Choose one. Write no more than two pages, double-spaced, using 12-point font.
Write your reactions to the movie Arrival. As Louise says in the movie, “If you could see your whole life laid out in front of you, would you change things?”
What does the film say about time? What does the film say about memories? What does the film say about how the aliens perceive reality? What does the film say
about life here on Earth? What does the movie say about language? If you like, read the short story “Story of your Life” by Ted Chiang, and compare/contrast
it to the movie, Arrival.
Choose a section of the graphic Novel, Fun Home by Alison Bechdel of no more than two pages, and analyze both the text and the graphics, explaining how one
works to enhance or disturb the other. In your analysis, be sure to explain the character development that takes place within the frames. Refer to the page
numbers in the book.
How does Bechdel depict the homophobic culture of small-town western Pennsylvania vs. the queer, gregarious, cosmopolitanism of New York City?
Examine a film version, adapted from the text of Othello, by a specific director, and compare/contrast it to the “original” text. Obviously, choosing one
scene, or a number of lines, should suffice. Another possibility, View the movie, In the Bedroom as an adaptation of Dubus’ short story “Killings”. If you
have other ideas, please check with me first.
Be creative and write a response to an argument you have with one of Shakespeare’s characters from Othello. For example, try to convince Othello that
Desdemona is NOT having an affair with Cassio. Or, argue against Iago’s words about women to Desdemona, “You are pictures out of doors/ Bells in your parlors,
wildcats in your kitchens/ Saints in your injuries, devils being offended, / Players in your housewifery, and housewives in your beds.” (II, I, 109-112). Or
suggest a different conclusion for the play. Or design your own imaginative response to one of the play’s characters. Use minimal quotations from the play.