EWRT 2: Class 18

AGENDA

End of quarter planGroup Discussions: Perspectives

and A Game of Thrones Introduce Essay #5 In-class writing: Generating

prompts

End of Quarter Plan: M/W

Today: Class 18 Discussion:

Perspectives and A Game of Thrones.

Introduce Essay #5

Class 19 In class essay #4

Class 20 Make-up Exam Self Assessment

Class 21 Meetings by appointment in my

office.

Friday, Week 11

Self-Assessment due before noon Revised Essay due before noon

Class 22: 25 participation points Game of Thrones Episode Final discussion

Final (Tuesday 12/09): Final Paper due

End of Quarter Plan: T/TH

Today: Class 18 Discussion:

Perspectives and A Game of Thrones.

Introduce Essay #5

Class 19 In class essay #4

Class 20 Make-up Exam Self Assessment

Class 21 Meetings by appointment in my

office.

Friday, Week 11

Self-Assessment due before noon Revised Essay due before noon

Final: Class 22: (Thursday 12/11 7-9 am) 25 participation points Final due before class begins. Game of Thrones Episode Final discussion

Group Discussions: Perspective and A Game of Thrones

Get into your teams to consider the application of Woolf and Plato to A Game of Thrones. Make sure to find textual evidence to support your claims.

WoolfPlato

Get out of the cave!

Women!

Perspectives and A Game of Thrones

“The Allegory of the Cave”“Shakespeare’s Sister”

Martin writes, “Purple with rage, the king lashed out, a vicious back-hand blow to the side of the head. She stumbled against the table and fell hard, yet Cersei Lannister did not cry out” (Martin 429).

Virginia! I am telling you, I have had it!

“”Wife-beating,” I read,

“was a recognized right

of man, and was

practiced without

shame by high as well

as low…”” (765).

Woolf, Cersei, and Wife Beating “Wife-beating,” I read,

“was a recognized right of man, and was practiced without shame by high as well as low. . . . Similarly,” the historian goes on, “the daughter who refused to marry the gentleman of her parents’ choice was liable to be locked up, beaten, and flung about the room, without any shock being inflicted on public opinion. (Woolf, 4 Web)

Ned touched her cheek gently. “Has he done this before?” “Once or twice.” She shied away from his hand. “Never on the face before. Jaime would have killed him, even if it meant his own life.” (Martin, 332, PDF)

Woolf and the Night’s Watch

Shakespeare’s sister, Judith, “had no chance of learning grammar and logic, let alone of reading Horace and Virgil.”

The men of the night’s watch swore to an oath “I shall take no wife, hold no lands, father no children. I shall wear no crowns and win no glory. I shall live and die at my post. I am the sword in the darkness. I am the watcher on the walls. I am the shield that guards the realms of men. I pledge my life and honor to the Night’s Watch, for this night and all the nights to come” (522).

Woolf, Women, and Sansa

Woolf emphasizes how women are subordinate, and are not valued when they are compared to men when she points out, “Some of the most inspired words, some of the most profound thoughts in literature fall from her lips; in real life she could hardly read, could hardly spell, and was the property of her husband” (Woolf 766).

George R.R. Martin applies a similar concept when Joffrey tells Sansa she is stupid.“You truly are a stupid girl, aren’t you? My mother says so. [...] She worries about our children, whether they’ll be stupid like you, but I told her not to trouble herself.” “Thank you, Your Grace,” [Sansa] murmured. The Hound was right, [Sansa] thought, I am only a little bird, repeating the words they taught me.” (Martin 747)

Woolf and Arya on Marriage “ The daughter who

refuses to marry the gentleman of her parents choice was liable to be locked up, beaten and flung about the room, without any shock being inflicted on public opinion. Marriage was not an affair of personal affection, but of family avarice, particularly in the ‘chivalrous’ upper classes” (Woolf, 765).

“ Arya says, ‘ Can I be a kings councilor and build castles and become the high septon?’ ‘You’ Ned said kissing her lightly on the brow ‘will marry a king and rule his castle, and your sons will be knights and prices and lords and, yes perhaps even a High Septon’”(Martin, 247)

Woolf and Arya

“But she was not sent to school. She had no chance of learning grammar and logic… She picked up a book now and then, one of her brother’s perhaps, and read a few pages. But then her parents came in and told her to mend the stockings or mind the stew and not moon about with books and papers”(Woolf 845).

“She watched her little brother whack at Tommen. ‘I could do just as good as Bran,’ she said.”

