The BTK killer. life of Dennis Rader. Law Essay Paper

Must include a thesis in the introductory paragraph. Make sure that the thesis and a majority of the paper relates to the fact that Dennis Rader was a psycopath. Also all sources should be peer reviewed articles. And I will attach further instructions as well.

Visual-Textual Comparative Analysis: Rankine and Gambino

TASK: Write a 3 page essay (Times 12 pt double spaced) in which you analyze closely several images and their verbal/aural overlay in Rankine’s “Stop and Frisk” and Gambino’s “This Is America.”

PROMPT: For what purpose and how do Rankine and Gambino deploy racial stereotypes in their videos “Stop and Frisk” and “This Is America”? -OR- What do their texts ARGUE through the deployment of stereotypes?

Your introductory paragraph should provide the necessary context and description to support the statement of a complex but concise thesis. As you develop your thesis, consider the context, audience, and purpose of each video, how each attempts to convey an argument, and what that/those arguments might be.

Each body paragraph should focus on a motif, running technique, or brief moment in one of the videos. Provide necessary context for evidence, describe or quote the evidence, and then analyze its implications to your larger thesis.

Consider sequence and build between and through paragraphs. Do the videos speak to one another in any way? Contradict one another? Use techniques similarly or differently? What are the implications of juxtaposing them in one analysis? This discussion should happen in the transitions between paragraphs.

ASSESSMENT:

●       Ideas

●       Evidence

●       Analysis

●       Sequence/Organization

●       Language and Mechanics

SCAFFOLD: See the sample body paragraph on the following 2 pages. If you write body paragraphs at a similar level of detail and description, you could plan on having about 2 body paragraphs per video, plus an intro and a shorter conclusion paragraph (i.e. a total of about 6 paragraphs).

Transition and/or Thesis + Body Paragraph

While the echoing “you are the guy” speaks intimately to each viewer like a haunting internal monologue -- the lurking doubt that “you” as a potential black man feel when viewed by others -- Gambino’s caricatured gestures and expressions seem to stave off introspection. His repeated phrase, “this is America,” instead points outward in accusation.
       However, one brief moment of eyes-closed stillness peels back that layer of artifice and drops the tone, forcing the viewer’s gaze through a more neutral lens. After pointing his hands in imitation of another shooting, a gesture that causes the surrounding dancers to disperse (2:45), Gambino stands with eyes closed, frozen in profile and silence for nearly 15 seconds as his arms very slowly drop and his eyes open. Since he is in profile, his affect and mood are obscured. At one point his brow seems to furrow as he peers into the distance of the cavernous, now-quiet space. He seems briefly to be searching for something in the distance, his body unmoving except for a slow exhale. But, just as quickly as his arms had gone up into the shooting gesture, he casually brings a joint to his lips, lights up, and saunters out of the frame, still in profile, evading our attempt to understand. This moment seems to posit the anonymity and unknowability of the man behind “Gambino,” hidden under the cloak of the type he has been playing. He breathes, he thinks, he walks off. One wonders, in that moment of the furrowed brow, what monologue might be playing in his mind, what question is causing that flicker of a search in his eyes. It is one of only possibly three moments of unfeigned presence in the video, which suggests -- but does not grant easy access to understanding -- how burdensome living with stereotype might be.

Analytical Essay Introductory/Concluding Paragraph

Checklist

Does the introduction contain basic information about the text? The following basic information should always be included in an introduction:

●       The full title of the text (italicized if it’s a book).

●       The author’s name (first and last when the name is first mentioned; last name only after that).

●       The date of publication (in parenthesis after the title is fine).

●       A brief overview of the plot/contents, with the topic or thesis in mind.  (No more than 1 or 2 sentences).

●       Thesis (should be presented as the last sentence of the introduction).

Is the introduction engaging?  Does it capture the reader’s interest? Here are few great ways to make your introduction engaging, as well as to set up your thesis – both of which are key to an effective introduction:

●       Tell an anecdote from the work(s) that is/are relevant to your topic.  (Note that this is    different from bringing up an example, with quoting and analysis – that belongs in a body paragraph only).

●       Tell about common or typical ways in which the work or a character in the work is read; then, note the limitations of this approach or that there are other possible ways to approach the book or character. 

●       If and only if relevant, offer some outside context that could help to set up your topic / thesis (historical, theoretical, biographical, etc.).  Note that this sort of background should be very brief and framed so that it pertains directly to your topic / thesis.

Does the introduction avoid common pitfalls? Here are things to AVOID at all costs when writing an introduction:

●       Do not begin with a tired and trite phrase or generalization:  (“In today’s society . . . .”  or “Since the beginning of time . . . .” or “Setting is very important in literature . . . .”).

●       Do not include quotes, specific examples, or textual analysis (see above).

●       Do not make your introduction too long – the reader’s eyes will glaze over.  (Of course, not too short either.)

CHECKLIST for analytic essay CONCLUSIONS

Does the conclusion synthesize rather than summarize?

●       What’s the difference?  Summary is repeating or restating the points or examples.  Synthesis is bringing the points or examples together in a way that reveals some new level of meaning or some larger truth about the text – and its significance. 

●       When in doubt, try this test – does your conclusion answer the “so what?” question:  So what?  So why should I care about what you’ve just shown in your essay?  So what does it all mean?  So what larger significance about the text can I take away from this essay?  

Does the conclusion provide a sense of closure?

●       Does it give the reader a sense of satisfaction?  Do the various strands of the essay feel “tied together”?  Does it give the reader something to “take away” from the essay?

Does your conclusion avoid the common pitfalls of ineffective conclusions? Here are a few of these pitfalls:

●       Restating the thesis.

●       Introducing entirely new points or ideas.

●       Making overly emotional or grandiose statements, including praising the author. (“And that is why Gambino’s video is so excellent and he is of the most inventive artists working in pop culture these days.”).

●       Being too “pat” or reductive.  (You don’t have to resolve everything – allowing for complexity and ambiguity is a good thing!).