Research

WouldYouRecommendIt11.pdf

Essay 2 – Would You Recommend It? Review of Primary Media Source English 1101

Project Overview In this assignment, you will write a 750-1,000-word review of a film, book, TV series, podcast, play, or video game that you think contributes something significant to the genre and larger culture. Use specific evidence from your primary source to support a central idea or thesis showing how the subject of your review illustrates something compelling or exceptional about an idea or theme common to the genre. You should support your thesis with evidence from the subject and from secondary sources. Your essay must be formatted using MLA style (8th edition) and must contain a Works Cited page (the last page of your essay). Exercises designed to help you write this essay follow. You will not turn these exercises in. They are simply here to help you write your essay.

Formatting Your Essay.

• Your paper should conform to MLA formatting guidelines.

o Refer to Purdue University’s Purdue Online Writing Lab for help:

o MLA Formatting and Style Guide - Purdue OWL® - Purdue University

• Your paper should be between 750 and 1,000 words in length (12 pt., Times New Roman

or similar font)

• You must use at least two different sources of information for this assignment. One

source is your primary source (what you are reviewing); the other source (the secondary

source) should be a written article about your primary source (please try to find an

article in GALILEO.)

o GALILEO Homepage - Southern Crescent Technical College (usg.edu) (access

GALILEO through the link in Blackboard so you do not have to have a password.)

o If you need assistance using GALILEO, please refer to SCTC’s library page for

assistance or make an appointment with an English tutor in the Tutoring and

Mentoring Center.

▪ Welcome to the Library! - Southern Crescent Technical College

(sctech.edu)

▪ Tutoring and Mentoring Center - Southern Crescent Technical College

(sctech.edu)

• You must use at least one quotation, paraphrase, or summer for each body paragraph.

https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/mla_style/mla_formatting_and_style_guide/index.html

https://www.galileo.usg.edu/scre

https://www.sctech.edu/library/

https://www.sctech.edu/tutoring/

• Because you’ll be using sources in your paper, you’ll need a Works Cited page (it’s the

last page of your essay), and you’ll need to use in-text citations.

o MLA Formatting and Style Guide - Purdue OWL® - Purdue University

o Refer to the MLA section of in the Handbook portion of your textbook for

assistance formatting your Works Cited page entries.

• One way to organize this paper is to tell a story in which you describe your interest in

your topic. In the body of your paper, write about three to five interesting tidbits that

you learned about your topic. Feel free to write this essay as a narrative – telling a story,

using first person.

• Do not plagiarize your paper! Do not use ChatGPT (or any other AI) to write your essay.

Doing either will result in a code of conduct hearing with the Vice President for

Academic Affairs, who will determine the academic penalty.

Choose a Subject Use the chart below to brainstorm primary sources of films, books, TV series, podcasts, plays, or video games that you are familiar with and that you believe could be compelling subjects for your review. Examples have been provided.

Example Source 1 Source 2 Source 3

List primary sources that you are familiar with.

The Hunger Games

What is your interest level and experience with this source?

I first read the trilogy as a young adult and have returned to it several times.

https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/mla_style/mla_formatting_and_style_guide/index.html

Example Source 1 Source 2 Source 3

What genre does the source belong to?

Dystopian novel

Why might this source be compelling to review?

The Hunger Games was part of a popularizing movement of young adult dystopian novels.

After brainstorming, choose a primary source. The source I chose is ________________________

__________________________________ because ____________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________.

Developing Evaluative Criteria Establish your review criteria by completing the charts below. In the first one, write the name of your primary source and then the genre category your topic belongs to (e.g., for a movie, genre categories include rom-com, action, and horror). Next, list as many characteristics of the genre as you can on the left and examples of each on the right. (See the Quick Launch in Chapter 7, Section 7.5: Writing Process, for additional examples.)

