1 of 34

PRODUCTION

DIRECTOR

CAMERA

DATE

SCENE

TAKE

Social Justice in Film

English 8

225

Modified from Lit C.I.R.C.L.E.

SLIDESMANIA.COM

2 of 34

How does this film either challenge or perpetuate injustices in our society?

For the next few weeks, you will practice your analysis and your writing skills by watching a movie of your choice and then composing a short (4 paragraph) essay that answers the following prompt:

SLIDESMANIA.COM

3 of 34

You should choose a movie that, in some way, relates to social issues in our society. Consider social issues that you know of. Conversely, you may choose a film that depicts injustices not towards humans, but towards animals, nature, or the environment. Remember, even children’s movies tend to carry very real messages about society, so don’t count animated films out!

We are looking for a movie that will help answer the essential question, How does this film either challenge or perpetuate injustices in our society?

How do we pick our film? What injustice are we looking at? Think about -isms. Sexism, heterosexism, ageism, racism, ableism, classism, xenophobism. What other injustices can you think of that are in the world today?

What Should You Look For?

SLIDESMANIA.COM

4 of 34

Some examples of movies to choose

Brave
Do The Right Thing
Gone With The Wind
The Hate Your Give
Remember the Titans
The Help
Last of the Mohicans
Sleeping Beauty
The Green Book
Wonder
Shawshank Redemption
Last Blackman in San Francisco

Just Mercy
HIdden Figures
Dances With Wolves
Captain Marvel
The Bucket List
Coco
Breakfast at Tiffany's
What’s Eating Gilbert Grape?
Bring It On
Enchanted
She’s All That
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom

Moana
Bend it Like Beckham
BIlly Elliot
Rabbit Proof Fence
The Intern
Akeelah and the Bee
The Hurricane
To Kill a Mockingbird
Holiday Inn
Peanut BUtter Falcon
Grease
Crouching Tiger, HIdden Dragon

SLIDESMANIA.COM

As you are watching...

Use the following slides as a notetaker during your viewing of the film. You will be using some of the vocabulary you learned and you will also most likely have to watch the movie twice!

SLIDESMANIA.COM

14 of 34

Basic Information

Title and Year released:	Producer and Director
Story Writer(s):	Genre:

SLIDESMANIA.COM

15 of 34

Important Characters

Protagonist:	Description and Role:
Antagonist:	Description and Role:
Supporting Characters:	Description and Role:

SLIDESMANIA.COM

16 of 34

Notable Quotes or Scenes

SLIDESMANIA.COM

17 of 34

In one paragraph, give a synopsis of the film.

SLIDESMANIA.COM

18 of 34

Give your personal review of the film. In your opinion, what was done well and what could have been better? Would you recommend this film? Why or why not?

SLIDESMANIA.COM

19 of 34

What are the major conflicts that take place throughout the course of the film? Be sure to explain (1) which characters were involved in each conflict and (2) how each conflict was resolved, if at all.

SLIDESMANIA.COM

20 of 34

What social injustices can be seen in this film? Who holds the power and who is the target of that power imbalance?

SLIDESMANIA.COM

21 of 34

What connections can be seen between the events and themes in this film and the real world?

SLIDESMANIA.COM

22 of 34

Let’s get writing!!!! First, let’s revisit a thesis statement.

SLIDESMANIA.COM

23 of 34

Definition of a Thesis Statement:

A thesis statement usually is the last sentence of the introduction paragraph. It is a summary of the main point of claim that the writer is making in the essay. A thesis is usually one sentence. The rest of the essay supports the thesis statement.

SLIDESMANIA.COM

24 of 34

Remember the prompt: How does this film either challenge or perpetuate injustices in our society?

Be sure that your thesis clearly addresses the following points:

Does it challenge or perpetuate injustices?
What SPECIFIC injustices are you referring to?
HOW does the film do this? (at least 2 distinct reasons or ways this can be seen in the film)

Thesis Statement Example The 2013 Disney film Frozen seeks to challenge narrow depictions of womanhood by focusing on a strong female protagonist with no male love interest -- an extremely rare occurrence in Disney movies. In fact, the film goes so far as to depict stereotypical female characters who are obsessed with the idea of marrying a prince as naive and immature, discouraging such mindsets.

Practice: Color code the example thesis statement below, based on how it addresses each bullet point. (Red, blue, and green)

SLIDESMANIA.COM

25 of 34

Your turn! Write your thesis statement in the box. Feel free to use this format:

The film _____________________

challenges/perpetuates (insert social injustice or issue) by (reason 1) and (reason 2).

