OUTLINE
Introductory Paragraph
- Touch on the pieces that will be described in the essay. Utilize pieces from Robinson Crusoe, Benedict and Kant.
- Thesis
Body Paragraph 1
- Discuss ideas upon Crusoe's ultimate sin and how curiosity affected that decision.
- "Curiosity creates a monster in a monstrous society and a hero in a moral society." (Benedict 2)
- Curiosity and greed has taken a negative term based upon Crusoe's actions.
- Touching upon the motives of Crusoe stealing the money from ships.
- Taking Friday as his own and justifying his actions upon killing the foreigners on the island.
- Curiosity has transformed the relationships that he has had with his family.
- These focuses are mostly negative ideas.
Body Paragraph 2
- Discuss ideas upon Enlightenment and include pieces from Kant.
- The idea that curiosity is good for breaking social constructs.
- Being a rule breaker can be both good and bad.
- Find new ideas and break traditional roles in society but can also challenge political ideals in these societies.
- Crusoe broke the rules of finding a career in England and defied his father.
- Positive part was finding a way with God and becoming one with his thoughts.
- Also learned a wealth of information upon farming and surviving on his own.
Body Paragraph 3
- Round out by comparing the ideas between the positives and negatives of curiosity.
- Utilize the ideas of political defiance that was shown by Benedict.
- Compare that with the ideas of Enlightenment from Kant.
- Prove that laziness and cowardice are things that need to be broken in order to gain curiosity.
- Challenge the stereotypes and open up new ideas.
POSSIBLE BODY PARAGRAPH 1
"But I was not content with this discovery; but having more courage and consequently more Curiosity, I took my Man Friday with me..." (Defoe 150) Curiosity is one of the most prominent mind sets that is shown throughout Robinson Crusoe. Crusoe is an adventurer who aptly defies all advice to stop with his travels and settle down on land in order to create a life for himself. Despite all of the advice, Crusoe still travels and partakes in many dangerous situations. Ultimately, this is all driven by his curiosity for something more. It is something that the idea of curiosity can conjure up within someone. Once an individual has a taste of something interesting or thought provoking, they only desire more. Therefore, Crusoe continuously tries to discover something new. Within Kant's writing upon Enlightenment, he states, "For any single individual to work out of the life under tutelage which has become almost his nature is very difficult. He has become fond of this state." (Kant 2) Crusoe has tasted the curiosity upon his first journey. When leaving for his second journey, he did not realize the consequences that he would have to ultimately face. As his time on the island progresses, he realizes that his ultimate sin was that he was never happy. He quotes, " and yet so deep had the Mistake taken root in my Temper, that I could not satisfy my self in my Station, but was continually poring upon the Means, and Possibility of my Escape from this Place;" (Defoe 141) Curiosity is quite interesting in the fact that the human mind can never have enough. Individuals are always searching for more and more to work with. Ultimately, Benedict shares in his piece about curiosity that, "Curiosity creates a monster in a monstrous society and a hero in a moral society." There is fine line that humans toe between obsession and madness and curiosity. It's all a matter of opinion and reflection. Crusoe's reflection brings him to the thought that his ultimate sin was monstrous and curiosity brought that about.
This is a good start... and lots of interesting ideas here. The key now is 1) to narrow in & get a *lot* more specific with your thesis. (I *think* you can handle both the positive and the negative sides of curiosity in Crusoe, but it might make more sense to focus in on one of these arguments and make it fully with strong, careful literary support.) 2) as you can see from the body paragraph you started to draft, it'll be hard—if not impossible—to hit all the ideas you listed in the original outline. How can you narrow this down to the aspects that interest you most? 3) be sure in your body paragraph to actually stop and *analyze* the passages. What is it about Defoe's language in the passages on page 150 and 141, precisely, that convey the sense of "never having enough" or of always desiring "more"? ("But I was not content..., so...") and ("could not satisfy my self" but "was continually poring").
ReplyDeleteThis idea about unsatiability—and the impossibility of happiness—is great. (and might deserve its own paragraph. Is this coming from the ("so deep had the *Mistake* taken root") or the ("not content") and ("not satif[ied]") language of the earlier quotes? If so, slow down and analyze the language: (all the "not" language? the choice of words like "satisfy and content," or even the sentence structure of linked clauses to evoke constant motion and action in the name of fulfilling this insatiable desire... "*but*...I was not content so....")
Mini note: There's a big jump from the argument you're making here re: curiosity being portrayed as an endless searching for more... to the Benedict quote on "monster" vs. "hero" (a woman writer, so "she"). Watch out for this!
Fascinating stuff... Focus in and structure your piece carefully around the core ideas you need to prove to make your central point. You've got a lot of good material to work with!
best,
NP
This is a good start... and lots of interesting ideas here. The key now is 1) to narrow in & get a *lot* more specific with your thesis. (I *think* you can handle both the positive and the negative sides of curiosity in Crusoe, but it might make more sense to focus in on one of these arguments and make it fully with strong, careful literary support.) 2) as you can see from the body paragraph you started to draft, it'll be hard—if not impossible—to hit all the ideas you listed in the original outline. How can you narrow this down to the aspects that interest you most? 3) be sure in your body paragraph to actually stop and *analyze* the passages. What is it about Defoe's language in the passages on page 150 and 141, precisely, that convey the sense of "never having enough" or of always desiring "more"? ("But I was not content..., so...") and ("could not satisfy my self" but "was continually poring").
ReplyDeleteThis idea about unsatiability—and the impossibility of happiness—is great. (and might deserve its own paragraph. Is this coming from the ("so deep had the *Mistake* taken root") or the ("not content") and ("not satif[ied]") language of the earlier quotes? If so, slow down and analyze the language: (all the "not" language? the choice of words like "satisfy and content," or even the sentence structure of linked clauses to evoke constant motion and action in the name of fulfilling this insatiable desire... "*but*...I was not content so....")
Mini note: There's a big jump from the argument you're making here re: curiosity being portrayed as an endless searching for more... to the Benedict quote on "monster" vs. "hero" (a woman writer, so "she"). Watch out for this!
Fascinating stuff... Focus in and structure your piece carefully around the core ideas you need to prove to make your central point. You've got a lot of good material to work with!
best,
NP