Primary Source: ______________________________________________________________________

Genre: ______________________________

Examples

Characteristic: Theme In the Hunger Games, the Capitol’s control of the

Districts and Katniss’s willingness to rebel against

leadership develops the theme of government

Primary Source: ______________________________________________________________________

overreach, which is a common theme utilized in

dystopian novels.

Characteristic: _________________________

______________________________________

_____________________________________________

Characteristic: _________________________

______________________________________

_____________________________________________

Characteristic: _________________________

______________________________________

_____________________________________________

Characteristic: _________________________

______________________________________

_____________________________________________

Characteristic: _________________________

______________________________________

_____________________________________________

In this table, brainstorm characteristics of a subgenre of your topic (e.g., subgenres of action movies include adventure, crime, and comedy). Write the name of the subgenre and list characteristics of it on the left, focusing on the unique characteristics of the subgenre. Next, write questions on the right that will help you evaluate how effective the different characteristics are in the medium in which they appear.

Subgenre: ___________________________________________________________________

Subgenre Characteristics How to Evaluate

Subgenre: Time travel

Characteristic: Plot

How does the plot of the movie effectively use the genre characteristics? How well does the movie convey the complex plot of the novel it is based on?

Characteristic: ________________________

_____________________________________

Question(s):

Characteristic: ________________________

_____________________________________

Question(s):

Characteristic: ________________________

_____________________________________

Question(s):

Subgenre: ___________________________________________________________________

Characteristic: ________________________

_____________________________________

Organizing Your Ideas Your thesis is the claim or position you take about your source. Remember that your thesis speaks to how your primary source is compelling or exceptional related to an idea or theme common to its genre. You may choose one of the frames below to compose your thesis or write your own.

Example: As an example of the young adult dystopian genre, The Hunger Games is exceptional because it illustrates themes of survival and government control and popularized the genre among young adults in modern times.

As an example of the [name of genre] ________________________________, [name of primary

source] _____________________________________________________ is exceptional because

[reason 1] ____________________________________________________________, [reason 2]

_________________________________________________________, and [reason 3, if needed]

_____________________________________________________________________________.

Because [claim about primary source] _______________________________________, [name of

primary source] __________________________________________ exemplifies the elements of

the [name of genre] _____________________________________________________________.

[Primary source] ___________________________________________ accurately portrays [name

of genre or aspect of genre] _______________________________ because [claim about source/

genre] _______________________________________________________________________.

Use the following chart to plan before you draft. See Figure 7.5 in Chapter 7 for examples.

Title of Primary Source:____ ________________

________________________________________

Examples The Hunger Games

Angle of Analysis

How will you organize your review? What aspects of the source will you analyze?

I will organize my review by characteristics of the dystopian genre. I will analyze elements relating to that genre including plot, characters, and theme.

Your Responses

_______________________________________________________________

Filters How will you narrow your focus (e.g., time, place, cultural context, comparison to other sources)?

I will compare the novel to other novels in the dystopian genre.

Your Responses

_______________________________________________________________

Main Argument

What debatable point about your topic and source will you make?

My main argument is that The Hunger Games novel made young adult dystopian fiction popular.

Your Responses

_______________________________________________________________

Thesis What is a sentence that clearly states your argument?

As an example of the young adult dystopian genre, The Hunger Games is exceptional because it popularized the genre due to Katniss’s portrayal as a

Title of Primary Source:____ ________________

________________________________________

Examples The Hunger Games

heroine, the development of the theme of government control, and events that resonate in today’s world.

Your Responses

_______________________________________________________________

Main Points and Body Paragraphs Next you should plan your body paragraphs. Each body paragraph should begin with a topic sentence that expresses a main point that supports your thesis. Most reviews will have two or three main points. After you decide what your main points are and the order you will present them in, write a topic sentence for each, followed by an explanation and an example. You may choose one of the frames from the chart below to compose your main points or write your own. Within your explanation and examples, you will want to use both summary/observation and evaluation/analysis to support your points.

