1. Warming up with a rousing round of book talks
2. Exploring a few sample topic sentences and seeing how it all comes together in a glorious outline
A special thanks goes out to Dalton; the following thesis statements and topic sentences were inspired by your Truman Show notes and thesis rough drafts.
The fire from F451 and the water from The Truman Show initially represent fear but ultimately symbolize freedom, representing that we can only achieve true freedom by conquering the very boundary that terrorizes us.
Topic sentence #1: The elements of fire and water in F451 and The Truman Show confine the protagonists and show how fear often stems from repression.
Topic sentence #2: Ultimately, the boundaries of fire and water in F451 and The Truman Show melt into the medium that conveys the protagonists to freedom, proving that individual and societal freedom can only be obtained by facing and overcoming fear.
In both F451 and The Truman Show, the societies suffer from control, but they ultimately crumble, revealing that a good society can’t sustain itself while under oppression.
Topic sentence #1: The societies in both F451 and The Truman Show are populated by zombies rendered soulless by oppression, showing that excessive control leads to dystopia.
Topic sentence #2: To rise from their own ashes, the societies in both F451 and The Truman Show must first crumble because a powerful society must be one in which the people themselves are empowered, not weakened by oppression.
3. Revising your topic sentences and seeking the best examples to complete your outline:
Thesis: In both F451 and The Truman Show, the societies suffer from control, but they ultimately crumble, revealing that a good society can’t sustain itself while under oppression.
Topic sentence #1: The societies in both F451 and The Truman Show are populated by zombies rendered soulless by oppression, showing that excessive control leads to dystopia.
a. F451: "He saw himself in her eyes, suspended in two shining drops of bright water, himself dark and tiny" (Bradbury 7). The word "suspended" conjures an image of repression, and he's starting to realize what makes him "dark and tiny" in this society--his inability to think, to create, etc.
b. The Truman Show: Truman's repetition of the phrase "Good morning! And in case I don't see you..good afternoon, good evening, and goodnight." Every day is the same...even Truman's lines are cliched and scripted. There's no heart in what he says to others.
Topic sentence #2: To rise from their own ashes, the societies in both F451 and The Truman Show must first crumble because a powerful society must be one in which the people themselves are empowered, not weakened by oppression.
a. F451: "And in that instant [he] saw the city, instead of the bombs, in the air. They had displaced each other. For another of those impossible instants the city stood, rebuilt and unrecognizable, taller than it had ever hoped or strived to be..." (Bradbury 160) The city is described as "taller than it had ever hoped...to be" not only because it is literally exploding in the air but because its very destruction is its only hope for being great, for regaining its soul once again.
b. The Truman Show: After Truman walks through the exit door in the film's final scene, one of the show's producers, but NOT Cristof says, "Cease transmission." The show going off the air is similar to the society in F451 being destroyed by bombs; in order for Truman to live a fulfilling life, the fake world that oppresses him must come to an end. Interesting that it's someone else, not Cristof who ultimately turns the show off, as though the power and control has been completely stripped away from his hands.
HW:
1. Please complete your outline by class tomorrow; you will NOT have class time tomorrow to work on your outline. You do not need to create a separate document or print it; the outline can just be at the end of your Truman Show notes
2. Continue considering which book you want to read for your book film club; the completed, signed proposal is due this Monday, April 21 (NOT April 28; there is a typo on the handout).
3. Work on your book talk if you have not delivered yours yet.
4. Meet in the Forum on Friday for a scheduling extravaganza.
No comments:
Post a Comment