“Arya, why aren’t you at work?… Let me see your stitches” (47)

Woolf and Daenerys

“How much thinking those old gentlemen used to save one! How the borders of ignorance shrank back at their approach! Cats do not go heaven. Women cannot write the plays of Shakespeare. “(844)

“She offers to Aggo, Jhogo and Rakharo the traditional gifts of a khal to his bloodriders; each refuse, saying that to serve as bloodrider to a woman would shame them, but Daenerys ignores their objections” (A Game of Thrones).

The Men

How is Tyrion like the imaginary woman described by Virginia Woolf in Shakespeare’s Sister?

Q: How is Jon Snow’s life similar to the middle-class women of the Elizabethan Era?

The Wall and Plato

Plato writes, “To them, I said, the truth would be literally nothing but the shadows of the images”(446). On the Wall, men are figuratively chained as well. The men of the Wall have little power in obtaining the truth. Master Aemon comments about the mail they receive, and says, “They tell us what they want us to know, and that’s little enough” (Martin 654).

Is it possible that the majority of the characters in the novel A Game of Thrones are living in a cave, believing the puppet show as Plato explains in his work, The Allegory of the Cave?

Plato, the cave, and the light

In a Game of Thrones, Jon Snow is pulled out of the cave when sees Tyrion Lannister in a more positive light. George R.R. Martin describes Jon Snow’s moment in the light when Jon Snow first talks to Tyrion Lannister.“And with that he turned and sauntered back into the feast, whistling a tune. When he opened the door, the light from within threw his shadow clear across the yard, and just for a moment Tyrion Lannister stood tall as a king.” (Martin 57)

“Anyone who has common sense will remember that the eyes are of two kinds, and arise from two causes, either from coming out of the light or from going into the light [...] he will first ask whether that soul of man has come out of the brighter life, and is unable to see because unaccustomed to the dark, or having turned from darkness to day is dazzled by the excess of light.” (Plato 450)

Plato and Woolf on poor Arya

Jon said to [Arya], ”You had best run back to your room, little sister. Septa Mordane will surely be lurking. The longer you hide, the sterner the penance. You’ll be sewing all through winter. When the spring thaw comes, they will find your body with a needle still locked tight between your frozen fingers.” Arya said, “I hate needlework!” (Martin 75)

Plato states, “here, they have been from their childhood, and have their legs and necks chained so that they cannot move, and can only see before them, being prevented by the chains from turning round their heads (Jacobus 446). Woolf states,” She picked up a book now and then, on of her brother’s perhaps, and read a few pages. But then her parents came in and told her to mend the stockings or mind the stew and not moon about with books and papers.”(769)

Outside of the Cave

Q: Is Arya still a “prisoner”? Or has she left the cave?

Q: How does Jon Snow represent the freed man from Plato’s allegory of the cave?

Has Dany managed to break her chains and walk into the upper world where the true natural light is?

Essay 5: The Final Project

Essay #5: Over the course of the quarter, we have read the ideas of six philosophers and discussed many notions and objectives presented by them. We have also applied their ideas about governments, rulers, and citizens; wisdom, justice, and equality; and perspectives, privileges, and rights to our primary text, A Game of Thrones. Because of the breadth of our inquiries, I offer you several ways to proceed with this final essay. Your paper, however, must include the following:

Essay #5

Your paper, however, must include the following:

It must be 5-6 pages long (not including the works cited page). You must use at least four credible sources, and those sources

must be listed on your Works Cited page. At least two of these must be sources we did not cover in class.

Your essay must adhere to MLA formatting rules. You must submit it electronically to before the scheduled final. Your essay must include an intersection between one or more

of the philosophies we read together and A Game of Thrones. You may choose a topic from the essay #5 prompt list, or you

may use one of your own. (Please see me (or email me) about using your own essay topic before you begin.)

Step One

Write or choose your prompt

Define or explain the assertion/claim being offered. Or, explain the essence of the argument.

Produce a clear, arguable thesis statement that asserts your opinion.

Step Two: Gather Evidence

Use evidence to support your position: be specific and accurate—named and factually correct  Here is a brief overview of the kinds of support/evidence

you could include to bolster your argument:

— recognition of the opposition— examples— anecdotes— contrast and comparison— cause and effect— appeal to authority

— facts/statistics— details— quotations— dialogue— definitions

Sources to Avoid

Avoid using movies and other more informal aspects of society as evidence (pop culture) 

Stay away from blogging sites, Wikipedia, and other sites that lack authority or credibility.

