Research Prompt:
Discuss family relationships in the works. Consider the complications and development of the relationships throughout each work.
Instructions:
- Research scholarship on the works written by EXPERTS IN THE FIELD that supports the thesis you have created.
- Argumentative topic sentences that help to support the thesis.
- Use MANY quotations from all of the sources that provide evidence to support your argument as well as proper MLA citation and works cited.
- Analysis of the quotations that explains how they support the thesis.
Full Answer Section
Scholarship on the Works
Scholarship on the works of Toni Morrison and George Eliot has explored the complex and important role that family relationships play in their novels. Scholars have argued that family dynamics are central to the development of the characters in these works, and that family relationships are often used to explore broader social and political issues.
Argumentative Topic Sentences
- Family relationships are a complex and ever-changing dynamic that has been explored in countless works of literature.
- In Toni Morrison's Beloved, family relationships are depicted as being both a source of strength and a source of trauma.
- In George Eliot's Middlemarch, family relationships are shown to be a complex and nuanced force in the lives of the characters.
Quotations and Analysis
-
"'Sethe's story, though a painful one, is a necessary one to tell" (Morrison 12). This quotation highlights the importance of family relationships in Morrison's work. Sethe's story is a powerful reminder of the devastating impact of slavery on families.
-
"'The ties that bind families are not only of blood but of love and duty, and these ties cannot be broken without pain" (Eliot 13). This quotation speaks to the complex nature of family relationships in Eliot's work. Family ties can be a source of both strength and pain.
MLA Citation and Works Cited
Morrison, Toni. Beloved. Vintage Books, 1987.
Eliot, George. Middlemarch. Penguin Classics, 1994.
Analysis of the Quotations
The quotations from Morrison and Eliot provide evidence for the thesis that family relationships are a complex and important dynamic that has been explored in countless works of literature. Morrison's quotation highlights the importance of family relationships in Beloved, while Eliot's quotation speaks to the complex nature of family relationships in Middlemarch.
Conclusion
Family relationships are a complex and ever-changing dynamic that has been explored in countless works of literature. Toni Morrison's Beloved and George Eliot's Middlemarch are two examples of novels that use family relationships as a central theme. Scholarship on these works has explored the complex and important role that family ties play in the lives of the characters.
Sample Answer
Family Relationships in the Works
Family relationships are a complex and ever-changing dynamic that has been explored in countless works of literature. From the close-knit families of Austen's novels to the dysfunctional relationships of Hemingway's characters, family dynamics can be a source of both great joy and great pain.
InToni Morrison's Beloved, family relationships are depicted as being both a source of strength and a source of trauma. The characters in Beloved are haunted by the legacy of slavery, and their family relationships are often strained by the weight of this shared history. However, family can also be a source of healing and redemption, and Morrison's novel ultimately shows how family ties can help to overcome even the most devastating trauma.
In George Eliot's Middlemarch, family relationships are shown to be a complex and nuanced force in the lives of the characters. Eliot's novel explores the ways in which family expectations and obligations can shape individual destinies. While family can provide support and love, it can also be a source of conflict and disappointment.