Example: Because dystopian novels such as The Hunger Games portray their protagonists as strong leaders, Katniss serves as a prototype for a young heroine who fights against government control.

Point Explanation and Example

Point 1: ______________________________

_____________________________________

Explanation: __________________________

_____________________________________

Point Explanation and Example

Example: _____________________________

_____________________________________

Point 2: ______________________________

_____________________________________

Explanation: __________________________

_____________________________________

Example: _____________________________

_____________________________________

Point 3: ______________________________

_____________________________________

Explanation: __________________________

_____________________________________

Example: _____________________________

_____________________________________

Point 4 (if needed): _____________________

_____________________________________

Explanation: __________________________

_____________________________________

Example: _____________________________

_____________________________________

Point 5 (if needed): _____________________

_____________________________________

Explanation: __________________________

_____________________________________

Example: _____________________________

_____________________________________

Secondary Source Evidence After developing your thesis and supporting points, you may find that you need additional sources to support your review. You can utilize scholarly, peer-reviewed secondary sources or recaps and reviews from media outlets. Use the organizer below to keep track of these sources.

Source 1

Author: _______________________________________________________________________

Title: _________________________________________________________________________

Short summary: ________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

Citation: ______________________________________________________________________

Source 2

Author: _______________________________________________________________________

Title: _________________________________________________________________________

Short summary: ________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

Citation: ______________________________________________________________________

Source 3

Author: _______________________________________________________________________

Title: _________________________________________________________________________

Short summary: ________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

Drafting Once you’ve organized your ideas, evidence, and sources, it’s time to write. Your review will consist of an introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion.

Introduction Your introduction should entice readers to engage in your review and tell them what specifically you’re reviewing. This is your chance to tell your audience why you’ve chosen this topic and offer

a brief evaluation of it. Your thesis statement should appear at the end of the introduction. You may use the following paragraph frame to help you draft the introduction.

General statement: _____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________.

Background or context: __________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________.

Brief summary: _________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________.

Evaluation: ____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________.

Thesis: _______________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________.

Body Paragraphs You spent some time previously planning your body paragraphs. Remember that each paragraph should have a topic that is introduced with a topic sentence that states a main point that supports the thesis. Each main point should be supported by evidence, either from your primary source, reliable secondary sources, or both. You may use the following graphic organizer to draft the body of your review.

Point Explanation and Evidence

Point 1

Explanation: ________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

Evidence

• Examples: _______________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

Point Explanation and Evidence

• Quotations: ______________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

• Secondary source evidence: _________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

Point 2 Explanation: ________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

Evidence

• Examples: _______________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

• Quotations: ______________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

• Secondary source evidence: _________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

Point 3 Explanation: _______________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

Evidence

• Examples: ___________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

• Quotations: ______________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

• Secondary source evidence: _________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

Point 4 (if needed)

Explanation: ________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

Evidence

Point Explanation and Evidence

• Examples: ________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

• Quotations: ______________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

• Secondary source evidence: _________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

Point 5 (if needed)

Explanation: ________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

Evidence

• Examples: _______________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

• Quotations: ______________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

• Secondary source evidence: _________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

Conclusion In the conclusion you will briefly summarize how the criteria you used led to your evaluation, restate and/or validate your thesis, and make a recommendation. You may use the paragraph frame below to draft your conclusion.

Brief summary of criteria and evaluation: ____________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

Restatement or validation of thesis: _________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

Recommendation: ______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

Revising Revising your writing allows you to not only fix errors in mechanics and conventions, but also to clarify and refine your ideas. Answer the following questions as you determine what ideas in your review might need revision.

• Does your review have a specific topic?

___________________________________________________________________________

• Does your introduction include an interesting lead?

___________________________________________________________________________

• Is your thesis clear, debatable, and specific?

___________________________________________________________________________

• Does each body paragraph support the thesis with a main point? Do you summarize to provide

background and context?