Avoid evidence that everybody will cite  (To avoid this, reject first thoughts and keep digging until you find ideas that are complex and interesting.)

Step Three- Organize your essayThe Introduction:

1. Write a meaningful opening sentence or two that makes a personal observation about the focus of the question that reveals your thinking.   Do not write flowery, general beginnings.  Get right to the point.  Use the first sentence or two to begin to define the meaning of the assertion. If you need to include directed summary to provide context for your essay, do so here.

Consider whether you need to qualify your thesis 2. Qualify your stance if there is a common or strong argument for a different perspective. Try an “although” thesis (Example: “Although grass is generally green, it can also be other colors.” Then your first page will be about green grass. Acknowledge that you are familiar with this stance; In the next pages, you will discuss/argue for the existence of the other colors. Then will come your counterargument (rebuttal or concession) and then the conclusion. Be careful not to contradict yourself.

Or, do you need to Agree or Disagree? If the prompt requires an agree or

disagree stance, be sure to demonstrate an understanding of argumentation by acknowledging both sides of the argument.  This is sometimes done by writing a con-pro paragraph immediately after the introduction; the remainder of the essay becomes  different paragraphs which confirm or amplify your agreement or disagreement with the assertion.

Defend, Challenge, or Qualify If the question requires a defend, challenge, or

qualify stance on a political or philosophical assertion, be sure to address all the issues raised by the claim/assertion.  Your evidence would be specifically named examples that support the claim you make in your topic sentence.  Examples from multiple sources that support the same conclusion make your claim more valid. Each paragraph then would end with an interpretation of the similar conclusion that can be reached after examining differing types of evidence.

Note:

You may use your posts and earlier essays as fodder to help support your arguments; as such, you might consider previous writing that you want to explore further. To use your work effectively, you may want to write your own prompt. Please see me (or email me) with your idea so we can make sure your prompt will generate 5-6 pages.

Generating your own prompt

Criteria for the essay prompt

The question must prompt an argument.

The question must refer to at least one of the essays we read in class.

The question must include reference to A Game of Thrones.

The question may ask the writer to include references to other texts, historical events, or contemporary issues.

Pick a character or two (or a family) from A Game of Thrones that expresses the Machiavellian philosophy of “the end justifies the means.”

Elaborate on how they justify the acquisition & consolidation of their power. Make an argument that upholds or rejects this approach to gaining and holding power.

Finally, extend that argument to contemporary America. Does the end justify the means for us today? Use specific examples to support your final assertion.

Brainstorming Essay Prompts: Example Brainstorming Essay Prompts: Example: Machiavelli

Example: Plato

Choose a character from A Game of Thrones that you see as dynamic, that is, one that has grown during the novel.

Argue for or against the philosophy of Plato concerning the process of enlightenment. Does the character follow the steps of the unchained prisoner? Does he or she become a philosopher king/queen because of the enlightenment? Or does he or she remain materialistic and greedy, as Plato says of the less enlightened leaders? Or is there another reason for incompletion of the steps? Use specific, step-by-step examples. Substantiate that your character irrefutably did see the light.

Then, consider America today: Do we follow the same steps to enlightenment? Are our leaders philosopher-kings? Should they be?

Example: Woolf

In “Shakespeare’s Sister,” Virginia Woolf uses a cool and controlled tone, a rhetorical strategy that allows her to manipulate male audience members into listening to her arguments about the plight of women (and working class and poor men) throughout history.

Do marginalized characters in A Game of Thrones use these kinds of rhetorical strategies to increase their own power base? Make an argument for one or more characters that achieve power based on the ability to control rhetoric. Make sure to provide specific examples. Explain how the character’s rhetoric influences others’ thinking and ultimately wins him or her opportunity, power, or freedom.

Is rhetoric still such a powerful tool in contemporary society? Use specific examples to support your argument.

Refining Questions

Remember, these need to be argument prompts. They also need to generate 5-6 pages of writing. Be sure to provide sub-questions to the primary question. Write questions you can answer!

Generating Prompts

1. Using at least one philosophical perspective and A Game of Thrones, write one or two good questions that you might consider answering for your final paper.

. Remember to pose your questions so as to

prompt an essay that can be argued.

Homework

Post #33: Post at least one essay prompt that you wrote for essay #5.

Post #34 Pick and post two potential essay questions for essay #5. You can use the one you wrote and one from the formal prompts, or you can use two from the list that I provided. Write a one or two sentence answer to the prompts. (a rough thesis)

Prepare for in-class essay