Open Prompt Part 1

2003. According to critic Northrop Frye, “Tragic heroes are so much the highest points in their human landscape that they seem the inevitable conductors of the power about them, great trees more likely to be struck by lightning than a clump of grass. Conductors may of course be instruments as well as victims of the divisive lightning.” Select a novel or play in which a tragic figure functions as an instrument of the suffering of others. Then write an essay in which you explain how the suffering brought upon others by that figure contributes to the tragic vision of the work as a whole.

Essay #1

This essay uses Jay Gatsby as the example of the tragic hero. The first paragraph is not set up like we have been taught to in class: the first sentence includes the author and the work but it does not state who the tragic figure is and it does not say how his suffering contributes to the tragic vision of the work as a whole. I do not think that the introductory paragraph could stand alone as an answer to the prompt and it also did not include a theme. Obviously the AP grader does not agree with me though because they call it a "strong introductory paragraph". I do agree with the AP reader that this author does a nice job of avoiding plot summary and only mentioning specific incidents when they perfectly prove how Gatsby impacts other characters and the reader. I did wish that the author had included a more concise summary.

Essay #2

The next essay starts with a quote that goes along nicely with the theme of tragic heroes but it does not state what work King Lear appears in. This is mentioned in the beginning of the next paragraph and followed by a pretty intense plot summary. This really annoyed me but the AP reader seemed to appreciate that at least they focused on the parts of the plot that explained the tragic nature of Lear. The author does do a nice job of explaining that it is King Lear's vanity that leads him to be a tragic hero and impacts other characters and the work of a whole. Without reading the AP reader, I would have given this a 5-6 because of the plot summary, disappointing introductory paragraph, and lack of organization.

Essay #3

This essay... is super crappy for lack of a better word. The intro paragraph does exactly what Ms. Holmes warned us against. It merely acknowledges that Patrick McMurphy IS a tragic hero and DOES hurt other characters. There is no description of how this happens or what this adds to the work. Basically the entire thing is a plot summary. It does mention how McMurphy throwing the party leads to the nurse asking Billy what his mom would think which causes him to commit suicide but there is so much plot summary surrounding it.