English 11

Homework

Research Paper Assignment

Whether we know it or not, we have all seen a movie version of an historical event.  Some purport to be totally factual, some are only based on fact, and some create a fictional story against a factual backdrop.  But how factual are they really?  The danger is that, in an increasingly visual world in which people don't read, those watching may think that what they see is more factual than it actually is.  They may even believe the story and think that is how the history must have been.  The danger here is that we may be allowing movie makers to rewrite history; if history tells us who we were and therefore who we are and what we can become, then script writers are creating a fake generation unconnected to reality.  Ultimately, this gives incredible power to the script writers to create what they want.  It also creates a divided society: those few who know the truth, and the many who don't.

In this assignment, you will be researching and writing about an historical event that has been adapted into a non-documentary movie.  You will:

• Pick an event and a movie based on the event

• Research the event to find out all the facts of who was involved, what happened, when it happened, where, and why.

• Watch the movie and take notes on the similarities and differences between your research and the details of the movie.

• Come up with a reason or reasons to explain why the movie and the history may have been different.

Then you will:

• Write an outline

• Write a six page paper (typed, double spaced, 12 pt. font, 1" margins

• Write a title page and a works cited page (using MLA style) (these are not included in the six pages)

• Prepare and deliver a brief oral presentation to the class about your movie and research findings.

Research paper due dates:

Library research: 4/22 - 4/28

Outlines graded in class:  5/1

Oral presentations: 5/8

Research paper due:  5/12

Elements of Literature: setting, plot, theme, characterization, point-of-view

Elements of poetry: structure, imagery, tone, versification, theme

Verbal Irony: the use of words to express something other than their literal meaning.

Situational Irony: the incongruity between the actual result of a series of events and the normally expected or anticipated result.

Dramatic Irony: the greater awareness developing from the fact that the reader or audience knows more or learns more about a situation in the story than does the character or characters involved in it.