Kate Scott
January 29, 2009
English
Mr. Salsich
Being Trapped:
Essay Describing The Similarities and Differences of Two Characters
In The Tempest* there is a theme of being trapped. There are two characters, Ariel and Caliban, who are very different but are in the same position. They both wish to be free but they are still confined on the island with Prospero as their ruler.
In The Tempest, the character Ariel has been confined for more then 20 years. First He was a servant for Sycorax, but he was to “delicate” to do anything Sycorax asked him to do. Sycorax then locked Ariel in a pine tree and was left there after Sycorax died. He remained trapped in the tree for 12 years. When Prospero came to the island, he released Ariel from the tree but not from his freedom. He is still Prospero’s servant and wants to be free but Prospero keeps reminding Ariel of his past. Prospero has not kept Ariel as trapped as Sycorax has but has threatened him in a tree for another 12 years. Although Ariel appreciates getting set free from the tree, being set free to be a servant is not true freedom.
Another character in The Tempest* is Caliban. His mother Sycorax, who is the evil witch that used to rule the island. When Sycorax died Caliban inherited the island but Prospero then came to the island. At first Caliban and Prospero were great friends; Caliban even told Prospero “all the qualities” the island had to offer. Then Caliban took advantage of there friendship and violated “the honour of” Miranda by attempting to rape her, trying to pollute (fast) the island with people like him. Ever since then, Caliban has been treated as a slave. Caliban does not want to do what Prospero says because he believes the island belongs to him. With the magic, Prospero can always out do Caliban and can always be king of the island (opening participle).
As you can see these two characters are similar but very different. They are servants for Prospero, and they both want to be free. But they are servants for different reasons Ariel was freed by Prospero, and Caliban broke Prospero’s trust.
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3 comments:
KATE!!!
I liked your use of short quotes in the second body paragraph.But try to get some quotes for your first body paragraph as well. Also, I especially like your opening participle; "With the magic, Prospero can always out do Caliban and can always be king of the island (opening participle)."
Dear Kate,
Great job on your essay! I really thought that your opening and closing paragraphs were very organized and clear. Also all your FAST words seemed apt to me. Look out for vagueness in your body paragraphs. Other than that I thought you did a really great job on this essay!
-Scarlet
Kate- this is a great essay. I have to day I thoroughly enjoyed your first paragraph, but some thing you could work on is the rearrangement of unnecessary words, such as "For 12 years he stayed in the tree trapped", should be, "He remained trapped in the tree for 12 years." Another thing I likes were your fast words. Kate, one thing you have to remember are your facts. Shakespeare is hard to understand, but remember that Caliban did not rape Miranda, but rather tried to. Another thing that needs work are your quotes. I'm not sure if you should use quotes that short and try to use quotes that state facts, not just phrases. All in all, this is a great essay, and with a little more work it can be even better.
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