final exam assignment

LITR 4533 TRAGEDY  Final Exam Samples 2012 Essays & Excerpts on Part A: Overall Learning Experience

Melissa Lopez

Overall Learning Experience

            Throughout this course, we have read and discussed several of the greatest tragedies known to mankind such as Sophocles’ Theban trilogy based on Oedipus, Shakespeare’s Hamlet, and O’Neill’s Desire under the Elms.  Although this isn’t my first encounter with tragedy, I now have a deeper understanding and appreciation for the complex genre.

            One of the key concepts discussed throughout the course is the fact that there is no such thing as a “pure” genre.  In the literary world, it is common to encounter genres which have intertwined with one another such as a dark comedy or tragic romance.  For example, in a tragic romance such as Nicholas Spark’s The Notebook, qualities of a romance and tragedy are found with the text. As found in a traditional romance, The Notebook is centered on a love story in where the couple encounters obstacles that tests their love; however, as found in a tragedy, both individuals die in the end of the novel.  The novel consists of complex characters that endure suffering induced by their own flaws or unfortunate events which evokes catharsis within the reader while incorporating elements of romance to appease the reader’s need to feel comforted or soothed. Whereas before taking this course I had a list of conventions in which I associated each genre with, I am now aware of the fact that all genres blend with one another.

            Tragedy, in all its complexity, is the most interesting genre of all the genres taught to students in the high school curriculum.  As an education major, I dreamt of the days where I would lead my class in a discussion on literary classics such as Sophocles’ Oedipus the King, Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet or Hamlet.   Although these stories deal with issues that may be considered uncomfortable or inappropriate for a high school audience, I feel that if taught correctly, anyone over the age of fifteen can find something to appreciate within the genre of tragedy. As discussed in class, several of the pieces we read throughout the course such as Desire under the Elms by O’Neill weren’t created to be read; they were created to be performed.  Taking that into consideration, I would encourage the class to act out the scenes with one another in order to enjoy the literary masterpiece as it was meant to be enjoyed. 

            Whereas many believe that today’s young adult readers prefer modern texts, I believe that they can enjoy classic tragedies just the same.  Tragedies consist of characters that experience a wide range of emotions, something most young adults can identify with.  At an age where one encounters conflicting emotions that range anywhere from envy, lust, love, and at times hopelessness, tragedy is the perfect remedy to cope with one’s teenage years. 

            As stated by Nietzsche in The Birth of Tragedy, “every true tragedy” teaches that “life is at the bottom of things, despite all the changes of appearances, indestructibly powerful and pleasurable”.  While some of the situations depicted in the classic tragedies may seem extreme, the pain and suffering one experiences when reading about the lives of tragic heroes such as Oedipus or Hamlet, causes the reader to appreciate their less tragic lives.

            Aside from analyzing some of literature’s greatest examples of tragedy, this course has allowed me to appreciate a genre I once deemed senseless.  Although I had read (and enjoyed) both Oedipus the King and Hamlet in the past, I had never truly appreciated the genre of tragedy as a whole.  When instructed to read tragedies in past curriculums, I dreaded opening another story of misery and pain.  After taking this course however, I understand that there is beauty in tragedy because it explores both the good and evil in every individual.