Transcript Slide 1
Critical Essay Structure PCEE LI – To learn how to create a strong topic paragraph PCEE Topic Paragraph Structure • P – The character of Erin Gruell was portrayed in a slightly comic way at the start of the film. • C – She is full of enthusiasm in her new job and does not realise that she has wiped her chalky hand on the back of her skirt. • E – When the pupils come into the class later they are amused by this and one boy makes a cheeky comment about it. • E – This is important in establishing the initial relationship between teacher and pupils. La Gravenese wants to highlight the fact that these pupils do not see their teacher as a particularly important influence at this point in the film. In fact they view in a slightly comic way. Topics chosen by pupils • • • • • • • Sound – effects – garage scene Camera Angles Action of characters Lightening – Opening scene Camera angles – Eva / Sindy Mise en scene – gun Plot Topic sentences 1. Firstly, Richard LaGravenese uses sound to create impact. 2. Another way La Gravenese uses sound to create impact is when …. 3. Furthermore, the director uses humour to introduce Erin to her pupils. 4. In addition, the director uses a close-up camera shot to introduce the theme of racial inequality in the classroom. 5. Additionally, the director uses camera styles to show that Sindy and Ava are just the same: young girls with similar interests and pressures 6. A second effective camera style used later in the scene is … Contextualisation • • • • As the film begins, we hear… The background to the news footage is… The film begins with a series of shots of the riots. When the character of Eva is introduced as a child, she is seen in a toy shop. • During the opening shots of the riot, • As a child Eva’s dad is wrongly arrested in her living room. Evidence 1. Anxious news reporters’ voices overlapping as they report riots in Long Beach. 2. An R&B track with a loud drumbeat 3. This focuses on props such as…., and scenery/lighting effects such as…. 4. She focuses on a blonde Barbie doll which the voice over identifies as an American…, and an Aztec Warrior doll which she… with herself. 5. A close up of a sign saying “No Justice; No peace” 6. A point of view shot is used to help us see what……is seeing. Explain and evaluate 1. The voices being anxious implies… This makes the audience feel…because/This grabs the audience’s attention because 2. This repeated drum beat could represent… This grabs the audience’s attention because 3. These props suggest….This makes the audience feel……… 4. This piece of scenery/aspect of lighting implies PCEE - putting it all together • Point Furthermore, La Gravenese creates impact in the scene in which a young man dies. • Context • At the very beginning of this scene LaGravenese introduces us to the innocent and feminine side of two opposing female gang members, Eva and Sindy. • Evidence • We see the girls turning on their music, in their respective homes, as they get ready to go out for the night. The song is called ‘Cool Like That’ and it plays through the duration of the scene. It is predominantly all we hear in this scene as dialogue is mostly non existent. • Explain and evaluate • The song is appropriate because the girls’ behaviour on screen shows that they both want the same things. They are the same and the director purposely confuses the audience into mixing them up in this scene. They both want to be ‘cool’ and to choose ‘cool’ clothes so that they can look good on their night out. • As the scene progresses, ‘Cool like That’ takes on new significance. Each girl is in a car with their gang friends. They are laughing and clearly enjoying themselves. The music highlights the fact that they think they have achieved ‘Cool Like That’ status as they cruise the streets in their car. • When Eva enters the garage shop, the music continues to play but with a more sinister effect. When combined with the images of argument and anxiety in the shop, the songs seems to suggest repetition and the emphasis shifts from fun to the aspect of society that these teens cannot escape from; violence. LaGravenese’s choice of song was extremely significant in focusing my attention on aspects of racism and gang violence. It showed me that these teenagers were quite normal in some respects but that they lived in a violent and racist society and adapt their behaviour to the environment in which they live. The music in this film has the flavour and sound of the culture it is portraying. It is meaningful and deepens my understanding of these cultures and beliefs. Relating to the essay question on a happy ending • Gruwell takes the kids to to Holocaust museum. The majority of them being hispanic or black, they feel that they are treated poorly on a regular basis because of their ethnic backgrounds. • As they enter the museum, they are given a card that represents the life of a person, many of them children. As they wander throughout the museum, they learn about this person at different kiosks. They see video footage and evidence of internment camps. • One thing that affected the kids was to dine with some elderly people who had ID numbers branded into their bodies. Hearing the stories of what these white people went through dramatically neutralized these tough teen gang members. • To see these folks still alive and recovered from their tragedy encourages the kids to make great change. This gave them hope and the idea that if other people could struggle as the Jews did during the Holocaust, then they could struggle and come out stronger too. Prior to this experience, they generally all thought they would die by the age of 30 because their lives were hopeless and early death a certainty. Relating to the essay question on bravery