play analysis
Purpose: This assignment will enable you to discover how a playwright’s use of elements such as character, dialogue, setting, plot, and time period work together to enhance the themes of a drama and its social, cultural, and/or political implications. You will conduct a close reading of your chosen drama and discuss the playwright’s use of these devices in his or her structuring and composition of the scriipt. You will also incorporate at least one scholarly source into your analysis. Applying a close reading and composing a literary analysis will prepare you for the many texts that you will read, summarize, and discuss in your future studies and in the workplace.
Task:
Write an essay that explores how and why key elements such as character or symbols from the drama of your choice (Simply Maria, POOF! or “Thanksgiving”) relate to one or two of the themes from Unit 1 in a particular way, using at least one scholarly source. Review what you learned from Unit 4.1 Discussion – Exploring Themes in Drama. Some important contexts you may to consider are:
The dialogue
The setting
The plot
The cultural context
The time period in which the drama was written (vs. the one in which it is set, if applicable)
You are encouraged to use your outline from (LO 10) Unit 4.3 Assignment – Developing a Thesis and Outline for Your Drama Essay as a guide for your essay’s logical flow, but if you wish to change your focus or your drama choice, you can.
Review the pages Sample Play Analysis: Andre’s Mother and the Starting Your Drama Analysis Essay as guidelines for how to approach your analysis.
Your essay should incorporate details and quotes from the play (using parenthetical documentation with the playwright’s name), integrate them logically and grammatically, and you should use your own words to elaborate on the function and meaning of the details and quotes you use as evidence.
When writing your essay, the goal is to demonstrate what spin the play has on one or two particular themes. Be specific about the ways the theme is used and how the play’s use of time period, character, dialogue, and setting develop a deeper meaning to the theme. Provide details, including cited direct quotes from the play. Don’t forget that you must comment on the quotes you use to explain why they are significant.
Grading Criteria:
The specificity and development of your synthesized ideas about the drama
Your supporting claims, logic, and organization
The quality of your writing, to include paragraph development and organization: topic sentences, conclusions, transitions, etc.
Your engagement with the text (how you explain your examples, your choice of supporting quotations)
