Links: ELA Comparative Essay Extra Writing
The Paradoxicality of Self-Understanding
Body 1 - Dante’s influence in Ari’s identity
Lead-in:
- Books are like lighthouses; they are man-made tools that help people navigate through the unknown seas of knowledge. As a result, readers can explore complex concepts like human nature and self-identity through the directions given by various novels.
Topic Sentence:
- A relevant light house for such ideas is Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe; through Ari’s self-discovery, the reader learns how understanding and acknowledging other people’s perspectives can help a person realign their own identity and worldview.
Supporting details:
- In the novel, Ari’s self-reticience has blinded himself from truly understanding his feelings towards Dante; struggling to comprehend Dante’s love for him, Ari’s father prompts Ari to truly consider his feelings:
- “Ari, it’s time you stopped running…the problem isn’t just that Dante’s in love with you. The real problem—for you, anyway—is that you’re in love with him” (Sáenz 218).
Importance:
- Much like Ari, humans have trouble understanding their underlying thoughts and feelings, which can block paths towards finding a solution for their problems.
- Fortunately, the judgement of others can form unique and refreshing approaches to personal dilemmas; by being open to the insight of his parents, ARi is able to look past his self-supression, and uncover his unconscious love for Dante.
Transition:
- However, personal revelations can be also be made without the need for such intimate interactions.
Body 2 - Hamlet’s constant prompting by others
**Lead-in: **
- Although his turmoil is far different compared to Ari’s, Hamlet’s internal wishes were similarly solved through the assistance of others.
Topic Sentence:
- In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, the observation of people’s actions influence Hamlet to advance his madness and revenge against Claudius, emphasizing the importance of external factors in exerting one’s inner desires.
**Supporting details: **
- In the beginning of the play, Hamlet asks a group of actors to spontaneously perform a scene from Aeneid. Despite their lack of preparation and real connection with the characters involved, they manage to portray such convincing emotion to the point where Hamlet begins to question his own.
- Hamlet begins to become frustrated with himself due to his lack of drive to get revenge on Claudius, as he is only able to express a mere fraction of the enthusiasm the actors had when performing their artificial scenario:
- “A dull and muddy-mettled rascal, peak / Like John-a-dreams, unpregnant of my cause, / And can say nothing” (Hamlet, 2.2.526-528).
- Eventfully, those same feelings of self-hatred prompted him to escalate his plan, having the actors re-enact Claudius' crime to expose his guilt.
- Another revelation occurs when Hamlet sees 20,000 soldiers sacrificing their lives, just to storm a small village. While watching the chaos unfold before him, he comments saying,
- “[t]he imminent death of twenty thousand men / That, for a fantasy and trick of fame, / Go to their graves like beds - fight for a plot … [w]hich is not tomb enough and continent”
- After witnessing countless men irrationality risking their lives life for something so insignificant, Hamlet realizes that a good reason is not always needed when making decisions. From this moment on, his overthinking tendencies are replaced with ruthlessness and absurdity.
Importance
- Hamlet’s reaction to the actors and soldiers show how the experiences of others can provide useful insight to one’s own problems; the insight gained can inspire and propel a person to engage in the desired behavior exhibited by their role models.
Transition:
- When seeing both the direct and inderect influences other people can have on one’s personal conundrums, it reveals a paradoxical truth regarding the nature of self-understanding.
Conclusion
Topic Sentence:
- Whether it be through personal interaction or the observation of others, it is evident that social activity as a whole is important in self-exploration and self-understanding. Supporting details:
- Ari’s journey showcases how the input of others can open one’s mind to new perspectives in life that may have been previously hidden due to self-limitations and an obstructed sense of direction.
- In both of Hamlet’s realizations, he used the actions and qualities of others as models for his own behavior and thoughts. As a result, he was able to view things from different perspectives and ultimately come to conclusions that strengthened his resolve. So what?:
- Thus, humans don’t need to make daunting personal decisions and discoveries on their own; ironically, the most revolutionary solutions to one’s internal conflicts are found outside, ultimately arriving to profound conclusions that exceed individual thinking.