Assignment Objectives:  Enhance and/or improve critical thinking and media literacy skills by: 

                                1. Developing a clear and concise thesis statement (an argument) in response to the

                                     following question: Does the film have the power to transform political sensibilities?

                                2. Writing an outline for a five paragraph analytical essay building on a clear and

                                     concise thesis statement, including topic sentences and secondary supports.

                                3. Identifying and explaining three scenes from the film text in support of the thesis

                                     statement/argument.

                                4.  Writing an introductory paragraph for the outlined analytical essay

Be sure to read thoroughly the writing conventions below before beginning this assignment.  

Note: You are NOT writing a full essay; rather, you are outlining an analytical essay by completing the dialogue in the boxes below.

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Santa Monica College Democracy and Di�erence Through the Aesthetics
of Film
Tahvildaran

             Assignment Objectives:  Enhance and/or improve critical thinking and
media literacy skills by: 
 
                                1. Developing a clear and concise thesis statement (an
argument) in response to the
                                     following question: Does the �lm have the power to
transform political sensibilities?
                                2. Writing an outline for a �ve paragraph analytical essay
building on a clear and
                                     concise thesis statement, including topic sentences and
secondary supports.
                                3. Identifying and explaining three scenes from the �lm text in
support of the thesis
                                     statement/argument.
                                4.  Writing an introductory paragraph for the outlined analytical
essay

 
Be sure to read thoroughly the writing conventions below before beginning this
assignment.  
Note: You are NOT writing a full essay; rather, you are outlining an analytical
essay by completing the dialogue in the boxes below.
 
 
 
 

Writing a Critical Review (analytical) Essay

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1. Every essay that you write for this course must have a clear thesis, placed
(perhaps) somewhere near the end of the introductory paragraph. Simply
stated, 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. A
THESIS should be an opinion or interpretation of the text, not merely a fact or
observation.  The best possible THESIS will answer some speci�c questions
about the text. Very often the THESIS contains an outline of the major points
to be covered in the essay. A possible thesis for an essay on character in
Perry 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 a
self-centered young man bred of economic oppression and cultural
dependency. The characters in this �lm have no real psychological depth, but
are markers for a society of consumption and momentary glory.

(You might then go on to exemplify from the text and argue in favor or
against 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 one
of two to four major ideas, which will comprise the BODY of the essay. Each
paragraph must have a topic sentence, often (but not always) towards the
beginning of the paragraph, which clearly states the ARGUMENT or point to
be made in the paragraph. Following the thesis set forth above, the �rst
paragraph might begin with a sentence like “Ivan’s desires and his destiny
are signaled in the opening shots of the �lm, where the friendly, jumbled
interior of the bus is contrasted with Ivan’s �rst view of the outer world: a
world of shiny white cars and beautiful women.” Avoid topic sentences that
fail to make an interpretative statement about the work or that merely state
something any reader might observe; for example, “The �rst characters we
see are country people on a bus to town.”

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3. Underline the THESIS and each TOPIC SENTENCE in every critical review
essay you submit. This exercise will force you to make certain that you have
expressed and developed the ideas in your essay clearly and logically.  (In
other words, do not do this exercise �ve minutes before you submit the
essay but, rather, as you are working on the very �rst draft.)

4. Always use present tense verbs in your critical review essays about �lm
texts.  Present tense is the verb tense of analysis.  Past tense, on the other
hand, is the tense of narration. In each essay, you will be analyzing a
particular text, not retelling or summarizing the story.  If you �nd yourself
slipping into past tense as you compose, you are probably narrating rather
than analyzing.

5. Use speci�c passages from the text to support each point that you make in
your essay. You may simply refer to an event in the text, or you may
paraphrase what a character or the narrator says. But the best EVIDENCE will
most often be direct quotes from the text.  
 

 
The Introductory Paragraph – Some Approaches

 
In your essay, an opening or introductory paragraph may not always be the �rst
one you write.  But it will be the �rst one your readers read and you need to engage
your readers’ attention and interest and present all you need to make your thesis
clear and convincing.
 

I. Some Pitfalls to Avoid
 

1. Dictionary de�nitions:  De�ne key terms and concepts in your opening
paragraph, but don’t quote directly from the dictionary to do so. Use a
dictionary – more than one dictionary – to formulate the de�nition in
your own words.

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2. Generalizations about “life,” “society,” “people today,” etc.: You don’t
want to begin your essay with the kind of statement that teeters on that
�ne line between opinion (those ideas you will go on to prove) and
belief (those ideas unprovable with the evidence offered by the text). 
Rather than a statement like, “Almost every man has a sense of pride
and will go to war to prove it,” try something more speci�c to the text
you are analyzing.  “The character of Roland exempli�es how personal
pride and personal valor do not always lead to the most fortunate
conclusion.”

3. The painfully obvious:  Avoid opening statements like “Dante’s Inferno
is about a journey to hell,” or “Roland is the hero of The Song of Roland,”
unless such statements are in some way controversial and challenging
to traditional interpretations of the text. Try to avoid any kind of
tautological formula – “something is something else” – in the opening
sentence, especially, but also elsewhere as an “argument.”

