Essay 1 Outline.

1. Title: Define Your Own Life.
2. Introduction: Analysis of how society views gender roles in relation to The Bell Jar.
3. Thesis Statement: Esther has expected gender roles as a female from people in her everyday life but throughout The Bell Jar, you see her sometimes ignore those expectations and decide that this is her life.
4. Body Paragraph 1: Shows the way the people involved in her everyday life push her to follow societies expectations. People such as her mother, Mrs. Greenwood, Doreen, Betsy, and Mrs. Willard have their own interpretations of the female roles Esther must play in her life.
5. Body Pargraph 2 The way Esther ignores the expectations being thrown at her and what results from that. Also the way in which it effects her, causing her mental illness.
6. Body Paragraph 3: The connection my thesis statement has in relation to The Feminine Mystique.
7. Conclusion: Restating my thesis and more details that support it, along with a closing statement of the effect societies expectations have on peoples lives.

Esther’s journey through out the Bell jar

Outline

The bell jar shows how Esther’s life has changed throughout the year with different experiences. How she had struggled with second wave feminism and how she didn’t fit into her gender role.

Esther’s background
-Brought up in lower class
-From Boston
-Straight A student
-A girl with many dreams
-Wanting to have it all
-A writer/ Jay Cee’s office assistant
-Not wanting a husband and family
-Easily inspired by people and surroundings
-A liar about her personality
-Depressed

Crises she faces
-Doreen/ Hostel mates
-Lenny
-Wanting to be a publisher/Writer
-Buddy Willard
-Castantin
-Jay Cee
-The fig tree, where she doesn’t know rather to pick career or family because if she chooses one, she loses the rest.
-Marco/ assault, rape attempt
-Doctor Gordon
-Her mother
-Attempted suicide
-Mental hospital/ assylum
-Crazy assylum mates
-Shock treatments
-Fitting
-Sleeping with professor Irwin

What was expected of her?
-To get married
-Be a housewife
-Or choose a career
-Be pure
-Know shorthand
-Be educated
-Be comfortable with being a housewife
-being happy with you husband and your home

Changes with these experiences
-Learned to be happy with herself
-Satisfied after getting out of asylum
-Not having to be married to Buddy
-A positive aspect towards her life
Esther is facing all these struggles of not being able to have what she wants, to spend her life in the way she wants to spend it. Experiences change people, sometimes there are negative effects and sometimes there are positive. With her experiences, she went into a complete depression but fought it and ended up with being happy and positive.

Paper Topic:  An interpretation and analysis of The Bell Jar

1. Introduction- The Bell jar Is a book by Sylvia Plath in which we follow the journey of a young woman named Esther. A woman who seems like has a lot going on for herself. We soon see how far off the edge she really is. Most of her relationships with men usually go south and causes her to go into deep depression and think of suicide as her only way out. Males in Esther Greenwood life have a real affect on her even if she knew them for a day. She has mental breakdowns throughout the story and thinks and discuss with others ways to kill himself.

1. EVALUATE the actions that she took when something happen
2. VISIT the pages that highlight what she was thinking in this exact moment
   1. Note the way they treated her and how they could affect anyone
   2. Look for interesting facts to show how after then happen it lead to this event next

1. Describe the men in her life
   1. Buddy the one that everyone wants her to be with.
   2. Marco the one who tries to have his way with her
   3. DR. GORDON the one who she sees for help
   4. Lenny Shepherd a guy who payed someone to talk to Esther so he can talk to Doreen

1. What they did to her
   1. Talk about how everyone sees this man for who he really is not
   2. Talk abou the last night in NY
   3. List her experience with the doctor
   4. She felt inferior to Doreen

We deal with her struggles as a woman in America during the 1950s.  The restricted role of women of that time was not pleasant. We see that her relationship with the men she meets in her life usually ends badly. They either try to get with her friend or try and have their way with her. The men she ends up with affects her mindset each and everytime. They try and have play a role but she just won’t.

Intro:      Esther goes through a change throughout the book “The Bell Jar” by Sylvia Plath, she always questions gender roles. All except sexuality, she becomes very judgmental to those who challenge that gender role

• Mother wants her to learn shorthand, a secretary ‘basic’ job for women at the time(ch10pg11)
• Denies Buddy marriage proposal, which was her childhood friend who was promiscuous and expected her to stay pure till marriage(ch8pg88)

Body:  Esther goes out with Doreen and Lenny, and awakes to see Doreen being ‘playful’ with Lenny. She then leaves and decides not to see Doreen due to her promiscuous behavior.

