Due Date: March 23
Approximate Length: 7-10 pages (double-spaced)
Submission Procedure: Submit via Turnitin portal in Canvas
TOPIC: “We are the stories we tell.” With that quote in mind, write a unified, analytical essay in which you compare and contrast…
- three (3) of the films/stories below
OR
- two (2) of the films/stories below and another, similar SF film of your choosing.
Your essay should focus on what the interactions between the human characters and the aliens/beasts in tell us about the way we relate to each other across differences of gender and ethnicity—and how we relate to our own divided nature as beings who “[stick] out of nature with a towering majesty, and yet [go] back into the ground a few feet in order blindly and dumbly to rot and disappear forever….”
CHOOSE THREE:
War of the Worlds (Wells novella)
District 9
Avatar
Alien
Arrival
The Shape of Water
GENERAL WRITING GUIDELINES:
-
Write for a general reader (not necessarily me) who may or may not know about the stories/films you are discussing or know anything about SF as a genre.
2. Your essay should be primarily analytical but should also include enough plot summary to make sure that your reader knows precisely what you’re talking about. (If you have difficulty organizing your ideas, try telling the story and simply analyzing its meaning as you go along.)
3. Each of your generalizations and conclusions should be supported by evidence from the films. Many answers are possible to the question I have posed above, so your grade will be determined in large measure by the logical strength of the case you present and by your organizational and writing skills.
