Argumanitiave essay.

Dickinson

English 101

Essay #3: Everything is an Argument

Context: Popular culture both reflects and influences the trends, beliefs, and values in our society. Regardless of whether we notice them, or whether their creators intend them, every piece of popular culture has an argument—and these arguments extend to all aspects of our lives, whether political, social, or ideological. For this essay, you will examine a piece of popular culture to identify what it is trying to convince our society to think, do, or believe about a specific subject in real life.

First, choose a film from the following list to write about:

Big Hero 6

Fury

Gone Girl

How to Train Your Dragon 2

Hunger Games: Mockingjay

If I Stay

Lucy

Whiplash

All of the above movies should be available on Amazon Prime/Netflix/ Redbox because they came out on DVD fairly recently. Some were extremely successful commercially, while others were mainly successful with critics. I advise you to watch whichever film you choose several times in order to get as many examples as you can.

Prompt:

Your assignment is to identify one (1) argument demonstrated by the film about an important issue in real life society and explain how the film makes the argument using examples from the film and a little outside research. This argument does not necessarily have to be explicit. Also, the argument you identify need not be an argument the writers/directors intended. As long as you can support your argument, it doesn’t matter what the creators intended.

Additionally, you must apply this argument to real life . For example, I’m not very concerned with an argument about how you think the world of Hunger Game works. Rather, I would want to know what the film is saying about our society through the story of the Hunger Games; Mockingjay. As long as you can identify an argument, support your findings with examples from the film, and apply it to real life, everything is fair game.

Rules and Regulations for Essay #4:

· No more than three (3) students will be able to write about the same movie, so be sure to choose 1st, 2nd, and 3rd choices for when we choose topics (date to be announced).

· Remember, when analyzing and evaluating the argument in the film, IT DOES NOT MATTER IF THE FILM IS GOOD OR NOT. I have placed some more-or-less horrible films on the list because of their cultural impact rather than their cinematic quality. A film doesn’t need to be good in order to have an argument.

· While writing the essay, assume that your audience HAS SEEN THE FILM, but might not remember many specific details. While you will still need to explain parts of the movie in order to show how it makes its argument, there is no need for extensive plot summary. Feel free to reference any characters by name and skip major plot points that don’t pertain to your topic. Describe the movie in detail, but do so only when it is necessary to explain the argument.

· When identifying the argument within the film, you DO NOT HAVE TO AGREE WITH THE MOVIE. For instance, I could say that Whiplash argues that abusing people is necessary in helping them achieve their goals and making an impact on society, even if I, personally, think this is a horrible strategy for getting people to improve a skill.

· Each final draft should reach a minimum of four (4) pages.

· Each essay must make reference to at least two (2) outside source beyond the movie. All sources must be credible, relevant, and cited correctly both in-text and in a correctly formatted Works Cited page. Note: this source must be about the real-life topic to which your argument relates, with no mention of the movie at all. (I.e., if you are writing about death in Big Hero 6, you would want to find a source that offers insight into death and family, not the movie).

· If you would like to use reviews, news articles, or statistics regarding the movie itself in addition to your first source, do so if you desire (though it’s not required). However, it should seek to help explain the argument of your movie.

· If there is an obvious argument in a movie (i.e. "Fury argues that war is bad.”), I strongly discourage you from writing on the topic. Try to scratch deeper under the surface and delve deeper into the topic to look for a more complex argument (i.e. “war teaches soldiers about humanity”).

· When referencing the characters in the movies, refer to them by character names, not actor names.

· When referencing the “author” of a movie, you should probably refer to the director(s) of the film, or perhaps, the screenwriter. When in doubt, use the term “the filmmakers” as a catch-all.

· All essays must be typed, in MLA format, with a corresponding Works Cited page.

· The essay is not a narrative. Try to avoid first-hand examples unless they pertain directly to how you interpret the film and/or the subject about which it makes its argument. In some cases, however, personal and first-hand examples are acceptable, but they should not take the place of outside sources. Use of first person words, such as “I,” “me,” or “my,” is acceptable, but should be used sparingly.

· Avoid using the word “you” at all costs, unless you are addressing your reader DIRECTLY in the introduction or conclusion. Do not use it to describe people “in general.”

If you have any comments or questions regarding this assignment, PLEASE ASK ME! I am more than willing to help you out!

Good luck!