My Plan of Action

1)              Read the book!

Firstly, one must read the book. While reading the stranger I annotated and took notes. I especially looked for ties to the themes of existentialism, as well as ties to the other novels we have read this semester. I found certain correlations between the protagonist of the Stranger and the protagonist of Metamorphosis, as well as ties between the protagonists of the Stranger and Hunger. For example, Gregor and Meursault seem to follow similar paths of self-discovery. They both have interesting relationships with the sky (setting/weather) and food (hunger).

2)              Have a group discussion!

Next, it is important to get other people’s opinions on the novel. In doing so, one can broaden their view on the prominent themes and connections to other books. Reading other’s blogs is also a helpful tactic to understanding the underlying concepts of the novel. For example, after the discussion on the stranger we found several prominent themes, motifs, and symbols.

·       Heat and sun

·       Irrationality versus Rationality

·       The sky

·       The water/Marie

·       Raymond and his dog

After this group discussion, it is good to go back through the book, for many times I notice these motifs in other parts of the book that I never realized while reading it the first time. Although I can only thoroughly read the book once, I still go back and skim parts that I feel were important.

3)              Ponder!

After going through the novel again, I have a clear idea of which aspects stand out, and which ones interest me. I was particularly interested in the comparative aspects of the Stranger and Metamorphosis, due to the fact that both of these novels dote upon the concepts of absurdity. After deciding to do a comparative essay, I have to narrow it down to something more specific.

·       Comparing Kafka’s and Camus’s use of absurdity

·       Comparing the use of setting in Metamorphosis and the Stranger

·       Etc.

4)              Dig Deeper!

Now that I have somewhat of an idea of what I want to do, I must dig deeper. This means looking for textual evidence of these correlations between the two novels. Here is where some additional research would help. Secondary sources such as the essay on the close reading of the Metamorphosis, or essays on existentialism would help here. Once I have found which comparison I want to focus on, I normally type out the quotations from the novels I would use in my essay, as well as the quotations from secondary sources. Now I have my main focus, and textual evidence.

5)              Formulate a thesis and write an introduction!

From here I can formulate a thesis. I would know whether or not it is a good thesis if it addresses a specific aspect of the novel(s) and it’s effect. Since it is a comparative essay it would look something like this:

·       Both Kafka and Camus use concepts of the absurd in their novels Metamorphosis and The Stranger to _________.

·       The use of hunger to portray the protagonists’ emotions is similar in Kafka’s Metamorphosis and Camus’s The Stranger

·       Etc.

Since this is an interpretive and opinionated essay, the consideration of counter arguments is not important. I am not trying to prove a point with this essay; I am just trying to portray a different point of view on the correlation between the two novels. In my introduction I will have basically outlined my essay. This shouldn’t be too hard since I already have my main concepts and textual evidence. From here I will proofread my introduction until it is perfect. I cannot start my essay without a perfect introduction.

6)              Ready, Set, Write!

Now that I have my proofread introduction and textual evidence, I can begin to write my essay. I like to write the rest of my essay in one sitting, so that my thoughts are not interrupted. Once I finish writing, I have my rough draft!

7)              Edit!

From here all I have left to do is edit. I will first edit my essay myself, looking at context and grammar/syntax. After I have edited my essay, I will get 2 or more people to look at it, and ask them for their comments. I will take their suggestions and edit my essay once more. I also find it helps to read my essay out loud to see if I like it or not. Once I have edited my essay, and read it out loud (and liked the way it sounded), I have my final product! If I have time before the due date, I normally give my essay a break and read it over a couple days later. This allows me to look at it with fresh eyes.