06 Jun 2020/5/13 Critical Review #4 – WebCOM™ 2.0https://smc.grtep.c
2020/5/13 Critical Review #4 – WebCOM™ 2.0https://smc.grtep.com/index.cfm/smcc/page/4criticalreviews 1/10SantaMonica CollegeDemocracy andDierence Through the Aestheticsof FilmCRITICAL REVIEW 4TahvildaranAssignment Objectives: Enhance and/or improve critical thinking and medialiteracy skills by:1. Developing a clear and concise thesis statement (anargument) in response to thefollowing question: Does the lm have the power totransform political sensibilities?2. Writing an outline for a ve paragraph analytical essaybuilding on a clear andconcise thesis statement, including topic sentences andsecondary supports.3. Identifying and explaining three scenes from the lm text insupport of the thesisstatement/argument.4. Writing an introductory paragraph for the outlined analyticalessayBe sure to read thoroughly the writing conventions below before beginning thisassignment.Note: You are NOT writing a full essay; rather, you are outlining an analyticalessay by completing the dialogue boxes below.2020/5/13 Critical Review #4 – WebCOM™ 2.0https://smc.grtep.com/index.cfm/smcc/page/4criticalreviews 2/10Writing a Critical Review (analytical) Essay1. Every essay that you write for this course must have a clear thesis, placed(perhaps) somewhere near the end of the introductory paragraph. Simplystated, a THESIS (or ARGUMENT) expresses, preferably in a single sentence,the point you want to make about the text that is the subject of your essay. ATHESIS should be an opinion or interpretation of the text, not merely a fact orobservation. The best possible THESIS will answer some specic questionsabout the text. Very often the THESIS contains an outline of the major pointsto be covered in the essay. A possible thesis for an essay on character inPerry Henzell’s The Harder They Come might read somewhat as follows:The protagonist of THTC is not a hero in the epic sense of the word, but aself-centered young man bred of economic oppression and culturaldependency. The characters in this lm have no real psychological depth, butare markers for a society of consumption and momentary glory.(You might then go on to exemplify from the text and argue in favor oragainst this interpretation: your essay need not hold to only one perspective.)What single, clear QUESTION does the above THESIS attempt to answer?2. Each essay should be organized into ve (5) paragraphs, each based on oneof two to four major ideas, which will comprise the BODY of the essay. Eachparagraph must have a topic sentence, often (but not always) towards thebeginning of the paragraph, which clearly states the ARGUMENT or point tobe made in the paragraph. Following the thesis set forth above, the rstparagraph might begin with a sentence like “Ivan’s desires and his destinyare signaled in the opening shots of the lm, where the friendly, jumbledinterior of the bus is contrasted with Ivan’s rst view of the outer world: aworld of shiny white cars and beautiful women.” Avoid topic sentences thatfail to make an interpretative statement about the work or that merely statesomething any reader might observe; for example, “The rst characters we2020/5/13 Critical Review #4 – WebCOM™ 2.0https://smc.grtep.com/index.cfm/smcc/page/4criticalreviews 3/10see are country people on a bus to town.”3. Underline the THESIS and each TOPIC SENTENCE in every critical reviewessay you submit. This exercise will force you to make certain that you haveexpressed and developed the ideas in your essay clearly and logically. (Inother words, do not do this exercise ve minutes before you submit theessay but, rather, as you are working on the very rst draft.)4. Always use present tense verbs in your critical review essays about lmtexts. Present tense is the verb tense of analysis. Past tense, on the otherhand, is the tense of narration. In each essay, you will be analyzing aparticular text, not retelling or summarizing the story. If you nd yourselfslipping into past tense as you compose, you are probably narrating ratherthan analyzing.5. Use specic passages from the text to support each point that you make inyour essay. You may simply refer to an event in the text, or you mayparaphrase what a character or the narrator says. But the best EVIDENCE willmost often be direct quotes from the text.The Introductory Paragraph – Some ApproachesIn your essay, an opening or introductory paragraph may not always be the rstone you write. But it will be the rst one your readers read and you need to engageyour readers’ attention and interest and present all you need to make your thesisclear and convincing.I. Some Pitfalls to Avoid1. Dictionary denitions: Dene key terms and concepts in your openingparagraph, but don’t quote directly from the dictionary to do so. Use adictionary – more than one dictionary – to formulate the denition in2020/5/13 Critical Review #4 – WebCOM™ 2.0https://smc.grtep.com/index.cfm/smcc/page/4criticalreviews 4/10your own words.2. Generalizations about “life,” “society,” “people today,” etc.: You don’twant to begin your essay with the kind of statement that teeters on thatne line between opinion (those ideas you will go on to prove) andbelief (those ideas unprovable with the evidence offered by the text).Rather than a statement like, “Almost every man has a sense of prideand will go to war to prove it,” try something more specic to the textyou are analyzing. “The character of Roland exemplies how personalpride and personal valor do not always lead to the most fortunateconclusion.”3. The painfully obvious: Avoid opening statements like “Dante’s Infernois about a journey to hell,” or “Roland is the hero of The Song of Roland,”unless such statements are in some way controversial and challengingto traditional interpretations of the text. Try to avoid any kind oftautological formula – “something is something else” – in the openingsentence, especially, but also elsewhere as an “argument.”4. Try to distinguish between historical or biographical fact: “Dante’sInferno was written in fourteenth-century Italy,” and interpretation,especially when you are considering the intention of an author: “Dantewrote his Inferno to expose the problem of Florentine politicalcorruption to the world.” The latter may be a part of your theory orthesis (or conclusion) but if you use it as a statement of fact (an“intentional fallacy”) you will have to prove it rather than merely argue it– a slippery and dicult and perhaps not particularly useful task.Beware also of using vague or imprecise generalizations of terms suchas “dramatic,” “realistic,” or “critical,” which differ in their literary andhistorical signicance.II. Challenges to Meet2020/5/13 Critical Review #4 – WebCOM™ 2.0https://smc.grtep.com/index.cfm/smcc/page/4criticalreviews 5/10CRITICAL REVIEW #4 DUE MAY 13, 20201. Try for a (syntactically) shapely and relevant opening sentence: bethoughtful and original and persuasive. Always look for interestingways into your essay: an epigraph, perhaps, or an important episodethat seems to set the stage for what you want to say, or a succinctcomparison with another well-known work, which will help your readerunderstand the point you want to make.2. Always (particularly in a comparative essay) identify your texts early on.