MEDEA

[QueenDemetria]

Hi guys,

I need to write an essay on the following topic: The values of Ancient Greece motivates both Jason and Medea to act as they do. Do you agree?

Can you please give me some ideas on what i could base my paragraphs on and what i could possibly speak about?

I'm thinking of having one paragraph dedicated to Medea and another on Jason. What do you guys think? By the way, how many paragraphs should we be aiming for in a text response?

If i speak about Jason and Medea, what could i speak about in my other paragraphs?

Thanks a lot guys!!

[zhen]

I'd say minimum 3 body paragraphs for text response. I wouldn't recommend structuring by characters, instead I would recommend structuring by ideas. I'd do something like this.
1. Jason is driven by greed (isn't motivated by traditional values)
2. Medea is driven by passion (isn't motivated by traditional values)
3. Jason's actions might be motivated by the patriarchal society of the time, as it condones his actions

These aren't very good ideas, but that's an example of how I structure my paragraphs. I don't really focus on the character, instead I focus on the idea of greed, passion and patriarchal values.

[gisele]

I 100% agree with zhen's comment! You should focus on ideas rather than centring your paragraphs on different characters (i.e. don't do para #1: medea, para #2: jason, para #3: medea and jason).

So you could argue things like:
- though both are motivated by Ancient Greek values, it is their individual response to such values that differs (depending on what values you want to focus on).
or...
- these values do not motivate medea and jason's actions; they are merely a trigger for the pair's motives

This allows you to talk about medea, jason and other characters in all your body paragraphs, which is what teachers look for.

To answer your other question, have at least three body paragraphs. I see a trend developing where teachers are encouraging their students to write 4 paragraphs. In the end, it's what works best for you. Four para's means you can explore the prompt further and unpack it deeper, but if you find yourself running out of time, it's better to have three paragraphs with more complex analysis than four paragraphs with really simplistic analysis under each argument.

Hope that helps 

[QueenDemetria]

Ohh i see... yes you guys are right!

Would you guys agree or disagree with the prompt?


Thanks for the help by the way 

[Gogo14]

Ohh i see... yes you guys are right!

Would you guys agree or disagree with the prompt?


Thanks for the help by the way 

You should challenge the prompt, meaning that you partially agree and disagree, but have an overarching contention. So in  "the VCE,english god, chem god, methods god, spesh god, physics god"-zhen's example, he essentially disagrees with the prompt more than he agrees; however, in his 3 argument, he brings in ideas that slightly agrees with the prompt of saying that Jason's actions may be motivated by values embedded in the patriarchal society. But what you should do here is talk about the other side of the prompt, but still offer an overall contention(disagree). e.g. say something like : Although Jason's actions may be motivated by gender norms of a patriarchal society, it is ultimately not traditional values which underpin Jason's actions.