Comparing Realities: Novel Analysis
Using an in-class essay as a starting place, students were asked to develop their ideas into a fully developed analysis of their novel. The final paper should be approximately 5 pages, double spaced, following MLA format with a Work/s Cited page.
Please highlight the topic you chose from the list below.
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Evaluate the novel you read. What is 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."
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 / unplugging from?
- aliens of any kind, including humans
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