Writing Homework Help

In this assignment, you will write an 800 – 1000 word essay on one of the following movies: Interstellar, Arrival, or Contact. Access to the movies is described in Weekly Agenda 18 – 22.

The goal of this assignment is to use the thought-provoking events of the film to push and expand your own thinking about the nature of life and the possibilities of extra-terrestrial life. If you have seen one of the films numerous times, and feel this assignment will not afford you this educational experience, please choose another film for this assignment. You will not earn full-points on this assignment if you respond to the questions below “I have seen this film numerous times so I did not experiencing anything new,” or “Nothing surprised me,” etc.

Use the prompts below to guide your essay formation. Do not simply write the questions and respond to them one-by-one in paragraph form. Please use the essay rubric as a guide to your creation.

Guiding questions for all three movies:

• One role of art is to spark thoughts and feelings outside of one’s typical or daily purview. What questions/concerns/conundrums do you think the film writers wanted the audience to grapple with?
• Tell me about a scene that surprised you. What happened?
• Which character did you find yourself resonating with most? Why?
• Which character did you find yourself disagreeing with or irritated by the most? What did they do or think that made you feel this way?

Additional guiding questions for Arrival or Contact:

• How did extraterrestrial life interact with humans? To what extent did this encounter expand or enhance the experience of human life? Does this match your expectation for human’s first contact with extraterrestrial life? Why or why not?

Additional guiding questions for Interstellar:

• In what ways does the film de-center our geo-centric vantage point? (there are multiple answers and please feel free to pick more than one to discuss)
• To what extent do agree or disagree with the statement, “We must reach far beyond our lifespans.” To what extent do you think the film writers have a position on this statement? Cite evidence from the film in your response.

You do not need to respond to all of the questions in your essay. You may find that answering one of the guiding questions provides enough grounds to support your writing of the entire essay. As long as you provide a rich discussion in response, you may earn full points according to the rubric.

Meets or exceeds required word count.

Well formed paragraphs: strong topic sentences followed by supporting sentences. Use of complete sentences. No grammar errors.

Coherent presentation (sentences are presented in an order that sequences thought in a useful order to the reader); Appropriate voice and tone; Understands assignment.