LITR 4370 TRAGEDY Model Assignments Midterm2 Samples 2017 (midterm2 assignment) Model Answers to Part 2. Begin Research Report

Part 3. Begin Research Report: Write at least 3-4 substantial paragraphs with two sources toward completion of your Research Report on selected special topic (to be completed on Final Exam)  (Index)

Clark Omo

3 April 2017

Back to the Basics: Teaching Tragedy

Teaching the Tragedy Genre and understanding its many concepts, conventions, and themes is not an easy task to say the least. This is particularly so when it comes to relating these concepts to everyday life, for many a time it seems as though Tragedy becomes muddled down in its obsessions with flaws and Fate. Yet, Tragedy holds an immense amount of importance relating to the understanding of literary convention, and, in many ways, the study of humanity. It is, after all, a part of Literature. Tragedy, therefore, cannot be relegated to the dark corners of the arts. It must be explored. But there are many issues that hamper this truth, especially when it comes to teaching this genre to students, especially at the high-school level. For many students, they undoubtedly have a difficult time relating to the characters presented in many hallmark tragedies. How can an American high-school student relate to Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, or Agamemnon, King of Argos? These disparities may at first seem like Tragedy’s undoing, but they are precisely what makes this genre all the more important to learn.. Tragedy is an extremely versatile realm of literature, and it is nearly boundless in its abilities for engaging critical thinking. And by understanding Tragedy’s abilities of applicability, testing human sympathy, and identification, we can hopefully perfect the method and rationale for why Tragedy remains the cornerstone of Literary thought.

As mentioned before, one Tragedy’s most obvious obstacles is the inclusion of many upper-class characters that seem grossly separated from the daily lives of the lower classes. Yet, Tragedy does justice by lending attention to these upper-class characters, but also to any other character, regardless of what level of the social stratosphere they occupy, by allowing us to examine the deep flaws that plague Man’s nature, from the top of the social ladder to the very bottom, and thus allowing us to apply the truths explored in such stories to the world around us. Consider Oedipus in Oedipus the King. As Aristotle says, Tragedy is “an imitation of an action that is serious, complete and of a certain magnitude” True, Oedipus is a king, a valiant warrior, and all around impressive guy. He’s intelligent, benevolent, and wise. Yet, at the same time, his kingdom (Thebes) is suffering from a plague brought upon by his own actions; Oedipus’s killing of his father, then marrying of his mother and having four children by her, all of which certainly contain a “certain magnitude”.

Oedipus, the king of Thebes, has not only brought suffering upon himself, but suffering upon his entire kingdom by way of committing an abominable mistake. He has doomed himself and his people, and though he may stand at the top of the social staircase, his position and his decisions affect everyone. As can be seen, the use of upper-class characters does not detract from how applicable this story is. If students can understand how important it is for the leaders of our society, whether it be politicians, generals, businessmen, or school administrators, to make good decisions and be watchful of their actions, then perhaps they will learn how our society can improve. As Friedrich Nietzsche even asks in The Birth of Tragedy, “Is pessimism inevitably the sign of decline, decadence, waywardness, of wearied, enfeebled instincts?”  Tragedy is filled to the brim with such concepts and questions, and therefore it cannot be denied that Tragedy itself often serves as the spyglass into such circumstances. However, it is one thing to examine a character’s actions, and another to sympathize and understand them.

Sympathy is another obstacle when it comes to teaching Tragedy, and again it is centered around the same issue that begins the problem of applicability; the use of such out-of-touch characters and storylines. As Alejandra Ayala states in our site’s Model Assignments: “Most students believe tragedy is always depressing and filled with deaths but tragedy is much more than just that. Tragedy has various elements to it than just death.” This is true. Death seems to hover around Tragedy as do bees around honey. But do we not all have to accept, one day, that the end will come, that there is one moment of time selected for each and every human being on the planet where we will be no more? Tragedy asks us to relate these questions to ourselves. True, that to the average teenage mind this hard to swallow initially. But the characters of Tragedy are faced with these difficulties throughout, and, through their struggles, so are we. Therefore, by understanding this correlation, students can learn to sympathize with these characters, for Hamlet has to deal with family issues just as much as we all do, as well as Agamemnon, Oedipus, Antigone, and Lavinia. Students, therefore, by seeing that these characters, although in many (if not most) cases the circumstances are indeed extreme and impossible, are simply dealing with issues most of us have to face. Corruption, Fate, love, duty, pain, and sorrow are just a few of such problems. If approached this way, students can understand the necessity of studying such works of Literature. True, most of us (hopefully) have never had a moment where we learned our uncle killed our father in order to take a position of power, but there are moments where we have felt betrayed and lost. And Hamlet feels the same. And by sympathizing with these characters, students will achieve the final step in understanding the importance of Tragedy: identification.

As stated before, many of what the characters in Tragedy experience are just exaggerated forms of what we experience in our everyday lives. If students can be taught to understand this critical point, then perhaps they can also learn to identify with the characters presented in many of Tragedy’s storylines. Consider again, Hamlet. Throughout the play, Hamlet displays his feelings of being misunderstood and alone. Would not a teenager feel the same way considering their surroundings? As O’Bannon observes: “In many ways, a story is a way to experience emotions through other people - the characters in your story.” (n.pg.) Therefore, to truly experience the story, the character must have a flaw. And, perhaps that flaw is something that one, if not many, of the students might hold in common with the character. The students can see that Hamlet’s insecurity and his constant struggle to do the right thing is something that they have also had to deal with, and will continue to do so as their lives progress. Understanding the Tragic Flaw is perhaps the best way to help students identify with the characters in Tragedy, and therefore help them understand that in many ways Tragedy is just a mere reflection of the many harder circumstances and situations that we have to deal with in the course of our lives. As Noble asserts, “There is no limit to the negative aspects of human behavior.” (n.pg.), and therefore there is no limit to the many flaws, issues, and conflicts that Tragedy can cover. From the psychological to the personal, Tragedy delves into the depths of human emotion and mentality, and by understanding this, students will begin to grasp that Tragedy is not just about the characters: it is about them, as well.

Tragedy can certainly prove to be a challenge when it comes to teaching the genre in a contemporary high-school classroom. Yet, it can be done, and if teachers can convey the essential points described in this paper, then perhaps it could be made easier, and students would finally learn, or at least begin to grasp, the importance of Tragedy. If students can learn how to sympathize with these characters by looking past the surface details of them being of a higher class, different nationality, or historical period. and realize that there is a significance to the kinds of characters being shown, especially if they are of a higher class, then they can learn how the lessons taught in Tragedy can be applied to the real world. And, by examining the applicability of a Tragedy, then they perhaps can open a window into sympathizing with the characters, for, like many of the students will have to do one day, they are constantly faced with making decisions that determine the outcome of their futures. Once the students have sympathized, they can at last identify, and therefore take the final step to realizing that, although Tragedy is a dark and often sorrowful knife, it cuts to the core of human emotion and mentality, and therefore is relevant in all settings, even those beyond the classroom.

Works Cited

O’Bannon, Mark. “Character Flaws.” Better Storytelling. http://www.betterstorytelling.net/advancedwriting/characterflaws.html .

Noble, Susan Leigh. “The Importance of Character Flaws.” Into Another World. 13 June 2013. https://susanleighnoble.wordpress.com/2013/06/13/the-importance-of-character-flaws/.