10 Regents / Mr



The Invisible Man: Comparative Writing

Task

You will compare H.G. Wells’ novel The Invisible Man to the 1933 film version that was directed by James Whale. Wells wrote one story; Whale directed another. Your task is to analyze the characterization of Griffin in both texts in a comparative essay.

Process

What follows is the process you will complete for this essay. The main steps will be completed in order and in class. On those days, your teacher will be available to work with you, to answer questions, and to look at homework; the final responsibility for managing your time is, however, yours. When the due date arrives, you will upload your paper to and hand in a printed copy. You may not request an extension on this assignment, and the usual late penalties apply.

Step #1: Compile a thorough list of actions and interactions for Griffin in the novel; briefly analyze each.

Step #2: Watch the film and take careful notes on significant changes made to the narrative, especially w/r/t Griffin.

Step #3: Briefly explore your answers to the framing questions listed below.

Step #4: Write a thesis statement and build an introductory paragraph.

Step #5: Arrange the shape of the response paragraph by paragraph and select appropriate details from both texts.

Step #6: Outline your analysis of these details and connect that analysis to your thesis.

Step #7: Conclude the response with a final paragraph.

Step #8: Type, format, and edit your essay.

Step #9: Submit your paper online to .

Notice that you have already completed Step #1 and Step #2. The next five steps will be completed in and out of class over four or five days.

The due date is _______________________; the submission is due on that date before 7:55am.

Step #3: Determine your answer to the framing questions below.

You will write brief answers to each of these questions in order to help focus the overall meaning of your paper. Some of what you write here may also be useful as part of the approach and ending.

1. What makes a literary character sympathetic?

2. What does it mean to be the hero or villain within a story?

3. How does the character of Griffin in the film version of The Invisible Man differ from his counterpart in the novel?

4. Why would a filmmaker alter the narrative in the source material?

Step #4: Write a thesis statement and build an introductory paragraph.

You are given the following thesis as a template. You may use it, adapting the optional sections to suit your own understanding, or you may create your own thesis—provided it has a solid, arguable claim at its center, and provided it clearly outlines the essay that follows.

Thesis: The changes made to [a, b, and c] make the character of Griffin [more/less] [x].

This part of the thesis sums up the introductory comparison of the novel and film, which will be part of this first paragraph.

This refers to some quality of the character of Griffin that is worth analyzing at length. It should be a quality introduced clearly in this first paragraph, and it should be debatable within the narrative of each text. A few examples: sympathetic, villainous, heroic.

Be certain that you separate detail—examples of violent actions or the description of motivation—from this term, which should be the central part of your meaning.

If you argue that Jack Griffin is

more villainous than the novel’s

Invisible Man, you must define

villainy and compare actions and

motivations. If you argue that Jack

Griffin is more tragic, you must similarly The “more” or “less” (or some variation thereof)

build a case. If you offer that the that you choose gives you the comparative focus

movie’s Invisible Man is more human, you need for the essay—looking at how the film

you must define “human” and explain contrasts with the novel.

how the novel’s character is inhuman.

And so on…

Step #5: Arrange the shape of the response paragraph by paragraph and select appropriate details from both texts.

Once you have your thesis and introduction, you can follow this template to create the sections of your paper, i.e., the paragraphs. Remember that this is a guideline and a template; you can easily shift the following setup to accommodate other thesis statements and other structures. For example, your paper will be arranged differently if your thesis looks like this:

Thesis: The changes made to [a and b] make the character of Griffin [more] [x], whereas the changes made to [c] characterize him as [less] [x].

¶1 is your introduction, ending with your thesis. The template:

Thesis: The changes made to [a, b, and c] make the character of Griffin [more/less] [x].

¶2 is your exploration of [a]. Jot down general thoughts on how the film changes that aspect of Griffin from its expression in the novel.

¶3 is your exploration of [b]. Repeat the style of your outline for ¶2.

¶4 is your exploration of [c]. Repeat again.

Before you pull in the details you need from the novel and movie, look at this outline of a paragraph:

¶2: Topic sentence stating how, in general, [a, b, or c] was changed from the book to the movie.

Details from the novel.

DETAILS Analysis of detail: what is revealed about Griffin from these details.

Contrasting details from the movie.

Comparative analysis of detail: what changes about Griffin’s character.

Further analysis of the change, connecting it back to how Griffin is [more/less] [x].

Before you can do the real work of the paper—the analysis—you need the right details. The details need to match your paragraph’s focus; they need to be specific, with page numbers and quotations (when possible); and they need to be balanced between the film and the novel.

