Media Studies; Critical Evaluation/Dystopian Drafts; The Synthesis

By -
Period 1: Please take a few minutes to watch and read the following:

When analyzing a media text, examine or consider the source's:
  • Technical Code
  • Verbal Code
  • Symbolic Code
  • Structure
  • Character & representation
  • Narrative Conflict

After viewing and reading the handout on media studies, please use 1st period to work on your critical evaluation and/or dystopian fiction projects.
  • Critical evaluation essay
    • Write an introduction; lead in to your thesis.
    • Add a few paragraphs summarizing the novel you read. Keep only major or important details about setting, character, plot. Do not evaluate. Avoid bias words.
    • After summary, support your thesis with source #1.
    • [Each source should be summarized briefly--what's the main point? Use textual evidence from book or sources to support your points]
    • Evaluate the source. Explain how and why does it fit into your analysis/thesis?
    • After connecting source #1 with your thesis, move to source #2.
    • Evaluate and explain source #2.
    • After source #2, move to source #3.
    • Evaluate and explain source #3.
    • Continue evaluation and explanation for each source. Try to blend ideas into a whole.
    • You may wish to add a counter-argument into your paper--especially if there is a glaring logic error, situational mistake, or problem a reader might have with your thesis.
    • Evaluate the novel. Use textual evidence. Prove your argument/thesis.
    • Conclude by considering what's at stake for the reader, our culture, the world--what's important to remember when reading this novel? Why should we care? or So what?
  • Draft of a dystopian story
    • Create a protagonist who has just realized his/her Utopia is not all that it is cracked up to be.
    • The protagonist fights against the current status quo.
    • Use mythic archetypes: mentors, challenges, love interests, confidantes, foils, "monsters", antagonists, etc. to illustrate aspects of the dystopia.
    • Challenge your protagonist to make a change.
    • Note: Most dystopian novels tend to end bleakly. The protagonist does not always change society--often society changes him/her to comply.
    • Write a draft.
As we move into media studies, let's discuss our next style of academic paper: The Synthesis.

The synthesis is a written discussion or analysis using more than one source to examine a connection or relationship between sources. Analysis, research papers, argument papers, essay exams, position papers, newspaper/journalism articles, business plans, web or blog writing, legal cases, criminal cases, documentaries, most fiction novels, and memos or letters all are common genres of writing that use the process of synthesis.

Period 2:

We will screen the 1962 film: The Manchurian Candidate.

Details on The Manchurian Candidate (1962)
Director: John Frankenheimer
Produced by George Axelrod & John Frankenheimer
Screenwriter: George Axelrod; based on the novel by Richard Dondon
Cinematography: Lionel Linden
Music: David Amram
Editing: Ferris Webster
Cast:
Major Bennett Marco: Frank Sinatra
Raymond Shaw: Laurence Harvey
Eugenie Rose Chaney: Janet Leigh
Mrs. Eleanor Iselin: Angela Lansbury
Chunjin: Henry Silva
Senator John Iselin: James Gregory
Senator Thomas Jordan: John McGiver
Jocelyn Jordan: Leslie Parrish

Other cast members and details about the film can be found at IMDB.COM.

Could the events in The Manchurian Candidate really happen? Take a look at these sources between today and the end of the week. You can use these in your synthesis of the film:
As we view the film, jot notes on the technical, verbal, symbolic codes, structure, character, representation and narrative conflict.

HOMEWORK: None. Begin reading the sources.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Namesake Analysis/Discussion Chp. 1 & 2; How It Feels To Be Colored Me

By -
Image
Let's go back to examining  The Namesake , Chapter 1 this morning to continue examining the writing style going on here. Take a closer look at these passages: Pg. 3 (1st full paragraph) to 4 (end of 1st full paragraph): How is Ashima's character compared/contrasted with the American women in the hospital? What do you notice about the sentence structure of this paragraph? What does the use of dialogue in this paragraph provide for the reader? What literary devices do you notice? Can you find figurative language/metaphor/alliteration or other elements of imagery? How are the sentences similar to a contraction (the action in the scene)? Pg. 10-12: how is Ashoke's character presented? How does his story parallel or contrast with his wife's? How is Ashoke different from the other American men in the waiting room? What details do we learn about him?  Pg. 13-14: Nickolai Gogol and the short story "The Overcoat" is alluded to here. Just notice it for now. This al
Read more

Clash of the Titans (Conclusion); Creation Myths

By -
Clash of the Titans (conclusion) Clash of the Titans   (1981)--produced and designed by  Ray Harryhausen . Directed by  Desmond Davis . Starring:  Laurence Olivier  as Zeus,  Maggie Smith  as Thetis,  Harry Hamlin  as Perseus, and  Burgess Meredith  as Ammon. Clash of the Titans (2010) & Clash of the Titans (2010) Medusa Scene Wrath of the Titans (2012) Percy Jackson: The Lightning Thief (2010) Percy Jackson Sea of Monsters (2013) Percy Jackson Titan's Curse (2017) Use mythic criticism to review (in writing or as a podcast or vlog post)  Clash of the Titans . Take notes during the film to help you prepare your review. Myth Criticism  asks: 1. How does the story resemble other stories in plot, character, setting or use of symbols? 2. Are archetypes presented, such as quests, initiations, scapegoats, descending, or withdrawals and returns? [Use your handout/notes to help!] 3. Does the protagonist undergo any kind of transformation (such as movement from innoc
Read more

Wilderness Tips - Examination & Analysis

By -
Image
Use period one to continue the story draft you started last class. Use your time to develop your ideas, theme, work on plot, character development, setting, and other aspects of your fiction writing. Remember, your story should include the following: Write a draft that includes a flashback . Consider an urban setting, but at some point in your story, move to a more natural setting. The setting should reflect the inner conflicts of your protagonist if possible. Avoid character cliches: surprise your reader (and possibly yourself or even your character) Include a secondary character who should act as a foil to the protagonist. Write in present tense ; (flashbacks can be written in past tense); Use 3rd person POV (limited, omniscient, objective). See the previous post for more details. Period 2: Let's discuss what we've read so far in the collection. Wilderness Tips is   Margaret Atwood’s second volume of short stories ( Bluebeard’s Egg and Other Stories (198
Read more