ENG 1002 Writing Resources | R. Rambo Home Page
English Composition 2
Student Research Paper on Thematic Connections in Literature
Below is an example of an excellent research paper that was written by an ENG 1002 student in the past. One impressive aspect of the paper is how well the ideas are organized and developed. Notice in particular the many connections that the writer makes among the three works of literature. My feedback on the graded paper includes the suggestions that the organization could be stronger if the order of literary works was the same in the last three body paragraphs as in the first three body paragraphs and that some of the supporting material from secondary sources could express more insight, but this paper is excellent.
You probably have not read all of the works of literature that are the subject of the paper, but here is a one-sentence summary of each literary work: Sophocles' play Antigone portrays a young woman in Ancient Greece who disobeys King Creon by burying her brother and faces severe punishment for her actions; Langston Hughes’ short story "Salvation" concerns a boy who lies about being saved at a church revival; and Ursula K. Le Guin’s short story "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas" presents a wonderful society in which everything seems perfect except that a young child must live in isolated misery for the society to contiue to exist.
Consequences of Conformity and Rebellion
Every person born at any time or place in the world throughout its history is taught from a very young age what sort of behavior is expected from them. The lesson begins with the parents and extends outward to neighbors, friends, and people in positions of authority. Upon reaching adulthood, every man and woman knows what rules should direct their behavior and attitude. Literature provides a forum to examine this phenomenon in detail. In Sophocles’ play, Antigone, Langston Hughes’ short story, “Salvation,” and Ursula K. Le Guin’s short story, “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas,” the theme of social conformity and its antithesis rebellion are evident. These three literary works feature distinct societies that demand conformity from the characters who must choose to conform or to suffer the consequences of rebellion.
Antigone takes place in Ancient Greece where the political system maintained peace and order through strict enforcement of the laws and severe punishment for disobedience. Kimberly Cowell-Meyers observes that the play “has rich commentary on the nature of leadership and legitimacy, what good law looks like, how citizens should behave, and how they ought to live together” (347). The dialogue within Antigone leaves no doubt as to what is expected of the citizens of Thebes—complete subservience to the laws of the society. Creon, as king, has announced his official decree and it is expected that no one should challenge it: “This is my command” (Sophocles 1.37). There is no delay in making the audience aware of the seriousness with which Antigone must consider her actions when she proposes her plan to bury Polyneices to her sister. Ismene is aghast that Antigone would even contemplate violating the laws set by the king as that is completely unprecedented, especially as she is a female: “And do what he has forbidden! We are only women, / We cannot fight with men, Antigone! / The law is strong, we must give in to the law” (Sophocles Pro 47-9). Open defiance of a royal decree is not the way of Theban society and King Creon calls it “anarchy!” (Sophocles 3.45). The chorus, in representation of the general population of Thebes, voice their agreement in Ode I: “When the laws are kept, how proudly his city stands! / When the laws are broken, what of his city then? / Never may the anarchic man find rest at my hearth” (21-3). Charles S. Levy notes, “Ismene, … Creon, and … most other Thebans as well, all subject Antigone to increasingly great moral pressure” (139). Inherent in the discourse of the characters is the perception that anything less than complete obedience of the laws will result in the demise of the standard of civilization in Thebes. Creon curses the “[s]tiff-necked anarchists” and categorically refuses leniency for Antigone’s crime (Sophocles 1.118). Nothing less than complete conformity is tolerated in ancient Thebes.
The Evangelical Christian culture described in “Salvation” makes use of impassioned revival meetings to convert sinners into full members of the church. The fervent believers that use “preaching, singing, praying, and shouting” to ensure that the “membership of the church [grows] by leaps and bounds” are comparable to the chorus in Antigone (Hughes 279). The church members follow the example of the preacher much like the chorus indulges the authority of King Creon. The very purpose of the revival is to recruit new people, with a special emphasis put on the moldable young children. The preacher and congregation make the event very enlivening and inviting but with an alarming warning to any non-conformists: “The preacher preached a wonderful rhythmical sermon, all moans and shouts and lonely cries and dire pictures of hell” (Hughes 280). The foreshadowing of biblical damnation is used here in much the same way that the threat of death is used by King Creon of Thebes. The intimidation worked first on the young girls as they, much like Ismene, reacted quickly and emotionally to remove themselves from the threat: “And the little girls cried. And some of them jumped up and went to Jesus right away” (Hughes 280). There are few reasons compelling enough for someone to risk death or an eternal life in hell. Langston sits and waits expectantly to begin the experience and watches as the other children stand up and the congregation continues their loud incantations. Langston believes he knows what to expect because he has had the miraculous event described to him by his aunt and other members of the church. The energy inside as “the whole building rocked with prayer and song” builds to the point where he feels nervous about not having the same experience as everyone else he has witnessed (Hughes 280). The fervent ritual of the revival experience creates an atmosphere where one, especially one as young as twelve year old Langston, feels incapable of not conforming to meet the congregation’s expectations.
