The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

Write an essay that analyzes the vignette structure of The Diving Bell and the Butterfly. Connect this specific formal choice to the memoir’s content. What specific and distinct meanings does Jean-Dominique Bauby create through his choice to structure his memoir as a string of interconnected vignettes that could also stand alone by virtue of their self-contained fullness? How does this approach to structure differ from a traditional, chronological narrative? How does this structure serve and develop the memoir’s themes and messages better than a more traditional, linear narrative would?

Write an essay that analyzes the central motifs of the diving bell as well as the butterfly. Select specific quotes in which the motifs occur, and trace the development of both the metaphorical and thematic meanings that the motifs generate as the memoir progresses.

Write a detailed character analysis essay for the character of Jean-Dominique Bauby. How do his diction, selection of detail, and use of figurative language all work to develop a portrait of himself as a man? What animates him? What concerns preoccupy him? How does the central conflict of locked-in syndrome inform and create his identity?

Write an essay that produces a feminist analysis of The Diving Bell and the Butterfly. What roles do women play in the memoir? How do these roles comply with patriarchal expectations of women as objects, caretakers, and/or the helpmates of men? Is Bauby’s admiration for women couched in patriarchal or misogynistic notions that dictate the good and proper roles for the traditional woman? Compare and contrast at least three female figures within the memoir to clarify and support your argument.

Explain the Cartesian problem of the mind-body dualism. Give a brief survey of the philosophical concerns and inquiries that this idea has created in Western culture. (Focus especially on the aspects that most saliently connect to The Diving Bell and the Butterfly) Then, explicitly connect this philosophical problem to The Diving Bell and the Butterfly. Does Bauby effectively answer the questions that this philosophical conceit poses? If not, what is his engagement with and investment in the Cartesian idea? Use and analyze specific passages from the book to anchor and support your argument and observations.

Identify a central theme within The Diving Bell and the Butterfly and identify three separate characters, besides Jean-Dominique Bauby, who develop and contribute to that theme. Write an essay that compares and contrasts these characters in relation to the development of the theme. How do each of them make distinct contributions to the central message that you have identified?

Trace and analyze Bauby’s use of sensory imagery throughout The Diving Bell and the Butterfly. Identify three separate themes that his use of sensory imagery develops, and use these themes as the basis for a five-paragraph, literary analysis essay.

Write an essay that analyzes Bauby’s engagement with the idea of identity in The Diving Bell and the Butterfly. What, ultimately, is Bauby’s message about the formation of human identity? How much of it is dependent upon embodied experience, and how much of it is based upon one’s inner mental, physical, or spiritual life? Is one more important than the other in terms of the formation and solidification of an identity?