4. Try to distinguish between historical or biographical fact:  “Dante’s
Inferno was written in fourteenth-century Italy,” and interpretation,
especially when you are considering the intention of an author:  “Dante
wrote his Inferno to expose the problem of Florentine political
corruption to the world.” The latter may be a part of your theory or
thesis (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 di�cult and perhaps not particularly useful task.
Beware also of using vague or imprecise generalizations of terms such
as “dramatic,” “realistic,” or “critical,” which differ in their literary and
historical signi�cance.
 

II. Challenges to Meet
 

1. Try for a (syntactically) shapely and relevant opening sentence: be
thoughtful and original and persuasive.  Always look for interesting
ways into your essay: an epigraph, perhaps, or an important episode

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CRITICAL REVIEW #2 DUE APRIL 8, 2020

that seems to set the stage for what you want to say, or a succinct
comparison with another well-known work, which will help your reader
understand 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 of
publication.)

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 presenting
a view different from yours, which you want to argue against—doesn’t
belong in your paragraph.  Think of the paragraph as a funnel, where the
contents are being concentrated and �ltered to one end.
 

Using proper MLA
bibliographic formatting,
cite the �lm text in the box
to the right:
 
http://www.bibme.org/citation-
guide/MLA/�lm
 

The most basic entry for a
�lm consists of the title,
director, distributor, year of
release, and medium. You

*

How to cite a �lm in a
bibliography using MLA

MLA Film Citation

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may also choose to include
the names of the writer(s),
performer(s), and the
producer(s), as well as the
�lm’s original release date.
 
Film title. Dir. First Name
Last Name. Distributor, Year
of Release. Medium.

1. Develop a thesis
sentence pertaining to the
assigned �lm text and
whether or not it, the �lm, in
your view has the power to
transform one’s political
sensibilities. Your argument
should express your point
of view regarding the
politics of difference,
political sensibilities, and
political transformation(s)
as related to the �lm.
Remember, you’re writing
(developing) an analytical
essay. Submit your thesis
statement in the box
located to the right. Be sure
to proofread your work.

*

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2. Develop three (3) topic
sentences that articulate
the major ideas that will
comprise the body of your
essay. Remember that your
topic sentences should
clearly state the argument
or point to be made in the
respective paragraphs and
must map back to your
thesis statement. Submit
your topic sentences in the
box located to the right. Be
sure to proofread your work.

*

3. Identify three (3) scenes
from the �lm that support
your thesis statement.
Brie�y explain your choices
of scenes and how the
scenes speci�cally support
your thesis statement. Also,

*

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provide the exact time the
scenes begin and end
within the �lm text. Submit
your reply in the box located
to the right. Be sure to
proofread your work.

4. Lastly, fully develop your
introductory paragraph.
Remember that the best
possible thesis will answer
some speci�c question
about the text. In this case a
question related to the �lm’s
power to transform political
sensibilities regarding
difference. Your thesis
sentence should appear
parenthetically within the
paragraph you present.
Submit your answer in the
box located to the right. Be
sure to proofread your work.

*

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Before submitting your Critical Review make sure you have read
these questions and that you fully understand the grading rubric:
 
1.  Did I properly cite the �lm text using MLA format?  Speci�cally, did
I follow the example provided to me on the Democracy and Difference
website? Did I click on the link to the BibMe website and review how
to cite a �lm for a bibliography? Do I understand that any errors in the
citation will result in a loss of points? Students who do not properly
cite 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 have
the power to transform one’s political sensibilities?”  Is it clear to the
reader (the professor in this case) that I have taken a stand/made an
argument pertaining to the assignment prompt? Again, “Does the �lm
have the power to transform one’s political sensibilities?” Students
should be sure to address: POWER, POLITICAL SENSIBILITES, and
TRANSFORMATION in their thesis sentence/statements. Did I do
this? Students who do not properly address this direct question will
see a reduction in points for this assignment 25/50.
 
3. Did I provide the start and end times for each of the three scenes I
chose in support of my thesis sentence/statement? And, did I explain
explicitly why I chose those scenes?  It is not su�cient to list scenes
only.  Did I explain clearly (and brie�y) why I chose the scene that I did
and how they speci�cally advance my argument/thesis? Is it clear to
the reader (the professor in this case) why I chose the scene I did? For
example, did I write something like: “I chose the scene because it
advances my argument by ….” or “I chose the scene because it clearly
makes my point that …” Students who did not provide start and end
times and/or explain their scene choices will see a reduction in
points for this assignment 25/50.
 
4. Did I fully develop an introduction paragraph? And, in that
paragraph did I insert my thesis sentence/statement?  Did I use
parentheses (to bracket my thesis statement/sentence) within the
introduction paragraph? Students who did not fully develop this
introduction paragraph and use parentheses (to bracket their thesis
statement/sentence) will see a reduction in points for this
assignment 25/50.

*

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If a student fails to address any one of these components their score
will result in a 25/50 per the syllabus.

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