Questions and Topics We Can Help You To Answer

Watch the Film Title and Director:  Do The Right Thing, Spike Lee

Writing a Critical Review (analytical) Essay

Every essay that you write for this course must have a clear thesis, placed (perhaps) somewhere near the end of the introductory paragraph. Simply stated, a THESIS (or ARGUMENT) expresses, preferably in a single sentence, the point you want to make about the text that is the subject of your essay. A THESIS should be an opinion or interpretation of the text, not merely a fact or observation.  The best possible THESIS will answer some specific questions about the text. Very often the THESIS contains an outline of the major points to be covered in the essay. A possible thesis for an essay on character in Perry Henzell’s The Harder They Come might read somewhat as follows:


The protagonist of THTC is not a hero in the epic sense of the word, but a self-centered young man bred of economic oppression and cultural dependency. The characters in this film have no real psychological depth, but are markers for a society of consumption and momentary glory. 


(You might then go on to exemplify from the text and argue in favor or against this interpretation: your essay need not hold to only one perspective.)


What single, clear QUESTION does the above THESIS attempt to answer?


Each essay should be organized into five (5) paragraphs, each based on one of two to four major ideas, which will comprise the BODY of the essay. Each paragraph must have a topic sentence, often (but not always) towards the beginning of the paragraph, which clearly states the ARGUMENT or point to be made in the paragraph. Following the thesis set forth above, the first paragraph might begin with a sentence like “Ivan’s desires and his destiny are signaled in the opening shots of the film, where the friendly, jumbled interior of the bus is contrasted with Ivan’s first view of the outer world: a world of shiny white cars and beautiful women.” Avoid topic sentences that fail to make an interpretative statement about the work or that merely state something any reader might observe; for example, “The first characters we see are country people on a bus to town.”


Underline the THESIS and each TOPIC SENTENCE in every critical review essay you submit. This exercise will force you to make certain that you have expressed and developed the ideas in your essay clearly and logically.  (In other words, do not do this exercise five minutes before you submit the essay but, rather, as you are working on the very first draft.)


Always use present tense verbs in your critical review essays about film texts.  Present tense is the verb tense of analysis.  Past tense, on the otherhand, is the tense of narration. In each essay, you will be analyzing a particular text, not retelling or summarizing the story.  If you find yourself slipping into past tense as you compose, you are probably narrating rather than analyzing.


Use specific passages from the text to support each point that you make in your essay. You may simply refer to an event in the text, or you may paraphrase what a character or the narrator says. But the best EVIDENCE will most often be direct quotes from the text.  







Q1. Develop a thesis pertaining to the assigned film text and whether or not it, the film, in your view has the power to transform one’s political sensibilities. Your argument should express your point of view regarding the politics of difference, political sensibilities, and political transformation(s) as related to the film. Remember, you’re writing (developing) an analytical essay. 

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Q2. Develop three (3) topic sentences that articulate the major ideas that will comprise the body of your essay. Remember that your topic sentences should clearly state the argument or point to be made in the respective paragraphs. 


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Q3. Identify three (3) scenes from the film that support your thesis statement. Briefly explain

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Q4. Lastly, fully develop your introductory paragraph. Remember that the best possible thesis will answer some specific question about the text. In this case a question related to the film’s power to transform political sensibilities regarding difference. 


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Example 1 

Develop a thesis pertaining to the assigned film text and whether or not it, the film, in your view has the power to transform one’s political sensibilities. Your argument should express your point of view regarding the politics of difference, political sensibilities, and political transformation(s) as related to the film. Remember, you’re writing (developing) an analytical essay. Submit your thesis statement in the box below:


  1a. Spike Lee’s film Do The Right Thing enforces stereotypes and does not have the power to change ones political sensibilities.


Develop three (3) topic sentences that articulate the major ideas that will comprise the body of your essay. Remember that your topic sentences should clearly state the argument or point to be made in the respective paragraphs. Submit your topic sentences in the box below:


    2a. 1. Spike Lee’s film Do The Right Thing deepens the lines of difference that separate our society. 2. Do The Right Thing perpetuates the idea of minorities as victims and poses the “dominant we” society as an evil figure to be fought against rather than promoting unity. 3. Spike Lee’s film does little to inspire any kind of hope and rather showcases in a very biased and glorified way the cycle of ignorance, hate, and violence that society seems to be trapped in.


