2002. Morally ambiguous characters -- characters whose behavior discourages readers from identifying them as purely evil or purely good — are at the heart of many works of literature. Choose a novel or play in which a morally ambiguous character plays a pivotal role. Then write an essay in which you explain how the character can be viewed as morally ambiguous and why his or her moral ambiguity is significant to the work as a whole. Avoid mere plot summary.
Ambiguous characters such as Severus Snape from J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter are often viewed as less of a main character and more of a side character that is put in a novel to make the story more interesting. It is often hard to understand their motif in the story. But in most cases the ambiguous character will lead the protagonist to success. Severus Snape is such of a character, throughout the entire series of Harry Potter, readers have thought of Snape as a villain, no one would have thought that he was the person leading Harry Potter to defeating Voldemort.
In the first book of Harry Potter, during the Quidditch game with Slytherin, everyone thought it was Snape’s doing, that Harry’s nimbus 2000 was acting suspicious, Rowling used great details to write her characters, no one would have expected Snape to actually be trying to save Harry Potter, other than trying to have him killed. And of course no one would have “suspect p-p-poor, st-stuttering P-Professor Quirrell” to be the person that was attempting to kill Harry Potter.
In the seventh book, we found the secret behind Snape and Dumbledore. We found out that Snape was actually the whole reason why Harry Potter hasn’t died yet, and that they plotted to defeat Voldemort using Harry Potter from the very beginning, it is almost to drastic of a change between the personality of Snape. Rowling used many dictions and details to create an evil ambiguous character, and in the six book, audience, were certain that Snape is an actual villain. But in the seventh book, the evil villain suddenly changed to a hero, the ambiguity of the character cost audience to view the character in a complete different emotion.
Ambiguous characters are very important. They make the story more interesting by confusing the readers. Making readers to think one way at the beginning but conclude in another way. In J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series Snape always seem like he is the evil character. But in the very last book we found out that Snape has been helping Harry Potter all along.
I don't think Harry Potter can be used as an AP Lit novel. Sorry.
ReplyDeleteThesis
You didn't have an intro you just jumped right into the thesis. I think you meant motive when you said motif. When the prompt says to explain how the character is "significant to the work as a whole" that doesn't mean how it is significant to the plot. It means how its significant to the meaning behind the work. The prompt said to chose A novel or play and you chose all seven Harry Potter novels. I would scrap this paper and chose a novel with more merit then Harry Potter.
First Paragraph
Why wouldn't we have suspected Snape? What made Snape seem evil?
Second Paragraph
I don't think you know the definition of ambiguous. You contradict yourself too many times in this paragraph. If you're trying to prove he is ambiguous morally you should throw in some evidence to that nature. Maybe that Snape killed Dumbledore? and that he only did it because Dumbledore wouldn't live for much longer anyway? You need evidence.
OVERALL
There is no deeper meaning mentioned in this essay. You should add that in. You don't prove that he is morally. You prove that he is a good guy who has a bad past and a shady exterior. Snape and Harry Potter do not work for this prompt. You never directly answer the prompt. How is Snape pivotal in the plot? In the greater meaning in Harry Potter? How is Snape morally ambiguous? How does his position help understand the deeper meaning? You also need to pick just one novel, not all 7.
Ah, I think Holmes may have referenced Harry Potter specifically as an example of a work that is not classically available for use on the AP exam, but you may have been absent; I can see how this work can be considered by and large as a classic.
ReplyDeleteYour thesis answers one goal of the prompt, but leaves out the meaning part. So long as you do not answer all parts of the prompt, you may receive a deflated grade on the exam regardless of what follows.
As for the following paragraphs, they are primarily plot evidence to support the fact that Snape is a morally ambiguous character. While your substantiation for this claim is numerous and reliable, you do not go further into discussing what Rowling's intentions may have been for Snape's role and how that affects the meaning of the work.
All in all, this essay seems to be primarily a discussion of plot and not so much of meaning. The original error may be found in the fact that the thesis does not answer one of the main goals of the prompt; to explain "why his or her moral ambiguity is significant to the work as a whole."