___________________________________________________________________________

• Do you support your main points with relevant and specific details (in the form of quotations,

paraphrases, vivid descriptions, etc.) from primary and secondary sources?

___________________________________________________________________________

• Do you cite your sources correctly?

___________________________________________________________________________

Based on the way you answered the questions, determine between three and five revisions you will make to your draft in order to strengthen its clarity, purpose, and/or effectiveness.

1. ________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

2. ________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

3. ________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

4. ________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

5. _______________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

Editing Quotations Quotations provide concrete evidence from primary or secondary sources that you can use to support the points you make in your review.

Use Quotations to Support Your Point

Use a direct quotation in the following situations:

• When it emphasizes a point you are making

• When it adds credibility to your point

• When the author’s meaning would less effective if their words were paraphrased

• If a quotation contains important information

• If a quotation adds variety to the essay

Example: Quote from the article “Reality TV is the Opiate of the Masses” by movie critic Roger Ebert: "I found the movie too long and deliberate as it negotiated the outskirts of its moral issues."

List two or three quotations you might use in your review: _____________________________

“____________________________________________________________________________”

Properly Format Quotations

A correctly formatted quotation contains the following elements. Be careful that any changes you make do not change the author’s original meaning.

• The exact words from the original text placed in quotation marks: “I found the movie too long and deliberate as it negotiated the outskirts of its moral issues" (Ebert).

• A signal phrase followed by a comma that indicates the source of the quotation: According to critic Roger Ebert, The Hunger Games movie was “too long and deliberate as it negotiated the outskirts of its moral issues."

• Ellipses to indicate irrelevant words have been omitted from a quotation or to shorten it: Reviewing The Hunger Games movie, critic Roger Ebert remarked, “I found the movie too . . . deliberate as it negotiated the outskirts of its moral issues."

• Brackets to indicate information you have added to clarify meaning: According to the article, “[Roger Ebert] found the movie too long and deliberate as it negotiated the outskirts of its moral issues."

• Correct punctuation, including the use of quotation marks around quoted material, commas after signal phrases, and end punctuation after the parenthetical citation: One critic wrote, "I found the movie too long and deliberate as it negotiated the outskirts of its moral issues” (Ebert).

• A parenthetical citation immediately after the quoted material: Another critic observed that he “found the movie too long and deliberate as it negotiated the outskirts of its moral issues” (Ebert).

Embed Quotations Use the information provided above to seamlessly integrate quotations into your own sentences.

• Example: A review of The Hunger Games movie published in Scholastic noted that “the theme of a totalitarian government, its characteristics, and the consequences for a population under such a rule are all explored in depth” (“The Hunger Games Book Series Review”).

Use one to two of the quotations you identified and practice embedding them in sentences of

your review: ___________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

Citing a Primary Source:

A PAINTING, SCULPTURE, OR PHOTOGRAPH

Provide the artist's name, the title of the artwork in italics, and the date of composition. Finally,

provide the name of the institution that houses the artwork followed by the location of the

institution (if the location is not listed in the name of the institution, e.g. The Art Institute of

Chicago).

Goya, Francisco. The Family of Charles IV. 1800, Museo del Prado, Madrid.

If the medium and/or materials (e.g., oil on canvas) are important to the reference, you can

include this information at the end of the entry. However, it is not required.

For photographic reproductions of artwork (e.g. images of artwork in a book), treat the book or

website as a container. Remember that for a second container, the title is listed first, before the

contributors. Cite the bibliographic information as above followed by the information for the

source in which the photograph appears, including page or reference numbers (plate, figure,

etc.).

Goya, Francisco. The Family of Charles IV. 1800, Museo del Prado, Madrid. Gardener's Art Through

the Ages, 10th ed., by Richard G. Tansey and Fred S. Kleiner, Harcourt Brace, p. 939.

