DRAMA

Drama Paper

Read Death of a Salesman by Miller (1199) and 0ne of the other plays in the textbook: The Emperor Jones by O’Neill (786), Trifles (775), The Sandbox (1372), or Portrait of a Madonna (1125). The Emperor Jones has the most in common with Death of a Salesman, but one of the characters uses a lot of objectionable language. You may choose one of the other plays, if you prefer.

Write a paper comparing and contrasting the two plays on the following elements: central idea, character, conflict, setting, and tone. Write one paragraph on each element. Paragraphs 1 and 6 should be approximately 75-100 words each. Paragraphs 2, 3, 4, and 5 should be about 200 words each. The specified content should be clearly and carefully covered.

AVOIDING PLAGIARISM: USE IN-TEXT CITATIONS (MLA STYLE) FOR QUOTATIONS FROM THE TEXTBOOK (THE PLAY AND THE INTRODUCTORY INFORMATION). (PAGE NUMBER ONLY GOES IN PARENTHESES AFTER THE QUOTATION AND BEFORE THE PERIOD FOR SENTENCE.) USE QUOTATION MARKS EVEN IF YOU JUST BORROW 3-4 WORDS. THIS IS SUFFICIENT FOR THIS PAPER UNLESS YOU ALSO USE A SECONDARY SOURCE. CONSULT A HANDBOOK IF YOU USE A SOURCE OTHER THAN THE TEXTBOOK.

The ACC library website has the MLA forms and information:
http://library.austincc.edu/help/MLA

YOU DO NOT NEED TO USE SECONDARY SOURCES ON THIS PAPER. IT IS BEST NOT TO USE OUTSIDE SOURCES SINCE IT IS EASY TO MAKE MISTAKES IN DOCUMENTING THEM. IF YOU CHOOSE TO USE THEM, YOU MUST CORRECTLY DOCUMENT ALL BORROWED INFORMATION (BOTH DIRECT QUOTATIONS, using quotation marks even if the quotations are only 3-4 words long, AND PARAPHRASES). CONSULT A HANDBOOK FOR CORRECT DOCUMENTATION (MLA STYLE).

IF YOU READ ANY INFORMATION ABOUT THE PLAYS, YOU NEED TO LIST THAT SOURCE ON A WORKS CITED PAGE AND CORRECTLY GIVE CREDIT FOR ANY BORROWED INFORMATION WITH IN-TEXT CITATIONS.

1. In the introduction, mention the titles of the plays and the names of the author(s). For each play, state the central idea in a complete statement. Also include a few comments about the plays that will get the reader’s attention. Do not summarize the plays since two summaries would make this introduction too long. The paragraph should be no more than 150 words long.

2. Using alternation of detail (going back and forth between the two stories throughout each paragraph), compare and contrast the two plays on each of the elements listed below. Do not just discuss one play in the first half of the paragraph and the other story in the second half. Interweave your discussion of the two plays. Develop separate paragraphs on each of the following elements, emphasizing similarities and differences. Your discussion must include, but not be limited to the aspects mentioned.

a. Character: Identify the central character of each play.

b. Conflict: Identify the two opposing forces in the central conflict of each play and state whether each conflict is internal or external.

c. Setting: Indicate the time (year) and the place (geography) of the play.

d. Tone: Indicate how the author seems to feel about the subject matter of the play.

3. Have a brief concluding paragraph.

4. Write 1000 words or more. At 1east 700 of these should be in the body paragraphs.

5. Proofread your paper. It must be free of major mechanical errors (run-ons, incomplete sentences, verb errors) and have no more than a few minor errors.