Identify three (3) scenes from the film that support your thesis statement. Briefly explain.:


  3a. 1. The Scene where Buggin Out the self proclaimed progressive and “righteous black man” is very stereo typically yelling at this white guys who just trying to get home had stepped on his Air Jordans getting them dirty. This scene not only perpetuates stereo types about black people but when Buggin Out turns this one small accident into a statement about white people or the “ Dominent We” always taking from and keeping the black community down (Ruining his shoes, moving into “his” neighbor hood,), even those who were relatively blind to the deep differences that separate us cant help but stare and the gaping divide he has created. 2. The Scene Where Radio Raheem and Buggin out go into Sals Pizza and Blasting Fight The Power by Public Enemy Demanding that Sal put some pictures of black people on his wall of fame. I chose this scene because Radio Raheem and Buggin Out approach Sal as if he and his wall of fame are the embodiment of society of keeping the black man down. Rather than recognizing that these Italian men and women in the pictures inspired Sal just as Martin Luther King jr. and Malcom X inspire Raheem and Buggin Out they only see the color of there skin rather than the message of hope they send to a different community. 3. The Scene where Sal’s Pizza is destroyed. This Scene exemplifies the violence and hate that results when ignorance is left unchecked.

  
Lastly, fully develop your introductory paragraph. Remember that the best possible thesis will answer some specific question about the text. In this case a question related to the film’s power to transform political sensibilities regarding difference.:


  4a. Spike Lee’s film Do The Right Thing enforces stereotypes and does not have the power to change ones political sensibilities. Filled with characters stereo typical in the extreme Spike Lee’s Do The Right Thing widens the divides created by deep differences. Each racial community is ignorant to the others and share in a similar feelings of indignence about there lives. Rather than searching for a way to unify or better their lives they wallow in self pity looking for someone to place the blame for their unhappiness on. A bleak tale that ends in hate and violence as all ignorance does Spike Lee’s Film doesn’t call for a change amongst all groups but rather sends a biased warning to one community of the dangers of those they will always have to live around.



example 2
Film Title and Director: Do the Right Thing - Spike Lee


Develop a thesis pertaining to the assigned film text and whether or not it, the film, in your view has the power to transform one’s political sensibilities. Your argument should express your point of view regarding the politics of difference, political sensibilities, and political transformation(s) as related to the film. Remember, you’re writing (developing) an analytical essay. Submit your thesis statement in the box below:


  1a. After “bearing witness” to the ‘homeplaces’ and environment of a particular group of people, one’s sensibilities can be changed. Even though minorities have conflicts and don’t always agree with one another, they can join and come together against a particular threat, in this case the “the machine”.


Develop three (3) topic sentences that articulate the major ideas that will comprise the body of your essay. Remember that your topic sentences should clearly state the argument or point to be made in the respective paragraphs. Submit your topic sentences in the box below:


  2a. (1). Through the challenges and hardships of growing up and living life in an economically challenged urban environment is something that these minority groups share. (2). In order for different groups of people to survive and live amongst each other, there needs to be a good balance of Love and Hate, which allows goals and accomplishments to be achieved. (3). At the end of the day, it’s not the appearance or color of skin that defines a person but rather their life experiences and what they’ve accomplished to get where they are today.


Identify three (3) scenes from the film that support your thesis statement. Briefly explain.:


  3a. (1). When Mookie is over at his girlfriends and goes into the kitchen, the Latin mother of the girlfriend expresses her thoughts and feelings towards Mookie in a language that he cannot understand. (2). The group of Latin guys compete volume levels of their Latin music against a black man and his music. Even though these two ethnic groups don’t get along, the Latins will support the Blacks late when a young black name is killed. (3).Just before neighborhood store is about to be overrun by an angry mod of mostly African Americans, the Asian store owner shouts “I’m not white, I’m not white, I’m black like you” to express that he is a minority and part of the community.

Lastly, fully develop your introductory paragraph. Remember that the best possible thesis will answer some specific question about the text. In this case a question related to the film’s power to transform political sensibilities regarding difference.:


  4a. After “bearing witness” to the ‘homeplaces’ and environment of a particular group of people, one’s sensibilities can be changed. Even though minorities have conflicts and don’t always agree with one another, they can join and come together against a particular threat, in this case the “the machine”. Through the challenges and hardships of growing up and living life in an economically challenged urban environment is something that these minority groups share. They must learn to survive and live amongst each other, which can only be achieved with a good balance of Love and Hate. And with this Love and Hate balance, goals and accomplishments are able to be achieved. At the end of the day, it’s not the appearance or color of skin that defines a person but rather their life experiences and what they’ve accomplished to get where they are today.