Quotations: Use specific quotations from the novel when the author (or speaker) uses language that is stronger than your paraphrasing would be. Cite your work with either

1. an inline citation, e.g., Wells writes that Griffin “[detailed quotation]” (37); or use

2. a parenthetical citation, e.g., In the novel, Griffin [detailed paraphrasing] (Wells, 37).

For the film, don’t use parentheses at all; when you discuss what Whale, the director, changes, use his name only. For example, this might work: In the film, Whale introduces the brand-new character of Flora in order to…

* When in doubt, refer to the MLA overview incorporated into the downloadable template.

Transitioning

Once you have the sections of your paper and, within each section, the details you want to use, you need to label the relationship between ideas. To do this, you need the set of transitional words and phrases given to you earlier in the year. It is also online. You want to be able to see the way your paper moves:

¶1: Intro

[transitional language] ( [tansitions of logic]

¶2: [a]

Details from the novel + analysis

[transition]*This will also be a word or phrase that indicates a relationship. What is the relationship between each half of the paragraph?

Details from the film + analysis

[transitional language] ( [tansitions of logic]

¶3: [b]

And so on…

Step #6: Outline your analysis of these details and connect that analysis to your thesis.

The real work of your paper comes in the analysis you provide. This is the proof of your thesis and the significant meaning of your response overall. You can work your way through analysis by returning to the template used for Step #5 and refocusing:

¶1, your introduction, should be complete. The thesis that ends it is your argument, and you will continuously check it to be certain that your analysis ties back to its central idea(s). The template provided: The changes made to [a, b, and c] make the character of Griffin [more/less] [x].

The end of that thesis – the idea that “the character of Griffin” becomes “[more/less] [x]” – drives the analysis. If you write that Griffin becomes more villainous, for instance, your paper’s analysis will be focused on what it means to be villainous, and on how the details from Step #5 cause Griffin to seem more villainous.

Look back over the paragraph structure you have created (note again that this is only one possible structure; you may have another):

¶2 is your exploration of [a]. This is the first set of contrasting details that you will analyze.

¶3 is your exploration of [b]. This is the second set.

¶4 is your exploration of [c]. If you have a third change to discuss, this will feature your third analytical section.

If we use the same layout as we did in Step #5, the connection between details and meaning ought to be clear:

¶2: Topic sentence stating how, in general, [a, b, or c] was changed from the book to the movie.

Details from the novel.

Analysis of detail: what is revealed about Griffin from these details.

Contrasting details from the movie. ANALYSIS + MEANING

Comparative analysis of detail: what changes about Griffin’s character.

Further analysis of the change, connecting it back to how Griffin is [more/less] [x].

The hard work comes in your determination of each bolded line

and the connections you make between them. You have to be accurate

when you analyze “what is revealed about Griffin” by the details

you have chosen; you also have to be able to analyze what changes about his

character when we compare those details to the ones from the film.

Most importantly, though, you have to bridge the gap between what

it means in the novel or film and how it changes the character overall.

Here is an incomplete example using Flora, the female lead from the film:

The first way that Whale changes the narrative is by inventing the character of Flora.

In the novel, the only female character Griffin encounters who is remotely like Flora is… (here you would need to analyze the way that Wells describes Griffin running into an old female acquaintance, which occurs on page 67)

He has no girlfriend or wife to remind him of his humanity.

In contrast, the movie offers Flora, who was romantically involved with Jack Griffin before his transformation.

She obviously feels… (here you might offer details about how we know she is in love with him)

When he is reminded of their relationship, Griffin is confronted with the humanity he left behind.

When he turns away from her and threatens violence and terror on the whole world, he seems [more/less] [x] than he does in the novel…

You can do better than that paragraph, but it shows you the structure: offer detail as evidence, examine it for deeper meaning, and then analyze how it makes the character more or less villainous, heroic, tragic, sympathetic, and so on.

[pic]

Step #7: Conclude the response with a final paragraph.

Let your final paragraph do a little more than just summarize your previous points or restate your thesis. Focus on where we go from here: Is there something about the [x] you chose that was revealed in all this? Do we value clear villains in movies? Does this seem to reveal why movie sometimes inject romance into source texts that lack it? Don’t introduce brand new ideas; allow your conclusion to return to your original ideas, especially your answers to the essential and framing questions in Step #3.

The ending of an analytical essay is often the most difficult piece to make authentic and vital, but you will have an opportunity to conference with your teacher to determine how best to end your work.

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These are the three aspects of the texts that will form your support paragraphs. Choose patterns, noting specific characters that change or specific plot elements that are altered. Write “changes made to Dr. Kemp,” not “changes made to characters,” for instance.

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