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Chloe Yip

Mr. Merlocco

ENG4UY-a

18 December 2023

CPT Outline

TOPIC: Is the human being a noble or depraved creature?

INTRODUCTION

1. Topic Sentence

Philosophers have long debated the inherent good or evil nature of human beings. Death

of a Salesman by Arthur Miller, Hamlet by William Shakespeare, and Crime and

Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky explore the complexities of human nature through

characters’ conflicts and personal development.

2. Purpose

These three works show that human beings are capable of nobility and depravity and can

cause both benefit and harm through their actions. The duality of human nature is also

influenced by unique experiences and environments.

3. Preview Sentences

In Death of a Salesman, the characters’ misguided yet noble intentions cause them to

unintentionally harm the individuals they are attempting to benefit.

Hamlet demonstrates how an overpowering desire for revenge can lead characters to

moral corruption.

The contrast between characters in Crime and Punishment shows that human nature can

evolve differently in individuals facing similar harsh circumstances.

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BODY OF THE ESSAY

1. Death of a Salesman

Topic Sentences:

Willy and Linda Loman unknowingly harm each other while believing that they are acting in

each other’s best interests.

Quotation from Text (1):

“What a proposition, ts, ts. Terrific, terrific. ‘Cause she’s suffered, Ben, the woman has suffered.

You understand me? A man can’t go out the way, he came in, Ben, a man has got to add up to

something. You can’t, you can’t — You gotta consider, now. Don’t answer so quick. Remember,

it’s a guaranteed twenty-thousand-dollar proposition” (Miller 125).

Follow-up Discussion:

● Willy perceives his suicide as a noble sacrifice that will bring his family out of debt and

help Biff achieve his future goals. However, his death leaves Linda bereft and in denial,

harming her emotionally.

Quotation from Text (2):

“I’m — I’m ashamed to. How can I mention it to him? Every day I go down and take away that

little rubber pipe. But, when he comes home, I put it back where it was. How can I insult him

that way?” (Miller 60).

Follow-up Discussion:

● Linda avoids telling Willy that she knows about his suicide attempts. Although this

decision protects Willy’s ego, it allows his mental health to continue spiraling as he does

not realize the need for therapy, leading to his death.

Conclusion:
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Driven by noble intentions, the decisions made by the Loman couple result in unintended harm

in addition to benefits, revealing the dual nature inherent in human actions.

2. Hamlet

Topic sentences:

Consumed by the desire to avenge their fathers’ murders, Hamlet and Laertes lose their morality

and become depraved.

Quotation from Text (1):

“And am I then revenged / To take him in the purging of his soul, / When he is fit and seasoned

for his passage? / No. / Up sword, and know thou a more horrid hent. / When he is drunk asleep,

or in his rage / Or in th’ incestuous pleasure of his bed, /At game, a-swearing, or about some act /

That has no relish of salvation in ’t— / Then trip him, that his heels may kick at heaven, / And

that his soul may be as damned and black / As hell, whereto it goes” (Shakespeare 3.4).

Follow-up Discussion:

● Originally, Hamlet’s goal is to discover the truth behind his father’s murder before taking

revenge. However, he becomes consumed by rage after witnessing Claudius’s reaction,

leading him to shift his goal towards sending Claudius to eternal damnation.

Quotation from Text (2):

“I will do ’t, / And for that purpose I’ll anoint my sword. / I bought an unction of a mountebank /

So mortal that, but dip a knife in it, / Where it draws blood no cataplasm so rare, / Collected from

all simples that have virtue / Under the moon, can save the thing from death / That is but

scratched withal. / I’ll touch my point / With this contagion, that, if I gall him slightly, / It may be

death” (Shakespeare 4.7).

Follow-up Discussion:
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● Laertes’ progression towards depravity is shown as he becomes increasingly angry at

Hamlet. His moral deterioration begins when he agrees to cooperate with Claudius and

becomes more evident as he makes his contribution to the plot against Hamlet.

Conclusion:

Hamlet and Laertes are initially morally upright but are driven to depravity by their quests for

revenge, showcasing the fluidity of human nature.

3. Crime and Punishment

Topic sentences:

Sonia and Raskolnikov’s innate personalities differ greatly despite facing similar difficulties in

life.

Quotation from Text (1):

“He doesn’t like expressing his feelings and would rather perpetrate some cruelty than express in

words what’s in his heart. There are times when he doesn’t seem to be suffering from depression

at all, and he’s just cold and unfeeling to the point of inhumanity, as though he had two

contradictory characters that keep changing places. Sometimes he’s terribly uncommunicative!

…He doesn’t listen to what people say. He’s never interested in what everybody happens to be

interested in at any given moment. He’s got an awfully high opinion of himself!” (Dostoyevsky

207).

Follow-up Discussion:

● While facing his challenges, Raskolnikov loses interest in other people, becoming callous

and uncompassionate. Due to his isolation, he develops a high opinion of himself and

believes that he can be an “extraordinary” saviour of mankind.

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Quotation from Text (2):

“‘Her? Why. of cou-ourse!’ Sonia drew the words out plaintively, and suddenly folded her arms

in distress. ‘You see...If you only knew her. She's completely like a child and her mind's all

mixed up from grief. But how clever she used to be...how generous...how kind! You know

nothing, nothing about her...Ah!’” (Dostoyevsky 303).

Follow-up Discussion:

● Sonia’s personality contrasts with Raskolnikov, as she is remarkably compassionate. For

example, she defends her stepmother Katerina despite Katerina's cruel treatment of her,

since she is empathetic to Katerina’s sickness and financial struggles.

Conclusion:

Despite confronting similar challenges, Sonia and Raskolnikov develop on opposite sides of the

spectrum of human nature, demonstrating each human being reacts differently to adversity.

CONCLUSION

1. Restating the Purpose

Human beings can act in both noble and depraved ways, simultaneously causing benefit

and harm to those around them. Human nature is shaped by influences such as

experiences and environments.

2. Conclusion Sentence

Human nature defies rigid categorization as solely noble or depraved, emphasizing its

unpredictability and fluidity.

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Works Cited

Dostoyevsky, Fyodor. Crime and Punishment. Translated by Sidney Monas, Signet Classics,

2006.

Miller, Arthur. Death of a Salesman. Penguin Books, 1976.

Shakespeare, William. Hamlet. Chelsea House, 2014, Infobase eBooks,

https://ebooks.infobase.com/PortalPlaylists.aspx?wID=101850&ISBN=9781438162928.