Comment on Josh's Thesis

Personally, I believe Josh's thesis is extremely original. Like I said in last week's blog entry, I never even considered the possibility of this reasoning behind his actions. I like that Josh chose to take his essay in a different direction than the typical Crime and Punishment essay. The only thing I can think of to provide constructive criticism on is that there is no need to put a comma after "suffering of others."

Thesis statement: When considering the way Raskolnikov acts one can determine that his acts of generosity were out of a general need to feel in control over the suffering of others, even though his split personality contradicts itself against this statement.

Thesis & Outline

Last week's blog entry:

"I think it would be interesting to discuss and analyze the different and many ways in which Raskolnikov is able to rationalize sin and the murders he committed. Since Raskolnikov sincerely believes that his actions are noble, his crime is justified in his mind. Though he feels immense guilt in what he did, not once does he consider the possibility that what he did was immoral or wrong. I would like to write an essay that explains why he does not necessarily think his actions were "right" or "wrong."

Thesis statement: Though it is evident that Raskolnikov feels immense guilt for the murders he committed, not once does he consider the possibility that what he did was immoral or wrong. Raskolnikov truly believes that his actions are noble and his crimes justified due to his suffering of an existential crisis, his psychological makeup, and his theory of "the extraordinary man."

Outline- rough draft- main topics:

I. Brief background of Dostoyevsky
     A. Who was Dostoyevsky?
     B. Psychology behind his characters
     C. Time period he lived in
II. Raskolnikov
     A. Characterization
     B. Role in the novel
III. Support for thesis
     A. Psychological makeup
     B. Existential crisis
     C. Theory of "The Extraordinary Man"
IV. Psychological Makeup
     A. His upbringing
     B. His economic state
     C. His mental state
     D. His emotional state
     E. Superiority Complex
     F. Guilt
V. Existential Crisis
     A. His fiancé
     B. His depression
     C. His personal philosophies
     D. Torn between two polar identities
VI. Theory of the Extraordinary Man
     A. Explanation of the theory
     B. Source of the theory
     C. His belief in the theory
     D. How it contributes to his rationalization
VII. Conclusion
     A. Explanation of thesis
     B. Conclusion of analysis

Comment on Luisa's Thesis (Alexia Barrios)

 Your thesis is not bad, but I first have to say that it is a run on sentence. You should end the first sentence right after you say “ by ‘eliminating’ Alianova and Lizaveta from life.” and then remove the word essentially and start the next sentence after that, probably using different wording in order to make sure that the sentence is clear and concise. It should probably be more like “He regretted and feared the consequences because there is a very humane side to him that knew it was not the correct choice to make and knew there would be grave consequences to face.” You should break it up into 2-3 sentences because it is way to long at the moment, which can be a little distracting when you are reading it. Other than that I do not think your thesis is bad. I think that maybe you can re-word it to make what you are trying to say more clear because it is a little confusing when you read it for the first time.  You address the topic and reference vague details and establish the purpose or the point that you are trying to prove without giving it all away at once

The Thesis statement will be:

 Raskolnikov, having been raised in very rough, violent, and poor conditions, did consider himself a hero by “eliminating” Alianova and Lizaveta from life, essentially, yet he regretted and feared the consequences because there is a very humane side to him which knew, morally, it was not the correct choice and knew that there would be grave consequences to face after murdering two innocent women. 

Comment on Alexia's

I think this is a good thesis, although you can refine your phrasing of it. I like your topic, as I had said last week, this is going to be something you're going to be able to write a lot about. My first correction with the phrasing is that you say "...environment of St. Petersburg, which was inhabited by those whom he considers far more inferior thAn himself,..." and then you say "from psychological aspects such as his superiority complex...". I think that is redundant because you are saying twice that he finds himself superior. I think you should take it away from the sentence with St. Petersburg in it, and keep it in the sentence where you are specifying what psychological problems he has. For example, "This alienation stems from the environment of impoverished St. Petersburg, (and maybe say something about the type of people there, like) inhabited by extremely rude, low-class, drunk people, and from psychological issues such as his superiority complex and a feeling of growing guilt that eats him from the inside out". I think that makes your thesis statement a lot more believable, gives it a little more specificity and foreshadowing, and also does not make it redundant. I think thesis statements should be to the point. Another last thing about the first sentence is, I think you should say "Raskolnikov.....within the novel, BECAME alienated from society" as opposed to "had become".

