Debrief of The Stranger Prompt
- Underline titles of books and plays.
- Words to Avoid
“very”
“really”
“seems, possibly, almost, could, maybe, perhaps”
“okay”
“It is very sad to lose your mother.”
“Meursualt is really detached.”
“For Meursualt, smoking and having a cup of coffee might relax him after the pain he has just endured after losing his mother.”
“His pleasurable attitude towards kissing, groping, and sleeping with her reveal that he may perhaps be more interested in physical things or physical stimulus themselves, rather than the emotional connections that come with it.”
- Don’t be vague or obvious.
“It seems that the author understands how to invoke sympathy into the reader, even with evil or immoral acts.”
“The reader begins to understand Meursault’s immorality.”
- Avoid “we,” “you,” and “I” in literary analysis and especially avoid mixing them all together.
Don’t use YOU. Avoid “one.”
- Don’t start sentences with THIS… or It
“This shows…”
“This is why…”
“This invokes sympathy…”
For clarity, the pronouns THIS, THAT, WHICH, AND IT should ordinarily refer to specific antecedents rather than whole ideas or sentences.
- AVOID DEADWOOD
“It is important…”
“It is clear…”
“There is an emotional reaction.”
- NO MORE PASSIVE VOICE
Passive: “It is portrayed that we often jump to harsh conclusion on what makes someone evil, one of the alleged reasons being indifference to emotional subject matter.”
Active: Camus argues that we often jump to harsh conclusion about what makes someone one evil, one of the alleged reasons being indifference to emotional subject matter.”
Passive: “In Camus’s The Stranger, the balance of existentialism and society is explored through Meursault’s immoral consciousness.”
Active: “Camus explores the juxtaposition between existentialism and society’s expectations through Meursault’s immoral consciousness.”
- Don’t let the author fall out of the paper.
Good Thesis Sentences:
Existentialism is evident in The Stranger through Camus’s description of Meursault as detached and alienated. Meursault’s immorality throughout the novel reveals human nature’s misunderstanding of existentialism, invoking the reader’s sympathy.
Meursault’s immorality in the story reveals a detached character who finally displays human emotion by accepting his fate, invoking the reader’s sympathy.
Topics Sentences:
Topic sentences need to make claims about the author’s style. They are not plot summary or generalizations about life or the author.
Weak Topic Sentences:
Human nature is unique to all, however, can be misjudged.
Being physically unable to feel emotions unfolds a life of emptiness.
REWRITE: MEURSAULT’S INABILITY TO FEEL EMOTION AT HIS MOTHER’S FUNERAL UNFOLDS A LIFE OF EMPTINESS.
When the novel opens, Meursault first travels to his mother funeral.
Solid Topic Sentences:
Meursault’s immorality is promptly revealed early in the book through his actions while attending his mother’s funeral.
Meursault’s behavior at his mother’s funeral reveals his detachment and irreverence for society’s norms.
Meursault’s absence of emotions toward Marie convey that he has little experience with relationships.
Meursault’s criminal acts reveal his carelessness when in critical situations, situations a normal member of society finds critical.
FIX THIS PARAGRAPH. A LESSON on FOCUS.
Death is an inevitable occurrence that frankly terrifies most people. However, when the woman who brought Meursault into the world passes, he does not display the slightest amount of remorse. While the mother’s friends sat around in silent sorrow, Meursault had a smoke. While Thomas Perez trailed behind the funeral parade in tears, Meursault contemplated work affairs. Death is a low in life that must occur in order to appreciate the joy within a new life. But, Meursault approaches death with a flippant attitude. His cold heart refuses to allow him to demonstrate response to his elders that (who) would like to mourn in a supportive environment. However, Meursault’s beliefs hinder such action.
Camus’s depiction of Meursault as detached and seemingly uncaring at his mother’s funeral illustrates that to Meursault death is an inevitable occurrence that frankly terrifies everyone except him. When Meursulat attends his mother’s funeral, he does not display the expected amount of remorse. Meursault smoked and had coffee while his mother’s friends suffered in silent sorrow. Meursault contemplated work affairs while Thomas Perez trailed behind the funeral parade in tears. Camus’s juxtaposition of Meursault and the other mourners reveals Death as an unavoidable part of life. Meursault approaches death with a flippant attitude while everyone else around him is deeply affected. His cold heart refuses to allow him to demonstrate a response appropriate to the situation. He appears objective, practical, accepting. Meursault inspires sympathy from the reader, not only because of his mother’s death, but also because his actions do not seem excessively disrespectful. He smokes a cigarette and drinks coffee just as the others. He is simply more pragmatic about his mother’s passing.