting forces and explain how this conflict within one character illuminates the meaning of the work as a whole.
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Open Essay:
Bernard, the outcast Alpha from Aldous Huxley's Brave New World, is a complex character marked by extreme internal conflict. However this conflict parallels the larger theme of individuality versus society that pervades the entire novel. In the case of Bernard, this is manifested as a struggle between his own ideals and acceptance by his peers (which in turn corresponds with an end to his bitter loneliness).
At the novel's start, Bernard is immediately characterized as fiercely individualistic, to the point of being shunned by others. Whether this isolation was a resulted in his personality or his personality caused his isolation is not entirely clear. Regardless, it is evident that Bernard is not only independent, he is proud of it. After a talk with the Director, he relishes in being persecuted, fancying himself as a society maverick of sorts. In short, Bernard represents everything his society hates. However, because Huxley writes for a diverse audience that generally favors independent thinking, this phenomenon is flipped for the reader. Even though his character is actually fairly pitiful, his role as a rebel makes him a hero, at least as far as the novel's theme goes. This serves to form the first half of Huxley's warning. Bernard is essentially a placement of the reader's values within the context of a twisted, albeit prophetic, society.
In spite of all his bluster and plucky rebellion, Bernard is corrupted later in the novel when he is finally given the chance of acceptance. It can be inferred that despite all his anger at society, Bernard had always secretly wished to the same as everyone else. Because of this, the pull of finally reaching this elusive goal would be inherently strong. On one hand, Bernard is offered a chance of "normalcy" among the people of Brave New World. On the other, Bernard would have to give up the identity he spent his life making -- his individualistic ideals, the few friends he had, and his reputation for better or worse. By having Bernard turn his back on his values (and having it backfire dramatically), Huxley drives his point home.
Being the skilled essayist that he was, Huxley could have easily written a more pedantic piece on the dangers of conformity and mob rule. However, by creating the pitiable character of Bernard, he adds a poignant personal side to the message. In doing so, the warning becomes immediate, realistic, and potent. Bernard is essentially a scaling down of an abstract theme into human terms.
[I actually finished this essay within my time limit. Whether it was because I am more comfortable with open essays or I was rushing to get it over with, I'm not sure. Also, it's worth noting that I chose Brave New World yet again. I'm pretty comfortable with writing about the novel, but I'm hoping I didn't bottleneck my exam practice by choosing a novel I've written about so many times.]
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