Tragedy Essay
Kenny Fleming
Mr. Blocker- Period 2
Due: 4/2/12
Tragedy From Afar
Catharsis, the dramatic event that describes the "emotional cleansing" of the general audience, prevails in many tragedies. It provides an extreme change in emotion, as the result of experiencing strong feelings. It has been described as ”purification" or a "purging" of emotions (Aristotle 22). Shakespeare’s Macbeth represented a tragedy, because of the loss and destruction of lives. More specifically, the large-scale destruction and loss that resulted was Macbeth’s rise to power, ruling, and downfall. Arthur Miller's The Crucible illustrates a tragedy due to intense emotional suffering brought on by the accusations of former friends, manipulation, infidelity, and ultimately the death of John Proctor. In Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, Jay, the American romantic hero, devotes his life to proving himself worthy of Daisy. He would have sacrificed his freedom and his life for her, yet she couldn’t spare the time to go to his funeral and pay her condolences. While tragedy consists as a powerful medium in books and short stories, there are many real life cases of tragedy as well. For example, a mother, impaired from drinking vodka and smoking marijuana puts children and other innocent people in harms way while driving home from a weekend camping trip. This trip ends in a tragic disaster when she goes the wrong way on a highway and crashes head on with another vehicle. Eight innocent people are killed including four children. Overall, from a book, or from our society today, we, as humans, use tragedy to teach us to learn from the mistakes and misfortunes of others. “Tragedy is a form of drama based on human suffering that allows the audience to experience catharsis or pleasure from the viewing.” The audience, through its viewing of a tragedy, can experience the magnified human emotions brought forth, from a safe distance. Essentially, to see suffering without having to actually suffer is what
Mr. Blocker- Period 2
Due: 4/2/12
Tragedy From Afar
Catharsis, the dramatic event that describes the "emotional cleansing" of the general audience, prevails in many tragedies. It provides an extreme change in emotion, as the result of experiencing strong feelings. It has been described as ”purification" or a "purging" of emotions (Aristotle 22). Shakespeare’s Macbeth represented a tragedy, because of the loss and destruction of lives. More specifically, the large-scale destruction and loss that resulted was Macbeth’s rise to power, ruling, and downfall. Arthur Miller's The Crucible illustrates a tragedy due to intense emotional suffering brought on by the accusations of former friends, manipulation, infidelity, and ultimately the death of John Proctor. In Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, Jay, the American romantic hero, devotes his life to proving himself worthy of Daisy. He would have sacrificed his freedom and his life for her, yet she couldn’t spare the time to go to his funeral and pay her condolences. While tragedy consists as a powerful medium in books and short stories, there are many real life cases of tragedy as well. For example, a mother, impaired from drinking vodka and smoking marijuana puts children and other innocent people in harms way while driving home from a weekend camping trip. This trip ends in a tragic disaster when she goes the wrong way on a highway and crashes head on with another vehicle. Eight innocent people are killed including four children. Overall, from a book, or from our society today, we, as humans, use tragedy to teach us to learn from the mistakes and misfortunes of others. “Tragedy is a form of drama based on human suffering that allows the audience to experience catharsis or pleasure from the viewing.” The audience, through its viewing of a tragedy, can experience the magnified human emotions brought forth, from a safe distance. Essentially, to see suffering without having to actually suffer is what