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A04 Five Page Paper

The document outlines the requirements for a five-page paper due on 1/30, which must analyze either 'Mosquita y Mari' or 'Pariah' using Alan Rowe's essay and another course reading. It provides four prompts focusing on settings, narrative structure, respectability politics, and sound, encouraging a deep analysis of the chosen film. Additionally, it offers tips for formulating a strong thesis statement, emphasizing the importance of clarity and argumentation.

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Calibán Catrileo
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23 views

A04 Five Page Paper

The document outlines the requirements for a five-page paper due on 1/30, which must analyze either 'Mosquita y Mari' or 'Pariah' using Alan Rowe's essay and another course reading. It provides four prompts focusing on settings, narrative structure, respectability politics, and sound, encouraging a deep analysis of the chosen film. Additionally, it offers tips for formulating a strong thesis statement, emphasizing the importance of clarity and argumentation.

Uploaded by

Calibán Catrileo
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Five Page Paper

Papers are Due to Canvas by midnight on 1/30.

Papers should be double spaced, in 12-point font, and approximately 5 pages long.
Each prompt requires you to use Alan Rowe’s essay “Film Form and Narrative” as well
as one additional course reading. You will construct an argument about one film,
Mosquita y Mari or Pariah. The best papers will likely be those where the author has
seen the film more than once.

1. Settings. Choose a film and make an argument about the significance of its settings.
For this topic you will need to identify the film’s different settings and then analyze their
meanings. You may want to focus on particular settings such as interiors, parties or
celebrations, urban settings, and landscapes.

● How do different settings frame characters and anchor them in different


meanings?
● How do settings convey information about class, race, gender, sexuality?
● Does the constructed world or worlds of the film comment on the limits
and possibilities of our actual world?

2. Narrative. Rowe suggests that we can begin to analyze many film narratives in terms
of an initial equilibrium, then the disruption of that equilibrium, and finally, the
establishment of a new equilibrium, different from the equilibrium at the film’s start.

● Does your chosen film conform to or depart from that narrative structure?
● How might that narrative structure help us understand the significance of the
film’s story?

In particular, you may want to focus on the ending. Each film’s ending is relatively open
ended. The film endings suggest possible futures for their characters but their
subsequent stories aren’t told and we don’t definitively know their fates. What is the
meaning of such open-ended conclusions?
3. Respectability Politics. Historically, models of respectability have celebrated
heterosexual marriage and reproduction; “normal” gender roles; and respect for and
deference to authority. On the one hand, by identifying with such forms of
“respectability,” BIPOC communities have countered forms of racism based on ideas
about their deviancy and immorality. On the other hand, identifying with respectability
has reinforced the very definitions of deviancy and immorality that have been used to
depict BIPOC communities as dangerous and disposable. Choose a film and construct
an argument about how it represents such contradictions.

● To what extent does the film challenge respectability politics?


● How do the filmmakers use the tools discussed by Rowe to represent and
comment on “respectability”?

4. Sound. Choose a film and make an argument about its use of sound. According to
Rowe, sound can reinforce the continuity of action and link different scenes. Music, in
particular, can establish or enhance emotion, or help lead an audience to a particular
understanding of a scene. While you could focus on all sorts of sounds, you may want
to focus in particular on music. Music can identify characters and attach particular
meanings to them (Rowe cites as an example The Godfather, where different kinds of
music mark differences of class and nationality between different characters).

● How is sound used in one of the films and to what effect? Be sure to draw on not
only Rowe but one other assigned reading.
Tips on Formulating a Strong Thesis

A strong thesis statement is one of the most important parts of a paper. When you are
crafting your thesis you want to make sure that it is more than an observation. Here are
some questions to ask yourself when checking to see if you have a strong thesis
statement:
Does it . . .

1. ... take a specific position or make an interesting claim? (rather than just
stating a fact or observation)
2. ... express one main idea and demonstrate why it is important?
3. ... need to be supported by significant discussion?
4. ... answer the question, “why does this matter?”

If your answer is yes to all of these questions, then you most likely have a strong thesis
statement. Remember, a thesis often consists of more than one sentence. Prioritize clarity
in writing your thesis: does it state your claim clearly? Does it outline the stakes of your
argument?

When crafting your thesis, ask yourself: is it arguable?


In other words, is it more than a yes/no answer?
Can you have a discussion or argument about your claim?

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