• She always saw Doreen as promiscuous but since she challenged the same roles Esther challenged she liked her until she challenged ‘sexuality’(ch2pg19)
• ‘Insert from Components of Gender’ the definition of a gender role
• Go into depth with the quote “…the socially acceptable, easy to define one’s sexual preference …depends on the gender identity of our sexual partners”

Body 2:Esther walks into Joan with DeeDee, one bare-legged and both giggling. She leaves angered, which she later on questions those interest.

• Esther finds what Joan is doing “ Because I don’t like you, You make me wanna puke, if you want to know” (ch18pg211)
• Insert ‘Components of Gender’  the definition of gender expression
• With a quote such as “We need to question our assumptions, and that includes our assumptions about sex and gender, if we’re going to understand those aspects of ourselves and others”

Conclusion: In conclusion Esther may be against the conformity of marriage with kids, or light drinking and eating. All the things that women must refrain or live upto. Although even when faced with the judgment from her mother and peers. Esther gives the same judgment towards anyone who challenges her ideals of sexuality. Which she believe to be exclusively with a man and women.

Paragraph 1- Introduction
In my introduction I will give the reader an idea of what happened in the book. I will most likely just give the reader a brief summary of the more important events without giving away any crucial details. The introduction is also where I will introduce my thesis statement that I will prove through my body paragraphs. The thesis statement will be the driving force for my entire essay.

Paragraph 2 – First body paragraph
In this paragraph I will use my first example that I got from the book to support my thesis. I will state the quote and where I found it. I will then explain how my quote ties into my thesis. My quote will also explain what concept from our classes that I will incorporate in my essay.

Paragraph 3 – Second body paragraph
In this paragraph I will use my second example from the text to support my thesis. Once again I will state the quote and put where I found it. I will then explain how this example ties into the thesis. The quote I give here will also incorporate the concept that I chose from my first body paragraph.

Paragraph 4 – Third body paragraph
In this paragraph I will discuss the concepts that I chose from one of our secondary readings. The concept that I choose will only help strengthen my thesis statement. If possible I will try to pick two of the readings.

Paragraph 5 – Conclusion
For the conclusion I will state my closing arguments and make sure that I reiterate my main points.

outline_essay1

Garcia Waldron English 2160
Professor Westengard 9/29/2016
Proposed Outline of Argument for Essay #1

Main Thesis statement
I. Brief historical context of the era in which the The Bell Jar was written
a. Detail prevailing social issues current to the time of the novel
b. Detail impact and influence of the social issues
II. Definition of specialized terms and statements made in thesis statement
a. Analysis of quotes, arguments and terms from other sources related to the thesis statement.
b. Analysis of quotes , argument from The Bell Jar that support my thesis assertion
III. Provide examples and analysis of characters and situations that illustrate thesis argument.
a. Proof of thesis statements through analysis of characters from The Bell Jar.
b. Proof of thesis statement through analysis and interpretation of events in The Bell Jar.
c. Proof of relevance and relation of outside materials to the analysis and interpretation of characters and events in The Bell Jar.

IV. Exploration of counter arguments to thesis statements.
a. Alternative interpretations of character’s actions
b. Alternative interpretations of characters motivation and state of mind.
c. Alternative use of secondary sources to support counter arguments

V. Brief analysis of present day society.
a. Mention what if any significant changes are noticeable between 1950’s and present day values.
b. Mention on how the characters of The Bell Jar might fair in present day society
c. Mention who is best adapted to transition into present day society
d. Mention who least suited and would have the most difficult time living in present day USA

VI. Summary and Conclusion of analysis and interpretation of thesis statement.
VII. MLA quotation of source material

The Bell Jar Essay 1 Outline

I. INTRODUCTION

A. Historical Background

1. Women Role in 1950s

B. Summary of Esther

C. Introduction of main points

1. Esther experience at magazine
2. Feminine Mystique: Media Influence on Women’s Role
3. Influence of other characters

D. Thesis Statement

1. Esther’s pressure on herself to choose between being a housewife or a working woman or something else to make her happy is fueled by the media and other women around her.

