Critical Essay
For this essay I have to write a critical response to a text – a movie or a TV show. something I can review critically and something that is sending a lot of messages. Can not choose one that’s an interpretation that relies on metaphor. The essay is asking to talk about a real subtextual problematic where it seems like it’s trying to be about X, but actually sending a message about Y. I hope the shows/movies to be not too old ones.
This are the examples given by my professor,
1. Frozen and ideas about Elsa’s agency and feminism
2. The Hate U Give and Black Lives Matter vs black-on-black violence
3. Maleficent and representations of women being “anti- technology”
And here is the prompt.
The writers of the essay and review of Frozen and The Hate U Give, are not interested in broad questions of good or bad, like or don’t like, but rather the clash between text and subtext, whether the film is effective or ineffective, successful or unsuccessful related to the message it thought it sent, versus the messages it actually sent and the subtext we can glean by watching it. This is what makes these critical reviews more than just a “rotten tomatoes” review. They are looking for deeper meanings of the films by contextualizing them within our world. The writers of these reviews look at every aspect of the filmmaking–from the funding/producers and what happened in the writer’s room, to the actual dialogue spoken and plot points and scenes. You will attempt the same.
Make sure your first paragraph ends with a thesis of sorts. This will look a little different than the ones you might have written in high school. Think of it as your Condensed Main Argument. For instance, the last paragraph in The Hate U Give review ends with a thesis: “The film betrays that analysis by entrenching old tropes. The Hate U Give makes Black people primarily responsible for their own oppression. The film asks viewers not to challenge a policing system that kills Black people at least every 28 hours, but to focus exclusively on “Black-on-Black crime,” even when unarmed Black boys are killed by White cops.”
So we have a text/subtext argument. You can formulate your argument similarly. The film is not about X, because it is portraying Y instead of Z. Be as specific as Cullors, Abdullah, and Chocano.
Weak thesis: Frozen is not feminist because it shows Elsa as crazy instead of feminist.
Strong thesis: Though Frozen intends to portray a feminist message which prioritizes the bond of sisterhood and women being true to themselves over romantic attachments, Elsa’s lack of agency and subdued powers at the end creates subtexts that implies women with power are emotional, irrational, and must be restrained for the good of the community.
Really weak thesis: Frozen is a story about sisters and a funny snowman that sold over $400 zillion tickets in the first month at the box office.
Why I don’t want see terms like, successful in regards to box office numbers, fandom, etc. –I’m not a producer, don’t try to sell me on this film or show. Go deeper–message, text vs subtext. What’s at stake? What is this show really about?
Don’t worry about “spoilers”–we are adults in a class that want to hear deeper truths than what just happened in a film.
Don’t get too caught up in explaining the whole plot of the film. Look to how Abdullah and Cullors used the plot to explain their thesis, not the reverse. For your audience, imagine a person who is not looking for a thumbs up/thumbs down style review, but perhaps has seen the TV show already and wants to know what a smart person thinking about the messages being sent.
Requirements
Double-spaced 12pt font, MLA
850 words minimum
Works Cited page with at least one in text citation from the movie itself or the review you read for homework.
Descriptive writing about the text and analytical writing that explains subtext
Thesis statement at the end of your first paragraph
You probably don’t want to quote Chocano or Cullors/Abdullah unless you have a really good reason to. It will rarely work for your essay
