Second Post

Wendell Frink 

Mr. Salsich

9English

30 January 2009

Being Stuck in a Cage

An Essay on Confinement and Servitude

About two hundred years ago, confined slaves we forced into servitude for their whole lives. Each slave was forced to live in enclosed rooms and to serve the master of the house until the slaves’ death. In Shakespeare’s The Tempest, Ariel and Caliban, two beings on Prospero’s island, are confined and forced to serve Prospero. They are at different positions on Prospero’s hierarchy, but they share similarities and differences for their position. 

(Participle phrase) Confining Ariel and forcing him to serve two people for a total of 24 years is cruel. This time period is split in half. The witch Sycorax imprisoned Ariel in a tree for days, weeks, months, and years. On top of being confined to a tree for twelve years, Ariel was Sycorax’s slave. After Prospero freed Ariel from her cage in the pine, Ariel was again enslaved, but this time to Prospero. Prospero, the rich and powerful magician, forced Ariel to do his dirty work. This “dirty work” involves Ariel doing nasty things to either Caliban or “dash[ing] [a ship] to pieces (participle phrase).” Whatever Ariel does and wherever he is, he is always confined and always has to serve.

Another magical being on this island is Caliban. Caliban was born into confinement. His mother was the evil witch Sycorax; that alone could be an example of confinement. When we are born we do not choose who we want our mother to be and our mother doesn’t chooses who she wants as her son or daughter and the same goes for Caliban. Unfortunately, after the death of Sycorax, and the arrival of Prospero, Caliban was again confined, but now he had to serve. As the son of Sycorax, Caliban was not strongly liked. Prospero commanded him in the most disagreeable way: “thou poisonous slave, got by the devil himself upon thy wicked dam, come forth.” Caliban tries counter attacks to words such as these, for example: “[may] the red plague rid you.” Even though these two foes are horrible to each other, they both contained a soft spot for each other. Prospero “pitied [him]” by “[taking] pains to make [him] speak.” Caliban “loved [him]” and showed Prospero “the [him] the fresh springs, brine pits, [and the] barren and fertile [places]. Even though Prospero and Caliban might have been friends, Caliban has a tougher time being confined and forced to serve.

It’s amazing to see that two people who were once great friends, are now great enemies. Even Ariel and Prospero can sometimes argue, with Prospero threatening “to rend an oak and peg thee in his notty entrails.” Prospero confining both of these beings is evil; His actions are just like those of the slave masters. 

Self Assessment

I believe that I used a lot of writing tools that helped the essay. I used chiasmus, alliteration and more.

One weak point in my essay is that I didn't use a lot of quotes in my essay.

I am continuing to work on my commas and periods in my sentences.

Grade: B