Blog about DW Harding

In reading DW Harding's article about Pride & Prejudice, Harding challenges many of Austen's intentions and motives throughout her novel. Particularly, he points out Austen's characterization of Mrs. Bennett. He claims that Austen uses her as a meaningless comic relief, or as her personal attack on society. I, personally, think that Austen uses Mrs. Bennett as a direct attack on society because Austen wants to convey a message, being that society is ridiculous in caring so much about appearance and what others think. In addition, Austen may be utilizing Mrs. Bennett as an her own emotional outlet describing her emotions and wish to have had a person in her life who cares as much as Mrs. Bennett cares about her daughters and family (no matter how foolish she portrays herself to be.)

Pride & Prejudice Essay Critique

I found the comments on my essay very helpful. I've realized that I need to proof read multiple times to make sure that my punctuation is correct and that my sentences are clear and consice. I see that my claims and ideas can be overshadowed and not understood due to some wordiness and unclarity. In addition, my thesis claim needs to be more in depth and have more of a narrow concept to tackle throughout my essay. I do, however, think that my paragraphs stayed on track in reguard to keeping a narrow focus and that my analysis proved to support my claims.

Monday, September 20

The most important aspect of a well-written essay is its introduction paragraph. Although the introduction paragraph is not filled with the most depth and analysis of the given topic, it sets up the essay. The thesis statement and claims made in the introduction show the reader where the essay is going and how the writer's claims will be analyzed throughout the rest of its body paragraphs. I thought that "G for Griselda" set up a straight-forward explanation as to what will be argued and revealed throughout the essay without being too repetitive or vague. The writer clearly explains that Greene and Austen differ, in that, Greene "Allows the reader to grasp their own opinions about each character" whereas Austen hints the nature of each one of her characters to her reader.

F for Floxglove, J for Joseph & I for Imelda

I read F for Floxglove, J for Joseph, and I for Imelda. My favorite out of the three is I for Imelda because it addresses a different point of view than previous essays have addressed. The writer's decison to analyze Elizabeth's standards for marriage and her belief in love engages the reader to a new point of view. Unlike the other two essays which are not strongly constructed, this one is laid out and set up so that the reader knows what will be discussed throughout the essay. The writer's point that "Austen is bale to convince those who do not share Elizabeth's opinion that marriage should be based on love..." sheds a new light on the subject as well as raises a new perception. In addition, the writer's usage of demonstrating Elizabeth's point of view through Mr. Darcy and Wickham show how other characters help reveal Elizabeth's true character. In relation to the college-rubrics, this essay demonstrates a strong analysis and good evidence.

Danforth, Eunice & Griselda

Tonight, I read "D for Danforth," "E for Eunice," and "G for Griselda," my favorite of the three being "G for Griselda." This essay, compared to the other two, clearly addresses its claim in its introduction paragraph. The writer sets up a straight-forward explanation as to what will be argued and revealed throughout the essay without being too repetitive or vague. He or she clearly explains that Greene and Austen differ, in that, Greene "allows the reader to grasp their (*should be his or her*) own opinions about each character" and Austen hints the nature of each one of her characters to her reader. The writer, however, tends to get a bit off topic throughout the course of her essay and makes some random claims for her analysis without any explanations. As stated by Princeton's Kerry Walk, a "B range" paper includes a thesis, evidence, analysis, and structure as contributions of an essay which are said, but not fully developed.

Sample Student Essays Feedback

I read "A for Alfi," "B for Beatrice," & "C for Cecilia." My favorite of the three was "B for Beatrice" because she exercised complexity through her opposing viewpoints between Austen and Greene. She identifies their two huge differences, being that, Greene provides physical descriptions of her characters to "add depth," while Austen leaves no room for objection when describing her characters and defines them by their social rank in society. As stated by Princeton's Kerry Walk, one's analysis should be insightful and have depth to what is being claimed. In addition, B for Beatrice's writing-style conveys "clear and conversational yet sophisticated" language and allows the reader to relate to all aspects of the writer's claims. 

Mr. Bingley & Mr. Darcy; the wealthy victims of gossip

Austen uses indirect characterization, through Mr. Darcy & Mr. Bingley, to employ society's eagerness to judge based off of wealth and good-looks, and its overall thirst for gossip.