Prompt 01
Power, Control, and Self-Destruction
AP LiteratureIB Language & LiteratureAQACommon Core Ela
In Henrik Ibsen's Hedda Gabler, Hedda's unyielding quest for power and control over those around her ultimately leads to her own demise. Write a well-structured argumentative essay in which you argue that Hedda Gabler's desire to dominate others is a direct reaction to the stifling social limitations placed on women in the bourgeois society of the nineteenth century, and that her self-destruction is not a personal flaw but an unavoidable result of a world that provides her with no legitimate means to fulfill her ambitions.
In your essay, be sure to
- Develop a clear, defensible thesis that takes a position on Hedda's motivations and their social context.
- Use specific textual evidence (dialogue, stage directions, and key scenes) to back up your argument.
- Analyze at least two other characters (e.g., Judge Brack, George Tesman, Thea Elvsted) as contrasts or tools that highlight Hedda's situation.
- Consider and address a counterargument — for instance, that Hedda is merely cruel or morally flawed, rather than socially oppressed.
- Reflect on Ibsen's use of dramatic irony and symbolism (e.g., General Gabler's pistols, Eilert Lövborg's manuscript) to enhance your interpretation.
Length
4–6 paragraphs (approximately 800–1,200 words)
Assessment Focus
Argumentation, textual evidence, literary analysis, counterargument