2 page draft

Division/Classification Paper

“When we divide and classify, we take a large and complicated subject and break it into smaller parts more easily handled by the writer and, [therefore], more easily grasped by the reader” (Visions Across the Americas, 307). A subject for discussion or for a paper sometimes needs to be divided into small, more recognizable parts in order for there to be comprehension on the subject at hand.

For Paper #2, please read the handout “How Films Feed the Mind” (330-42), and you will eventually create a 5-7 page paper doing an in-depth film review and analysis of one of the Top 10 films listed in the handout. Your job will to state and defend your thesis by both dividing and classifying, and by providing ample, research-based information that will that your selected film “feeds the mind.”

For you to be successful in this assignment, you must follow these criteria:

1) You must read the essay “How Films Feed the Mind” by Bill Swanson. You must also learn to understand his thesis that there is a very big difference between what a movie is and what a film is.

2) Your job will be to prove exactly HOW a film of your choosing (with my approval) feeds the mind. You will analyze how the themes, the characters, the setting, and the symbols “feed the mind.”

3) You will begin with two introduction paragraphs. The first one will be your attempt to validate Swanson's thesis—half of this paragraph will be proving what a movie is, and the other half will be proving what a film is. You will also be explaining the importance of films today in our society and hint at exactly how your film “feeds the mind.”

4) Your second introduction paragraph will be a brief plot summary—12-14 sentences in total—showing not only you saw the film but you can write an effective summary on a fairly complication work of art.

5) The remainder of the film (3-5 body paragraphs) will be your attempt to prove exactly HOW your film “feeds the mind.” Please follow the guidelines of good, better, best in your body paragraphs—in other words, save the best for last. Analyze how the themes, the characters, the setting, and/or the symbols “feed the mind.” Prove how these elements make the film”life-sustaining” and not solely be a “Comfort Zone” movie.

6) You must incorporate outside sources and research in order to deeply analyze your film. The expertise of professional film critics and scholars is mandatory, and research on this project is an absolute must. Avoid random bloggers and avoid using pure emotion and opinion here. For this project, I do not want your opinion; I want your facts.

7) Your conclusion paragraph must show absolute confidence that your film “feeds the mind.”

8) In conclusion, choose a film from the list of best films every made that is found on the handout, and prove exactly HOW it “feeds the mind.”

9) A Works Cited page is a must, and no references to Wikipedia or IMDB or Rotten Tomatoes will be allowed.

10) Refer to our Reference Librarians for more help with this project.

11) Finally, you must watch a film that is on one of the approved lists, it must be at least 25 years old, and it must also be something you have never seen before.