SLIDESMANIA.COM

26 of 34

Now let’s write the rest of the introduction paragraph! The introduction is basically three parts:

The Hook: this gets the reader’s attention.
The Summary: this part is a short summary of the film including the themes
The Thesis: Your main claim of the essay and answer to the prompt.

The Hook	Grab your reader’s attention with a thought provoking question, a short anecdote, or an interesting quote:
The Summary	Write a short summary of the film using an IVF summary. ________ directed by ________tells of….. (Look back at your viewing notes and synopsis.)
The Thesis	Use your already written thesis here. Remember to proofread everything!

SLIDESMANIA.COM

27 of 34

Now let’s work on your two body paragraphs and their organization. These paragraphs are basically a longer RICE organization. The R is the topic sentence for each paragraph. It is your reason 1 and 2 from your thesis.

Then you will use evidence and ICE to back up your claim. You will use TWO pieces of evidence in each body paragraph. Make sure you CITE and EXPLAIN!

The EXPLAIN is usually the hardest and longest part of your RICE.

Body Paragraph 1 Outline
Topic Sentence	This is your Reason 1 from your thesis. Restate it using different language.
Evidence #1 - Look at Notable scenes and quotes from your viewing guide	I - Introduce your evidence: This is shown when…. Your evidence can be a direct quote (use quotation marks if it is) or it can be a paraphrase of what happened or what was said. C - Cite your evidence. For movies it is (Movie Title, Time of evidence) E - Explain your evidence. In 2-3 sentences, analyze the evidence. What does it mean? What is it important? Refer back to the prompt of the essay.
Evidence #2 - Look at Notable scenes and quotes from your viewing guide	I - Introduce your evidence: This is also shown when…. Use transitions when you can. Your evidence can be a direct quote (use quotation marks if it is) or it can be a paraphrase of what happened or what was said. C - Cite your evidence. For movies it is (Movie Title, Time of evidence) E - Explain your evidence. In 2-3 sentences, analyze the evidence. What does it mean? What is it important? Refer back to the prompt of the essay. Conclude this paragraph with a transition.

SLIDESMANIA.COM

28 of 34

Now use this template to write your first body paragraph. Refer to the last slide for help!

Body Paragraph 1 Outline
Topic Sentence
Evidence #1 - Look at Notable scenes and quotes from your viewing guide
Evidence #2 - Look at Notable scenes and quotes from your viewing guide

SLIDESMANIA.COM

29 of 34

Body Paragraph 2. Outline
Topic Sentence
Evidence #1 - Look at Notable scenes and quotes from your viewing guide
Evidence #2 - Look at Notable scenes and quotes from your viewing guide

Your second body paragraph will have the same organization as the first, but will focus on the second reason that is stated in your thesis!

SLIDESMANIA.COM

30 of 34

Your conclusion paragraph is the shortest of your paragraphs. It is divided into three parts!

Restate your thesis

Review your main points from your body paragraphs

Push - so… what is the point of this? What is the impact of this film and how why is it important to real life?

Conclusión Outline
Restate Thesis	How will you PARAPHRASE your thesis statement?
Review Main Points	Look at your topic sentences for help
Push	Refer to questions 4 and 5 of your film reflection questions

Write Your Conclusion

SLIDESMANIA.COM

31 of 34

Put your essay together on a Google doc, proofread, and then share it with your partner for feedback and critique.

Then, turn in your final draft on Echo. It should be in Arial or Times New Roman with an underlined title, double-spaced, font size 12.

SLIDESMANIA.COM

32 of 34

Reflection

What do you feel you learned from this project? Explain.

What was your favorite part about this project? Your least favorite part?

What is something you would change or add to this project given the chance?

SLIDESMANIA.COM

33 of 34

PRESENTATION TEMPLATE

FONTS USED

IMAGES

SlidesMania.com

Arial, Architects Daughter and Limelight

Unsplash, Giphy

LESSON

Modified from Lit C.I.R.C.L.E Film Analysis

SLIDESMANIA.COM

1 of 34

2 of 34

3 of 34

4 of 34

5 of 34

6 of 34

7 of 34

8 of 34

9 of 34

10 of 34

11 of 34

12 of 34

13 of 34

14 of 34

15 of 34

16 of 34

17 of 34

18 of 34

19 of 34

20 of 34

21 of 34

22 of 34

23 of 34

24 of 34

25 of 34

26 of 34

27 of 34

28 of 34

29 of 34

30 of 34

31 of 34

32 of 34

33 of 34

34 of 34