Description

Assignment at a Glance: In two drafts, write a 750-word essay in which you analyze in the context of the film two scenes that  exemplify a major pattern in  Strangers on a Train. Detailed Instructions:  Review the “five analytical moves” (pp. 16-33) and the “10 on 1” (pp. 105-08). Watch the film again. “Pan” the film for major patterns. In the spirit of “The Method,” one the “five analytical moves,” a pattern typically partakes of  repetition or contrast. It may also partake of similarity and close association as well as binary opposites. In this film, repetition  abounds, but be especially attentive to the subtle differences between repetitions. A pattern usually captures objects, characters,  dialogue, actions, and specific themes. Select one major pattern that  starts  in the first scene (first 10 minutes) and  reappears  in at  least one other scene. “Track” that pattern through every instance in which appears in the film. “Zoom” on two scenes across which the pattern appears. One of the scenes must be the first one (first 10 minutes). Apply the techniques above to the two scenes. Look closely at objects, characters, dialogue, actions, and themes. What do you  see? Draw out the implications of what you see, using the scenes, the pattern, other patterns, or the film as a whole as your  context. Move towards “interpretive leaps.” Based on your “interpretive leaps,” draft an essay with the following components: Introduction (typically one paragraph): Identify the film (director and title). Identify the pattern, the reason why you find it  intriguing, the two scenes (including the first one) that exemplify that pattern, and the reason why you find them representative  of the pattern. End with a one-sentence thesis: a debatable theory about what, based on the two scenes, the pattern means in the  context of the scenes, other instances of the pattern, other major patterns, or the film as a whole.  Body (a sequence of paragraphs): Develop your analysis in a sequence of organized paragraphs connected clearly and logically.  Each paragraph should begin with a topic sentence that announces the topic of the paragraph and supports the thesis. Depending  on your pattern and your approach, you could analyze one scene at a time, each in a separate paragraph or two. You could also  divide your analysis into a series of major points, each developed in a separate paragraph and each treating a focused aspect of  both  scenes.   Conclusion (typically one paragraph): Return to your thesis, not to repeat it, but to state it more fully and definitively based on  your analysis. Elaborate a final “so what?” What does your analysis tell us about the pattern beyond your two scenes, about  major patterns in the film, or about the film as a whole?