English 192—Topics for the First Essay
General Instructions: Write a four- to five-page interpretation
of one of the works covered in the first two weeks of the course: Gilliam’s
The Adventures of Baron Munchausen, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein,
Lang’s Metropolis, or Wells’s The Time Machine. This interpretation
should have a clear, unified topic and an identifiable, arguable thesis
statement backed by solid evidence and logic. Your experience, impressions,
and response to the work can guide your interpretation, but make sure that
everything you claim about the work is demonstrable. If you use secondary
sources (which I strongly recommend), cite them properly. If you decide
to use one of the suggested topics, make sure you narrow its focus and
make a strong thesis. Due 4/20.
Suggested Topics:
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Choose a scene from Baron Munchausen and interpret it closely. Does
it parody some aspect of Enlightenment thought? Is it a commentary on eighteenth-century
or twentieth-century attitudes? Are there moments in the dialogue or action
that reveal the significance of the scene? Are there allegorical or symbolic
elements of the scene that indicate its meaning? Keep in mind, you may
not use the word "symbolize" in your essay.
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Both Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and Gilliam’s Baron Munchausen
use a narrative frame, that is, a story that introduces and concludes the
main story. Choose one of these frames and explain how it works. How does
it affect your interpretation of the work as a whole, and what themes does
it have in common with its central story?
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Baron Munchausen, The Time Machine, and Frankenstein all
address gender roles at a number of levels: the male as protector or warrior,
the female as victim or ideal, among others. Choose one work and describe
the social structures of gender implied or stated in it, as well as their
effect on your overall interpretation.
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Fritz Lang’s Metropolis depicts a strange, volatile society of the
future; in what ways did it resemble the society in which it was made?
Find reliable secondary sources on Weimar Germany, Fritz Lang, and the
making of Metropolis and examine some of the social issues represented
in the film.
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The Time Machine contains a complex explanation of how humanity
degenerated into the Morlocks and the Eloi of the future. Examine this
theory in detail, and describe the process by which the fictional time-traveler
and the real Wells determined what had happened. Which theories, and what
kind of reasoning do they use? Keep in mind that the time-traveler makes
an inference based on his observations; Wells, on the other hand, speculates
about a possible future.
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Your own topic, based on one of the works we have studied, and approved
by your instructor.