Western Literature
February 10, 2015
Think
about your favorite moment
from a book. For your warm-up,
write a description of what happens
in that moment in a paragraph. Your
paragraph must be a minimum of 5-7
sentences.
 If
you absolutely cannot think of a
moment you like from a book, you may
select a moment from a movie.
 Literary
works (fiction AND non-fiction),
paintings, films, and other artistic creations
are assumed to exist in an eternal present.
 When you open to page 64 in Oedipus the
King, he will be yelling at Tiresias whether
you look at it now or two weeks ago. He
will still be yelling at Tiresias in 2 months.
 Literature is eternally present so when
you write about writers or artists as they
express themselves in their work, use the
present tense as well.
 You
should use the past tense when
discussing historical events, and you should
use the literary present when discussing
artistic creations (books).


The year the book was written = factual
The day that Oedipus gauged out his eyes =
fictional
 While
Sophocles wrote Oedipus the King in
430 B.C.E., he shows for all ages that
excessive pride is blinding and leads to a
tragic fate.
EXAMPLE
My favorite moment is from Emily
Bronte’s Wuthering Heights. When
Catherine explained her love for
Heathcliff, I was nearly moved to
tears. She exclaimed, “Whatever our
souls are made of—his and mine
are the same.” That line gave me
chills and I always hoped that one
day I would find a love like that.
EXAMPLE
My favorite moment is from Emily
Bronte’s Wuthering Heights. When
Catherine explained explains her
love for Heathcliff, I was nearly
moved to tears. She exclaimed,
“Whatever our souls are made of—
his and mine are the same.” That
line gave me chills and I always
hoped that one day I would find a
love like that.
REMEMBER:
 You should use the past tense when
discussing historical events, and you should
use the literary present when discussing
artistic creations (books).


The year the book was written = factual
The day that Oedipus gouged out his eyes =
fictional
 While
Sophocles wrote Oedipus the King in
430 B.C.E., he shows for all ages that
excessive pride is blinding and leads to a
tragic fate.
 Sophocles
(begins or began) his work with
the story of a Greek chorus in a traditional
style.
 Through
the use of the chorus, Sophocles
(illustrates or illustrated) how the
audience should react to the events on the
stage.
 Sophocles
(participates or
participated) in the Greek festival
to honor Dionysus.
 Sophocles
(produces or produced)
Oedipus the King and Antigone.
 Wiesel
survived the Holocaust and wrote
Night to share the horrific events he
suffered through. In his novel, Wiesel
describes these experiences.
 Steinbeck, who lived throughout the Great
Depression, developed negative feelings
toward the “American Dream.” Steinbeck
explores the failure of the “American
Dream” in his novel.
 Oedipus
recognizes that he is the reason for
the curse of Thebes because he killed Lauis
at the crossroads.

“Killed” is in past tense because it describes
what happened to understand the “eternal
present” events and happened long before this
present moment.
 NOTE
on #4: The past event should be
something that happened a significant
amount of time in the past. Past shouldn’t
be used for events that happen in the
same scene.
 Sophocles
is able to use irony to create
catharsis for his audience because he knew
that his contemporary audience was familiar
with the myth of Laius.
 If
you have to switch too many times (more
than twice), then split up your sentences as
to not confuse your reader.
 It
is important to stay consistent.
 Moving between verb tenses can be confusing
for your reader.
 Sometimes a sentence must employ both
present and past tense.
 Examine
your changes of tense very carefully
and make sure there is a logical reason for
them.
 If
you need to shift tense more than three
times in a single sentence, consider a couple of
shorter sentences to maintain reading ease.
Sophocles showed the
Shepherd’s concern for
the baby by having him
save Oedipus.
Sophocles plays are
successful at the festival
of Dionysus because of
his use of irony.
Since Oedipus killed Laius,
he faced the consequences
of his actions just as any
person, which revealed
that everyone must pay
for their actions—
regardless of the presence
of power.
 As you revise your essay, make sure you include the following:
A contestable thesis statement (someone can agree or
disagree with your statement)
 At least five direct quotes from the text that are
embedded (NO DROPPED QUOTES). You must include a
lead-in.
 The use of the literary present tense consistently
throughout the paper.
 No instances of 2nd person (“you”) in the paper.
 INTRODUCTION: must have a hook, playwright and title in
context, and a transition into the thesis statement.
 CONCLUSION: must restate your main points and include
synthesis to the greater world (“So what?” / “why does
your paper matter?”)
 WORKS CITED
Sophocles. "Oedipus the King." The Three Theban Plays.
Trans. Robert Fagles. Harmondsworth, Middlesex, England:
Penguin, 1984. Print.

 As you revise your essay, make sure you include the following:
A contestable thesis statement (someone can agree or
disagree with your statement)
 At least five direct quotes from the text that are
embedded (NO DROPPED QUOTES). You must include a
lead-in.
 The use of the literary present tense consistently
throughout the paper.
 No instances of 2nd person (“you”) in the paper.
 INTRODUCTION: must have a hook, playwright and title in
context, and a transition into the thesis statement.
 CONCLUSION: must restate your main points and include
synthesis to the greater world (“So what?” / “why does
your paper matter?”)
 WORKS CITED
Sophocles. "Oedipus the King." The Three Theban Plays.
Trans. Robert Fagles. Harmondsworth, Middlesex, England:
Penguin, 1984. Print.

 As you revise your essay, make sure you include the following:
A contestable thesis statement (someone can agree or
disagree with your statement)
 At least five direct quotes from the text that are
embedded (NO DROPPED QUOTES). You must include a
lead-in.
 The use of the literary present tense consistently
throughout the paper.
 No instances of 2nd person (“you”) in the paper.
 INTRODUCTION: must have a hook, playwright and title in
context, and a transition into the thesis statement.
 CONCLUSION: must restate your main points and include
synthesis to the greater world (“So what?” / “why does
your paper matter?”)
 WORKS CITED
Sophocles. "Oedipus the King." The Three Theban Plays.
Trans. Robert Fagles. Harmondsworth, Middlesex, England:
Penguin, 1984. Print.

Your
final draft of your essay is due
tomorrow. It must be in MLA format.
 If
you cannot type your essay, then it
must be handwritten with all of the
components of MLA format.