Analyze two texts (novels, films, television shows, song lyrics, and so on)
Text Pairing Suggestion:
Mike Nichol’s HBO Film of the Tony Kushner’s play, Angels in America and Arthur Miller’s play The Crucible and the concept of ‘the other.’
write a paper presenting an idea found in the texts and exploring possible meanings.
You will complete the project in two stages.
Part 1: you will produce a 2 to 3-page draft as described above. This draft should be the very best work you can accomplish. You may use the tutoring lab and librarians for help.
Part 2: you will be adding other voices to the discussion through the peer review:
• You’ll be talking with others in class; and
• In addition, you might wish to conduct some additional research to find out what scholars in the field have said about your discovered idea.
Sample solution
Dante Alighieri played a critical role in the literature world through his poem Divine Comedy that was written in the 14th century. The poem contains Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso. The Inferno is a description of the nine circles of torment that are found on the earth. It depicts the realms of the people that have gone against the spiritual values and who, instead, have chosen bestial appetite, violence, or fraud and malice. The nine circles of hell are limbo, lust, gluttony, greed and wrath. Others are heresy, violence, fraud, and treachery. The purpose of this paper is to examine the Dante’s Inferno in the perspective of its portrayal of God’s image and the justification of hell.
In this epic poem, God is portrayed as a super being guilty of multiple weaknesses including being egotistic, unjust, and hypocritical. Dante, in this poem, depicts God as being more human than divine by challenging God’s omnipotence. Additionally, the manner in which Dante describes Hell is in full contradiction to the morals of God as written in the Bible. When god arranges Hell to flatter Himself, He commits egotism, a sin that is common among human beings (Cheney, 2016). The weakness is depicted in Limbo and on the Gate of Hell where, for instance, God sends those who do not worship Him to Hell. This implies that failure to worship Him is a sin.
God is also depicted as lacking justice in His actions thus removing the godly image. The injustice is portrayed by the manner in which the sodomites and opportunists are treated. The opportunists are subjected to banner chasing in their lives after death followed by being stung by insects and maggots. They are known to having done neither good nor bad during their lifetimes and, therefore, justice could have demanded that they be granted a neutral punishment having lived a neutral life. The sodomites are also punished unfairly by God when Brunetto Lattini is condemned to hell despite being a good leader (Babor, T. F., McGovern, T., & Robaina, K. (2017). While he commited sodomy, God chooses to ignore all the other good deeds that Brunetto did.
Finally, God is also portrayed as being hypocritical in His actions, a sin that further diminishes His godliness and makes Him more human. A case in point is when God condemns the sin of egotism and goes ahead to commit it repeatedly. Proverbs 29:23 states that “arrogance will bring your downfall, but if you are humble, you will be respected.” When Slattery condemns Dante’s human state as being weak, doubtful, and limited, he is proving God’s hypocrisy because He is also human (Verdicchio, 2015). The actions of God in Hell as portrayed by Dante are inconsistent with the Biblical literature. Both Dante and God are prone to making mistakes, something common among human beings thus making God more human.
To wrap it up, Dante portrays God is more human since He commits the same sins that humans commit: egotism, hypocrisy, and injustice. Hell is justified as being a destination for victims of the mistakes committed by God. The Hell is presented as being a totally different place as compared to what is written about it in the Bible. As a result, reading through the text gives an image of God who is prone to the very mistakes common to humans thus ripping Him off His lofty status of divine and, instead, making Him a mere human. Whether or not Dante did it intentionally is subject to debate but one thing is clear in the poem: the misconstrued notion of God is revealed to future generations.
References
Babor, T. F., McGovern, T., & Robaina, K. (2017). Dante’s inferno: Seven deadly sins in scientific publishing and how to avoid them. Addiction Science: A Guide for the Perplexed, 267.
Cheney, L. D. G. (2016). Illustrations for Dante’s Inferno: A Comparative Study of Sandro Botticelli, Giovanni Stradano, and Federico Zuccaro. Cultural and Religious Studies, 4(8), 487.
Verdicchio, M. (2015). Irony and Desire in Dante’s” Inferno” 27. Italica, 285-297.
Sample Answer
Sample Answer
The Concept of ‘The Other’ in Angels in America and The Crucible
Introduction
In both Mike Nichols’ HBO film adaptation of Tony Kushner’s play, Angels in America, and Arthur Miller’s play, The Crucible, the concept of ‘the other’ plays a significant role. ‘The other’ refers to those who are marginalized or excluded from the dominant group in a society. Both texts explore the consequences of being labeled as ‘the other’ and the ways in which individuals navigate and resist this categorization. This essay aims to analyze the portrayal of ‘the other’ in these texts and explore the possible meanings behind their experiences.
Body
1. Social Outcasts and Marginalization
Both Angels in America and The Crucible depict characters who are considered social outcasts and face various forms of marginalization. In Angels in America, the character of Roy Cohn, a powerful lawyer, is depicted as a closeted gay man who denies his own identity and perpetuates homophobic views. He represents the embodiment of societal rejection of homosexuality during the AIDS epidemic in the 1980s. Similarly, in The Crucible, the character of John Proctor is ostracized due to his affair with Abigail Williams and his refusal to conform to the strict religious norms of Salem.
2. Stigmatization and Otherness
In both texts, the stigmatization of ‘the other’ is portrayed as a means of asserting power and control over individuals who deviate from societal norms. In Angels in America, characters with AIDS are portrayed as victims of discrimination, facing prejudice and isolation from their communities. Their illness becomes a metaphor for their status as ‘the other’ within society. Similarly, in The Crucible, those accused of witchcraft are singled out and marginalized due to their alleged association with supernatural forces. The concept of ‘witches’ becomes a tool for those in power to exercise control over those they perceive as threats.
3. Resistance and Empowerment
While both texts highlight the challenges faced by ‘the other,’ they also explore themes of resistance and empowerment. In Angels in America, characters like Prior Walter and Belize challenge societal norms by asserting their identities and refusing to be oppressed by prevailing prejudices. They find strength and resilience in their marginalized positions, ultimately reclaiming their agency. Similarly, in The Crucible, characters like John Proctor and Rebecca Nurse refuse to conform to the demands of the Salem community and uphold their integrity despite the consequences.
4. Consequences of Othering
Both Angels in America and The Crucible demonstrate the destructive consequences of ‘othering’ individuals based on perceived differences. In Angels in America, the denial and marginalization of those with AIDS lead to increased suffering and death within the community. Similarly, in The Crucible, the witch trials result in mass hysteria, false accusations, and loss of innocent lives. These texts serve as cautionary tales, highlighting the dangers of labeling individuals as ‘the other’ without empathy or understanding.
Conclusion
The concept of ‘the other’ is a recurring theme in both Angels in America and The Crucible. Through their portrayal of marginalized characters, these texts explore the impact of stigmatization and exclusion on individuals and society as a whole. They also offer a critique of the mechanisms used to assert power over ‘the other’ and emphasize the importance of resistance and empathy. By examining these texts, we can gain a deeper understanding of the complexities surrounding social categorization and its implications for human relationships.
