| Option
One: Heroic Comparison |
Student-Learning Outcomes |
Overview: As is often the case,
a hero is nothing without a villain. After all,
by convention, the villain exists to serve as
a direct antithesis to the hero. Thus, the villain's
villainy helps to emphasize and highlight the
hero's heroism. The villain as darkness can
brighten and embolden the hero's light.
The purpose of this assignment is to construct
a comparative analysis between two characters:
Priority One: Between Hero and Villain
Priority Two: Between Hero and Hero
Priority Three: Between Villain and Villain
You may choose any FICTIONAL or real life hero
or villain, but it makes sense to pick logical
pairings rather than random ones. For example,
if you pick The Matrix and are going
to do a character comparison, the most logical
choices are Neo and Agent Smith, not Neo and
Alice in Wonderland (although, actually, that
might be a bit cool, too, given the Alice in
Wonderland references throughout that film).
Your main task is to isolate and define (especially
in your thesis statement) precisely what it
is that makes the hero heroic or the villain
villainous. Does it have to do with their familial
upbringing? Did something happen to them to
make them behave a certain way? Is it just a
matter of their personality? Ultimately, your
job is to define the inner and outer motivations
of these characters.
Some helpful
questions:
What is the hero/villains' outlook towards
humanity?
How did the hero/villain come to be (origin
story)?
What is their
fundamental modus operandi (method/operation)
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Option One Learning Outcomes:
--Analyze and interpret the mythological characters
or pop cultural characters who serve in a hero
and villain capacity. You can also compare these
characters to characters in REAL LIFE or in
POPULAR CULTURE (Pink's "Stupid Girls"
is one example. )
--Compose a comparison between characters, focusing
on a peculiar common element or focusing on
a peculiar but central difference; craft a thesis
statement that directly exposes your comparative
element.
Contrast-based thesis statement: While ___________(character
A) demonstrates _____________, (character B)
___________.
Consistent-based thesis statement: Because
(character A) demonstrates ____________, (character
B) _______________.
Sample: While Lisa Kanae's character in
her poem "Island Girl" seems to express
no dismay over being a print-ad model, Anna
Nicole Smith's entire life seems to have been
tragically weighed down by the pressures of
celebrity.
Because Madonna's early career was characterized
so much by what society might deem the debauched
feminine, it fascinates that the Material Girl's
current incarnation as mother and Kabbalist
prove that we must respect her womanhood in
both forms. Society in fact, cannot judge Madonna,
since Madonna forces society to judge itself
first.
--Find and compile the relevant background
information about each character; create a clear
thesis statement that expresses the core theme
that can be discerned between both characters;
--Apply proper P.I.E. paragraph structures
to the essay so as to outline and organize the
major points consistent with the essay's thesis
statement (e.g. setting, character, plot-conflicts,
point of view, symbols);
--Apply proper M.L.A. or A.P.A.-based quoting
conventions to the essay with regards to proper
quote introduction, parenthetical citation,
and other quote dynamics;
--Examine quotes or images from the formal
and informal text or visual-based resources
so as to significantly comment on the relevance
and impact of those selected images/words.
--Employ at least 3 quotes from various source
materials that you find, of a textual or visual
nature.
--Create a final, polished draft of at least
4-6 pages, with a List of Works Cited.
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| Option
2: Inductive Analysis (tensions in text, Star Wars
or other films)
Overview:
With Star Wars, George Lucas
created a space opera that relies heavily upon
old school and new school artistic conventions:
in other words, he has traditional aspects of
the hero myth mixed together with modern statements
regarding technology, facism, and the nature
of governance (republic versus empire). Your
job in this option is to interpret the film
in a novel way that appeals to you, based on
the theoretical perspectives that you LIKE.
Your book, Star Wars: The Magic of Myth,
can help a lot in this regard, since it offers
up both old and new school assessments as to
the influences that Lucas was drawing upon.
This essay is more inductive than deductive.
In other words, you focus on just ONE ASPECT
of the film to make a larger, more general statement
on the film.
Examples:
Feminist critics might look at Princess Leia
and her strength as an empowered woman rather
than a traditional damsel in distress.
Historical critics would look at the influence
of Hitler's Germany upon the film, especially
the visual aesthetic.
Critics interested in religion would look at
the Force (and its possible Asian roots), and
the later scientific explanation of midichlorians
in Lucas' prequels.
