Parenting in Literature and Film: A Comparison Essay

a.) Essay Length Requirements: Minimum 700 words/Maximum 900 words i. The max limit is negotiable. If you are over the limit, the quality of the paper is the primary focus, so do not cut out anything you feel is essential to your argument. ii. The word limits mentioned above do not include quotations, the outline, referencing information, or the Works Cited page. b.) Double-space your answer, include your name on each sheet, and number your pages. c.) Provide an outline/plan for your essay (this can be point form) for reference purposes. d.) The evaluation is based on the quality of the analysis and the ability to construct an organized and grammatically sound essay (including the points provided in the weekly classes on essay composition). e.) Include a minimum of two quotations from each source in your answer. All quotations must be properly formatted and integrated using MLA format. f.) Provide a properly formatted MLA title page and Works Cited page (see folder for samples of both pages). g.) Focus on an authentic engagement with the class material. Students are expected to prepare and write this essay on their own using original ideas and phrasing. Suspected plagiarism will be reported to the Academic Integrity Committee. All sources should be cited carefully. Please see Seneca’s Guide to Academic Integrity for more information. BACKGROUND AND RESOURCES: We looked at film stereotypes in class, so this essay will ask students to compare film to literature. Your task is to choose a film from the choices provided in the course site. You will then compare the parenting roles/concepts in your film to one of the short stories from the ‘Parenting Unit’ (see specific topics below). • Choose a film to watch. Think about how some of the themes in the film relate to concepts we explored in the literature from this unit (parenting, gender roles, societal expectations, etc.). • NOTE: All the film choices will be listed in the Test 2 folder under ‘Assignments’ in the course site. • Then, choose a topic from those provided below. Compare or contrast the short story with the film. • Keep in mind what you have learned about your writing. Since you will have more time for this essay, use it to re-write and revise any ideas or phrasing that might be unclear. Engage in a meaningful drafting process. • Do your best to come up with original and authentic connections between the resources. Suspected plagiarism will be reported to the Academic Integrity Committee. Please see the weekly classes for more information about ‘Avoiding Plagiarism’ or you can access Seneca’s Academic Integrity Policy. ESSAY TOPICS: 1. In the story “Sunday in the Park”, each parent feels a certain responsibility regarding roles within the family (about themselves and certainly about each other). Compare the portrayal of this mother-father relationship and these expectations to any set of parents in the film you chose to watch for this assignment. You should comment on the lectures/material about traditional gender and parenting roles from the Week 4 and 5 online classes to help you ground your answer. Be sure to incorporate specific evidence from the film and the short story to support your claims. 2. In “The Stolen Party”, we read about a very stoic mother who had to deal with her daughter’s realization of class and social status. Compare and/or contrast this mother with any mother from the film you chose to watch. The basis for comparison or contrast is your choice entirely, but you should focus on elements we have touched on in class. For example, you might want to compare/contrast the parenting style of each mother, or you may want to compare/contrast the characterization of each mother. You should consider referencing the lectures/material about traditional gender and parenting roles from the Week 4 and 5 online classes to help you ground your answer. Be sure to incorporate specific evidence from the film and the short story to support your claims. 3. Using three traits of a good father from the online source Benevolent Blog (see Week 4), compare and/or contrast the characterization of any father in any story we read in Unit 2 (“Daddy”/“Sunday in the Park”/“Abandoned”) to any father in the film you chose to watch. How does each father measure up in terms of the three traits you chose to explore? You can use other information from the Week 4 and 5 online classes to help you ground your answer, but the ‘traits’ should come from the blog. Be sure to incorporate specific evidence from the film and the short story to support your claims.