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Pages:
2 pages/≈550 words
Sources:
2 Sources
Style:
APA
Subject:
Literature & Language
Type:
Essay
Language:
English (U.S.)
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MS Word
Date:
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$ 7.2
Topic:

Writing Assignment: Comparing Portrayals of Black Women

Essay Instructions:

Paper 2: Comparative Analysis
After watching a variety of films from different eras in American film history, you now have a deeper awareness of the various ways in which black women have been portrayed, and the motivations of those creating and controlling these portrayals.
In this paper, you will identify one distinctive characteristic (e.g. theme, stereotype, circumstance, “single story”) associated with the portrayal of black women and analyze the way this characteristic is reflected in two mass media sources (film, TV, video, book, etc.)
You can compare two completely different films (selecting either one or both from the titles we have seen in class), or compare different versions of the same film, or compare the film adaptation to the original source of the story (i.e. book or play). In either case, the paper must include the following sections:
• Introduction: Identifies the characteristic and the portrayals through which the characteristic will be analyzed; and includes an arguable thesis that explicitly states what the comparison hopes to prove
• Description or Summary: Provides a summary of the two sources, and includes enough background information (i.e. pertinent scenes, production details, etc.) to understand the context of the narrative
• Analysis: Examines the similarities and differences in the way the characteristic is used in both portrayals; and presents evidence to support claims regarding the negative or positive impact of the portrayals
• Conclusion: Summarizes your analysis and elaborates on the implications of your argument
This is a formal academic paper and thus should adhere to the following basic standards: 

•2-3 typewritten pages, double spaced in 12-point Times New Roman font 

•Use formal language (i.e. no contractions and limited use of personal pronouns, conversational words/phrases, etc.) 

•Use of standard academic English for grammar, punctuation, spelling, and syntax
•MLA formatting, including a heading and title on the first page, pagination, in-text citations, and Works Cited page

Essay Sample Content Preview:
Student Name
Course
Instructor
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Comparing Portrayals of Black Women
The American film industry has portrayed the black woman in different characters in its films over the years. The black women have been assigned negative traits of disgrace. They have been pictured as dirty, primitive and unwomanly (Williams 347). Black women are seen as sex objects and domestic servants and stereotypical perceptions placed them outside the enclave of femininity and virtue. Black women in enslavement incarnated a superwoman, loyal and devoted to her masters, skilled in cooking and the nurturing of the white children as well as her own. She was seen in a higher status than the other black women working in the fields. She was the ideal slave. Furthermore, black women during the slavery period were vulnerable to sexual assaults and rape as many white masters saw them as sexual objects with unlimited bestial passions. The essay will look to analyze various films that have been produced highlighting the stereotypes about black women.
Description
The essay will analyze two films: Twelve Years a Slaveand Imitation of Lifethat have highlighted the stereotypes that the society has branded on women and more specifically black women.
Twelve years a slave
The film is generally about slavery and is written in the image of a black man who was born free but was kidnapped and sold into slavery. The film further showcases the brutal relationship between black and white women during the terrible historical atrocity of slavery. Key to note is the relationship between the white Mistress Epps and Patsy a Negro woman who had attracted sexual advances from her Master (Williams 348). The mistress then redirects her humiliation of her husband’s infidelity by brutalizing young Patsy through brutal punishments. The film shows how the women were maliciously connected. The free women behaved like savages and the enslaved lived like “animals” which characterized the demonic conditions of American slavery. The mistresses’ hatred towards Patsy grows even more when her husband refuses to remove Patsy from their homestead and even humiliates her. White male supremacy is another aspect that is shown in the film, which showed that eve...
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