“The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas” tells of an idyllic city that encourages conformity from its inhabitants with the promise of a perfectly happy life at the expense of the endless suffering of one child. Laurie Langbauer aptly describes the premise, “[The] story takes up the challenge of just what it might mean for an entire people knowingly to accept their society’s happiness in exchange for the unjustified blood of one child’s torture” (99). This promise of happiness is in contrast to the threat of death and damnation in Antigone and “Salvation,” respectively. Ursula K. Le Guin uses very vibrant language to paint a glorified picture of the quintessentially ideal city in her short story. The landscape includes the sea, snow-capped mountains, meadows, and inviting neighborhoods. There is something for every person’s taste even if it is not included in the narrative: “Omelas sounds in my words like a city in a fairy tale, long ago and far away, once upon a time. Perhaps it would be best if you imagined it as your own fancy bids” (Le Guin 404). Like in “Salvation” a ritual celebration is taking place during the story but the citizens of Omelas are welcomed by the “great joyous clanging of the bells” instead of the screaming and moaning of the congregation in “Salvation” (Le Guin 404). The people of Omelas are impeccable, just as unbelievably perfect as the scenery. Le Guin acknowledges that her story begins incredibly but still asserts, “They were mature, intelligent, passionate adults whose lives were not wretched” (Le Guin 404). As long as one remains a member of the citizenry of Omelas their lives will forever be pleasant and happy because all of the things in Omelas that are wrong or awful are encompassed within the suffering of one child and shut away so that the whole of the population should never have to feel a fraction of what that one child feels: “[I]ts misery underwrites their social contract” (Langbauer 99). This child is the method by which Omelas ensures conformity.
Some citizens of Omelas learn of the child and choose to not benefit from its misery; so they abandon the grand city and condemn themselves to the unknown. The horror of the child’s predicament draws the reader’s attention but “’Omelas’ is not ultimately about the child per se, but about the choice that confronts each of the city’s residents” (Brandt). The people of Omelas understand that all of the possibility of any one of them suffering is taken away by the suffering of the child and those who stay “wittingly accept their happiness, and remain happy, knowing on what that happiness is built” (Langbauer 100). The narrator states, “One thing I know there is none of in Omelas is guilt” (Le Guin 405). The people all understand that this is for the good of the whole community and that the perfection that they all enjoy in their personal and professional lives would be upended if this situation ceased to exist. Yet, the people that are curious enough or brave enough to come see the child for themselves are of course affected by what they see: “No matter how well the matter has been explained to them, these young spectators are always shocked and sickened at the sight” (Le Guin 406). Generous thoughts of charity logically follow the initial “disgust, …anger, outrage, [and] impotence” but they know that they are incapable of truly helping the child (Le Guin 407). It is at this point that the people of Omelas must decide whether the benefit to the vitality of the community is worth the profound suffering experienced by the one child. Some people of Omelas, after seeing the misery of the child, see through the façade and realize the truth: “The citizens of Omelas have chosen to allow the child’s suffering solely because they like the benefits” (Brandt). The pull of the picture perfect world they live in is strong and many choose to continue as is and conform with the reality of their society but in doing so they must resign themselves to the fact that “they, like the child, are not free” (Le Guin 407). Others decide that they cannot live morally with the knowledge that they benefit so much from the horror of the existence of the child so they rebel from the society of the Omelas and walk away from the picturesque existence to unknown futures.
In Sophocles’ Antigone the results of the character’s decisions between rebellion and conformity are more tragic. Whereas the characters in “The Ones That Walk Away from Omelas” and “Salvation” had to live with the consequences of their decision to conform to societal standards or rebel against them, Antigone in the play had to make a decision between life or death. Creon declares openly, “The man who has done this thing shall pay for it!” and he makes clear that the payment exacted for defying his decree would be the criminal’s life (Sophocles 1.128). After Antigone is caught, she reproaches Creon and directly challenges his authority to even create a law that counters the divine law of burial: “Antigone answers … that she has dared to transgress the laws by placing his decree in an hierarchy of oppositions in which it, and all such laws, appear undeniably subordinate” (Sourvinou-Inwood 143). Antigone felt compelled to honor her brother in the manner that the her gods have deemed should be afforded to everyone: “I say that this crime is holy” (Sophocles Pro 58). Antigone goes willingly to her death much like the citizens that leave Omelas of their own accord. Other characters in Antigone suffer for their choices in this situation as well. Ismene is offered the opportunity to assist Antigone in doing what she feels is the right thing but she chooses to obey the law stating that “I must yield / To those in authority. And I think it is dangerous business” (Sophocles Pro 51-2). Her fear prohibits her from following her sister’s righteous example. She later regrets her inaction and realizes that she “too [has] a duty that [she] must discharge to the dead” (Sophocles 2.155). Her choice to conform to the Theban political system condemns her to suffer the fate of being the last living member of her family and live the rest of her life with regret. King Creon, like Antigone, is a rebellious character here too, only he chooses to rebel against the divine laws by creating and enforcing his law forbidding the burial of Polyneices. He thought it was impossible that “[t]he gods favor [Polyneices’] corpse” so he was obstinate in his decision to execute Antigone (Sophocles 1.111). Only with forceful prompting from Tieresias and the Chorus does Creon finally realize that he “is not omnipotent” (Cowell-Meyers 347). The punishment for his rebellion is to suffer the death of both his son and his wife.
