YOUR TASK:
You will be required to analyze a horror movie and examine how the ch
YOUR TASK:
You will be required to analyze a horror movie and examine how the characters react/change to the horror they face in the film. Your analysis should discuss how the horror impacts a change in that character or characters. For instance, if you are watching a Halloween, you might pick Laurie Strode to analyze. You would assess her characteristics in the beginning of the movie, discuss how the horror impacts her, then analyze how she is at the end of the film and whether or not she has been changed. Your thesis will indicate what that change is and why that change happened. The reason could be due to gender differences, abuse, background, mental illness, etc…
We will be reading Carol Clover’s essay “Her Body Himself: Gender in the Slasher Film” to understand what an analysis of film looks like. Remember, you are not simply explaining the characters, but analyzing how the horror changes those characters in the film. You may also assess the actions of the characters, the camera work, the references in the scene, etc…. I will be looking for an argument. We will go over appropriate thesis statements and sample essays. GOALS AND EVALUATION OF YOUR ESSAY:
The goals for this assignment are as follows:
your analysis of the film
how you break down the scene
how well you use and incorporate your resources
the interest, significance, and/or originality of your argument
the quality of your support (reasoning, examples, details)
your development of an appropriate persona for your purpose and audience
the unity and coherence of your paragraphs
your use of standard English conventions
REQUIREMENTS:
Length: 6-7 pages
Resource requirement: 2 secondary, reliable resources (not including your film) required, you can use up to 4 sources total. You may use Ryan Lizardi and Carol Clover as one of your resources, however, make sure their theories apply to your subgenre.
If you are not going the horror movie route, then you need to find at least two sources that will help to guide your theories. Specifications: Typed, double-spaced, 1-inch margins, 12 pt. Times New Roman
Format: Paper should be formatted as an MLA academic paper with a Works Cited page.
SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS:
Rough drafts are uploaded to Turnitin
Final Drafts are uploaded to Turnitin and Canvas
Be sure to review all rubrics which will be posted under the final essay dropboxes in Canvas
THESIS EXPECTATIONS:
Weak
There’s significant cultural differences in the remake of Dawn of the Dead.
Working
Compared to the original 1978 Dawn of the Dead, the remake depicts fast moving zombies which shows a big change in culture.
Strong
The faster zombies in the 2004 Dawn of the Dead remake influence the characters’ moral decision-making skills, forcing them to make immoral choices because of the time constraint, when compared to the original 1978 version. Possible Counterclaim
While the faster zombies in the 2004 remake introduce a heightened sense of urgency that may pressure characters into making quick, potentially immoral decisions, it could also be argued that this increased pace actually sharpens the characters’ moral clarity and decisiveness.
To get to the strong level, ask yourself some of the following questions for improvement:
So what? Who cares? Why am I making this argument? What is the problem with what I am posing? How does my topic impact culture or society (or vice versa)? Who is my demographic? How does the horror influence a change in characters? Are relationships impacted? Will my thesis yield research? Can I think of at least three instances where this happens in the film? Can I think of a counterclaim…even something small like a scene or character?