Write a 4-page essay (typed, double spaced, MLA format) on Mary Poppins or Iron Man, choosing one of the following approaches. The goal is to write a focused, thesis-driven essay that features your close readings of, and citations and quotations from, the film(s). Draw from your notes and class discussions. This is not a research paper; it is your formal analysis of the primary source(s). Do not consult other sources.
The body of your essay should be your written, detailed analysis of three scenes. For your discussion of each scene, please include a screen capture/image from each scene that illustrates your argument.
Options
1.) An essay that is a definition paper will take the working definition of “heroic” and/or “superheroic” that we established in class and apply it to 1-2 characters in the film. In past EN 225 classes, students have said that a superheroic character exhibits: charisma, personality, emotionality, courage, bravery, selflessness, a moral code, an interest in growing/learning/transformation, ambition, perserverance in the face of hardship, and a commitment to using their special gifts and abilities positively and especially to help others. You may use the working definition from my past EN 225 students, or you may use the working definition that we end up establishing in the first week of our Summer 2020 class.
Alternatively, you could argue that the film is a testament to a “superheroic” author/creator. In past EN 225 classes, students have said that an author/creator who is superheroic: innovates, invents, inspires, influences, has imagination, and is introspective (i.e. sees the complexity in humanity and presents it in their characters and stories). You may use the working definitions from my past EN 225 students, or you may use the working definition that we end up establishing in the first week of our Summer 2020 class.
2.) An essay that is a cultural studies paper will take one of the literary approaches we have been practicing and apply it for a focused analysis of the film. As a reminder, those approaches are: socio-political studies; gender and sexuality studies; race, ethnicity, and diversity studies; class studies; disability studies; and environmental studies.
For instance, you could argue that Tony Stark’s alcoholism is represented as a disability in the Iron Man comic books, as opposed to the film, in which alcoholism is glamorized and even portrayed as humorous.
3.) You may also do a paper that combines these options. For instance, if you choose to write about Mary Poppins, you might argue that the title character is a superheroic based in particular on a gender studies analysis.
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