Dracula - Bram Stoker

Coursera Fantasy and Science Fiction Week 3

A gripping story which was supposedly longer than the others, so I was surprised to sail through it in a week. I might have scored higher and thought my point was clear, interestingly similar to what the professor in the lectures, but not disappointed.

Dracula - Bram Stoker

The male characters spend most of Bram Stoker's "Dracula" patronising the females, but the group only prevails when they stop trying to limit women's participation and work together.
Stoker uses two females to examine the changing role of women. The attractive, aristocratic Lucy Westenra represents the past, the practical and intelligent Mina Harker the future. While the former dallies over three marriage proposals: "Why can't they let a girl marry three men... and save all this trouble?" her self-possessed friend observes the differences between them: “the 'New Woman' won't condescend in future to accept. She will do the proposing herself."

Sleepwalking, the vulnerable Westenra is literally unaware when attacked by Dracula. Her three suitors cannot protect her and as her strength fails, they are unable to save her. Her fate is sealed when the men, fearing the shock will kill her mother, fail to explain their unconventional treatment and Mrs. Westenra unwittingly exposes her daughter to attack once more.

The turning point comes when the all-male team penetrate Dracula's lair. Mina Harker is now central to the group having collated their intelligence. The men, again knowing best, respond by excluding Harker from their expedition, leaving her alone and vulnerable, whereupon she is herself attacked.

As her strength fails, Harker's husband Jonathan remains blind to his error. He patronises her further, withholding news as they track the missing caskets. Though it "wrung my heart..."  he reassures himself of his "courage... of keeping her out of our grim task..." because, ironically "...our growing knowledge would be torture to her."

Ultimately, through properly accepting Mina Harker as a member and fully employing her power, the group unites to overcome its powerful foe.

Responses

Form: 2/3

 

peer 1 → The sentences are good but I don't think the exposition is very clear. You should try to organize your text in a different way, for example: the main argument, examples and defense of the argument, and a conclusion.
peer 2 → The text is well presented and everything is clear.
peer 3 → Elaborated well with clear vocabulary.
peer 4 → Everything here is good except the lack of explanation of your argument. In the essay There is plenty of evidence given but tragically, there is no connection between the evidence and the point you are trying to make. Next time see if you can maybe cut down another example and explain the first one. Solid-low 2
peer 5 → Sentences are good and with a correct grammar. I'm not English mother tongue, so I don't dare to say there is something wrong (I actually didn't find any mistake), but I find some sentences a bit less clear, but still understandable. The schedule you have followed to present your thesis is simple but arranged in a good way, the whole text flows well. I don't understand why some sentences are written in a bigger font. I don't like too much the use of the noun "female" referring to a woman, it is correct but sounds a bit "sexist"; I would have used it only as "thesaurus", not main word of essay.

Content: 2/3

 

peer 1 → I liked the idea of Lucy and Mina representing the woman from the past and the woman from the future, but I think you should have explored it better.
peer 2 → Bravo! I think your thesis is excellent and well argumented. Your essay shows a deep understanding of the feminine symbolism presented in the work. You opened a new door in my reading of the novel.
peer 3 → Good point noticed about male attitude towards women.
peer 4 → The content wants to be there and I believe if this essay was more than 320 characters long it would be there. I did like your theory on how women are left out when things go bad, then when they are included everything starts to work.
peer 5 → Interesting thesis and good examples to support it and make your case. Nevertheless, you could have laid it out better. You made a good summary of the plot, focalizing on relationship and behavior toward women, but the reader of your essay understands the purpose of that only at the end. Alternating a bit more your considerations to the narration of events you could have got the point clearer.

Total: 4/6

Comments

peer 2 → Thank you for sharing your essay. It was fun and interesting to read.
peer 3 → Liked the idea.
peer 4 → Just remember that I have also read the Novel. You don't need to explain every character in excruciating detail (especially when there is such a short character limit). Other than that i believe you have great potential as a writer, keep up the good work
peer 5 → I like your point of view on this argument, good job! I note that you tend to quote a lot: when doing it, you can put some note (in the "Works cited" box) to exactly locate words you quoted on the book (i.e. "Chapter X", or "Mina's journal entry dated xxx"). That could make your essay a bit more "professional" and precise.

Alice's Adventures In Wonderland And Through The Looking Glass - Lewis Carroll

Coursera Science Fiction and Fantasy Week 2

I didn't complete the second book, so concentrated on the former. The supporting points may have been a little murky, but I was very happy with the conclusion.

