Eng 102 Summer 2014 Essay #1 Option A: Crossing Genres
We have spent the first portion of class looking at the short story and at drama. Generally, we tend to think of these two genres as separate and distinct from one another, but crossing the line between the two can reveal important aspects of each.
DIRECTIONS:
LENGTH: Overall length of the entire assignment, including play, essay, and works cited page, must be a MINIMUM of 1400 words. (You may go over 1400, but any essay that does not meet this requirement will not be graded, and you will need to upload an essay that meets minimum requirements. This new version will be counted as a use of your late contract.) Please note that each section must be a minimum of two pages, in addition to the overall total of 1400.
PART ONE: Select one of the short stories we have read together as a class and adapt it into a play. Your dramatization (play) will be at least 2 pages long, double spaced. This means it must be at least down to the bottom of a second page with proper formatting. Your play will include the dramatic elements we have read and discussed as necessary: characters, dialogue, stage directions, and scene changes. The most successful adaptations preserve the core themes of the original story while at the same time putting the playwright’s unique mark on the plot and characters. Since you are the playwright, you get to choose which elements of the story to leave in and which to leave out, as well as write additional material as needed for dramatic effect. You might choose to write an absolutely faithful adaptation, or you might choose to change the setting or other elements drastically. Either way, I will expect the vast majority of the material in the play to be written in your own words, though you may use lines from the original story in moderation. This means that you should have no more than ten lines of your play taken word for word from your original story. You must underline all parts of your play that have been taken exactly (word for word) from the original source and include a Works Cited page in MLA format at the end of Part Two.
PART TWO: Once you have finished your dramatization, write a short essay of at least two more double-spaced pages about your comparing and contrasting your play with the original story, including a thesis statement and specific references to the original story. This means that you are required to quote the short story from the text book at least once, using correct MLA format, in your reflection. This compare/contrast section might include, but is not limited to, answering the following questions:
· Do you believe that your play preserved the themes of the original? (It should.) Defend your answer. Did it introduce any new themes? If so, what were they?
· How did your changes affect the core themes of the story?
· What was missing from the story that you had to add to make it a play? What did you have to leave out? Why did you make the decisions you made, and do you think they were effective?
Please feel free to talk to me if you have any questions. I would be happy to meet with you and take a look at a draft outside of class before the final paper is due.
Due Date: 6/30 (Monday) Must be uploaded to turnitin.com by the start of class. Uploaded file should include the play, the essay, and the works cited page. TOTAL LENGTH OF COMBINED ESSAY, SHORT STORY, AND WORKS CITED MUST BE AT LEAST 1400 words
NOTE: No upload with more than a 30% originality score will be accepted. All quotes must be underlined in the play or correctly cited using MLA format in the essay portion. You should upload your essay early in order to make sure that your originality score is less than 30% so that you have time to make changes.
Some Short Stories we have read: (If there are stories I have left off the list, you are free to use those as well.)
“Snow” p. 84
“Accident” p. 88
“55 Miles to the Gas Pump” p. 97
“The Plot” p. 87
“The Secret Lion” p. 453
“The Tell-Tale Heart” p. 450
“Happy Endings” p. 394
“The Story of an Hour” p. 106-108
Guidelines for Dramatic Formatting:
· Use the plays in your book as guides.
· You must begin with the title of your play, centered at the top of the first page, followed by a list of all of the characters that will appear in the play. (You are not required to keep the title of the short story unless you wish to.)
· Names of characters who are speaking should be in ALL CAPS, followed by a colon, then the dialogue.
· Stage directions that interrupt dialogue are written in italics and parentheses. (like this) Otherwise, stage directions/scene descriptions are simply in italics and begin on their own line.
· Stage directions are written in third person present tense. Example:
Julia answers the door. Tom stands just outside, looking hopeful, with a bouquet of flowers in his hands.
· Use scene breaks to indicate passage of time or a change in setting.
o Every time you need to indicate the passage of time, you should begin a new scene. It would also be wise to have your characters say aloud how much time has passed.
o If your setting changes, you should begin a new scene.
Part of your grade will be based on whether or not your play could actually be used to put on a performance. This means that you need to keep in mind the fact that actors will be saying your lines and performing the actions that you direct them to do.
Make sure that your stage directions are useful and specific. Remember, a play is a set of directions for the actors and the director to follow as they present the play to a live audience. So, stage directions like "the characters go on with their day" aren't very helpful. Also, unless you indicate that the thoughts need to be spoken aloud from offstage or by a recording, (like a voiceover), having stage directions about what the characters are thinking isn't very helpful to someone who is performing the play for an audience. The audience will see what the characters do (stage directions) and hear what the characters say (dialogue). Anything that is not said aloud or done by the characters will not be communicated to your audience.