Read ASAP. Wednesday, April 16, 2014--7:15 pm

Greetings,

we covered so much in class today that it completely slipped my mind until the 11 o'clock class.
Below you will find the two handouts from today's class as well as a  new assignment due on Friday, THIS FRIDAY, April 18th.

(For those who did not attend class today, be sure to contact another student to get notes. Of course, this is always what  you should do when  you  miss a class session. :)...and a few of you have been doing a lot of missing. The dept. policy is that if you miss more than six classes I can drop you...just something to think about...:)....)

ASSIGNMENT DUE FOR FRIDAY, APRIL 18TH:

1. At the top of the paper, type: Musings on Immigration
2. Then, record what comes to mind when you hear the word "immigration."There is no correct or incorrect answer.
3. There is no requirement as far as format:  some students create a list; some write a paragraph or more; some have a combination of bulleted items and text. There is also no minimum or maximum word requirement.
4. It is ESSENTIAL that you do NOT put your name anywhere on the paper.
5. It MUST be typed.
6. When you arrive to class on Friday, there will be a sign up sheet. Place the assignment on the table and be sure to sign your name. This is worth 25 points of the 50 points for Group Work on Monday, the 21st.
7.  If you are planning to not be in class on Friday, you may NOT email me this assignment. It must be anonymous so it must be typed and submitted IN PERSON.

***********************

English 20, Spring 2014, Instructor: C. Fraga

Out of Class Essay Assignment #3 (200 points)

Assigned: Wednesday, April 16

Optional Rough Draft Due: Monday, April 28 (please send via email in a Word document, no later than 5 pm)

Due: Monday, May 5

Requirements:

• MLA format

• If you utilize any outside sources (not required) you must follow MLA format for in- text citations, Works Cited page, etc.

At the very least, you must have a Works Cited page that lists Season 1 of Breaking Bad.

• Attach your Viewer’s Journal (all 7 entries) to the back of essay when submitting. Reminder: if a Viewer’s Journal is not submitted, 20 points will be deducted from your earned score, and you cannot make up those points during a revision.

Before we began viewing the first season of Breaking Bad, I assigned a Viewer’s Journal. You were to record your observations and any other notes you wished in order to eventually select a character to focus on more carefully than others. However, as we have discussed, your first few journal entries, or perhaps more than a few, might just be summary plots and notes regarding several different characters.

This Viewer’s Journal will now be a valuable source as you write your last out of class essay for this course.

Assignment:

Write an in-depth character analysis of one of the characters in the first season of Breaking Bad.

Your essay must include the following:

• Assertion(s) about your character

• Evidence from the episodes that support your assertions (how did you come to the conclusion(s) you did regarding this character?)

Your supportive evidence might include but is not limited to:

• what others observe/say (or don’t observe/say) about the character—either directly or in private

• the actions of the character in particular situations

• the reactions/responses of the character in particular situations

• what drives this character

• what terrifies this character

• what pleases this character

• what does this character long for

• what does this character need

Your thesis must be assertive…it is YOUR opinion as a viewer of these episodes.

·      Whether or not you LIKE or DISLIKE this character is not an issue in this essay.

·      Whether you LIKE or DISLIKE the series is also not an issue in this essay.

Proving to the reader that this character has the attributes (good, bad, layered, shallow) that you assert he or she has is your goal.

Keep in mind that your reading audience HAS viewed each of the seven episodes so avoid writing extensive summaries of each episode.

Your thesis might read something like this:

Once Walter learns of his terminal cancer and begins cooking meth, he appears very unstable and irresponsible; however, his behavior truly represents a very determined, loving, highly intelligent and moral father and husband.

or…

Marie is a very insecure and lonely woman who is unhappy and uncomfortable living in the shadows of her power-driven DEA husband and her happily married and very bright sister, Skylar.

Note: if you have viewed other seasons of Breaking Bad, you may use supportive evidence from those seasons, but you must make it very clear the information is from a different season.

***************************

English 20, Spring 2014

Sample intro paragraphs from out of class essay #3--these samples are considered strong, engaging introductions.

A chameleon uses camouflage to blend in with its surroundings and to avoid its enemies. Chameleons are not considered dangerous, and they survive by merely “flying under the radar.” In the first season of the television series, Breaking Bad, Jesse Pinkman is portrayed very similarly to a chameleon. He adapts to situations that might normally trigger anxiety and convinces himself that everything is copasetic. He adopts the role of “gangster drug dealer,” so that he blends in with his peers. Jesse relies on this facade to hide his genuine personality; deep down he is an insecure, lonely boy who desires the attention and acceptance he did not receive as a child.

**************************************************************

As soon as the pants go flying in the first scene of Breaking Bad, the symbolism begins. The flying pants of the main character Walt -- how he “doesn't wear the pants” and conversely, how “the pants come off,”-- we are introduced immediately to strong themes of dichotomy and transition. Outside of the intelligent writing, the depth and complexity of the characters is also a huge part of what keeps the audience engaged. Walter White is a perfect example of why viewers become so addicted to the series: his character is richly developed and contradictory, and this multifaceted character cleverly travels between two very dichotomous worlds. In one reality, he is a seemingly submissive “cancer man” and in another he is a “bad ass” maker of meth.

**********************************************************************

Often when a beautiful piece of art is viewed, the viewer is transfixed and desires to know even more about the piece. An artist possesses a certain skill level in order to produce something extraordinary, something that keeps the audience begging for more. The trouble with being an artist is that one cannot go back and fix a brush stroke once the work is completed and framed. In the television series Breaking Bad, this is the problem Jesse Pinkman faces. As much as he would like to go back and change his past, he never can, and this shapes the person that he has become as a young adult. On the exterior, Jesse appears to be a worthless, uneducated criminal, but beneath the surface he is still a boy who feels inadequate, searching for the affection he never received from his parents.