Eng 125 week 3 assignment

ENG125: Introduction to Literature

Proposal for final paper—Week 1

Once you have decided on an approved prompt and approved text(s), respond to the questions below. Please be mindful of the word count and double-space all of your responses. You are to meet the minimum word requirement without going over the maximum number of words requested.

1. What is your chosen prompt for the literary analysis assignment?

(Use the space below to complete this section. Include the number and first sentence of the prompt you chose from the list of prompts.)

I have chosen prompt number two for my literary analysis: write an analysis of a key character in a literary work.

2. What interests you most about this prompt and why?

(Use the space below to complete this section. Your response must be 100 to 150 words.)

I have chosen the second prompt because it seems interesting to me to analyze a character. Characters are the most important part of any story and their actions are what moves the story forward, and through them, we gain knowledge about the author’s intent in writing the story. There are various motivations behind the actions of a character. Authors often try to make points and share more information with the reader through the actions and decisions of a character. Analyzing a character and their actions will allow me to understand the story better, as well as gain a better insight into the moral of the story.

3. What text(s) will you write about? Why?

(Use the space below to complete this section. Your response must be 100 to 150 words.)

I have chosen to write about Shakespeare’s Macbeth. I have always been interested in the literature of Shakespeare but have never read Macbeth. I saw very little of a movie based on Macbeth but do not know much about the plot or storyline. Now that I have been given the opportunity to base a character analysis on a character of my choosing, I am also given the opportunity to read the play. Although I have always had the option of reading this work of literature at my leisure, reading it for this assignment will make it a mandatory thing that I must do, rather than something I may get around to reading someday.

4. What is your working thesis? Keep in mind that “working thesis” means you can slightly modify your thesis for the draft and/or final essay.

(Use the space below to complete this section. Your thesis statement must be ONLY one to two sentences long.)

Macbeth is a strong, moral character who becomes convinced, by his wife, that he must kill his good friend, King Duncan, in order to gain his crown and title. In a fit of greed fueled by his wife, Macbeth is thrown into a world of guilt and shame, for this outcome was not what he wanted.

5. What are three key ideas that you will discuss in support of your thesis? (Write one -- and only one -- sentence for each point.

a. Macbeth was a loyal and faithful general of the king’s army, thankful to him for the ranks he had already been given by the king.

b. Macbeth is easily persuaded by his wife, Lady Macbeth, to kill the king in order to become king of Scotland.

c. Macbeth becomes tormented with guilt and fearful that he will get caught and is forced to commit more horrible acts in order to cover up murdering the king.

6. What questions/concerns do you have at this point about your project?

(Use the space below to complete this section. Your response must be 75 to 150 words long.)

One question I have about this project is whether or not we will be able to change our prompts once we have chosen one. I have never read Macbeth and am unsure if the prompt I have chosen will suit the literature I have chosen or if I will find another prompt to be more interesting once I have read the play.

One concern I have about this prompt is analyzing the character’s psychological background and how simple that may be to do based on only the actions we read about in the literature. Is this something we will learn to do through the course of this class?