Post 8: Open Question Benchmark Essay
Prompt: Select a novel, play, or epic poem that features a character whose origins are unusual or mysterious. Then write an essay in which you analyze how these origins shape the character and that character's relationships, and how the origins contribute to the meaning of the work as a whole.
Essay: In Medea by Euripides, Medea is condemned by the citizens of Greece as a foreigner and is never able to assimilate. This ostracization in her new life pushes Medea to commit atrocious acts of murder and revenge.
In Medea, the character's origins from another country propel the strife that befalls them in the play. Medea left her place of origin to follow Jason, the man she believed was her true love. As she left she had to kill her brother to ensure her and Jason's safety resulting in her exile from her home that lasted her life. Because of this decision, she was not able to ever return home, despite her new life growing increasingly dissatisfactory.
In the myth predating the play, Medea used the help of a Greek god to get Jason to fall in love with her. As this fake love begins to fade, Medea's idyllic life begins to crumble.
As a foreigner living in Greece, Medea is constantly reminded of the fact that she is unwelcome and does not belong. Those in her city believed her to be an intruder and furthered her ostracization already begun with her exile. This isolation is furthered more when Jason cheats on her. This is the turning point at which she realizes her new life has failed and she begins to regret ever saving Jason and following him to Greece.
She realizes that he, too, will only see her as an outsider as his affair is with the princess of the city, the complete opposite of the foreigner that Medea is. Where she once had a connection to the new land in her husband she is now seeing that crumble as well, leaving her wholly abandoned in a foreign country.
As Medea wallows in her predicament, she begins to develop resentment toward Jason. She had left her home for him, killed her brother for him and been exiled from her country for him. Now, she is beginning to believe that she did all of that for nothing as he throws their marriage away with an affair. The resentment and anger drive most of Medea's actions throughout the play.
She begins to plot to kill Jason and his mistress, wanting revenge on those she believed were responsible for her isolation. Her experience in this new land of being hated because she's a foreigner has turned her against its people. By killing Jason's mistress, she's not only hurting Jason but also hurting the people of this land who have been unkind to her.
Her distrust of these people runs beyond what will happen to her but what will happen to her children. As a foreigner, she knows how they will be treated growing up as half-Greek and half-not. She fears that they will be targeted like she was and made to feel as isolated as she feels. This fear for their future lives and her desire to see Jason suffer for all the pain he has caused her leads her to the conclusion that the only appropriate course of action is to kill her sons.
This idea should be unthinkable to most mothers, but Medea has managed to warp her mind to convince herself this is a better end for them. Just as she once killed her brother to save Jason, she now plans to kill her sons to hurt him. Her past murder of her brother has led her to this course of action as it was that event that banished her from her home and sentenced her to a foreigner in hostile realms.
Essay: In Medea by Euripides, Medea is condemned by the citizens of Greece as a foreigner and is never able to assimilate. This ostracization in her new life pushes Medea to commit atrocious acts of murder and revenge.
In Medea, the character's origins from another country propel the strife that befalls them in the play. Medea left her place of origin to follow Jason, the man she believed was her true love. As she left she had to kill her brother to ensure her and Jason's safety resulting in her exile from her home that lasted her life. Because of this decision, she was not able to ever return home, despite her new life growing increasingly dissatisfactory.
In the myth predating the play, Medea used the help of a Greek god to get Jason to fall in love with her. As this fake love begins to fade, Medea's idyllic life begins to crumble.
As a foreigner living in Greece, Medea is constantly reminded of the fact that she is unwelcome and does not belong. Those in her city believed her to be an intruder and furthered her ostracization already begun with her exile. This isolation is furthered more when Jason cheats on her. This is the turning point at which she realizes her new life has failed and she begins to regret ever saving Jason and following him to Greece.
She realizes that he, too, will only see her as an outsider as his affair is with the princess of the city, the complete opposite of the foreigner that Medea is. Where she once had a connection to the new land in her husband she is now seeing that crumble as well, leaving her wholly abandoned in a foreign country.
As Medea wallows in her predicament, she begins to develop resentment toward Jason. She had left her home for him, killed her brother for him and been exiled from her country for him. Now, she is beginning to believe that she did all of that for nothing as he throws their marriage away with an affair. The resentment and anger drive most of Medea's actions throughout the play.
She begins to plot to kill Jason and his mistress, wanting revenge on those she believed were responsible for her isolation. Her experience in this new land of being hated because she's a foreigner has turned her against its people. By killing Jason's mistress, she's not only hurting Jason but also hurting the people of this land who have been unkind to her.
Her distrust of these people runs beyond what will happen to her but what will happen to her children. As a foreigner, she knows how they will be treated growing up as half-Greek and half-not. She fears that they will be targeted like she was and made to feel as isolated as she feels. This fear for their future lives and her desire to see Jason suffer for all the pain he has caused her leads her to the conclusion that the only appropriate course of action is to kill her sons.
This idea should be unthinkable to most mothers, but Medea has managed to warp her mind to convince herself this is a better end for them. Just as she once killed her brother to save Jason, she now plans to kill her sons to hurt him. Her past murder of her brother has led her to this course of action as it was that event that banished her from her home and sentenced her to a foreigner in hostile realms.
Despite the pain and regret she feels for being banished from her old home, she does not express the same level of concern upon hearing she has also been banished from her new home. While she expresses worry of finding a place to go, she doesn't express any attachment to this city. Where her old country held her family and childhood, this new country only holds and unfaithful husbands, hostile people and two children that won't be accepted.
Medea's origin and place as a foreigner in Greece prevent her from ever being accepted by her neighbors. This furthers her resentment and anger of her new home and Jason, prompting the destruction of her relationship with him and the callous murder of their children.
Medea's origin and place as a foreigner in Greece prevent her from ever being accepted by her neighbors. This furthers her resentment and anger of her new home and Jason, prompting the destruction of her relationship with him and the callous murder of their children.
Reflection: My open prompt essay, analyzing a character with unusual or mysterious origins, received a score of 6. This score was based on my essays “reasonable analysis of how unusual or mysterious origins shape the character” and “less specific” supportive evidence.
One thing I really need to work on in my open essay is using specific evidence from the text to support my analysis. In my essay, I tended to repeat the same ideas about Medea’s past instead of using specific moments and interactions in the play. I would like to work on developing my skills in integrating specific examples in a relevant way that supports the claims and flows well in the essay.
Another part of the essay that I struggled on was answering how the character affected the meaning of the work as a whole. I was able to understand and express how Medea’s origins impacted her actions in the play and how they lead the other characters to treat her the way they did but I had trouble putting how it affected the meaning of the work as a whole (MOTWA) into the essay. For future essays, I will focus on the MOTWA to make sure I am addressing the entire piece and not just sections of it.
One thing I really need to work on in my open essay is using specific evidence from the text to support my analysis. In my essay, I tended to repeat the same ideas about Medea’s past instead of using specific moments and interactions in the play. I would like to work on developing my skills in integrating specific examples in a relevant way that supports the claims and flows well in the essay.
Another part of the essay that I struggled on was answering how the character affected the meaning of the work as a whole. I was able to understand and express how Medea’s origins impacted her actions in the play and how they lead the other characters to treat her the way they did but I had trouble putting how it affected the meaning of the work as a whole (MOTWA) into the essay. For future essays, I will focus on the MOTWA to make sure I am addressing the entire piece and not just sections of it.
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