Writing Homework Help

For your midterm assignment, you are tasked with writing a short essay that analyzes one pirate-related film of your choice and directly  responds to the following prompt:

Throughout the term thus far, we have examined stereotypical depictions of pirates within popular culture. How do the representations of pirates in your chosen film support, relate, contradict, and/or subvert these notions of stereotypical pirates? Use at least three assigned readings (see attached file) to support your argument.

Your analysis should substantively demonstrate that you understand the central argument, theory, and/or concept addressed in your selected texts. This should be articulated to the reader in a manner that assumes they have no prior knowledge- you are tasked with explaining it to showcase your knowledge.

Requirements and Details:

Your paper should be written within a word count of 600-750 words and include a bibliography. Your bibliography should not count towards your word count. This assignment is not a summary of the movie; the focus is not on explaining the entire synopsis of the movie, but rather,  should instead focus on how this movie can be analyzed in relation to the prompt. Use the assigned texts from class from Weeks One through Five (Choose at least 3 attached readings ) in order to back up your analytical argument. The midterm is open book because you will need to cite the materials appropriately. 

A guide to writing your critical film review: Your essay should include…

– A thesis statement wherein you take a firm position in direct response to the prompt. An example of how you can craft a thesis statement for this assignment would be: Movie X’s portrayals of pirates centered primarily on notions of Y. These portrayals are criticized by X Author and speak on important themes found in Y Author, thereby demonstrating XYZ regarding pirates in popular culture. 

– A brief introductory paragraph: A strong introduction includes your thesis statement as well as introduces the texts you will use, so your reader/grader understands early on what your argument is and how you will develop this argument.  Though you may concisely introduce what the movie is about, this is not the space to summarize the movie as a whole (in fact, you will not do that at all; you will be analyzing selected portions of this movie in relation to the readings). Be careful of trying to impose analysis in this section- that is what the body of your essay is for. Keep this area concise and to the point.

– Body of paper: Paragraphs that support your thesis statement through the use of the text. Here, you may pull examples from your film and write in conversation with your chosen texts. Be careful to spend more time on analysis, rather than film summary. You are being asked to analyze, rather than summarize. Ensure each paragraph is clearly written and its body clearly reinforces your thesis statement. Make sure to use citations of the text, including your movie. See below for information on citations.

– Concluding statement or paragraph: This should bring your ideas together and reinforce the messaging you have explained throughout your review. New information should not be presented in your concluding statement/paragraph. 

– Bibliography/Works Cited: At the end of your paper, include your bibliography/works cited in a formatting style of your choice that is consistent and proofread. Bibliography does not count towards the word count.