By the end of the drama unit you have considered many elements of drama and have familiarized yourself with terms associated with discussing works of drama. The purpose of this essay is to give you the opportunity to write an analytical essay about a play you read in class.
Reading:
- Water by the Spoonful by Quiara Alegría Hudes, pp.1283-1330
- Chapter 25: “Drama: Reading Reponding, Writing,” pp.1194-1196; 1208 -1220
- Chapter 26: “Elements of Drama,” pp.1221-1230
Directions:
Write an essay about Water by the Spoonful by Quiara Alegría Hudes using ONE of the following prompts:
CHOICE A:
Write an essay exploring what Water by the Spoonful by Quiara Alegría Hudes seems to suggest about the power and limits of online selves and communities. What might the virtual world allow us to be and do that the real world doesn’t, and vice versa? In your thesis be specific about what you think Hudes is suggesting about this issue in the play.
CHOICE B:
Charles Isherwood, writing in The New York Times (Links to an external site.), describes Water by the Spoonful’s theme as involving “the myriad ways in which lives can intersect, and the potentially great rewards-or irreparable damage-that can result from the unlikely spark of those connections.” Others instead describe the play as exploring the difficulty and importance of forgiving both ourselves and others; the “that no one is above reproach – or beyond redemption”; “the true meaning of family” (theatreworks.org) (Links to an external site.); or the “life-affirming message” that “[p]eople instinctively take care of each other” and that “hitting bottom is the start of the trip back up” (Richard Zoglin, in Time) (Links to an external site.). Write an essay defending and developing one of those claims.
Consider the elements of drama we have explored (character; plot and structure; stages, sets, and setting; tone, language, and symbol; theme) in your essay.
As was the case in previous essays, this essay is argumentative, which means that your thesis should be arguable and should be driven by analysis. Assume that your audience has read the play but has not thought as deeply about it as you have. Choose specific examples from the play that are relevant to your argument, and remember to make sure that your quotes are introduced, analyzed/explained, and properly cited.
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