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Course Information
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Grading
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Additional
Information (click on picture)
Mystic Pizza
Good Will Hunting
ARC
MLA Handout
Contact Information
 Tele:
(860) 231-5353
 Email: jarzt@sjc.edu
 Email tutoring at SJC : tutoring@sjc.edu
Office: Mercy Hall, 250
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Critical
Analysis Paper # 1
Write a critical analysis of the coming-of-age
theme and the New England settings in Mystic
Pizza and Good Will Hunting. In this essay, also demonstrate an
understanding of cinematic terms and techniques.
Steps:
- Review your film
notes on the two films, and review relevant information in A Short Guide to Writing about Film. In the text, pay particular attention
to information and sample essays in the following sections: “The
Critical Essay,” Chapter 1 (pp. 11-16) ; “Talking Back to Movies,”
Chapter 2 (pp. 21-25); “Visual Memory and Reflection,” Chapter 2 (pp.
28-34); “Mise-en-Scène,” Chapter 3 (pp.
46-55); “Composition and Image,” Chapter 3 (pp. 55-69); “Sample Essays,”
Chapter 4 (pp. 92-104). These
sections should give you a good
idea of what a critical essay entails as well as some good models to
consider. Also, see the
“Checklist for Writing an Effective Essay” on pp. 121-123 in Chapter
5. (Later, you can explore other
parts of Chapter 5 when you revise and edit; see steps below.)
- While reviewing
your notes, think of an aspect of the coming-of-age theme that interests
you. Then think about how you can
develop this idea into an essay.
- Flesh out your
notes further and brainstorm and write specific notes for your
essay. Keep your notes focused on
the aspect of the theme you want to work with in each film, as well as
what you want to say about setting and film techniques.
- At this point, you
might decide to see specific segments of the films again to expand your
notes. A video copy of each film
is on reserve in the library for use there. I also have a DVD copy that I could
lend overnight.
- Depending upon your
style, write note-cards, an outline, a fast draft or extensive
handwritten notes to get some momentum going for starting your essay.
- Review your work
from step 5, and add additional notes and details to expand and develop
your work. At this stage, you
should be set for writing your first solid draft of the essay.
- Perhaps once this
first full draft is ready, you will want to get feedback. However, if you think the essay could
use more development and shaping, work on it further before seeking
feedback.
- Prepare a more
finalized draft. Bring your draft
to class on the announced peer review day. (See the peer review form so you can
be prepared for this class. No
excuses for not having your work ready for the peer review day, please.)
- Revise your draft,
reorganizing sections and fleshing out the analysis as well as the use
of supporting details and examples.
Be sure your ideas are adequately developed.
- Edit the essay. At this stage, you might want to work
with an ARC tutor who can help you with clarity and identifying
sentence-level errors.
- Be sure to add
citations if you used any material from references. Follow the MLA method for citing your
sources. (See the sample MLA
essays in your text.)
- Once the essay is
fully written, work on final documentation preparation: double-space,
Time New Roman 12-point font, one-inch margins on all sides, MLA header
instead of title page, Works Cited page (if needed). You are required to submit both the
hardcopy and an electronic version, which will be scanned with Turnitin.com.
Evaluative
Criteria
Class essays will be evaluated by applying the
following uniform criteria to all papers:
1) critical thinking: ability to analyze the coming-of-age theme and
the use of setting and cinematic techniques
2) *organization: logical progression of ideas throughout the
essay; appropriate introduction and conclusion; well-organized paragraphs;
transitions between paragraphs and between ideas within paragraphs;
well-sequenced body paragraphs; use of transitions to connect ideas
3) elaboration and detail: full development of ideas and inclusion of
adequate supporting details to develop ideas
4) *clarity: fluid written expression, ease with which a reader
can grasp ideas
5) *diction and tone: college-level vocabulary and use of cinematic
terms
6) mechanics and usage: punctuation, spelling, correct MLA (if
applicable), correct verb tenses, pronoun-antecedent agreement, subject-verb
agreement, sentence construction (no fragments, run-ons, misplaced modifiers,
etc.), no commonly confused word errors (e.g., its and its, affect and
effect)
*Please
be sure to consult Corrigan, Chapter 5 “Style and Structure” to assist you
with tips on diction, tone, varied sentence structure, organization,
avoidance of clichés and repetitions. His tips are likely to help you with both
revising and editing your essay so you do well with criteria (2)
organization, (4) clarity, and (5) tone and diction.
Enjoy working on this critical essay. Feel free to establish your own style and
do not feel obliged to use the traditional 5-paragraph essay format. However, do make sure your paper is well
organized and can be readily followed by a reader. Think of your audience as any student in
the class as well as your professor.
Your purpose is to convince your reader that you can write a solid
critical analysis that addresses the assignment prompt, which requires you to
analyze films with a good critical eye.
You will also want to convince your readers that you can express your
ideas clearly and meet the criteria established for this assignment. You have two weeks to complete this
multi-step assignment. Work through
the steps by designing a schedule right from the start. The peer review session will be held one or
two class meetings before the paper is due.
You are required to bring two typed copies of your full draft to this
class. In addition, you are strongly
encouraged to have me and ARC tutors review your paper before the final
submission date. (Check the class
schedule online daily for updates.)
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