Your original thesis:
Raskolnikov, due to social, environmental and psychological aspects that are expressed within in the novel, had become alienated from society. This alienation stems from the environment of St. Petersburg, which was inhabited by those whom he considers far more inferior then himself, and from psychological aspects such as his superiority complex and growing guilt.

Thesis Statement and Outline (Alexia Barrios)

Topic from blog post on 2/ 23/14:

 “The third idea for a thesis that I had was to discuss Rodia’s alienation from society. His alienation from society stems from both the environment that he is in (the city of Petersburg), which is surrounded by poverty and described thoroughly as being dirty and inhabited by those who are very low on the social hierarchy. Also his alienation from society stems from his superiority complex, which leaves him unable to relate to those who he is surrounded with. After he has committed the murder his alienation only grows more due to his psychological torment due to his intense guilt which leaves him even more incapable of creating and keeping up with those who are trying to help him.”

Thesis Statement:

Raskolnikov, due to social, environmental and psychological aspects that are expressed within in the novel, had become alienated from society. This alienation stems from the environment of St. Petersburg, which was inhabited by those whom he considers far more inferior then himself, and from psychological aspects such as his superiority complex and growing guilt.

Outline:

I.      Brief background of Dostoyevsky

a.     Early view of the world was shaped by his experiences with social injustices

                                               i.     At 26 became active in socialist circles, mainly against the institution of serfdom

                                             ii.     His political opinions were influenced by his experiences as a young boy

1.     His father was murdered by his own serfs

2.     In Aril 1849 he was arrested for his participation in a group that illegally printed and distributed social propaganda

a.     8 months in prison

b.     Then sentenced to death

                                                                                                     i.     Execution was only a show

                                                                                                   ii.     Was used as a way to punish the prisoners psychologically

3. He later struggled with poverty, epilepsy, and an addiction to gambling

II.    Historical importance behind the setting (St. Petersburg)

a.     Tsar Alexander II of Russia

                                               i.     Reforms by him causes some twenty three million serfs (Russian peasants own by landowners) to be emancipated

                                             ii.     Good thing but constituted major restructuring of Russian society

                                            iii.     Cause of much chaos and turmoil

b.     St. Petersburg

                                               i.     Capitol of Russia

                                             ii.     Major economic center

                                            iii.     Crime and Punishment focuses on grimmer and poorer aspects of St. Petersburg in 1860s

III.  Support for thesis

a.     Environmental aspect

                                               i.     The continuous vivid descriptions made by Rodia of the city of St. Petersburg

1.     Through his eyes, we see the city to be infested with drunkards, molesters, and other vile creatures so to speak

2.     Poverty is everywhere in this city

a.     Both of these factors play a huge role in his alienation because of his superiority complex.

b.     He finds all those who inhabit the city alongside him to be inferior to him and he constantly looks down upon them

                                             ii.     Weather

1.     Most of the novel is set during the summer

2.     Constantly being told that the weather is ridiculously hot.

a.     Weather affects people’s emotional and psychological state

                                                                                                     i.     Raises temperaments in people (causing over aggression, acts of violence, etc.)

                                                                                                   ii.     Usually causes a spike in crime specifically n a certain area if the weather is extremely warm

1.     The excruciatingly warm weather that was mentioned in the novel most likely played a huge role in both Rodia’s decision to commit the murder

2.     It also could have played a role in him choosing to perform it in such an aggressive manner

3.     The weather also, in a literary perspective, adds to the suspense that Dostoyevsky was trying to build throughout the novel

b.     Psychological aspect

                                               i.     Superiority complex

1.     It is evident that he carries this air of superiority with him whenever he goes

2.     He finds all those who inhabit the city of St. Petersburg to be inferior to him even when he himself is characterized in the same class as them on the social hierarchy

a.     His alienations stems from this because due to his air of superiority, he was unwilling to make any connections with those who live in the city alongside him

b.     Also he is unwilling to create and sustain healthy relationships with those who are trying to help him

                                                                                                     i.     He pushes away Dunia, his mother, and his best friend as they try to help him both before the murders and after

                                                                                                   ii.     Before the murders he was unwilling to accept job offers from his friends and was reluctant to receive help from his family

                                             ii.     Guilt

1.     Shortly after the murder occurs we see that Rodia begins to be psychologically tormented by the murders

2.     His guilt only grows more intense as the novel continues, thus causing him to separate from society even more

a.     He is unable to hold conversations without sounding like a lunatic

b.     This alienation increases along with his guilt to the point where he completely removes himself from his family and friends when it comes near to him confessing

