Stand By Me Song Analysis Essay
Description:
We have continued exploring coming of age narratives in Weeks 6 through 11, watching Rob Reiner’s Stand by Me and reading another novel, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, as well as Amy Jo Burns’ memoir Cinderland and some short fiction by Maxine Hong Kingston and Sherwood Anderson.
For our next writing assignment students will choose one or more of the works listed above, analyzing one aspect of the work or comparing and contrasting one element from two works. This assignment will provide students another opportunity to explore significant themes authors and directors consider in coming of age narratives and to continue working to apply literary terms and concepts in their own writing. This second assignment is a bit more open than our previous essay, as students have more freedom to select which work they would like to analyze. I am offering a few suggestions for paper topics below, but this list is brief, and students are encouraged to devise their own topic. If students have questions or need further help, they can come to my office for brainstorming or email me with questions.
As we did with Paper 1, we will also have peer editing for this paper, which will be conducted through Peer Mark. I will review the protocols for using Peer Mark briefly in class, but students should also see page 4 of the syllabus to refresh their memories on what Peer Mark is and how it operates. The due dates and times for rough draft submission, peer mark editing completion, and final draft submission are listed on the daily calendar as well as at the end of this assignment sheet.
Potential Topics:
Explore the importance of friends in Stand by Me? How do the boys support each other and help one another grow up on their trip to find Ray Brower?
Reflect on the theme of discovering one’s identity and coming of age through Charlie’s characterization in The Perks of Being a Wallflower. How does he learn about the adult world and lose his innocence?
Analyze the importance of sexuality, notably female sexuality, in either “Concerning Louise Trunnion” or “No Name Woman.” How is female sexuality viewed in these stories?
Reflect on the importance of lies and the truth in Cinderland. Why does Burns lie and how does that lie influence her growth and maturity?
Consider the role of adults as in Stand by Me, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, or Cinderland. How do adults interact with the adolescents in their care? Are they role models? If so, what values or behaviors are they trying to impart to the younger generation? If they are not role models, how can the adolescents learn from the mistakes of the older generation?
There are many avenues that students could take in drafting this essay. The above suggestions are all good, but students should not feel that they cannot explore other approaches.
Requirements:
All essays should be at least 750- 1,000 words in length. Well-developed essays may exceed the length, but all essays should meet the minimum requirement.
All essays should be in standard MLA manuscript form, including size 12.0 Times New Roman font, double-spaced text, and standard 1 inch margins. All essays will have a header with the student’s last name and page number in the top right hand corner of every page ½ inch from the margin.
All essays should have at least four (4) properly documented in-text citations from the novel, play, short story, or film chosen to demonstrate both a firm comprehension of the mechanics of in-text citations as well as the ability to choose appropriate textual proof to support written claims. Students could easily use moreuse as much textual proof as needed to support your argument.
All essays should have a creative and original title that the student writer creates, not simply the
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