Alice's Adventures In Wonderland And Through The Looking Glass - Lewis Carroll

"Alice's Adventures In Wonderland" portrays the subconscious fears of a young girl facing puberty and the prospect of entering an unknown adult world.

On coming of age, the protagonists of Grimm's Tales are often called to leave home and venture into the world to “seek their fortune”. Alice, by contrast, is still a child when she is thrust headlong into an unfamiliar dream-world of odd creatures and strange customs. Unlike Grimm's children, who face threat and danger when leaving their own world, Alice is confronted by incomprehensible rules and absurdity.

Initially unsure of herself, Alice is shocked when her polite attempts to communicate are misunderstood and cause offence. Her childish conviction is soon replaced by doubt and confusion. Her hesitancy grows, but she remains aware of her lack of knowledge, testing her multiplication and geography as she questions her identity: “Who in the world am I?”

Alice's body changes too. She shrinks and grows under the influence of magical food and potions, becoming tiny, helpless and nearly drowning in her own tears, then growing large and powerful. Repeatedly rebuking herself for crying, she gradually learns control, until finally, in the courtroom scene, she asserts her power, ultimately overcoming the absurdity of the law.

As Alice wakes from her dream, we see her through her older sister’s eyes: "Little Alice", returned to normal size once again. We are touched by nostalgia as the older sister considers what she herself has lost in accepting "dull reality", imagining "how this same little sister of hers would... be herself a grown woman; and... keep, through all her riper years, the simple and loving heart of her childhood." This reassures us that although traumatic, the onset of puberty is a natural development and Alice's character will see her prevail.

Responses

 

Form: 2/3

 

peer 1 → Very well formed. Grammatically correct and good use of words.I don't find anything wrong, but if I have to make a suggestion, maybe it would on using linking words for the paragraphs (ex. Last paragraph could have a "finally" or "in the end").
peer 2 → Good flow, good language, I don't find any obvious grammatical errors. It does not try to be overly complicated which is good. Can't really find anything to complain about.
peer 3 → No grammar and spelling errors spotted. Thesis is present and asserted from the outset, which is a great start. There is a great flow of ideas within the body of the essay, but it seems to suffer from a chronological perspective. You could have extracted your key points like "rules and absurdity", "who am I", and "asserts her power" and branched off from there instead of branching off from the chronology of events. The first method allows you more freedom to talk about various points in the story while a chronological approach does lure one into the trap of descriptive writing, which you have done here to a small extent. There is a clear thesis, a point to each paragraph though it could use more tightening, and a conclusion; making this a solid essay structurally. However, the chronological approach does derail the essay from its argument. It sometimes does work and I used it for my last essay on The Death of the Hen, but in my opinion, it worked then only because The Death of the Hen is only two pages long while a chronological analysis of two books is trickier and have reduced your essay's clarity. Score given: 2
peer 4 → Good structure. Everything flows perfectly.
peer 5 → A Straightforward, concise thesis for the essay. several paragraphs elaborating on the thesis follow, with the last paragraph concluding the point made in the thesis paragraph. No overt issues of structure or grammar,

Content: 2/3

 

peer 1 → I liked the point of view. I also found very interesting the comparison with the Grimms. I don't know though if maybe it could be avoided, maybe mentioned just once could be enough.
peer 2 → Nice work. I especially, in the context of this course, like the reference back to the Grimm tales. If I should say anything "negative" about the content it is that the topic is not very unique when it comes to analyzing the Alice-books. To see how your argument stretches to Through the Looking-Glass would be interesting too, but it was probably good to only do the first book, and do it well.
peer 3 → This is the first essay I have evaluated that really sets out an argument, which I have to give you props for! I like how you concluded on how it is a natural development and how Alice will prevail. However, your body would have benefited with some significant cutting down of descriptions and by focusing on your points, which are there! Some ways to economise your word limit is to cut down on quotes too, like the one you used from Alice's sister. When it is that long, it could be simpler just to use the words 'keep... heart of her childhood' within a different syntax, or paraphrase it altogether. I can see that you have tried to cut it down though. I suppose a little more editing would really make this essay. In terms of your ideas, I think you focused well on the aspects of your thesis, especially on the 'adult world'. However, I think it should still be fleshed out a little more, and that could maybe be done by focusing on an aspect of Alice's coming of age. Some examples could be: adulthood in Wonderland, Peter Pan syndrome/fear of growing up, overcoming authority as part of growing up, etc. These are much more specific and would allow you more freedom to range about in the text. Score given: 2
peer 4 → I think the theme you chose is quite done, as it is something most people know and understand about this story. On the other hand, I really like how you ended in that nostalgic note, analyzing Alice through her sister's eyes instead of just considering the symbolism in the events of the story. Nicely done.
peer 5 → Mist if the essay authors arguments make sense, The essay author correlates many of the elements in Alice to the struggle of a young woman growing up. The Essay author would benefit from not including the paragraph on Grimm as it does not fit in the flow of the essay.

