Prompt Revision

1983. From a novel or play of literary merit, select an important character who is a villain. Then, in a well-organized essay, analyze the nature of the character's villainy and show how it enhances meaning in the work. Do not merely summarize the plot.



The motivation for a character to do something is not always clear to the reader. This problem is often prominent in the villains of a work of literature. However, when one takes the time to analyze why a villain did one thing instead of another in a story, new ideas become clearer and the work as a whole becomes more meaningful. In his novel Dracula, Bram Stoker uses the important villain character Dracula to enhance the meaning of his work. 

Count Dracula invites Jonathan Harker, a salesman from a small town in England, to his castle in Transylvania, Romania. The Count is very hospitable to Harker at his arrival and never feeds on him. Even at Harker's discovery of what Dracula is, a vampire, Dracula still doesn't change his ways of feeding. Throughout the novel, Stoker makes a point in writing that Dracula doesn't feed on men and only feeds on young, innocent women or children. This is shown when he feeds on Lucy Westenra, a young and naive friend of Harker's fiance. At Dracula's arrival into the small town where Lucy lives, she becomes increasingly less energetic and youthful as she once was as well as loses her innocence and becomes paranoid about her window. The Count takes what he desires from the women and when it has all been, quite literally, sucked out of them, his interest in them is lost and he finds a new source. He could feed off of strong and healthy men, but his interest in only women provides enhanced meaning of why Dracula does what he does. 

Another thing that Dracula does that creates enhanced meaning in the story is his style of feeding. He could quickly kill his prey and suck the life out of them in one sitting in a giant mess of blood, but his method of feeding is slowly and neatly with barely a trace left behind. This brings on a sexual note to the novel that was written when the subject was taboo. The Count likes his victims to be pure like a virgin would be and treats them in a somewhat sexual way. This takes place when Mina, the fiance of Harker and friend of Lucy, finds two little pin pricks on Lucy's neck that become slightly irritated overtime but nothing else seems to be a problem until obvious blood loss is found. Another would be when Mina gets put into a trance by the Count and sucks the Count's blood from his breast, where his heart would be. Dracula's feeding style enhances the books meaning of taboo sexual ideas during the time. 

Dracula uses the actions of the character of Count Dracula to enhance the meaning of the novel. When analyzed more thoroughly, Dracula's actions, such as his choices in feeding, contribute to the novel's meaning. As a result, the villain character's actions in an important literary work such as Dracula have hidden meanings. 

Response to Course Material

Wow. We're done with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead. I will admit, I found it rather tedious in times, when the characters just bantered back and forth with each other. It was cute and funny at first, but at some point, you have to realize that you are grown men and need to calm down and talk through your problems differently than a three-year old would. But all in all, I enjoyed it. Yeah, it was hard to decipher through at first, but once Ms. Holmes taught us what to look for with hidden meanings and double meanings and funky allusions, the work became rather witty and enjoyable. Although, it also made me a bit sad, to think that "we," when Stoppard is making his point of the story, don't have control over our lives. Boo. Aw well. There are worse things I suppose. Now I have an excuse for being lazy. "It's not my fault. I was written to be like this." I don't think that I can use that as an excuse though... Hmmm... I think that I'll try it out.

Anyway, so now we're starting this novel. We haven't read any novels yet this year, and this one looks to be a bit strange. Not that I don't love strange things, for they are my life, but it's called Ceremony and has a giant silver feather on the front. Now, I haven't really read all that much of it, but I have noticed that it has been really helpful to have that background knowledge study session that we had when we were in some World Language teacher's classroom while people were MEAPing. The info talked about the differences between Western Literature and this type of literature. Basically meaning that most, if not all, of what we learned in Foster's book How to read Literature Like A Boss (AKA Professor) does not apply. Great. So finding symbols and meaning in things will be different in what things mean and how they represent things. But I'm excited about reading this book. We haven't read a novel yet, so I'm curious as to how this one will be, especially since it is very different from what we are used to reading. And I'm WAY more excited about this stuff than I am the other stuff we've been starting to do. As in AP exam stuff. Yay.

I know that we need to know how to do this stuff and practice for it, but multiple choice practice and essay writing, while being the purpose of the class, isn't actually all that fun. Shocker. It's about as fun as taking a splinter out of your finger. Yum. But I know that I need to practice this stuff and take it seriously, because if I don't, my score on the exam will reflect how much effort I put into this practice. Gaaaahhhhhh. Better start studying up. I will be a millionaire. ... Eventually... ... I need to find that list of definitions first though... Yay for AP Exams!