If you viewed the artwork on the museum's website, treat the name of the website as the

container and include the website's publisher and the URL at the end of the citation. Omit

publisher information if it is the same as the name of the website. Note the period after the

date below, rather than the comma: this is because the date refers to the painting's original

creation, rather than to its publication on the website. Thus, MLA format considers it an

"optional element."

Goya, Francisco. The Family of Charles IV. 1800. Museo del Prado, museodelprado.es/en/the-

collection/art-work/the-family-of-carlos-iv/f47898fc-aa1c-48f6-a779-71759e417e74.

A SONG OR ALBUM

Music can be cited multiple ways. Mainly, this depends on the container that you accessed the

music from. Generally, citations begin with the artist name. They might also be listed by

composers or performers. Otherwise, list composer and performer information after the album

title. Put individual song titles in quotation marks. Album names are italicized. Provide the

name of the recording manufacturer followed by the publication date.

If information such as record label or name of album is unavailable from your source, do not list

that information.

Spotify

Morris, Rae. “Skin.” Cold, Atlantic Records, 2014. Spotify,

open.spotify.com/track/0OPES3Tw5r86O6fudK8gxi.

Online Album

Beyoncé. “Pray You Catch Me.” Lemonade, Parkwood Entertainment, 2016,

www.beyonce.com/album/lemonade-visual-album/.

Nirvana. "Smells Like Teen Spirit." Nevermind, Geffen, 1991. FILMS OR MOVIES

List films by their title. Include the name of the director, the film studio or distributor, and the

release year. If relevant, list performer names after the director's name.

Speed Racer. Directed by Lana Wachowski and Lilly Wachowski, performances by Emile Hirsch,

Nicholas Elia, Susan Sarandon, Ariel Winter, and John Goodman, Warner Brothers, 2008.

To emphasize specific performers or directors, begin the citation with the name of the desired

performer or director, followed by the appropriate title for that person.

Lucas, George, director. Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. Twentieth Century Fox, 1977.

TELEVISION SHOWS

Recorded Television Episodes

Cite recorded television episodes like films (see above). Begin with the episode name in

quotation marks. Follow with the series name in italics. When the title of the collection of

recordings is different than the original series (e.g., the show Friends is in DVD release under

the title Friends: The Complete Sixth Season), list the title that would help researchers to locate

the recording. Give the distributor name followed by the date of distribution.

"The One Where Chandler Can't Cry." Friends: The Complete Sixth Season, written by Andrew Reich

and Ted Cohen, directed by Kevin Bright, Warner Brothers, 2004.

Broadcast TV or Radio Program

Begin with the title of the episode in quotation marks. Provide the name of the series or

program in italics. Also include the network name, call letters of the station followed by the

date of broadcast and city.

"The Blessing Way." The X-Files. Fox, WXIA, Atlanta, 19 Jul. 1998.

Netflix, Hulu, Google Play

Generally, when citing a specific episode, follow the format below.

“94 Meetings.” Parks and Recreation, season 2, episode 21, NBC, 29 Apr.

2010. Netflix, www.netflix.com/watch/70152031.

An Entire TV Series

When citing the entire series of a TV show, use the following format.

Daniels, Greg and Michael Schur, creators. Parks and Recreation. Deedle-Dee Productions and

Universal Media Studios, 2015.

A Specific Performance or Aspect of a TV Show

If you want to emphasize a particular aspect of the show, include that particular information.

For instance, if you are writing about a specific character during a certain episode, include the

performer’s name as well as the creator’s.

“94 Meetings.” Parks and Recreation, created by Greg Daniels and Michael Schur, performance by

Amy Poehler, season 2, episode 21, Deedle-Dee Productions and Universal Media Studios,

2010.

If you wish to emphasize a particular character throughout the show’s run time, follow this

format.

Poehler, Amy, performer. Parks and Recreation. Deedle-Dee Productions and Universal Media

Studios, 2009-2015.

PODCASTS

Begin with the title of the episode in quotation marks. Provide the name of the series in italics.

