Novel Analysis
Using your initial class essay, develop your ideas more fully and
completely, assuming readers from both 1A classes. Your readers, then,
will have read a number of the same short stories, will have also read Le
Guin's critical article, and will have watched The Matrix, but
might not have read your particular novel. So while it may be safe to
assume they have understood the "gist" of the common materials, they also
might benefit from your closer analysis. You might also spark an interest
in others to actually read your novel if they have not done so before. You
are not, however, required to give an extended plot summary.
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Evaluate the novel you read. What is the that future society like: its
values and beliefs? How is that society similar or different from what
you have experienced? Has the writer been able to focus on any important
trend or trends that you see occurring today?
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Focus on a particular theme or character from the novel you read. Show how either reflects (or doesn't reflect) Le Guin's assertion about what science fiction ought to do.
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Discuss a character, theme, feature, or anything else you find especially compelling. Follow your bliss, but remember, your essay should still be focused, organized, and well developed.
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What is the "matrix" in your novel. How is that matrix the same as or different from the matrix you live in?
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Compare and contrast your novel to the movie The Matrix, or any of the short stories, or simply discuss your novel in terms of its matrices. Whatever you choose, be sure to clearly define "matrix."
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If you are at a loss for possible topics, go down the rabbit hole:
- utopia / dystopia
- gender roles
- politics
- economics
- emergent, visionary or dangerous technologies
- myths
- religions
- belief systems - plugging into / umplugging from?
Final draft will be 6 pages double spaced MLA format with a works cited page.
Due dates
- Nov 3: Rough draft, minimum three pages w/ topic sheet
- Nov 5: Complete Draft for workshop
- Nov 10: editing draft
- Nov 12: Final draft due in pocket folder with worksheets, early drafts
and graded self-evaluation sheet
Revised 25 Oct 03
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