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Writing 2: Rhetoric and Inquiry  Black Mirror Response and Inquiry Papers 

    Paper Overview    Throughout the quarter, we will watch a total of 10 episodes of Black Mirror through five distinct  thematic units. At the end of each unit, you will turn in a response paper that engages and responds  with the argument, themes, and purpose of the episodes as well as your thoughts and reactions to  them. The purpose of these papers is to perform a close reading of these episodes while subjecting  them to critique/analysis and connecting them to the unit theme.      Paper Details    Viewing episodes of Black Mirror as ​texts​ with specific ​purposes, audiences, and contexts​, closely “read”  them and write a paper that considers the following questions (using your PACT charts as  reference):   

● What do you think is the argument the episodes are trying to get across? What point is  Brooker trying to make with these episodes? What is his ​purpose​? E.g. commentary about  modern society, human tendencies, etc. Be specific!  

● How do the arguments interact with the unit theme? How do they interact with each other?   ● Do you agree or disagree with the arguments? Why or why not? Be detailed with your 

reasons and support with examples.    ● Who is the ​audience​ and what is the ​context​ of these episodes? In other words, who does 

Brooker hope to reach with these episodes and how are the episodes being consumed? Is  there a change Brooker hopes to enact? If so, what?  

● Finally, viewing the episodes as a ​text​, what devices (imagery, themes, dialogue, etc) do they  use to get their point across? Are they effective? Why or why not?  

  Guidelines for Paper    Formatting Requirements:   

● Cite (MLA, APA, or Chicago) at least three passages from the readings.    ● Paper will be 3-4 pages long.  ● Paper will be double-spaced and use a 12-point font (Ariel, Times New Roman, or 

something similar).    Necessary Elements: 

● Have an introduction, conclusion, and comprise of fully formed paragraphs. In other words,  do not write a bulleted list or a numerical response to the questions. 

● Reference specific scenes from the episodes. 

● Include at least one outside source (internet article, etc.)  ● Effectively engage, analyze, and respond to the episode(s) argument.    ● Be proofread and free of spelling/grammatical errors.