EI Pre-IB Final ProjectSemester 2
Assignment:
A pastiche is an exercise in literary criticism: it involves changing one or more elements in a work of prose or poetry in order to examine the effects of stylistic variations. Writers can use the pastiche to hone their own style, and a pastiche may even lead further, to an original story or essay.
Your assignment is to write a pastiche using ONE of the novels, plays, or epics we have studied this semester (you may combine works if you have my permission). For example, you may write a new ending or rewrite a scene, write a poem(s) or develop a dramatic monologue from one character’s point of view, develop a diary/journal from the point of view of one character, etc. Be creative! The key to writing a good pastiche is that you have a reason behind your changes. Also, you must stay as true to the original spirit of the piece as possible.
In order to clarify your purpose for your pastiche, you must start with a Statement of Intent. This piece should be no longer than 300 words and explains to the reader what you set out to accomplish in your pastiche. You must be very explicit in your statement of intent. In yourstatement of intentyouwill justify the changes you have made; explain what you plan to do for your pastiche, why you want to do it, and how you will go about it. A statement of intent identifies the literary techniques, themes, tones, or structures you identified in the original work and explains how you modeled at least one of these techniques in your pastiche. Be sure to discuss the effect of techniques in both the original work and your own. Also, include textual examples from both the primary text and your text. (See model on the back)
Options:
To Kill a MockingbirdBeowulf
Lord of the FliesThe Odyssey
Out of the Silent PlanetOedipus Rex
“The Scarlet Ibis”The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet
The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark
Sample Statement of Intent
The first technique I identified in Anne Bradstreet’s poem “To My Dear and Loving Husband” was in the first three lines of her poem where she repeats “If ever.” I think Bradstreet’s use of repetition is to prove something. For example, the first line of the poem uses an “if” and then a “then” which shows that something is trying to be proved, which in that case was her love for her husband. In my pastiche, I took a similar approach by using the repetition of “If ever” to prove my love for my video games. An example would be in my first line of my poem where I said, “If ever lost, I cannot live.” I used this to prove my love for video games because I can’t live without them.
Another technique I identified in Anne Bradstreet’s poem was the rhyme scheme (AABBCCDDEEFF). I think that Bradstreet uses rhymes very successfully because it adds a touch to the poem. She chose specific words at the end of each line to make the poem flow better. In my pastiche, I followed the same rhyme scheme that Anne Bradstreet used and tried to put in words that would make my poem stronger. Two lines I used were “If ever two were one is when we feel pleasure/ Insult us bit you’re just a zephyr.” I chose the word “zephyr” because it will get people thinking in depth about my poem just as I did with Bradstreet’s poem. I also thought that I should add something unique and unusual to my writing to strengthen the language any by choosing more difficult words, it will enhance my poem.
The last technique I identified in Anne Bradstreet’s poem was her use of old English (thy, nor, thee, etc.) to make her poem seem more awhile back where love was more than it is today. I tried to incorporate this into my pastiche by adding some old English in my poem like, “Nor can thy love simply be earned.” I thought that by incorporating some old English into my pastiche, it would strengthen the thought of love and my love for video games because love back then was more meaningful than it is today.
Pastiche/Statement of Intent Checklist
Pastiche
•Purpose/audience clearly stated
•Effectively conveys the literary techniques, tone, themes, and/or structure of original text
•Conveys creativity, thoughtfulness, and effort
Statement of Intent
•Accurately identifies and discusses at least one technique
•Discusses the effects of this technique in original text and in own text
•Includes textual examples from original text and own text
•Statement is effectively organized and free of spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors