Find a character in a film who is experiencing an identity crisis. In a 200-300 word response, show how this quest for identity drives the plot of the film. Discuss how and why the character struggles with identity and sense of belonging

/in /by

“This story of the loss and regaining of identity is, I think, the framework of all literature.” — Northrop Frye, The Educated Imagination

The quest for identity or suffering an identity crisis or identity loss are recurring patterns of plot in literature, tv shows, and movies. This recurring pattern is called an archetype. You will learn more about archetypes in Unit 6. This is a popular archetype because it is extremely relatable as we all want to know who we are and what makes us unique. We would like to have some direction in our life and know where we are going. We want the answers to the questions…

“Who am I?” “Where do I fit in?” “Will other people accept me?”

Your sense of identity has to do with who you think you are and how you perceive yourself. It has to do with your sense of self worth and self esteem. Discovering and developing our personal and cultural identity means we need to recognize…

1. Relationships and cultural contexts

2. Personal values and choice

3. Personal strengths and abilities

However, there are often times in life where we don’t see our value or understand where we fit in. This is called an identity crisis. An identity crisis is “a period of uncertainty and confusion in which a person’s sense of identity becomes insecure, typically due to a change in their expected aims or role in society.” So, in order to regain our self worth, we undergo a quest for identity and self-discovery. Characters in films often go through an identity crisis when they experience a trauma or change in their lives. They struggle to regain a sense of themselves and so run the gamut of a number of experiences as they attempt to come to terms with who they are. This process is often the plot of an entire movie.

Task:

Find a character in a film who is experiencing an identity crisis. In a 200-300 word response, show how this quest for identity drives the plot of the film. Discuss how and why the character struggles with identity and sense of belonging. What happened to make the character question themselves? Discuss how that character is able to overcome or not, this loss of identity on the road to self-discovery. Is the crisis resolved in the movie? Is the resolution realistic?

Present a 5 minute commemorative (ceremonial) speech. This speech is typically referred to as a special occasion speech. A commemorative speech is a speech of praise or celebration intended to inspire one’s audience (similar to speeches of honor or tribute).

/in /by

Students are to present a 5 minute commemorative (ceremonial) speech. This speech is typically referred to as a special occasion speech. A commemorative speech is a speech of praise or celebration intended to inspire one’s audience (similar to speeches of honor or tribute).

It should be centered around a theme and commemorate a person, group of people, institution, etc. Remember–be enthusiastic! This will be your final speech. It is a manuscript speech. Therefore, no outline is required-a manuscript is as well as a complete bibliography (APA format). You will still have all parts of the speech: Introduction, Body, Conclusion.

You should have at least 3 different sources and adequate supporting material. Only one Internet—outside–source may be used. The majority of your information should come from the databases that can be accessed from the

Write an essay that compares and contrasts a Whitman poem with a Dickinson poem. You’ll decide how the poets’ attitudes or perspectives are alike and different, based on how they use poetic devices such as rhyme and figurative language.

/in /by

Write an essay that compares and contrasts a Whitman poem with a Dickinson poem. You’ll decide how the poets’ attitudes or perspectives are alike and different, based on how they use poetic devices such as rhyme and figurative language.

Think about how you might sum up your whole analysis in a single claim. Then think about how you might support your claim with evidence — particularly quotes from the two poems. Finally, consider what commentary you can give that will help readers understand how your evidence supports your claim.

Your essay should include the following elements:

A claim that compares poetic devices in the two poems and explains how they show each poet’s outlook;

An introduction with a claim, a summary of the poems, and a prediction of the topics you’ll cover;

Body paragraphs with topic sentences, evidence from the poems, and commentary about your evidence;

A conclusion that reviews your main points and makes a final statement for readers to carry away;

Transitions that ease readers from one topic to the next and show connections between ideas.

 

Write an essay discussing ONE of these topics: gun violence, immigration reform, social media, and the limits of free speech.

/in /by

Write an essay discussing ONE of these topics: gun violence, immigration reform, social media, and the limits of free speech.

