Character Analysis-Magic 8 Ball

Character Analysis-Magic 8 Ball

It is imperative to understand that this play, Magic 8 Ball, is made by Kimberly and is keen on the conversation between two girls and a Magic 8 Ball. Here, the protagonists in this play, Elizabeth and Melissa, persistently ask the Magic 8 Ball a number of questions they had concerning their future and present interrelationships with their boyfriends. All the while, they receive answers that range from “the outlook not so good” to others, such as “reply hazy, try again later” (Pau 1075). The interest, in this case, is in Elizabeth. Her peculiar behavior of valuing the Magic 8 Ball more than the appeal to common sense eventually culminates in a moral conflict between her friend Melissa and herself. As the story progresses, it is sufficient to maintain that the human mind is often faced with situations whereby one is willing to listen to things that please them and fail to observe the appeal to logic.

Foremost, it is imperative to understand that Elizabeth takes the first opportunity to inquire whether Bradley is indeed in love with her. She desires to know whether her boyfriend really loves her as desperately as he claimed, to which the Magic 8 Ball says, “As I see it, yes” (Pau 1075). The way Elizabeth lays her complete trust in what the Magic 8 Ball says is what is bewildering.

When she asks whether her boyfriend will propose to her, Magic 8 Ball confirms that her boyfriend will finally propose. This is a stark contrast to what Melissa thinks of the real capabilities of the Magic 8 Ball. Regardless of the fact that numerous works of literature insist that repetition is essential in emphasizing, the predictions are subject to doubt themselves. It explains why her friend Melissa is doubtful of the whole Magic 8 Ball thing. From her friend’s perspective, she believes that from the ways she knows Bradley, he is overtly a non-committal person.

Also, the fact that Elizabeth believes wholeheartedly in the notion that the Magic 8 Ball can make a correct prediction of future events implies a strong suggestion of her being a gullible person (Martin, 2016). Elizabeth is undoubtedly deeply wanting to know the depth of her boyfriend’s affection towards her. In this case, her conflicting part is where she has her concerns over the true extent of her boyfriend’s love.

It is essential to understand that the presence of the Magic 8 Ball provides the remedy from which her curiosity and primary concerns would be satisfied. It explains why she is desperate to know about the situation in her relationship. As such, she gives the Magic 8 Ball a shake and gets the answers she wants to hear, even though Melissa tells her that she needs to shake it harder to get a different answer. In essence, Elizabeth is keen to only listen to what she wants to hear, suggesting her mild shaking of the gadget because if she had shaken the Magic 8 Ball harder, the answer would have been different.

However, it is crucial to understand that as the play draws to a climax, Elizabeth finally realizes that she is making a dreadful error in believing what the machine told her. Her friend Melisa helps her change when she criticizes her belief and makes an effort to appeal to Elizabeth’s sense of logic (Harbison, 2013). In this case, she reminds her of how she knows her boyfriend’s behavior, as well as reminding her of the likelihood of the ball providing similar repeated answers when they did not shake the Magic 8 Ball hard enough.

Lastly, it is crucial to understand that at the end of the play, Elizabeth is finally able to tell that the Magic 8 Ball cannot be fully trusted to make correct predictions of the future.

References

Harbison, L. (Ed.). (2013). The Best 10-Minute Plays: 2013. Smith and Kraus.

Martin, J. (2016). Beauty. In L.G. Kirszner & S.R. Mandell (Eds.), Compact Literature: Reading, Reacting, Writing. pg 1074

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Submit your three-paragraph character analysis essay as a Microsoft Word attachment. This short essay should be at least 500 words and at least three paragraphs in length, including an introduction, body paragraph, and conclusion.

Directions
For this essay, you are writing an analysis of one of the characters in one of our 10-minute plays: What Are You Going To Be?, Magic 8 Ball, The Blizzard, and Zombie Love.

Tips
In this short essay, be sure that you have the following: an introductory paragraph with a thesis statement, at least one body paragraph with supporting reasons, examples, and quotations from the play, and a concluding paragraph. The thesis statement should represent your main argument, analyzing the character you have chosen.

The Thesis Statement
To develop your thesis statement, choose two or three descriptive words to define your character. From these words, what main point could you argue about nature in an essay? This opinion or judgment is your thesis statement. Once you have your thesis, choose supporting evidence (quotations and examples from the play) for the body paragraph.

Brainstorming Questions
You may use the following brainstorming questions below to generate ideas if you like. It is fine to continue with the character analysis that you started this week in the discussion area for this essay assignment.

Choose one play, and select one character from that play. Consider these questions as you think about your character: What do they want? What conflict does this character encounter? How do they attempt to get their desire? What prevents them from achieving it? Does the character change or grow? What is the resolution for this character by the end of the play? After thinking about these questions, develop your thesis statement.