Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Tragedy

What is your definition of a tragedy? A tragic hero? Cite a work of literature that you have not studied in school that you think would qualify as a tragedy. Please elaborate on how it is a tragedy and which character you feel is the tragic hero of that work. (This can certainly be modern or contemporary literature...)

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

The definition of a tragedy, to me, is a story that does not end in the "romantic" way that everyone assumes a story should end. A tragic hero, is to me just an average human being set as a bigger-than-life-hero in a story. A tragic hero can be perfect in everyway but in the end they always have one fatal flaw that causes them to lose it all, and I feel that it's like that for us in life. We always try to be so perfect in one area, but there's always going to be that something that can cause you to slip up and be a little human with it.
One novel i've read, has stood out to be an irregular tragedy, was Dear John by Nicholas Sparks. In the story, the main character, John, falls in love with a girl just like any typical love novel. But John ends up, in my opinion, becoming some what a tragic hero. He loses her to another man because of his devotion to his country. So in a basic summary, because he was patriotic, which isn't necesarily bad but the author portrayed it as bad, he ended up losing the girl and life of his dreams. I much prefer a romantic story over a tragedy anyday, though.

-Tara Goforth (:

Anonymous said...

The definition of a tragedy, to me, is a story that ends with death. A tragic hero, to me, is a regular person that comes out as with this personality or ablity that can help or destory him. One story that I have read seems to be a love tragedy, The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger. Well the main character, Henry, can time travel. He ends up falling in love with a young girl, Clare. It starts as just a regular love story, of course with the occasional time traveling that he can't control. Well the traveling can help him in some ways, that is one way he gets his wife pregant. It also can hurt him like when he ends up not being able to find shelter in one of his trips he gets frostbite. Well without his legs he can't find shelter and clothes. He ends up getting shot by Clare's brother on accident, because he traveled there. This is where he dies, but he also lives on because there will always be a Henry. The author portrayed this ablity as good and bad. The bad part of it is what killed him, but the good part is that Clare and her daughter will most likely see Henry till they die. I loved this book, of course I didn't like that Henry dies, but he will never really leave his family.

-Kylee R. 3rd period

Anonymous said...

A tragedy is a story with a serious theme that tries to rid you of negative emotions by getting you to cry for the hero of the story. A tragic hero is a person that has a flaw that usually leads to their downfall.
I don't generally read tragedies, but I read P.S. I Love You by Cecelia Ahern. The main character's husband dies of a brain tumor and the entire book is about her trying to get over it but it keeps coming back.

Meghann B. 3rd. Period