You have many tools at your disposal now: you can use the Critical Thinking pie chart to generate ideas; you can think of premises and conclusions based on Aristotelian argumentation; you should use partly logic (logos), partly ethos (appeal to morality and creating trust), and pathos (appeal to emotions). You can think of a Toulminian structure (claim, grounds, warrants), and you have to use Rogerian elements (think of the opposite side as something you need to keep in mind, not to completely destroy in your argument). You need to show that you have learned enough about these concepts to create a persuasive argument. I am not interested in what side you are on, but on how you justify or back your position.

Identify the controversy and the problems that arise in relation to the issue. Give a definition of your own to the concepts you are using, to lead the reader better toward an understanding of what the issue or problem is (best in the first body paragraph). You should use a combination of personal experience and your own reasoning to write this paper. You will then proceed to explaining what problems you see as part of the issue you have picked, and find: what you think are the causes and effects of the issue you picked; examples; solutions that do not work, and solutions that you think will work.

What social dilemmas faced by African Americans in the 1960s might have inspired Toni Cade Bambara to write “The Lesson”?

/in /by

Choose from the following short stories:

The Lottery, Shirley Jackson

A Rose for Emily, William Faulkner

The Dead, James Joyce

The Veldt, Ray Bradbury

Hills Like White Elephants, Ernest Hemingway

The Cask of Amontillado or The Tell-Tale Heart, Edgar Allen Poe

Or, any poem we have discussed in class or read for class. 

Below are some examples.  I do not require you to choose one of these topics.  They are just here to give you an idea of the type of approaches that will work for this essay.

 

  1.   Philosophical analysis: How do the stories by Jean Paul Sartre and Albert Camus reflect the philosophy of existentialism?
  2.   Socio/cultural analysis:  What opinion about marriage and gender roles does Hemingway advance in “The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber”?
  3.  Historical analysis:: What social dilemmas faced by African Americans in the 1960s might have inspired Toni Cade Bambara to write “The Lesson”?
  4.  Biographical analysis:  What events in Salman Rushdie’s life might have influenced the events in “At the Auction of the Ruby Slippers”?
  5. Psychological analysis:  How is John Cheever’s “The Swimmer” a metaphor for the psychology of addiction?

 In Washington Irving’s “Rip Van Winkle,” describe the personalities of both Rip and Dame Van Winkle. Do you think a reader in Washington Irving’s lifetime would have had more sympathy for Rip or Dame Van Winkle?

/in /by

 In Washington Irving’s “Rip Van Winkle,” describe the personalities of both Rip and Dame Van Winkle. Do you think a reader in Washington Irving’s lifetime would have had more sympathy for Rip or Dame Van Winkle? Which character do you have more sympathy for? Justify your answers.

About Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “Young Goodman Brown,” Christopher Linforth explains, “you can read Brown’s journey into the forest in three distinct ways: as a dream, as a trick played by the devil, or as an actual occurrence” (14). Which of those three interpretations of the story do you prefer? What evidence supports that interpretation? What difference does it make if Brown’s journey was a dream, a trick, or real?

In rereading Ambrose Bierce’s “An Occurence at Owl Creek Bridge,” can you find specific moments of foreshadowing or other hints that his escape is not real? Also, how do you explain the middle parts of this story? What is really happening in Part III?

 For D.H. Lawrence’s “The Rocking-Horse Winner,” Janice H. Harris suggests three possible interpretations: social, familial, and psychological (1034-36). Which interpretation, or combination of interpretations, most closely reflects your own understanding of the story? What other themes or interpretations would you suggest?

 

Develop an argument, synthesizing sources that both support and contradict your position. Why do you believe the American Dream is still such a major part of the American mythos? 

/in /by

This assignment is designed for you to develop an argument, synthesizing sources that both support and contradict your position.

Assignment:  Compose an argument of between 1000 and 1250 words that synthesizes the 3 sources from the “Money and Success” section of Rereading America that we read for this week: “Class in America,” “Framing Class, Vicarious Living, and Conspicuous Consumption,” and “Why We Should Give Free Money to Everyone.”

