Write an essay that relates scene to the text as a whole as well as the broader concepts of “crazy” we have been discussing as a class.

So far in this class, we have been discussing the concept of craziness and how it presents itself in different texts.  We’ve come up with several class questions regarding the diagnosis, perception, treatment, and role of those deemed “mad in civilization”, to use Andrew Scull’s language.  We’ve also been practicing close reading strategies on poems and music videos.

 

For Inquiry 1 you will write an essay that engages with a deeper reading of a section of text we have read for this class in order to make a larger argument about how craziness is represented in that text as a whole as well as more generally in society.

Texts to Choose From:

“The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Oilman Stetson

Fight Club directed by David Fischer (based on the novel by Chuck Palanquin)

But I’m a Cheerleader directed by Jamie Babbitt

I already chose But I’m a cheerleader

Final Analytical Essay:

Your final essay should meet these requirements:

-1200-1500 words in length

-Clear and original thesis

-Focuses on a particular scene from one of the approved texts

-Includes some specific evidence from that scene (at least 3 quotes/paraphrases)

-Makes connections to at least one of the secondary readings

-Closely reads and analyzes the scene (not just a stigmatization of what it says!)

-Engages critically with the language, characterizations, themes, etc. found in the scene

-Relates scene to the text as a whole as well as the broader concepts of “crazy” we have been discussing as a class

-May include other sources, but they are not required