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09 Nov 2020, 18:05
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suminha
I think this passage is way easier if you know things about literary genres and that kind of stuff. Tragedy and Irony are words that we normally use in other settings and the definitions in this passages could be hard to understand if you don't get that they are talking about genres.
Here is my summary
But first, you need to know that Tragedy is a genre of story in which a hero is brought down by his/her own flaws. Also it would be useful to know that in Irony reality doesn't match with expectations and that in Comedy the author wants a cheerful ending.
- There are two theories to explain Tragedy, both are contradictory and represent extreme views
- First, tragedy happens because of fate
- According to the author, this theory ignores that fate is a condition of life.
- Fate is acknowledged only when it has been violated (similar to when we recognize honesty in a criminal but not in a regular situation)
- Also, this theory does not distinguish tragedy from irony
- In irony, the more normal the hero, the better. On the other hand, in tragedy the hero is extraordinary
- Second theory: the tragedy is triggered by a violation of moral law
- It is true that the heroes are morally correct and this can explain the downfall
- However, this correctness/hubris/pride it is just an agent of catastrophe, not the trigger. Just as in comedy the humility don't cause the happy ending but it is usually related
So, as you can see the author:
- exposes two theories and shows flaws in both of them. (Question 1 - A)
- thinks that this two theories are contradictory and express extreme views (Question 2 - D)
- dismiss the first theory stating that fate is normal and just reveals after something happens (Question 3 - B)
- thinks that the ironic hero is not extraordinary (Question 4 - E) and that the tragedy hero is extraordinary, which is essential to distinguish the tragedy (Question 6 - D)
- argues that tragedy is not triggered by a violation of moral by stating that this pride is just an agent in tragedy, in the same way that humility is an agent in comedy (Question 7 - C)
Question 5 is the hardest for me, I was not able to deduce it. You can eliminate the wrong options using the summary, though.
I hope this helps.
09 Nov 2020, 22:52
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Hi AndrewN sir VeritasKarishma ma'm
I was little bit lost in wordings and phrases of passage. Please check whether my understanding of meaning is correct?
6. How did you deduce the right meaning of tragic, ironic , tragic hero and ironic hero. It took me a while to figure it out that it is talking about some dramas/act. Initially , i was trying to make sense out of it with meanings of these words as use in real time : tragic ( something bad happen) ; irony ( satire) ; tragic/ironic hero ( couldn't infer meaning).
Please suggest .
Thanks!
I was little bit lost in wordings and phrases of passage. Please check whether my understanding of meaning is correct?
Quote:
1. Here tragedy refers to some novels/dramas/act that ends in sad ending?
Quote:
2. Irony here refers to some novels/drams that don’t end as per expectations?
Quote:
3. Here it refers that tragic hero never falls out of bad endings because the destiny is determined in their minds?
Quote:
4. whether human or divine; refers to human or divine act? am I right?
Quote:
5. Here as cause of happy ending, some act of humility is needed ? Is it? But in general humility ( negative term) should not be required for happy ending?
6. How did you deduce the right meaning of tragic, ironic , tragic hero and ironic hero. It took me a while to figure it out that it is talking about some dramas/act. Initially , i was trying to make sense out of it with meanings of these words as use in real time : tragic ( something bad happen) ; irony ( satire) ; tragic/ironic hero ( couldn't infer meaning).
Please suggest .
Thanks!
10 Nov 2020, 13:33
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Hello, imSKR. I wanted to wait to reply until I had gotten a chance to read the passage and complete the questions on my own. This passage just seemed to click for me. My accuracy was 100 percent, and my timing per question was pretty low: 2:33 (passage reading included); 0:22; 0:34; 1:19; 1:43; 1:40; 0:51. I mention my timing on each question to underscore a point I often bring up to my students, namely that it is okay to take your time on a given question if you need to—my times for questions 5 and 6 were slower than the average—and achieving an overall balance is far more important than hitting 1:48 per question. Again, stress meaning first, timing later. I will address your specific queries below.
Your queries remind me of the dojo scene in The Matrix, when Morpheus taunts Neo, "Come on! Stop trying to hit me and hit me!" Believe it or not, I think of RC in the same way. I do not look to interpret the information for the most part, the details. I let those be, and, when pressed, I match keywords and make a determination.
I hope that helps. Thank you for thinking to ask me about the passage.
- Andrew
imSKR
That is the modern interpretation of the word, but in drama, tragedy was basically anything that did not fit into the comedy category. A play about political matters, for instance, might be considered a tragedy even if no one died. The intent of the play pushed the work into one category or the other. For further reading, see this downloadable PDF.
imSKR
To be honest, it is not crucial that we define irony ourselves. Just lean on the information given in the passage if a question pertains to the concept.
imSKR
Not really. It is more like an Adam and Eve tale, in which something extraordinary—e.g., paradise—is no longer accessible, but the memory of what could have been is ever present.
imSKR
It depends on how you interpret the modifier: human or divine violation or human or divine moral law. Again, though, the specifics should not give us cause for concern. Just answer the questions being asked, testing the answers provided against what is stated in the passage.
imSKR
No, humility, or being humble, is often seen as a virtue, something positive. And humility is not necessary to generate a happy ending; it is usually such a catalyst, nothing more.
imSKR
I did not bother with my own interpretations of the words. They could just as easily have been made up: tawirorld and, say, iraiibquw. (T and I would do for short, and if I got a question that asked about T or I, I would go back and locate the information I needed in the passage.)
Your queries remind me of the dojo scene in The Matrix, when Morpheus taunts Neo, "Come on! Stop trying to hit me and hit me!" Believe it or not, I think of RC in the same way. I do not look to interpret the information for the most part, the details. I let those be, and, when pressed, I match keywords and make a determination.
I hope that helps. Thank you for thinking to ask me about the passage.
- Andrew