In “Salvation” the culmination of young Langston’s predicament has a polarizing affect on him; he conforms to the pleadings of the congregation but, at the same time, rebels against the truth that he knows. He can be compared to the people of Omelas that stay in that he acquiesces, under pressure, to being saved. He was singled out from the other children who were quick to conform and “left all alone on the mourner’s bench” (Hughes 280). The preacher personally urged him by saying, “Langston, why don’t you come? Why don’t you come and be saved? Oh, lamb of God!” (Hughes 280). At twelve years old, surrounded by people screaming and moaning and crying, begging him to have an experience that he did not feel, he began to have feelings of anxiety. He wondered if he should follow Westley’s example or continue to wait for the true experience that he has been told he would feel. Langston gave in to the pressure from the congregation surrounding him and decided to lie “to save further trouble” (Hughes 280). He chose to conform in his own self-interest to what the preacher, his aunt, and the congregation expected of him and his lie was accepted and celebrated with “waves of rejoicing” (Hughes 280). Conflictingly, Langston also had the difficult realization that “his traumatic (non-) conversion experience … left him doubting the existence of a Jesus who had not come to help him” (Tracy 53). In that knowledge he suffers like the people of Omelas that cannot subdue their guilt over the tortured child. Like Ismene in Antigone, he abides by the expectations of his society so that he can ostensibly live in peace but must suffer with the knowledge that his actions were not true to himself.
These three examples of literature exhibit the theme of conformity and rebellion, and they provide the reader with the ability to see clearly the internal struggle that a person faces when compelled to make a choice between the two extremes. Even in separate societies such as the three described in Antigone, “Salvation,” and “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas,” There are no options for accommodation of a happy medium. One must choose to conform to the expectations of the majority or rebel against them. One choice is not right and the other wrong, instead, both choices entail a set of consequences that will be imposed.
Works Cited
Brandt, Bruce E. “Two Additional Antecedents for Ursula Le
Guin's ‘The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas.’” ANQ, vol. 16.3, Summer
2003. ProQuest,
http://ezproxy.ivcc.edu:2253/docview/216725241/433FDA7D69824B0BPQ/1?accountid=39160.
Cowell-Meyers, Kimberly. “Teaching Politics Using Antigone.”
PS: Political Science and Politics, vol. 39, no. 2, American
Political Science Association, April 2006, pp. 347-9.
JSTOR,
http://www.jstor.org/stable/20451745.
Hughes, Langston. “Salvation.” Literature and the Writing Process, edited by Elizabeth McMahan et al., 10th ed,. Pearson, 2014, pp. 279-281.
Langbauer, Laurie. “Ethics and Theory: Suffering Children in Dickens,
Dostoevsky, and LeGuin.” ELH, vol. 75, no. 1, The Johns
Hopkins University Press, Spring 2008, pp. 89-
108. JSTOR,
http://www.jstor.org/stable/30029586.
Le Guin, Ursula K. “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas.” Literature and the Writing Process, edited by Elizabeth McMahan et al., 10th ed., Pearson, 2014, pp. 403-7.
Levy, Charles S. “Antigone’s Motives: A Suggested Interpretation.”
Transactions and Proceedings of the American Philological Association,
vol. 94, The Johns Hopkins
University Press, 1963, pp. 137-44.
JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/283641.
Sourvinou-Inwood, Christiane. “Assumptions and the Creation of Meaning: Reading Sophocles' Antigone.” The Journal of Hellenic Studies, vol. 109, The Society for the Promotion of Hellenic Studies, 1989, pp. 134-48. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/632037.
Sophocles. Antigone. Translated by Dudley Fitts and Robert Fitzgerald. Literature and the Writing Process, edited by Elizabeth McMahan et al., 10th ed., Pearson, 2014, pp. 725-53.
Tracy, Steven C. “Langton Hughes: Poetry, Blues, and Gospel—Somewhere to Stand.” Langston Hughes The Man, His Art, and His Continuing Influence. Edited by C. James Trotman, Garland, 1995, pp. 51-62. Google Scholar, https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=BpXsAgAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PA51& dq=salvation+langston +hughes&ots=6R3TgmFCEe&sig=U5mMT9G-