The prompt that you consider when creating your argument is:  Why do you believe the American Dream is still such a major part of the American mythos?

  • The Construction: Your argument will follow the pattern below as it best fits:
    • Introduction with a thesis
    • Background information that states the issue being discussed
    • Offer your point-of-view to answer the problem with support from the sources listed.
    • Acknowledge the opposing side using your ideas plus the sources listed, if applicable.
    • Offer a rebuttal to the opposing side using your best argument strategies and using the sources listed, if applicable.

Discuss the contrasts between Maggie’s/Mrs. Johnson’s and Wangero’s views of heritage from the major theme of “Everyday Use.” Explain how their views differ and why.

/in /by

“Everyday Use”: Discuss the contrasts between Maggie’s/Mrs. Johnson’s and Wangero’s views of heritage from the major theme of “Everyday Use.”

Explain how their views differ and why. Why has Wangero changed her feelings about the objects in her mother’s home?

Discuss the different values that each character places on the household objects Wangero now wants. 5 paragraphs 1 intro 3 body 1 conclusion Do not use any other sources besides what i have uploaded. A specific thesis statement, stating the overall main idea of your essay Each body paragraph should be focused on one main supporting point (topic sentence) Integrate all quotes and cite them by author’s last name and page number if you have it in the parenthetical reference this is a persuasive paper; you must not only cite evidence from the story to support your claims but also explain HOW those citations illustrate your point.

Consider the memories the characters in After Life choose to live with for eternity. What do their choices suggest about what is important in life and about how to live a good life?

/in /by

“Stoic and Epicurean thinkers spent much time devising techniques and thought experiments. For example: imagine that today is the last day of your life. Are you ready to face death? Imagine, even, that this very moment – now! – is the last moment of your existence. What are you feeling? Do you have regrets? Are there things you wish you had done differently? Are you really alive at this instant, or are you consumed with panic, denial and remorse? This experiment opens your eyes to what is important to you, and reminds you of how time runs constantly through your fingers” (Bakewell 110).
Consider the memories the characters in After Life choose to live with for eternity. What do their choices suggest about what is important in life and about how to live a good life?
Focusing on one to three characters from the film, respond to the prompt above with a short essay of 350-400 words that support a thesis.
The thesis should be focused, dialogic, and relevant.
Focused: your thesis should be clear and specific.
Dialogic: your thesis should be non-obvious and worth discussing.
Relevant: your readers should care about your thesis.
Your thesis should be supported by observations and inferences based on the texts.

A Policy Proposal as a Guest Editorial; Write a 1,500-1,750-word policy proposal related to the sale, trade, or donation of human organs using five to seven academic resources.

/in /by

A Policy Proposal as a Guest Editorial.

Write a 1,500-1,750-word policy proposal related to the sale, trade, or donation of human organs using five to seven academic resources.The policy proposal should be suitable for publication as an editorial in a college or city newspaper or in a publication associated with a particular group, such as a church newsletter or employee bulletin. The voice and style of your argument should be aimed at readers of your chosen publication. Remember to not use first person pronouns (I, me, us, we, our, my, mine) or second person pronouns (you, your, yours) in this guest editorial writing, unless given permission by your instructor.

Your editorial should have the following features:

  • Identify the problem related to the sale, trade, or donation of human organs.
  1. Persuade the audience that you have selected that this is a problem that needs solving; give it presence.
  2. Propose action offering specific details to show how the actions will help alleviate the problem.
  3. Justify your solution; the reasons why your audience should accept your proposal and act on it.

This essay is NOT simply a persuasive essay on organ sale, trade, or donation. It is an argumentative proposal that offers a practical and justifiable solution to a problem related to organ donation.

First Draft Grading.

  • You will receive completion points for the first draft based upon the successful submission of a complete draft.
  • Because your first draft is a completion grade, do not assume that this grade reflects or predicts the final grade. If you do not consider your instructor’s comments, you may be deducted points on your final draft.