Thesis and Outline

The question to write this term paper about I chose was to truly dig into why Raskolnikov killed Lizaveta and Alianova, why he considered himself a “hero” with this action yet still regretted it and feared his actions as well, and why he proved to have a good heart by committing good deeds. This essay will go into studying the psychology behind a person like Raskolnikov, so it will not only be about Crime and Punishment, but also how another human being would act and react in a situation like Raskolnikov’s. It is going to study exactly what let him to committing the crime, including nature and nurture, selfishness, heroism, poverty, insanity, reasons and how those reasons are relative in psychology — it is going to also observe if psychology can truly have an explanation for Raskolnikov’s actions, if he is truly a sociopath.

The Thesis statement will be:

Raskolnikov, having been raised in very rough, violent, and poor conditions, did consider himself a hero by “eliminating” Alianova and Lizaveta from life, essentially, yet he regretted and feared the consequences because there is a very humane side to him which knew, morally, it was not the correct choice and knew that there would be grave consequences to face after murdering two innocent women. 

Outline: 

I. Introduction

    A. Dostoevsky

          1.time period/setting in which the book was written
              i. Czar Alexander II
              ii. St. Petersburg
              iii. 1865

          2.brief background on Dostoevsky
              i. he was in the military
              ii. he was exiled to siberia
              iii. first two parts of C+P were published in Jan and Feb of 1866 in a periodical called "The Russian Messenger"

    B. Psychology Aspects

          1. Freud
              i. consciousness
              ii. Freudian slips

          2. Psychology experiments testing sociopaths
          3.  Dostoevsky's own discussion about the dark thoughts within us

    C. Thesis (above)

II. First Body Paragraph

    A. Setting of Crime and Punishment (above)

    B. About Raskolnikov

         1. Hint at the fact that he is a borderline sociopath

         2. Hint at the good deeds he’s done

    C. Introduce characters

          1. Alionova

          2. Lizaveta

          3. Razhumikin

          4. Pulcheria

          5. Dounia

          6. Sonia

III. Raskolnikov

   A. His past
       i. he grew up in wretched, rough, violent living conditions

   B. His thoughts — what leads him to Aliona (Freud)

   C. his current living conditions
       i. he lives in a tiny apartment which is disgustingly dirty and he sleeps in his clothes

   D. his friends

   E. His relationship with his mom and sister
       i. Dunia's problems with Luzhin added to his insanity

   F. His crime
       i. he intended to just kill Alionova but ends up killing a second innocent woman, Lizaveta

   G. the good deeds he’s done
       i. He gave Marmeladov his money when he saw how desperately he needed it
       ii. He tried to save the young drunk prostitute from the guy trying to violate her

IV. Psychology and Raskolnikov

   A. Freud

   B. experiments

   C. sociopaths and their reasonings

   D. how other people who committed murder reacted to the initial action and, after, the consequences

   E. poverty, selfishness

   F. nature and nurture
       i. did the atmosphere around him influence his extreme thoughts and actions or was it his own instinct to react that way?

   G. is he insane?
   H. Superiority complex
       i. he thinks he is better than all those around him
       ii. that superiority leads him to compare Alionova with someone like him, and in his mind, compared to himself, she was so worthless she did not deserve to live

V. Does he consider himself a hero?

   A. Yes, he does
        i. he considers himself a hero because he feels like he was doing the world around him a favor by eliminating people like                                   Alionova from the surroundings. he did not believe people like her deserved to live.
        ii. this kind of reasoning from him goes back to NFTU, when Dostoevsky discussed that once someone reached a certain point, he/she could not do any more, so he/she had to be "removed"

   B. Reasons why this action was contradictory to his humane good deeds
       i. He proves to have a good heart when he performs deeds such as leaving money for a stranger he just met because he saw he (Marmeladov) was in need
      ii. He tries to save a young drunk girl who was about to get raped by an old man

VI. Why did he do it if he knew the consequences? 

    A. Reasons behind his murder

    B. “Hero”

    C. Reasons why he fears the consequences

Outline for Term Paper Essay

1.      Historical setting during the writing of the book

a.       Tsar Alexander II

                                                                                                                                              i.      His reforms released twenty million serfs, which caused a major restructuring of                                             Russian society

                                                                                                                                            ii.      He lifted the state censorship, which allowed for the expression of political and                                               social thought

b.      St. Petersburg

                                                                                                                                             i.      At the time it was an economic powerhouse within Russia, aside from being the                                            capital

