Were we supposed to post our outlines?

The Writing Center is fabulous.

I don't know if this can qualify for extra credit, but I did attend the Writing Center today. I met with Roy (?) and he is my new favorite person ever.

Basically, we focused on editing my topic sentences and quote integration, which, following Ms. Bates edits with my draft, I really needed to focus on.  We started workshopping my topic sentences and now I'm going to go through and edit all of them.  He said (agreeing with Ms. Bates) that a lot of my topic sentences were just introducing the next example, rather than making arguments and furthering the paper.  Now, I realize, I want the sentences to really help evolve the paper, rather than being cursory, elementary parts of it.  He praised the body of my paragraphs and said that my thesis was good and the overall paper was very provocative and interesting, which was a major self-esteem boost.  

We also took a few quotation examples and worked with them, taking the full quotation out and picking the pieces that were truly necessary and paraphrasing the rest.  He said that it often felt like I was shoving quotations in and it felt a little strained.  I think I was using too many quotations that really don't help my argument.  Also, with Ms. Bates advice that the paper is supposed to be mostly our own words rather than the secondary sources', I'm going to sift through the paper and make sure I am using the quotations in an effective way.  

There is definitely a lot of workshopping that needs to be done, but I think the paper is coming along.

OOHHH, I forgot. Another point that I need to work on is making sure the paper emphasizes the evolution of the two heroines, rather than just their change.  A little tweaking of the phrasing will help out with that one. 

I really like the blog. 

Yet Another New Working Thesis

I am having far too much fun with this blog tonight...

Thesis: The contrasting mobility of Thelma and Louise's vehicle, in contrast to the essentially stationary or immobile vehicles of the men within the film, allows the main characters to evolve and develop within the film, while simultaneously dismissing the conventions previous placed on them by society and the men they escape from.

Input, again?

Also, I responded to your last comment below.

New Working Thesis

 Vehicles, particularly cars and trucks, in Thelma and Louise are the catalyst, methods, and means by which Thelma and Louise dismiss traditional conventions of femininity and evolve throughout the film.

Input?

I was thinking that I would focus on three (-ish) main aspects of the film: cars and trucks as symbols for women and men, cars as the mode for change within the film (physical movement, journey, etc.), and the car as a lens to compare scenes from the beginning of the film to the end.   

Also, the poetry workshop was cancelled today. I was planning on going. Is there any other ways to get extra credit before the end of the year?

Some overheard lines of conversation:
How effective is the movie at portraying the cultural changes that were going on during the early 1990s?
How do the different aspects of the film come to portray this journey of change?

My voice will be a conglomerate of the different views of the people. The changing cultural climate and establishment of stronger voices of women reflects a journey towards a more accepting and understanding world. Thus, the portrayal of these women on film is a microcosm of the larger change in cultural standards and establishment of new traditions.
People will talk about the extent to which the film accurately portrays the changing climate. Mainly, how far does the movie go? Griggers will assert that the film contains lesbian subtext, while Cook will state that the movie is successful because it asserts a so-called “gender-bending” of sorts. I think this is the most pertinent example to my paper because, in order to show change, there has to be a blending of lines. This blending is a journey that ultimately leads to another end. Since culture builds and shape the concept of “gender,” the blending of gender lines shows a change in culture and cultural attitudes.
A questions that the “idea” side of the table may ask the “support” side of the table is how the individual aspects of the film come together to produce the final product. How does laughter fit into the picture? Laughter is a means to generate a larger audience. The film is comical, yet violent. This disconnect is important for establishing a larger audience. The film appeals to both sexes, thus more people will know about the change the film wants to bring to culture.

Annotation

I switched the source I'm using for my Synthesis Essay.  I'm now using "Cultural Generation of the New Butch-Femme" by Cathy Griggers from the book Film Theory Goes to the Movies.  The annotation will be in a comment because my computer won't copy and paste into the blog 

Lay of the Land

Lay of the Land: Seven Basic Questions to Ask Any Secondary Source

The following questions will help you get to know your secondary sources. It assumes that you’ve already carefully read your secondary source. If you are using an article, you should have read it entirely. If you are using a book, you should have read its introduction, the relevant chapter, and skimmed the conclusion.

Supply evidence from the source for your answers: a quotation, summary, or paraphrase and include page numbers.

1) Is this a direct conversation or application source? (If you are unclear about the difference between the two, review the “Types of Sources” handout in the Student Handbook.)
This source is a direct conversation source. It directly confronts the movies it addresses while incorporating the greater cultural messages of the various films within their contexts.





2) What are the author’s credentials in his or her field? (If you are unable to answer this question now with the book in hand, research the author after class—find their profile on a university’s faculty page, search for a self-authored website or a recently published interview, for example).
I am focusing on one article within the book Film Theory Goes to the Movies. The author of my article is Sharon Willis. She is an associate professor of French at the University of Rochester but also teaches film, comparative literature, and women’s studies.




3) Does date of production affect its relevance to your primary source? If so, how?
Yes, that date of production affects the articles relevance to my primary source. The book was published in 1993, only two years following the release of the film. Therefore, the article provides a more immediate response to the film, rather than analyzing the implications of the film farther after its release.





4) Who is the author’s audience? Don’t go for the bland “general” or “academic.” The audience for most scholarly sources is academic, just as the audience for non-scholarly sources is often general. Instead, search the introduction and/or first chapter for clues about the intended audience.
The author’s audience would be academics within the film field. All the authors in the book are in scholarly institutions and focus on film and cinema studies, particularly the cultural implications and responses to film.






5) If it is a direct secondary source, does the source extensively or marginally cover your cultural object? If it is a applied secondary source, how will you relate it to your cultural object?
This is a direct secondary sources and it very extensively covers the film. It discusses various aspects of the film ranging from the imagery regarding the physical trip the women take, as well as other symbols pertinent to the film. Furthermore, it discusses broader cultural implications of the film, and the fantastical aspects which attract viewers to the film, yet weaken the feminist argument within it. It further relates the film to other works including “Fatal Attraction” and “Blade Runner,” and compares the films’ aspects.






6) What discipline (ie. psychology, media studies, women’s studies) is the secondary source part of and how does this inform the kinds of analysis/questions it asks of its primary source?
My secondary source is part of film and media studies and women and gender studies. This means the source is particularly tailored and well informed in the feminist movement and how it is or is not effectively carried out within this film.







7) Which claims do you find most/least persuasive and why?
The claims I find most persuasive regard question Thelma and Louise as role models, integrating the landscape into the meaning of the film (specifically in relation to personal history), the transition within Thelma and Louise form female characteristics (posture, etc.) to male characteristics, cross-gender identification, and how the film is truly about the journey. Furthermore, the article elaborates on body language and how it is used within the film. One of the least persuasive arguments regards the film as a fantasy-like journey for these women. It questions the validity of feminist images as fantasy.








In your research groups, discuss the answers you’ve gotten so far in class. Which questions were you unable to answer now? How will you answer them later? On your RAE blog, type up and post your extended answers.

New Found Source!

The new source I found is called Film Theory Goes to the Movies by Jim Collins, Hilary Radner, Ava Preacher Collins and Ava Collins. Film Theory provides analyses of various pop culture, recent movie and presenting articles about various films in the book.  The books argues for the integration of these films into modern culture and addresses cultural debates that have arisen due to these texts.  It employs varying views, specifically from feminist to post modernist, and applies them to movies.  In regards to Thelma and Louise, the book offers an article called Thelma and Louise and the Cultural Generation of the New Butch-Femme by Cathy Griggers (pg. 129) which offers a feminist take on the film and the impact it has made.  I can use this in my paper as one take on the film.