II. BODY 1: ESTHER’S PERSONAL EXPERIENCE

A. Experience at magazine

1. Quote
2. Analysis of quote and relations to thesis
3. Quote #2
4. Analysis

B. Concluding Sentences

III. BODY 2: FEMININE MYSTIQUE

A.  Examination and summary of the feminine mystique

B. Quote about portrayal of American Housewife

1. Analysis of quote

IV. BODY 3: OTHER CHARACTERS AND THEIR INFLUENCE ON ESTHER

A. Background of Doreen

B. Quote of Doreen and her influence

1. Analysis

C. Background of Jay Cee

D. Quote of Jay Cee and how she helps Esther in her career

1. Analysis

E. Show the difference between Jay Cee and Doreen and how it puts Esther in two minds

VI. CONCLUSION

A. Restatement of thesis: The people and media around her influence her uncertainty of her role as a woman and leads her to pressure herself

B. Recap of Esther’s Experience

C. Recap of Feminine Mystique analysis

D. Recap of surrounding character influences and how it adds to her self-pressure

Introduction:

Esther’s life as a school girl. The expectations that of her.

Thesis statement: Esther doesn’t fit in with traditional expectations regarding men, eating habits, or career choice.

Body:

Esther’s eating habits:

“One bowl was strategically between me and Doreen’s empty chair… Betsy, on my right, would be too nice to ask me to share it with her I just kept it out of her way at my elbow.” (Plath 26)

“Covered the chicken slices with caviar thickly as if I were spreading peanut butter on a piece of bread.” (Plath 27)

Esther’s disregard of marriage:

“I’m never going to get married.” (Plath 93)

Esther’s dislike of housewife duties for herself:

“cook and clean and was was just what Buddy Willard’s mother did from morning till night.”

“a dreary and wasted life for a girl with fifteen years of straight A’s.”

Conclusion:

Esther doesn’t fit in with some of the expectations of women such as eating a certain way, her views on marriage and her career aspirations.

The women in this time had many of expectations of them that some women may not have wanted to fulfill because they had other aspirations.

Paper Topic: The Bell Jar essay assignment

1. Introduction

Women’s role and place according to society back in the 1960’s

1. Society’s expectations of woman’s role
2. Definition of gender
3. Definition of gender role (components of gender)

Second wave feminist

1. What is it?
2. How did it begin?
3. What did they fight for?

Thesis Statement

The Bell Jar brings to light the situation of women in the 1960s and shows the reasons why the second wave feminist has fought long and hard for women rights.

Body

Main Point: woman’s dissatisfactions (feminine mystique)

1. females want more out of life
2. she knows who she is and what she wants for her future ( no marriage)
3. she wants a career ( 13 years of all A’s) and would not give it up to be a housewife
4. she feels that marriage and children brainwashed a woman.
5. Females being known as neurotic because they were not satisfied with being a wife and mother
6. Buddy calling Esther neurotic (a person who wants two mutually exclusive things at the same time) because she wanted a career and maybe a family.
7. Esther’s illness because she could not conformed to society’s expectations and gender role even though she was not wrong for wanting more out of life than just being a housewife.

Main Point:  Career advancement

1. Mrs. Willard has married and leaves her career as a teacher.
2. Dr. Nolan being a female psychiatrist at that period of time.
3. Jay Cee being a married woman with a career being the head of the magazine.
4. Esther conflicted about her career choice but sure she does not want to get married.

Main Point: Reproductive rights

1. Against the law to have birth control pills: females were encouraged to leave work and stay home to have babies
2. Dr. Nolan telling her the defense of chastity
3. Esther is embarrassed to tell the real reason for her visit for her birth control pills by saying she is there for a fitting visit at the doctor’s office
4. Esther wanting to have the freedom men has without worrying about pregnancy.

Main Point: Sexual double standard

1. Buddy was not judged for losing his virginity
2. Esther was being that Mrs. Willard could tell by staring hard at her to determine if she was a virgin or not
3. Esther’s description of Doreen being compared to a black woman because of the misconception of black woman being sexually open.
4. Irwin having different females’ friends.

III. Conclusion

The second wave feminist brings to light a lot of things that woman were not satisfied with even though they were taught to be happy with the life they have. The wave brings to light that they were not alone in their sentiment to want more