below you will find the following:
1. A summary of the Viewer's Journal that was assigned on Wednesday, along with some helpful advice.
2. The actual assignment for Out of Class Essay 3. This is just to give you a more precise idea of what you will eventually be writing towards the end of the semester. Students in past classes have found it useful to know "ahead of time."
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English 20, Fall 2013, C. Fraga
If one is able to write an in depth
character analysis, one will be able to write ANY kind of analysis.
Observing character and
determining/analyzing why someone acts, thinks, speaks, reacts, feels, and
responds the way one does is both intriguing and also the most challenging of
tasks.
Viewer Journal Assignment
For your Out of Class Essay #3, you will be writing a very in-depth analysis
of ONE of the characters from Breaking
Bad, Season 1.
(This is NOT the official
assignment for the essay. You will receive that on the day indicated on the
syllabus.)
However, when you do eventually
submit Out of Class Essay #3 you will
ALSO be submitting a Viewer’s Journal as well. If you do not submit the Journal,
20 points will be deducted from your score on the essay. If this ends up to be
the one essay you choose to revise, you cannot earn back the 20 points.
What is a Viewer’s Journal?
Simply, as you watch each episode
of Season 1, you will jot down notes. There are no specific guidelines for WHAT
you will write.
Record what you believe is
significant or may end up being significant. Some of your entries might read a
lot like recaps of the episode. That is fine.
As you view each episode, begin to think
about what character you would like to write about for essay 3. More than one
character may intrigue you, so you may be jotting down observations and details
about more than one character.
This journal is strictly for YOU and for your use and reference when
planning and preparing to write essay 3. I will not be reading through them.
There is no requirement for length or content. These notes can be typed or
handwritten or be barely readable. Obviously, though, they should be at least
readable to YOU. J
When you submit essay 3, you will attach these journal entries
to the back of the essay.
It must be clear to me that you
have SEVEN distinct entries, one for each episode. Each entry must be titled by
the name of the episode.
Example:
Episode 2: “Cat’s in the Bag”
As you view each episode, and
observe the main characters, here are some questions to guide your note taking.
• What does this character do (and
not do) and why?
• What do others think about your
character? And how do you know?
• What motivates your character to
do what he/she does?
• What influences this character to
do what he/she does?
• What was your first impression of
this character and does it change as you view new episodes? Why or why not? In
which ways?
• What are this character’s goals,
dreams, desires, needs? How do you know?
• Do you like this character? Why
or why not?
• Is this character a believable
one, a genuine one? Why or why not?
**************************************
English 20, Fall 2013, Instructor:
C. Fraga
Out of Class Essay Assignment #3 (200 points
Requirements:
• MLA format
• If you utilize any outside sources
(not required) you must follow MLA format for in- text citations, Works Cited
page, etc.
At the very least, you must have a
Works Cited page that lists Season 1 of Breaking
Bad.
• Attach your Viewer’s Journal (all 7
entries) to back of essay when submitting.
Before we began viewing the first
season of Breaking Bad, I assigned a
Viewer’s Journal. You were to record your observations and any other notes you
wished in order to eventually select a character to focus on more carefully
than others. However, as we have discussed, your first few journal entries, or
perhaps more than a few, might just be summary plots and notes regarding
several different characters.
This Viewer’s Journal will now be a
valuable source as you write your last out of class essay for this course.
Assignment:
Write an in-depth character analysis
of one of the characters in the first season of Breaking Bad.
Your essay must include the following:
• Assertion(s) about your character
• Evidence from the episodes that
support your assertions (how did you come to the conclusion(s) you did
regarding this character?)
Your supportive evidence might
include but is not limited to:
• what others observe/say (or don’t
observe/say) about the character—either directly or in private
• the actions of the character in
particular situations
• the reactions/responses of the
character in particular situations
• what drives this character
• what terrifies this character
• what pleases this character
• what does this character long for
• what does this character need
Your thesis must be assertive…it is
YOUR opinion as a viewer of these episodes.
· Whether or not you LIKE or DISLIKE this character is not an
issue in this essay.
· Whether you LIKE or DISLIKE the series is also not an issue in
this essay.
Proving to the reader that this
character has the attributes (good, bad, layered, shallow) that you assert he
or she has is your goal.
Keep in mind that your reading
audience HAS viewed each of the seven episodes so avoid writing extensive
summaries of each episode.
Your thesis might read something like
this:
Once Walter learns of his terminal
cancer and begins cooking meth, he appears very unstable and irresponsible;
however, his behavior truly represents a very determined, loving, highly
intelligent and moral father and husband.
or…
Marie is a very insecure and lonely woman who is unhappy
and uncomfortable living in the shadows of her power-driven DEA husband and her
happily married and very bright sister, Skylar.
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