Then follow with MLA format per usual.

“Best of Not My Job Musicians.” Wait Wait…Don’t Tell Me! from NPR, 4 June 2016,

www.npr.org/podcasts/344098539/wait-wait-don-t-tell-me.

SPOKEN-WORD ALBUMS SUCH AS COMEDY ALBUMS

Treat spoken-word albums the same as musical albums.

Hedberg, Mitch. Strategic Grill Locations. Comedy Central, 2003.

DIGITAL FILES (PDFS, MP3S, JPEGS)

Determine the type of work to cite (e.g., article, image, sound recording) and cite appropriately.

End the entry with the name of the digital format (e.g., PDF, JPEG file, Microsoft Word file,

MP3). If the work does not follow traditional parameters for citation, give the author’s name,

the name of the work, the date of creation, and the location.

Beethoven, Ludwig van. Moonlight Sonata. Crownstar, 2006.

Smith, George. “Pax Americana: Strife in a Time of Peace.” 2005. Microsoft Word file.

Council of Writing Program Administrators, National Council of Teachers of English, and National

Writing Project. Framework for Success in Postsecondary Writing. CWPA, NCTE, and NWP, 2011,

wpacouncil.org/files/framework-for-success-postsecondary-writing.pdf.

Bentley, Phyllis. “Yorkshire and the Novelist.” The Kenyon Review, vol. 30, no. 4, 1968, pp. 509-

22. JSTOR, www.jstor.org.iii/stable/4334841.

Video game, software, or app

Benzies, L., & Sarwar, I. (2017). Grand theft auto V [Video game]. Rockstar Games. https://www.rockstargames.com/games/V

Creating a Works Cited Entry for Secondary Sources:

http://www.jstor.org.iii/stable/4334841

Works cited entries show the reader where to find the sources that you actually used when you wrote your paper. Entries on the Works Cited page correspond to in-text citations within the body of your essay. List Works Cited entries in alphabetical order by author’s last name. Entries are formatted using a “hanging indent.” If an element listed below (i.e., vol.) does not exist, simply omit it. The Works Cited page is the last page of your essay and contains your works cited entries. In the entries below, “vol.” means “volume” and “no.” means “issue number.” Pay careful attention to format, punctuation, and spacing.

Periodical with One Author and with a DOI (Digital Object Identifier). Last, First. “Title of Article.” Title of Journal or Magazine, vol. 1, no. 2, Jan. 2018, pp. 2 – 3.

EBSCOHost, doi: 10.3390/ijms18010132.

Two Authors. Last, First, and First Last.

Three or More Authors. Last, First, et al.

Article with a Permalink. Last, First. “Title of Article.” Title of Journal or Magazine, vol. 1, no. 2, Jan. 2018, pp. 2 – 3.

EBSCOHost, proxygsu-

scre.galileo.usg.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=

aqh&AN=113465230&site=eds-live&scope=site.

Book with One Author Found in Library. Truss, Lynne. Eats, Shoots, and Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation. Gotham

Books, 2003.

Book with One Author Found in Online Library. Truss, Lynne. Eats, Shoots, and Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation. Penguin

Books, 2004. eBook Collection (EBSCOhost), proxygsu-

scre.galileo.usg.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=

nlebk&AN=118152&site=eds-live&scope=site.

Examples of In-text citations: In-text citations refer to entries on the Works Cited page. Therefore, enough information is provided within the body of the essay to refer the reader to the appropriate entry on the works cited page as well as the page number, which is enclosed in parentheses after the documented information, from which the source material can be found within the original source. The author’s name is provided either in the sentence or in parentheses along with the page number.

• According to Naomi Baron, reading is "just half of literacy. The other half is writing"

(194). One might even suggest that reading is never complete without writing.

• Reading is just "half of literacy. The other half is writing" (Baron 194). One might even

suggest that reading is never complete without writing.