ESSAY 1 INTRODUCTION

Comparative Analytical Essay

Write an essay comparing and contrasting some specific aspect of two or three of the readings and/or films that we have studied related to dictatorship in Argentina. The following are only suggestions of some possible topics; if there is another topic you would like to pursue, please check with me.

 Please upload your working introduction, including title, thesis statement, and Works Consulted, by noon on Wednesday, March 8. Submit your completed essay to Canvas for grading by 7 pm on Monday, March 13. 

1. Analyze the representation of coming of age in a time of political crisis in the novel and film versions of Kamchatka, or in one or both of them and the film Clandestine Childhood.
2. Examine the symbolism of enclosure and escape in the memoir in two of the texts and/or films that we have studied.
3. Compare and contrast the representation of the moral implications of a citizen’s actions under dictatorship, in two of the texts and/or films that we have studied.
4. Compare Marcelo Figueras’ novel Kamchatka (2010) with Marcelo Piñeyro’s 2002 film of the same title (for which Piñeyro and Figueras co-wrote the screenplay). What aspects of the characters and the story did Figueras have an opportunity to elaborate on, in writing the novel after the screenplay? What elements do the cinematography and sound track add to the film version and how are these compensated for in the novel?
5. Compare Eduardo Sacheri’s novel The Secret in their Eyes (2005/translation 2011) to the 2009 film adaptation with the same title, directed by Juan José Campanella (for which Sacheri and Campanella co-wrote the screenplay). What important differences are there in the plot and how does this affect the respective development of characters and their relationships? The respective ‘lessons’ offered by the two texts? The balance of romance to political thriller in each case?
6. Examine the novel and film versions of The Secret in their Eyes as studies in what constitutes ethical behavior in a deeply dysfunctional political context.
7. If you have watched the 2015 remake of The Secret in their Eyes, directed by Billy Ray (which is currently on Netflix Instant Streaming), compare the two film versions of the novel. In particular, what is the effect, in the remake, of changing the setting from Buenos Aires in 1968-1995 to Los Angeles in 2002, with regard to the anti-terrorist plot? What is the effect of changing the Sandoval character into a policewoman (played by Julia Roberts), and of having the counterpart to the Benjamín Chaparro/Espósito character played by a black man (Chiwetel Ejiofor)?

Give your essay a catchy title, a pointed and succinct thesis statement, a strong introduction and conclusion, and a coherent and substantial development of ideas, citing the appropriate sources. Avoid description and plot summary; remember that I, your audience, have seen the films and read the texts in question. Write four to five typed, double spaced pages, plus a list of Works Consulted. (Please use a Works Consulted rather than a Works Cited, and call it that rather than Bibliography. Place the items in your Works Consulted in alphabetical order and don’t number them.) Please incorporate into your analysis references to at least two scholarly book or journal articles, not including short film reviews, in addition to the course readings.

Please follow the MLA guidelines and use their parenthetical citation method. Please let me know if you have any questions; your work will be marked down for not following these guidelines:

https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/mla_style/mla_style_introduction.html (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.

 

Writing Tips

1. Don’t state the obvious. Don’t summarize the plot and characters. Remember that I am your audience and I have seen the films and read the texts in question.

2. Do use a thesis statement. Don’t say, “In this paper I will compare and contrast. A, B and C”; rather, make an assertion about the major similarities and differences between Texts A, B and C, in relation to the theme you are analyzing; and then proceed to develop and support your central argument throughout the essay.

3. Don’t discuss Text A, then Text B, then Text C, in your comparison; instead, break your major idea down into sub-themes and discuss Theme 1 in Texts A, B and C; then Theme 2 in Texts A, B and C; etc.

4. Do be very specific, referring to particular characters, events, etc.

5. Do cite the director or author, country and year of release or publication of each of the texts you are analyzing, the first time that you mention them in your essay.

6. Do engage in close textual analysis, in order to support your assertions.

7. When you quote from or use an idea from a source, use parenthetical documentation; include the complete publication information in your list of Works Consulted.

8. Don’t indent a prose quotation unless it is at least four normal lines long.

9. Do proofread for misspellings, wrong punctuation and grammatical errors. Beware of sentence fragments (incomplete sentences) and run-on sentences. Also be careful to use commas correctly and to not repeat the same key word or phrase excessively; instead, use synonyms or rephrase. (See the grammar links on the library web page.)

10. Capitalization: Italicize (or underline) the titles of films, books, and essay collections. In English every main word in the title of a book, film or essay collection is capitalized, while in Spanish only the first word (or the first main word) in the title is capitalized. Essay titles should be placed in quotation marks.

Let me know if you have any questions about this assignment. Happy writing!