ENG 281-002

First Major Writing Assignment

 

Length: 4 pages minimum (5 pages for W students)

Format: MLA (Don’t forget a Works Cited page)

Due Date: Rough Draft 9/21 (3 page minimum), Final Draft 10/05

 

For writing guidelines, see the grading rubric and class syllabus.  You must develop an arguable thesis: one that is supported with documented evidence (scenes, dialogue, and/or film technique – remember to “show” how something is true rather than just “tell” the reader that it is) and can be reasonably debated by the reader.  For example, do not argue that the Smith children do not want to leave St. Louis because it will dislocate their family.  No one would debate this with you, making your thesis a non-argument.  Always probe deeper, asking “Why?” and pushing yourself beyond the surface of the ideas that you form and put on paper.

 

Choosing either The Kid, Meet Me in St. Louis, Rebel Without a Cause, or Public Enemy, discuss one of the following possibilities.  The questions raised here do not need to be systematically answered; they are meant to stimulate thought.  Think of them as “starting points” from which you can begin to think about the topic for yourself.  I am also open to original ideas, but you must submit them to me in writing and clear them with me at least two weeks before the final draft due date:

 

1)      What narrative function does parent-child conflict play in this film?    Why must this happen in order for the narrative to continue?  Is there a cultural background to this conflict?  For example, you might want to think about Jim Stark’s rebellion and isolation in the face of 1950s post-war prosperity in America, or Tom Powers’s life of crime in the context of the Depression. 

2)      Think about the role of geography in relation to family stability in this film.  Is geographic mobility a threat to the stability of the family, or a tool to ensure its survival?  In what ways is location or “place” tied to the family identity?  Why does it follow that location and identity/stability are so closely linked?

3)      Look for gender conflict in this film.  In what ways does the family inform issues of gender, be they gender roles, identities, social or cultural construction?  For example, you might want to look at Jim Stark’s expectations of the role that his father should assert in relation to him and his mother, or the social and cinematic expectations placed on the Smith sisters which define their roles as young women.  Make sure that you explain the relevance of this issue in the context of the family.  You may consider cultural background in the context of this conflict, as well, but be careful to form an arguable thesis.