The Bell Jar - Based on a novel

Read these Options and Instructions Carefully and Thoroughly!

The following options are for your second paper in this course. You may choose one of the prompts. Submit your thesis and one-two page outline with works cited by no later than Saturday, March 27, 2021 to be posted on a Discussion Forum on Blackboard. The final paper is due between April 1st to 4th and the final deadline is April 4th. NOTE THESE DATES ARE CHANGED FROM THE SYLLABUS. The outline should break down major ideas with textual examples. Outline format and quotation tips are posted on Blackboard under Content for your information and guidance. An outline should help you organize and develop ideas and serve as a guide to your paper. The paper should be five (5) pages in length and conform to MLA style with appropriate heading. If you need examples, let your instructor know. If you opt to do research, the research must be from credible sources (and Wikipedia is not a credible source) and conform to MLA format. Blogposts and .coms will not be acceptable research. Check Hacker’s A Writer’s Reference or the Purdue OWL at www.purdue.edu/owl for the correct paper presentation style and outlines. A brief paper format guide is with your syllabus for this course. You must cite from the literature to illustrate and support your ideas, which requires in-text citing and provide a Works Cited page. All sources, the novel included, must be cited. Finally, do not plagiarize!

Prompt 1: Mental illness and creative genius may be described as two sides of the same coin. Define these terms from your research to use in your paper. In examining The Bell Jar, use it as an extended example to develop an argument about the nature of mental illness and creativity. What are the psychological origins and inspiration behind genius? What are the psychological and scientific underpinnings that lead to mental illness? You may briefly research other artists, like Van Gogh, etc., to further your position. The narrator in The Bell Jar conveys in humorous and irreverent ways the “foibles” of her life. How does her humor make her descent into madness more relatable?

Prompt 2: A “con artist” theme permeates The Bell Jar. Buddy Willard may be considered a con artist. Other male characters may also be viewed as perpetrating “cons” on women, their “marks.” How are these men similar and different (no more than two)? Define the term and examine specific situations that reveal the “con.” One may also describe Esther Greenwood as a con artist, or perhaps Sylvia Plath as perpetrating the ultimate con on the reader. Argue a point of view: men are the true con artists, the protagonist is the one conning everyone, including the reader, or Plath has committed the greatest con of all. You may expand on any one viewpoint as you deem appropriate. Cite specific examples to prove your position. You may need to investigate Plath’s life, depending on your choice.

Prompt 3: Suicide or attempted suicide is a real problem for students at universities in the United States. Research the prevalence of suicide at universities, providing statistics for those who committed suicide and for those who attempted it. Examine pressures exerted on students that take them to the brink, and use the novel as an example of a case study of a student who loses a grasp on reality. How does Plath’s character (and Plath) demonstrate characteristics of suicidal tendencies similar to students who may be suicidal? What services are available today but were not available in the 1950s? You will need to do research for this prompt.

Prompt 4: The theme of identity is a shifting one for Esther Greenwood in Plath’s The Bell Jar. Examine her character, identify her various identities, and explain the rationale for each one. Research the political climate of the 1950s, particularly spying and the execution of the Rosenbergs, and explain their influences on the protagonist. Finally, explain Plath’s purpose in exploring this multi-faceted character. Be specific in describing the shifts in identities.

ENGL 125-2 Spring 2021

Paper #2 Prompts (continued)

Prompt 5: Sylvia Plath and Alice Walker in their respective works explore the meaning of family. For both, the role of the mother, or mother-figures, demonstrate that daughters often rebel against their mothers’ life-styles and what they represent. How does this dynamic reveal changes in family relationships and growth of individuals? How does going away to university contribute to an individual separating from a family’s values, forging one’s own identity, and becoming part of a larger community? Be specific and cite textual examples to prove your argument.

Prompt 6: The related themes of persecution and spying are developed in The Bell Jar. Several relationships in the novel contribute to the impact of these themes. Examine Esther’s relationship with one man and one woman in the novel to explore the way each relationship reveals these themes and contributes to the descent of the “bell jar.” How does gender influence the protagonist’s spiral?