(Usually with full title, full authors’ names, and date/period ofpublication.)3. Think of your thesis statement as the logical goal of the rst paragraph.Everything you say here should lead towards (or from) that thesis.Anything that doesn’t lead in that direction – unless you are presentinga view different from yours, which you want to argue against—doesn’tbelong in your paragraph. Think of the paragraph as a funnel, where thecontents are being concentrated and ltered to one end.Using proper MLAbibliographic formatting,cite the lm text in the boxto the right:http://www.bibme.org/citationguide/MLA/lm*Howto cite a lmin abibliography usingMLA2020/5/13 Critical Review #4 – WebCOM™ 2.0https://smc.grtep.com/index.cfm/smcc/page/4criticalreviews 6/10The most basic entry for alm consists of the title,director, distributor, year ofrelease, and medium. Youmay also choose to includethe names of the writer(s),performer(s), and theproducer(s), as well as thelm’s original release date.Film title. Dir. First NameLast Name. Distributor, Yearof Release. Medium.1.Develop a thesis sentencepertaining to the assignedlm text and whether or notit, the lm, in your view hasthe power to transformone’s political sensibilities.Your argument shouldexpress your point of viewregarding the politics ofdifference, politicalsensibilities, and politicaltransformation(s) as relatedto the lm. Remember,you’re writing (developing)an analytical essay. Submityour thesis statement in the*2020/5/13 Critical Review #4 – WebCOM™ 2.0https://smc.grtep.com/index.cfm/smcc/page/4criticalreviews 7/10box located to the right. Besure to proofread your work.2. Develop three (3) topicsentences that articulatethe major ideas that willcomprise the body of youressay. Remember that yourtopic sentences shouldclearly state the argumentor point to be made in therespective paragraphs andmust map back to yourthesis statement. Submityour topic sentences in thebox located to the right. Besure to proofread your work.*3. Identify three (3) scenesfrom the lm that supportyour thesis statement.Briey explain your choicesof scenes and how the*2020/5/13 Critical Review #4 – WebCOM™ 2.0https://smc.grtep.com/index.cfm/smcc/page/4criticalreviews 8/10scenes specically supportyour thesis statement. Also,provide the exact time thescenes begin and endwithin the lm text. Submityour reply in the box locatedto the right. Be sure toproofread your work.4. Lastly, fully develop yourintroductory paragraph.Remember that the bestpossible thesis will answersome specic questionabout the text. In this case aquestion related to the lm’spower to transform politicalsensibilities regardingdifference. Your thesissentence should appearparenthetically within theparagraph you present.Submit your answer in thebox located to the right. Besure to proofread your work.*2020/5/13 Critical Review #4 – WebCOM™ 2.0https://smc.grtep.com/index.cfm/smcc/page/4criticalreviews 9/10Before submitting your Critical Review make sure you have readthese questions and that you fully understand the grading rubric:1. Did I properly cite the lm text using MLA format? Specically, didI follow the example provided to me on the Democracy and Differencewebsite? Did I click on the link to the BibMe website and review howto cite a lm for a bibliography? Do I understand that any errors in thecitation will result in a loss of points? Students who do not properlycite the lm will see a reduction in points for this assignment 25/50.2. Did I answer, directly, the professor’s question: “Does the lm havethe power to transform one’s political sensibilities?” Is it clear to thereader (the professor in this case) that I have taken a stand/made anargument pertaining to the assignment prompt? Again, “Does the lmhave the power to transform one’s political sensibilities?” Studentsshould be sure to address: POWER, POLITICAL SENSIBILITES, andTRANSFORMATION in their thesis sentence/statements. Did I dothis? Students who do not properly address this direct question willsee a reduction in points for this assignment 25/50.3. Did I provide the start and end times for each of the three scenes Ichose in support of my thesis sentence/statement? And, did I explainexplicitly why I chose those scenes? It is not sucient to list scenesonly. Did I explain clearly (and briey) why I chose the scene that I didand how they specically advance my argument/thesis? Is it clear tothe reader (the professor in this case) why I chose the scene I did? Forexample, did I write something like: “I chose the scene because itadvances my argument by ….” or “I chose the scene because it clearlymakes my point that …” Students who did not provide start and end*2020/5/13 Critical Review #4 – WebCOM™ 2.0https://smc.grtep.com/index.cfm/smcc/page/4criticalreviews 10/10WebCOM™ 2.0 is a trademark of Great River Learning. All rights reserved. © 2002-2020.times and/or explain their scene choices will see a reduction inpoints for this assignment 25/50.4. Did I fully develop an introduction paragraph? And, in thatparagraph did I insert my thesis sentence/statement? Did I useparentheses (to bracket my thesis statement/sentence) within theintroduction paragraph? Students who did not fully develop thisintroduction paragraph and use parentheses (to bracket their thesisstatement/sentence) will see a reduction in points for thisassignment 25/50.If a student fails to address any one of these components their scorewill result in a 25/50 per the syllabus.S A V ESS UU BBMMII TTI acknowledge this statement
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