                                                                                                                                             ii.      The novel focuses on the much more negative side of St. Petersburg, the crimes                                             and whatnot

2.      General outline of the book

a.       Setting      

                                                                                                                                               i.      General climate

1.      Most of the book takes place in the summer which adds to the tension in that it is almost unbearably hot

2.      The city is a wretched place and a source of all violence, greed and crime throughout the story

                                                                                                                                              ii.      Houses and residences

1.      All the homes in the book are cramped, frantic and are generally places of violence and chaos

2.      The biggest example is Sonia’s house, where there is constant chaos and the idea of trying to live is nearly impossible to raise a family

                                                                                                                                           iii.      Raskolnikov’s room

1.      It is said that Raskolnikov’s small and cramped room is the main source of his psychological problems

2.      His room does not offer any sort of privacy or respite, seeing as it is constantly being visited by people and never fully closed

b.      Characters

                                                                                                                                           i.      Raskolnikov

1.      Raskol, the root of his name means “schism” or “split,” which would really explain many of his actions throughout the book

2.      The main part of his character that I will be focusing on is his actions that he takes towards being a good citizen, or his “generosity”

3.      He donates his money to those in need and does the right thing with the girl in the beginning of the book, yet every single time he does something, he immediately questions why he did it and almost regrets it.

4.      He is very multi-faceted, as is shown by his name, almost to the point where he is almost more than bi-polar and is constantly changing his perception and his mind

5.      Some of his actions are similar to the ideas expressed in “notes from the underground” in that he is very much against current norms/religious views, especially prevailing moral principles as is evident in his murders

                                                                                                                                         ii.      Sonia

1.      She is generally shy and quiet, which is somewhat expected given her current position

2.      The one part of her character that cannot go without saying is her prostitution, she is forced into prostitution by her family and her desire to help others

3.      That is also an important part of her character, she is a very caring person and has to make a multitude of sacrifices in order to care for her family

                                                                                                                                       iii.      Svidrigailov

1.      He is basically the single bad guy in the book, his character is basically the worst character in the book

2.      He is completely unfaithful to his wife, he sleeps with his servants, tries to rape Dounia and is a confirmed child molester

3.      Yet before he kills himself, he helps out Raskolnikov and Sonia to find a place to live in Siberia and gives them some money to do so

3.      Outline for thesis

a.       General Thesis question: Are Raskolnikov’s acts of kindness and generosity out of selflessness, or is he trying to benefit from them.  

b.      Thesis Statement: When considering the way Raskolnikov acts one can determine that his acts of generosity were out of a general need to feel in control over the suffering of others, even though his split personality contradicts itself against this statement.

c.       Main supports for thesis statement:

                                                                                                                                  i.      The dream about the beaten horse

1.      During Raskolnikov’s dream about the horse that is beaten to death, he feels the most dread in the fact that he is helpless to try to help the horse, and this dread is what allows him to finally decide to kill the pawnbroker

2.      The murder of the pawnbroker was, in a way, Raskolnikov’s attempt to help people who are suffering, especially since the pawn broker was known to beat her sister, therefore Raskolnikov thought  he might go and help

                                                                                                                               ii.      His Napoleonic desires

1.      Raskolnikov seems to have a desire to have control over people, to belittle others, as is clearly evident in his  theories that he wrote in his paper, the theory of great men

2.      With every time he helps someone, one could interpret that he is getting a rise out of the fact that he is in some way controlling them, making them reliant upon him, and most importantly, elevating himself above them in the social ladder

3.      He wants to be able to prove that he is different and therefore better than everybody else because he reaches over many of the societal bounds and expectations placed on people, for example, his willingness to kill to justify his goal, as he specifically stated in his paper.

                                                                                                                         iii.      His respect for Sonia’s desire to help her family

1.      He and Sonia seem to get together so well because of her constant desire to really help her family and the fact that she sacrifices so much to keep her family alive

2.      Sonia basically is the only character that truly sees the good side of Raskolnikov, and he does not recognize this directly and honestly treats her like crap, until he has been cured of his incessant grumpiness after going to prison

3.      Sonia’s perspective on Raskolnikov can be seen in multiple ways, it could be cited to show that Raskolnikov was truly good in his heart in these actions, or it can be used to show that Raskolnikov only liked her because she would put up with him and that she benefitted him by giving him an outlet. But, as are most of the things in this book, the relationship between the two is heavily multifaceted.