Cool Hand Luke Summary

Of course, the summary is not due tomorrow, since we haven't finished the film.  But I would like you all to try to write a short 1-1 1/2 page of the film after you have seen it.  Do not spend a ton of time on this--limit yourself to a half hour or so.  But DO try to follow the guidelines given in the "Writing about Film Conventions" post here on the blog.  This is good practice for your film review this weekend.  Bring these to class with you on Friday!

Films for Essay Two

For essay two, you must write about a film on this list.  You may NOT write about Cool Hand Luke. 

Films about prison, maybe not surprisingly, tend to be fairly dark.  They also often include violent and sexually explicit materials.  If this is something that you would like to avoid as much as possible, I encourage you to read summaries/reviews of films you might be interested in before you view them.  You can find reviews and summaries through IMDB.com and RottenTomatoes.com.  I am also glad to tell you what I know about these films.

            You can find films in a variety of places.  The Clark College library does have a small selection of films.  The pubic libraries do as well.  There are several places on line (including Netflix, Blockbuster, YouTube, Hulu.)  If you are having trouble finding a film, please let me know. 

Animal Factory      2000 94m R

Cell 211  (Spanish)     2000 113m R

Escape from Alcatraz     1979 112m PG

Shawshank Redemption     1994 142m R

Dog Pound     2010 91m NR

The Green Mile     1999 189m R

The Escapist     2008 102m NR

Hunger     2008 96m NR

In the Name of the Father     1993 133m R

Chopper     2000 94m NR

American History X     1998 119m R

Gridiron Gang     2006 125m PG-13

Get the Gringo     2012 96m R

Papilion   1973 151m R

The Experiment   (German)     2001 120m NR

                        (American)     2010 96m R

The Longest Yard     1973 121m R

                            2005 113m PG-13

On the Yard     1978 102m R

Stir Crazy     1980 111m R

Dead Man Walking     1995 122m R

Control     2004 101m R

The Exonerated     2005 95m (tv movie)

There are relatively few films about women in prison that are not exploitation films.  If this is something that you are interested in, you might try to find:

Crossed Over 2002 90m (tv movie)

Last Dance 1996 103m R

Johnny Greyeyes 2001 75m NR

There are many really good, interesting documentary films about prison.  They can be found on Netflix or on free sites like YouTube, Documentary Storm, or TopDocumentaryFilms.com.  If you would like to review a doc, please okay it with me first.  (And, if you think you would like to take this option, I’m glad to make recommendations as well.) 

Essay Two

Essay Two Prompt

Analytical Film Review

For your second formal essay assignment, you will choose a film from posted list and write a 4 page summary and analytical review of that film based on the film’s overall treatment of issues around incarceration.  Additionally, you will identify an audience for your essay and will tailor your summary, analysis, evaluation, and language to that audience.  

In order to evaluate the film’s statement about prisons/prison life, you will need to consider the purpose of the film and the audience for whom the film has been produced.  You are expected to explicitly discuss issues and provide evidence to support the purpose and audience that you identify.

Purpose:  To sharpen summary writing skills.  To practice film analysis, including the use of the conventions of writing about film.  To identify an audience and make rhetorical choices about how best interact with that audience.  To gain experience making an evaluation based on the application of thoughtful criteria to an art object (in this case, film).  

Essay guidelines:  Your introduction should engage your audience, explain what you are writing about (give pertinent information about your film), and assert a thesis.  In this case, your thesis will likely be an evaluation of the film, based on the entertainment value for your particular audience, as well as the film’s handling of the issues related to this class (how is jail/prison portrayed?  How are those who are incarcerated characterized?  How is the administration characterized?  What does the film say about the role of guards or prison staff? etc.). 

Summarize the film briefly and fully, for the benefit of a reader who has not yet seen the film.  Give as much information as necessary for the reader to be able to understand the discussion of the film that follows.

Analyze the film.  Each body paragraph (after intro and summary) should begin with a topic sentence that clearly connects to and supports your thesis.  Each paragraph should 1) identify an element of the film (content, visual, audio) that contributes to its overall meaning, 2) briefly describe (or refer back to your previous description) of the elements to establish a context for your readers, and 3) explain HOW the element conveys or contributes to the central meaning of the text.  Answering the HOW part is crucial to your analysis.  It is not enough to just identify the characteristics; you must also discuss how these characteristics contribute to the message or meaning of the film as a whole.

Evaluate the film.  Consider how the film treats the subject the prison system.  Look at the portrayal of those in prison.  Look at the way that characters react to the incarcerated.  Evaluate the film’s treatment of the prison establishment (administration, guards, doctors,  institutions, etc.).  Does the film respect the incarcerated?  Does it make fun of the incarcerated?  What does the film seem to be saying about the position of the incarcerated in society?  Does the film perpetuate stereotypes about the incarcerated?  Are these stereotypes harmful?  Why or why not? 

