Wednesday, April 17th, 2013--6:45 pm

Hello,
below you will find a copy of the assignment distributed and discussed today in class: Out of Class Essay #3.

Also, on Friday, before we begin the group work session, you will take the second part of Quiz 5 (20 additional points) that you did not respond to today.

English 20--Spring 2013

Prof. Fraga

Out of Class Essay Assignment #3 (200 points)

Assigned: Wednesday, April 17

Rough Draft (optional) Due:  no later than Wednesday, May 1

Final Draft Due:  Monday, May 6 REMEMBER TO ATTACH THE VIEWING JOURNAL TO YOUR FINAL DRAFT. IF IT IS SUBMITTED, IT IS AN AUTOMATIC 20 POINTS DEDUCTED FROM YOUR EARNED SCORE AND THESE 20 POINTS CANNOT BE EARNED BACK IN A REVISION.

Requirements:

·      MLA format

·      If you utilize any outside sources (not required) you must follow MLA format for in- text citations, Works Cited page, etc.

Before you began viewing the first season of Breaking Bad, I assigned a mandatory “journal” of sorts; you were to take notes during and/or soon after you viewed each episode. You were also to (eventually) select a character to focus on more carefully than others. These notes will now be a valuable source as you write your last out of class essay for this course.

Assignment:

Write an in-depth character analysis of one of the characters in the first season of Breaking Bad. Write your essay for an audience that has viewed these episodes. In other words, be specific but you need not relate the entire story line.

Your essay must include the following:

• An introduction/description/background of your character

• Assertions about your character

• Supportive evidence from the episodes that support your assertions (how did you come to the conclusions you did regarding your character?)

Your supportive evidence might include but is not limited to:

• what others observe/say (or don’t observe/say) about your character—either directly or in private

• the actions of your character in particular situations

• the reactions/responses of your character in particular situations

• what drives this character

• what terrifies this character

• what pleases this character

• what does this character long for

• what does this character need

Your thesis must be assertive…it is YOUR opinion as a viewer of these episodes.

Whether or not you LIKE or DISLIKE this character is not an issue in this essay.

Whether you LIKE or DISLIKE the series is also not an issue in this essay. Proving to the reader that this character has the attributes (good, bad, layered, shallow) that you assert he or she has is your goal.

Your thesis might read something like this:

Once Walter learns of his terminal cancer, he seems very unstable and irresponsible; however, his behavior truly represents a very determined, focused and highly intelligent, strictly moral father and husband.

or…

Marie is a very insecure and lonely woman who is unhappy and uncomfortable living in the shadow of her power-driven DEA husband and her happily married and very bright sister, Skylar.