1971. The significance of a title such as The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is so easy to discover. However, in other works (for example, Measure for Measure) the full significance of the title becomes apparent to the reader only gradually. Choose two works and show how the significance of their respective titles is developed through the authors' use of devices such as contrast, repetition, allusion, and point of view.
Many titles works have significance to the piece as a whole, such as in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Other works, such as Harper Lee’s “To Kill a Mockingbird” and Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing, also have a significant meaning as well. Through the authors’ point of view and use of repetition, a significant meaning is created for their respective works.
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is a great example of a title with significance. The Mockingbird is a symbol of innocence, and the killing of the Mockingbird resembles the loss of innocence, which is exactly what happens in the novel. Seen mostly from Scout’s point of view, the novel has an innocent perspective for the most part. Scout is a young child who has an innocent perspective on the world at first, but after the trial, Scout seems to have grown up, and is no longer as innocent as she was. Scout’s change of point of view shows that the title indeed signifies Scout’s loss of innocence.
In Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing, the title uses a pun, giving it significance to the play as a whole. The entire play is centered around the mishaps that happen to a group of people. All of these mishaps are caused by eavesdropping. One example is the entire misunderstanding between Hero and Claudio. Problems due to eavesdropping repeat themselves many times through out this novel. Due to this strong repetition of eavesdropping, it is clear that the word “nothing” in the title is a pun to the word “noting”, which means eavesdropping because the word “nothing” also can be pronounced, “noting”.
Through the use of the point of view of an innocent child, the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee has given the title of the novel a significant meaning. Similarly, the play Much Ado About Nothing has also a significant title, this time through the use of a repeated theme.
I like this prompt, and you chose to respond to it in a really interesting way. I don't think about titles much, and I especially liked your explanation of the Much Ado About Nothing. In your introduction paragraph, your thesis states that "a significant meaning is created". You might want to add in exactly what the meanings are. This would definitely make it longer, since you would need to say what the meaning is for both works, but your thesis doesn't have to be just one sentence. This would create an outline for your essay. You could then go on to talk about those specific meanings in the respective paragraphs. Overall, great job!
ReplyDeleteI wrote on this prompt, and also on To Kill A Mockingbird. yay!!!!
ReplyDeleteI actually can't find anything amiss in the essay, your thesis is strong and your show of it is top notch.