Kaylee Flem's Blog

Prompt: Palestinian American literary theorist and cultural critic Edward Said has written that "Exile is strangely compelling to think about but terrible to experience.  It is the unhealable rift forced between a human being and a native place, between the self and its true home:  its essential sadness can never be surmounted." Yet Said has also said that exile can become "a potent, even enriching" experience. Select a novel, play, or epic in which a character experiences such a rift and becomes cut off from "home," whether that home is the character's birthplace, family, homeland, or other special place.  Then write an essay in which you analyze how the character's experience with exile is both alienating and enriching, and how this experience illuminates the meaning of the work as a whole.  you may choose a work from the list below or one of comparable literary merit.  Do not merely summarize the plot. My Essay:   In King Lear by William S...

My childhood monster was my sweet dog, Cocoa.  My family and I got Cocoa around 12 years ago when she was just a little puppy.  I was around 5 or so at the time. Every young child always begs for a family dog and I was no different.  My sister and i spent weeks begging my parents for a dog before they finally caved in. We were very excited to add a new member to our family.  Everything was great! Or so i thought. Cocoa had a lot of energy, as most puppies do. Anytime we would let her back inside, she would bolt through the house, taking multiple laps of the downstairs.  This absolutely terrified me. Not to mention that she had teeth and claws, and I was horrified by the idea of her ever scratching or biting me. Because of this I tried to keep my distance from her. She was especially terrifying when she got her paws on some food that she wasn’t supposed to have.  She would become very defensive if you tried to take it away from her and even attempt...

Open Question   In the Greek Tragedy Antigone, Sophocles represents Antigone’s troubled upbringing as her motivation for her rebellious independence and her view that true family loyalty is compromising desires to preserve valued relationships. The loss of Antigone’s brother, Polyneices tormented her throughout the play. Due to Polyneices’ attack on Thebes, Kreon, another of their kin, decided he could not have a proper burial. Antigone’s decision to go against the king of Thebes and bury Polyneices showed her priorities are with her family, not her city. Once news of Antigone’s actions made its way to Kreon, Antigone was ready to accept the consequences, as she felt they were justified. The death of Antigone's brother negatively impacts every single relationship she has. Kreon’s treatment of Polyneices caused Antigone to develop a disdain for her uncle. Her relationship with Ismene, her sister, crumbled as Antigone was sickened by her initial disinterest in helping bury Polyne...

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Prompt: 2007, Form B.  Work of literature often depict acts of betrayal.  Friends and even family may betray a protagonist; main characters may likewise be guilty of treachery or may betray their own values.  Select a novel or play that includes such acts of betrayal.  Then, in a well-written essay, analyze the nature of the betrayal and show how it contributes to the meaning of the work as a whole. My Essay: In Dream Angus by Alexander Mccall Smith, many varying examples of betrayal can be recognized throughout the text.  Through first-person narration, Smith demonstrates the ability of the character to utilize their dreams and Angus to grasp a better understanding of the reality, that is filled with betrayal, around them.  Smith uses multiple stories to argue that, through your dreams and subconscious, you are give the ability to rethink your reality and discover solutions to your most pressing issues. Smith sets up the recurring theme of betrayal b...