Emkay Posted June 24, 2009 Report Share Posted June 24, 2009 So I'm doing my WL2 paper on the Great Gatsby and the The Stranger (or The Outsider). My topic is comparing the use of weather in the two books, but my teacher says I need to make it more specific but I don't know how? Thank you[;. Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sweetnsimple786 Posted June 24, 2009 Report Share Posted June 24, 2009 So what about the weather will you be examining?How it foreshadows? How it sets the mood or the tone? How it shows a cycling or a passage of time? How it ________? Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeStijl Posted June 24, 2009 Report Share Posted June 24, 2009 I would first try and devise a proper research question and thesis statement. It'll essentially force you to narrow your focus. Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bishup Posted June 24, 2009 Report Share Posted June 24, 2009 A very good thing you could talk about is the use of Pathetic Fallacy, which in essence is the use of the implements of weather to reflect the mood of the persona. I don't know what the 'Great Gatsby' is about (although I really should since it's a classic). In 'The stranger' I think that Meursault is detached from his surroundings, he's rather mellow and doesn't show too much emotion. His mother's death doesn't seem to make him dwell or anything. And I think you can relate that somehow to the arid and harsh conditions of the Algerian climate. Inhumane and dry conditions causes a human being to 'suffer' and he suffers from some kind of lack of emotion.But when you decide to write about the litterary device which is 'Pathetic Fallacy' search for a very specific part of the book and comment this passage and how the use of this device affects you're reading or the character or the plot. Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandwich Posted June 25, 2009 Report Share Posted June 25, 2009 Being honest, your topic seems pretty focused to me already, given this is World Lit. There's obviously a lot of use of weather in both your texts In my opinion, you could narrow it down with something as simple as 'the significance of the weather to the plot' or 'the significance of the weather in creating atmosphere', or whatever it's used for. Anything more narrow than that and you won't be able to get your 1,500-- or if you do, you'll probably be making the same point over and over again! I don't think pathetic fallacy could constitute an entire essay, for that reason, although it'd obviously be a good thing to bring up in respect to the weather.What I would do, personally, is go through both novels and find all the significant things regarding the weather and then look over them, see what they have in common and work out which angle to take it from. I did mine that way-- I was doing 'death' (different books, of course) and wasn't sure exactly how to direct it until I'd found the examples and decided which would be my favourite angle to treat them from. Especially as it's a comparison, it's best if you can find some aspect which has a lot of compare and contrast within it-- similarities, but also dissimilarities, and you won't know what they are until you've gone through everything. It'll also give you a broader base of knowledge so your essay will benefit Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tilia Posted June 29, 2009 Report Share Posted June 29, 2009 I haven't read any of those books, but remember that WLs are very short. Why not compare the effects of the weather for instance? Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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