1970. Choose a character from a novel or play of recognized literary merit and write an essay in which you (a) briefly describe the standards of the fictional society in which the character exists and (b) show how the character is affected by and responds to those standards. In your essay do not merely summarize the plot.
Society and they way in which one is raised makes drastic effects on a person and the way they deal with situations. In Shakespeares tragedy Romeo and Juliet, the two characters must deal with the standards of society and how their families raised them. In this famous play, Romeo and Juliet respond to society's standards and their families rules by going completely against the grain and disobeying because of their love for one another.
Romeo and Juliet takes place in Italy, in a city called Verona. In Verona, there are two wealthy families; the Montagues and the Capulets. Ever since anyone in the city can remember, the Montagues and Capulets have had a history of bickering and dispute. The two main characters, Romeo and Juliet, are members of opposing families. In Romeo's household, he was raised with less rules to follow, with his parents allowing him to walk the streets and choose whom he should marry. In contrast, Juliet is barely allowed to leave her home, and her parents help her decide whom she will be marrying. Because their families historically are rivals and are opposites, they do not want their children interacting with one another. Romeo and Juliet must deal with the fact that their society and families greatly oppose the idea of them being together.
In the play, Romeo uses his freedom to his advantage. He decides to attend a party at the Capulets home, where he meets and falls in love with Juliet. On the other hand, Juliet is forced to disobey her parents to be with Romeo by attempting to get away from her parent's forced engagement. Even though both Romeo and Juliet are aware of their bickering families, they are still in love. Their deep love for each other is shown through diction and imagery. Romeo and Juliet have long speeches that use diction to show their love for one another. Imagery is also used in the speeches, when Romeo says "But soft! What light through yonder window breaks? It is the East, and Juliet is the sun!" (2.2.3-4) He thinks so highly of Juliet the moment he sees her on the balcony, which is shown through imagery. They disobey their families and hide their love as best they can to stop their parents from keeping them apart.
Romeo and Juliet live in a society that automatically forces them apart. The two of them decide to go against society's and their families expectations and be together because of the strong love between them which is shown through diction and imagery.
The second sentence of your opening paragraph is a bit ambiguous- you simply mention "characters". You could strengthen this by stating specifically "Romeo and Juliet".
ReplyDeleteYour second paragraph focuses on the differences between the two families, but you conclude it by saying that their families "greatly oppose the idea of them being together"-- a bit of a non-sequitur.
I think you really need to mention the ending of Romeo and Juliet. You focus on the idea of them being in love, but you fail to mention how the fact that they went against society's standards rendered their destruction.
Cutting down on adverbs would also help to improve your clarity.
You need to get to meaning here, and answer the "so what" question.
ReplyDeleteThere is too much surface stuff in your support paragraphs and not enough analysis.
I'm not crazy about Romeo and Juliet for this prompt, because the prompt asks you to talk about one character and you're talking about two, and it asks you to talk about the individual versus society and you're talking about kids versus parents. Also, you're clearly referencing the text (which you wouldn't have access to on the AP test). Your peer reviewers mention a number of problems with this piece--revising according to their advice would have been a good idea.
ReplyDelete