You do not have to answer all of these questions in your evaluation nor are they the only questions you may consider.  This is merely a list to get you thinking about the messages the film sends about prison and the institutions related to it.

Conclude the essay by providing a general discussion of your evaluation of the film based on its treatment of prisoners and the prison system.  Connect your evaluation to your intended audience.  Lead the reader out of the essay.

Format the essay according to the guidelines in the syllabus and the MLA section of your handbook.  DO NOT forget to attach a works cited page that credits the source you are analyzing. 

Essay assessment:  Your first draft is due on Monday, May 5.  Please bring 3 copies with you to class.  Your second draft should be turned in  on Wednesday, May 14 with a clean copy of the revised paper, peer review materials, and the copy of the first draft with instructor comments.  Papers will not be graded without all of these documents. 

Slight Technological Problems

So, let's try this again.  I'm posting the materials for your second essay.  I will bring drafts of first essay (and peer review) to class today.  We'll do a quick lesson on run ons and fragments and then start the film.

News on Textbooks

For those of you who bought Everything's an Argument:  

The bookstore has now taken it off my list and will take back copies (at full price) with your receipt.   Try to get this done as soon as you can. 

And thank you for your patience! 

Essay One Prompt

1)  Begin by writing a 1-2 page summary of the essay "California’s Great Prison Experiment" by Tim Stelloh and published in The Nation. Assume that your readers have not read the essay, but are intelligent and naturally curious about and interested in reading about it.  In the first paragraph, please include:  1) a one-sentence thesis statement that sums up the main point of the source.  In this case, the "thesis" will not be YOUR main point; it will be the point of your source.  You really want this statement to help the reader understand what the writer is trying to convey to the reader (the argument) and why (the purpose).  2) An introduction to the source including its title, the name of the author, any pertinent background information about the author that you would like to add.   (You can find information about the writer or the place of publication—The Nation—by Googling!)  

In the body (either one or two paragraphs), you want to paraphrase and condense the original source.  Be sure that you 1) include important data but leave out minor points.  2) Include a few of the supporting details (examples, illustrations, discussions, pieces of evidence) used by the essay's author to give a more complete impression of his approach to the material.  3) Resist offering any of your own opinions, evaluations, metaphors, ideas.  The summary should be completely focused on reporting to your audience what the author has written.  4) Attempt to capture some of the tone and style of the original essay.  The best way to do this is to use some of the writer's own words.  To that end, use at least one direct quotation in the summary.  The quotation should be surrounded by quotation marks and should be preceded by a signal phrase to introduce the quotation.

There is no need to conclude the summary.  When you are done writing, just stop.  

2)  Once you have written a summary of the article, you are going to be asked to expand this piece of writing to also include a personal response.  Begin by considering your reaction to the article.  You may ask yourself:

Do you agree or disagree with any of the points made by Stelloh, based on your own experiences?
What one or two points did you find compelling and why?
Which supporting point stood out the most and why?
Are you convinced by the argument?  Why or why not?
Can you relate any of your personal experience to this topic?
Is there anything that you think that Stelloh is not considering in his treatment of this topic?

After you have considered these questions, please develop a "mini-thesis."  This mini-thesis should be something that you can discuss for about 1 1/2 to 2 pages (probably 3-4 strong paragraphs).  The idea should be focused and coherent.  Use evidence from the essay and/or evidence from your own experience to support the mini-thesis.

3)  Your finished essay should begin with your summary of the article. You should provide a clear transitional sentence into the response section of the paper--this should smoothly connect the summary to the response and should also provide a focus (your mini-thesis) for the response part of the essay.

The finished essay should be 3-4 pages, perfectly formatted (in MLA style), thoughtful and coherent, and carefully proofread.  You will turn in a first draft for comments and peer review on Wednesday, April 16.  Please bring 2 copies to class with you.  After peer review and instructor comments, you’ll revise and turn in a draft for grading on Monday, April 28. 

This purpose of this first essay is to emphasize reading strategies, to work on academic summary skills, to practice making connections between your experience and understand and those of others, and to produce a focused and developed analytical response to a reading. 

Welcome to the Spring 2014 ENGL 101 blog.  Be sure to check back regularly for links, course info, and assignments.

For Wednesday, April 9, please read the selections from Rules for Writers indicated in your syllabus and:

"California's Great Prison Experiment" by Tim Stelloh, found here.  And take notes, in the style of your choosing.

Please let me know if you have trouble accessing this.