Psychological critics might assess Luke's entrance
into the dark cave as a metaphor for exploring
Luke's inner psyche and fears.
Marxist critics might assess how the droids
in the film can also be held, along with Anakin
and Shmi, in the general context of slavery
and dominance in an exploitative economy. |
Option Two: Student Learning Outcomes
--Analyze and interpret the one aspect of the
film that you find the most compelling—your
analysis should fixate on how that one aspect
of the film helps to holistically inform the
ENTIRE impact of the film on the viewer. (or
the cult following thereof)
--Cultivate and craft a thesis statement, one
that exposes what it is about your aspect that
makes its impact so compelling, that can really
create intrigue for you personally.
---Find and compile the relevant background
information about each aspect you bring up;
create a clear thesis statement that expresses
the core theme that can be discerned.
--Apply proper P.I.E. paragraph structures
to the essay so as to outline and organize the
major points consistent with the essay's thesis
statement (e.g. setting, character, plot-conflicts,
point of view, symbols);
--Apply proper M.L.A. or A.P.A.-based quoting
conventions to the essay with regards to proper
quote introduction, parenthetical citation,
and other quote dynamics;
--Examine quotes or images from the formal
and informal text or visual-based resources
so as to significantly comment on the relevance
and impact of those selected images/words.
--Employ at least 3 quotes from various source
materials that you find, of a textual or visual
nature.
--Create a final, polished draft of at least
4-6 pages, with a List of Works Cited.
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Option
3: Comparative Dialogue (Screenplay)
Some of you are budding screenplay writers
or are doubly interested in crafting intricate
dialogues between characters. In this essay,
you are able to pick two characters and create
a fully realized screenplay excerpt for both
of them.
It's probably logical to choose natural hero-villain
pairings for this assignment, but you don't
have to follow the rules to that degree.
You should be guided by a spirit of originality
and creativity, creating a dialogue between
two characters and annotating their movements,
as in a professional screenplay treatment.
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Option Three Student Learning Outcomes:
--Capture a sense of character using inventive
and flavorful dialogue, choosing originality
over dialogue that you already are familiar
with regards to those characters;
--Carefully annotate and log screenplay directions
so as to indicate character movments, settings,
etc., consistent with most common screenplay
writing.
--Know screenplay writing conventions and adapt
them successfully.
--Employ strong description in your annotations;
--Strive for creativity in character selection
and in dialogue flavor. |
Option Four: Some
of you who love poems are tasked on writing poems from
the voices of characters in our novel about Beowulf.
Your task is two CAPTURE an implied thesis statement
in each poem, thereby showing how poem 1 shows the character's
vibe, one that directly contrasts with the vibe of poem
2. An obvious choice might be writing one poem in Beowulf's
voice or about Beowulf as a character, while the other
poem represents Grendel's motives and perspectives. However,
given the richness of the text, you could potentially
write about numerous characters.
Your output format DOES NOT NEED TO BE A POEM. You can change the output format to be a brochure or a campaign advertisement. Check with me if you are confused about this point.
After writing your poems, you would want to write a
reflective piece that binds both of them, analyzing
how and why you wrote the poems you did. The number
one question your analytical piece should answer is
as follows: how does each poem represent the worldview
of your characters well? |
Student Learning Outcomes for this Option:
--Read your source text, thoroughly.
Get a good feel for your favorite characters, their
motives and expectations.
--Experiment with writing poems in
the voices of your characters;
--Revise and polish your poems, such
that they CLEARLY articulate the worldview/perspective
of each character.
e.g. Why is Beowulf fighting?
What does Grendel want?
In the analytical phase, try to
--Analyze each character in
your poem; create a clear thesis statement
that expresses the core theme that can be discerned
between both characters;
--Apply proper P.I.E. paragraph structures to the essay
so as to outline and organize the major points consistent
with the essay's thesis statement (e.g. setting, character,
plot-conflicts, point of view, symbols);
--Apply proper M.L.A. or A.P.A.-based quoting conventions
to the essay with regards to proper quote introduction,
parenthetical citation, and other quote dynamics;
--Examine quotes or images from the formal and informal
text or visual-based resources so as to significantly
comment on the relevance and impact of those selected
images/words.
--Employ at least 3 quotes from various source materials
that you find, of a textual or visual nature.
--Create a final, polished draft of at least 4-6 pages,
with a List of Works Cited.
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