Hannah's Polished Essay

Hannah Staley
English 9
Mr. Hamilton Salsich
29 January 2009

Servitude vs. Confinment
An essay on the similarities and differences of servitude and confinement shown in characters Caliban and Ariel

Reflecting on “servitude and confinement”, pages 18 through 23 in The Tempest by William Shakespeare seems to be more about slavery and imprisonment than servitude and confinement. Describing Ariel and Caliban as servants does not seem harsh enough. The both are really slaves who are controlled by Sycorax and Prospero. Servitude seems to be a way to describe their predicament (FAST).

Being trapped in a “cloven pine” by Sycorax and threatened with 12 more years of confinement in an Oak tree by Prospero tells us that Ariel is destined to a life of confinement and servitude. Arial is a shy and timid character who does not have the courage to fight back against her masters. This may be because she is hoping to be granted a year off. While ending up being in the possession of Sycorax, Ariel learned some lessons. She learned that punishment, like being limited to living in a “space” in a tree, is one way she can be controlled. She also makes the mistake of telling Prospero that she has “a spirit too delicate” for the work she was made to execute (FAST). It would have been smarter for her to be more cunning (FAST) by manipulating Sycorax and Prospero. Perhaps she will figure this out in future Acts. It would be in her best interest if she did.

Caliban is a much different character who is similar to Ariel because they are both slaves, but different in how he communicates. He is visibly angry and will do anything to try to get back all that his family has lost to Prospero and Miranda. He even goes so far as to try and sexually assault Miranda in an effort to build his own little army of Calibans. His anger is also visible when he tells Prospero “You taught me language; and my profit on’t is, I know how to curse. The red plague rid you for learning me your language.” I don’t think Ariel would have come out with such a bold statement. This is why I think Ariel may be a woman. I doubt that women would speak out as Caliban did in that day and age.

Identifying similarities between Ariel and Caliban is interesting, but more difficult than identifying their differences. They deal with situations and people in different ways but their plights (FAST) are the same. It will be interesting to see if they end up the same way or if either one of them ever escapes servitude and confinement.
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Self Assesment:
Hannah Staley
February 1st, 2009
Servitude vs. Confinement

Some Strong Points I see in this essay: A strong point I see in this essay is my opening paragraph. I feel that I did a good job of summarizing what is to come and it flows nicely.

Some Weak Points I see in this essay: A weak point I see is my use of quotes. I am still working on finding the right one to make the sentence work. I feel that I am slowly making progress, but I could still use some help.

Writing Issues I am continuing to work on: writing issues I am continuing to work on is omitting unnecessary words. I think I have made a good job with this but there is always room for improvement.

Grade I would give myself: B+