CLST 283-WI: Classical Comedy and Satire
Spring Semester 2003
Dr. Jacqueline Long
Writing Assignment 3
Goals
- To explore a problem about Athenian New Comedy and how it
operates, using literary evidence
- To build a persuasive argument about your conclusions
- To practice skills of analysis and exposition in essay form
To submit to peer review in class on Friday, 28 March: have in
hand, in our room, at the start of class period:
In 900-1100 words (4 word-processed, double-spaced pages in 12-point
Times Roman) an essay proposing and defending YOUR ANSWER to the
question:
Compare and contrast how Terence's "The
Mother-in-Law" uses ignorance and error about facts crucial to
characters' lives, with how Plautus's "Double Bind" uses ignorance and
error: what makes ignorant error funny or not funny in a
comedy?
- Recommended strategy - general considerations - just like
Writing Assigment 1:
- Form a hypothesis based on the text; think it through, test its
implications, double-check against the text, refine your hypothesis,
and test again. Be sure you have taken everything into account.
- Build your argument so that it sets forth your hypothesis and its
proof in the most persuasive way. Refer to specific passages of the
text as concrete, specific pieces of relevant evidence, and explain
clearly how your evidence supports your conclusion.
- Write, realizing your plans.
- Reread and "test" your essay as a written argument. Does it make
the case well? Can you improve it? Revise appropriately.
- Reread and "test" your improved essay against Strunk and White's
rules and reminders for clear and effective writing. Do you avoid the
errors they identify? Can you incorporate more of their positive
suggestions? Revise appropriately.
- Think of the suggestions you got in feedback from your peers and
your instructor on Writing Assignments 1 and 2: how can you help
your readers to understand your judgments and agree with them? Revise
appropriately.
- Proofread and correct your improved essay.
- For more suggestions about formulating an argument, see this
Guide to Writing
Papers. Use the BACK
button on your browser to return to this page.
- Specific considerations for this problem:
- What facts are crucial for the characters' relationships? Why?
What has kept them from being known by all, before the action of "The
Mother-in-Law"? What keeps on keeping them from being known, as the
play's action proceeds? What consequences result from characters'
ignorance of these facts?
- What facts does the audience know, when? How does the audience's
knowledge relate to characters' knowledge? How does the audience's
knowldge relate to humor in the play?
- What factors besides knowledge are important to humor? Why?
- Keep your focus on "The Mother-in-Law"; use "Double Bind" to
illustrate contrasts that help make your points.
See also Questions for Peer Review of
Writing Assignments
BACK to CLST 283-WI Schedule of
Readings and Assignments
This file last updated 24 March 2003 by
jlong1@orion.it.luc.edu.
http://www.luc.edu/depts/classics/