Total: 4/6

 

Comments

peer 2 → Good essay which I enjoyed reading.
peer 3 → Very nearly 3s for both parts. The best essay I've evaluated out of the 6 I have done so far, though! I think I might have ranted a little in my evaluation. Sorry if I did! Too many evaluations in one sitting.

Household Tales - The Brothers Grimm

Coursera Science Fiction and Fantasy Week 1

Interesting to return to fairy tales now that I have children. Many of the originals are closer in tone to those read to us in the 70s than the modern, sanitised versions. The imagery of the woods sudden jumped out as I was searching for patterns and I couldn't stop thinking about it until I'd examined what it represented to different characters.

Household Tales - The Brothers Grimm

Despite the varying subjects of these tales, a number of elements appear repeatedly which help to unify them in meaning. The woods as a setting recurs in over half the stories and while we might assume the woods to be dark, dangerous and full of evil deeds, events reveal it as a place of numerous fantastic possibilities, symbolising the adult world.
Like the tales themselves, this is a world we as children don't fully understand when living in a home with clear rules. Children entering the woods alone experience the threat of danger: Little Red-Cap encounters a wolf who will devour her and her grandmother, while Hansel And Gretel's parents agree to leave their children in the woods to be torn apart and eaten by wild animals because they can no longer look after them.

But once, like the brothers from "The Knapsack, The Hat and The Horn", we decide to "go out into the world and seek our fortune" we are forced to confront the strange world and to learn its ways quickly if we are to survive. Inevitably, it is a "great wood" the brothers come to first and repeatedly in these stories, the woods are a place of transformation, risk, adventure and magic where normal rules - those we learned at home - no longer apply. In these woods, people lose themselves, find shelter, hide, undergo incredible transformations and encounter magical animals and tricksters.

And yet, those who belong to and are part of the woods, like the woodcutter and the huntsman, remain unaffected by the forces at work there. They are able to restore order and balance: rescuing Little Red-cap and freeing Snow White from the evil Queen's death sentence.

This gives us the hope that if we can find a wise ally, we too will survive and make our own way in life.

Responses

 

Form: 2/3

 

peer 2 → Beautifully written analysis of the collection of fairy tales. The structure lends great clarity, and the writing is well done.
peer 3 → Lack of concise conclusion
peer 4 → Nice form. Good use of typical essay structure and word choice. I wish you hadn't started sentences with conjunctions (and, but...) as that is typically too conversational for an essay. I would like to see that last sentence added to the paragraph above it, not standing alone. Otherwise great work.
peer 5 → Well-used formatting that really helps following the idea

Content: 3/3

 

peer 2 → The strength of this argument, examining the mystical qualities of the wood (or the pastoral in Shakespearean terms), lies in your use of specific tales to support the assertion of the danger and transformative power of the woods. I really like what feels like an addendum at the end that those who belong to the woods are unchanged. I wonder, though, in such a short tale, how those characters could be dynamic. There just doesn't seem time to develop them any more fully.
peer 3 → Very clear
peer 4 → This argument makes sense and was well presented. I liked how you used examples from several stories instead of only mentioning one. I would have liked to hear more about the differences between experiencing the woods as a child and experiencing them as an adult - like in The Wonderful Magician - where the adult fiddler comes into the woods and it is HIM who is the threat.
peer 5 → Interesting and promising idea of a "adult-world woods" that can explain the different points of view through characters

Total: 5/6

Comments

peer 2 → This essay is a well written exploration of one of the more powerful themes of literature--the wild (whether meadow or deep woods) as a place of transformation. I really love the way you used specific stories to support your assertions.

Coursera: Fantasy and Science Fiction: The Human Mind, Our Modern World

My HCI course ended recently and I was looking for something a bit different, so I signed up for the above Coursera course in an effort to kickstart my writing again.

There are a couple of books I've read before, along with a fair few I haven't. Although I read science fiction when I was younger, I stuck to a relatively limited number of authors. I'm hoping therefore to expand my knowledge of the genre at the same time.

I'll post my essays here along with some of the comments I receive.