Response Posts (due by Sunday): Choose two or more classmates and develop responses to each of their original posts. To earn exemplary marks in this area, respond to more than two students. Evaluate your partner’s thesis using what you have learned about writing an effective thesis statement.
Restate your partner’s thesis in your own words. From what he or she wrote, what is your partner’s claim about the work and how does he or she plan to prove that claim (what are the author’s reasons)? Is your partner’s thesis discussing the theme? genre? elements? Or, is your partner’s thesis so far focusing on the creator him or herself?
Considering what your partner wrote in the discussion about his or her essay, what makes sense to you about the thesis so far? What doesn’t make sense? How would you approach the topic?
Your response should ask questions for clarification, bring up new ideas the writer hasn’t considered, and discuss the specific answers the student gave to each question. Your response post should also discuss your classmates’ questions, concerns, and advice about the research paper.
Responses must be at least 100 words long.
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1.
For my research paper I have decided to choose Stanley Kubrick’s “Full Metal Jacket.” This movie and the meaning behind it has changed significantly over the years since I first saw it. Kubrick was remarkable antiwar and as a more mature adult I very clearly see that in the tones of the movie, but at 17 when my friends and I were preparing to leave for the military, it was a motivational movie. I had joined the Navy and my friends were all joining the Marine Corps, we could quote almost every line that the senior Drill Instructor threw. This brings me to one of my first challenges of picking this movie, its one that I have a long history with, I won’t be watching it with fresh eyes making judgments of the movie with no knowledge of any twists or turns. However I am going to lean into that, tailoring my thesis around what makes this movie so motivational to some, yet starkly antiwar to others. I have found other articles online speaking of a similar experience with the movie so there are plenty of resources to find. The movie came out in 1987 right in the middle of the millennial generation, and I have never met someone in the military who hasn’t seen it and loved it as a movie. I intend to attempt to prove that this movie helped motivate an entire generation to war, especially following 9/11.
Thesis- Stanley Kubrick’s “Full Metal Jacket” is a revolutionary antiwar film, that motivated an entire generation to war through its cinematography, dialogue, and character development.
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2.
For the research paper, I’ve decided to research “The Godfather” by Albert S. Ruddy. This film series has always interested me with its cast as well as acting. This movie taught many lessons throughout including how important it is to spend time with your family. The producer, Albert S. Ruddy, has captured audiences with his dramatic and action packed movies. “The Godfather” incorporates family affairs with real life inspired mafia dealings. The series tells a story that is meant to give lessons about the importance of tradition and family. It manages to entertain the audience with a dramatic series that includes many scenes that one can relate to. This movie series was so popular, it inspired many producers to follow a similar path and develop their own mafia crime movies. It was the beginning of a new road in cinematography. I will approach this paper by researching this movie in detail and rewatching it. My advice to fellow classmates would be to take it slow and focus on the theme of the poem, book, or movie as it is the most important part to this paper. It will provide many details for the backbone of the paper.
My thesis: The movie series “The Godfather,” by Albert S. Ruddy, shows the audience how important family, traditions, and loyalty are through its cinematography, and real life inspirations.
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3.
For my research paper, I have chosen to analyze the poem The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost. I chose this poem because I feel that there are many ways it can be interpreted, but the main ideas and themes presented are ones that many people can resonate with. At this point in my life, I have many choices in the near future that will, in part, determine the course of my life. Because I am aware of my stage of life, I feel that I was especially inclined to hear what Frost had to say in The Road Not Taken. A common trend I noticed with Frosts poetry on the Research Paper Options sheet is that each poem contains something related to nature. Frost often uses imagery and personification inspired by nature to get his message across or to set the stage for his poem. This could stem from his personal interests, or from the fact that many people feel connected to themselves in nature. Either way, the use of simple aspects of nature in his poems make the audience feel more connected to the other things Frost has to say.
My tentative thesis for analyzing The Road Not Taken follows: In the poem The Road Not Taken, Robert Frost uses imagery and simple language to talk about the idea of making difficult decisions. I have approached analyzing this poem by looking for major ideas that immediately stick out to me, then considering what elements of Frosts writing make me feel something about the ideas. I am concerned that in using a poem, there will not be much text to refer to as this is a short poem. Frost does introduce the topic of decision making, which leaves me with many options as how to interpret his writing and display my thoughts through an essay.
