English+I+Assignment



= Villian or Victim =

Think back to our seminar comparing themes of "The Cattle of the Sun God," Chapter One of //Mere Christianity,// and //Spiderman 3.// You may want to consult your answers and notes on the following issues:
 * =====the justification of an evil action by a legitimate need=====
 * =====the notion of "villain by circumstance" versus "villain by choice"=====
 * C.S. Lewis' standard of "decent behaviour"

Your assignment is to familiarize yourself with the crime scenarios and evidence analysis from the biology class and use it as a springboard for creating a piece of literature. Be sure to incorporate crime motive and the above issues into your choice of literary genre. Regardless of the genre you choose to use, the theme of your piece should revolve around those issues. For further instruction, familiarize yourself with the rubric at the bottom of this page. Choices include but are not limited to:


 * Short story || You may choose to detail a slice of life before, during, and/or after the crime. You will also need to consider the point of view in which you tell the story. Your space is limited in a short story (that's why we call them short, you know), so be sure to incorporate both direct and indirect characterization to pack more punch in what you include. Also consider the use of flashback; you do not have to tell the story in a linear fashion. ||
 * Journal Entries || Many novelists have chosen to use a character's journals or diary entries to tell a story. A few examples include //The Color Purple//, //Dear Mr. Henshaw,// and //Chronicles of a Fat Boy.// Consider who would be writing your journal: the victim, the defendant, the defendant's mother, the defendant's child, the lawyer, the policeman, the list goes on. Be sure to date your entries and allow your details and characterization to tell the story. ||
 * Statements to the jury || Consider the opposing viewpoints of the lawyers defending and prosecuting this case. Write statements to the jury from both lawyers- the prosecutor and the defense. You will have to examine the crime evidence carefully and think of the circumstance from multiple perspectives. ||
 * Poetry collection || Use your mad-dog poetry skills from our last unit to develop a collection of poems that collaboratively tell the story and motive of the crime. You can write the poems from multiple or a single points of view. Use multiple types of poems. Your use of metaphor, similes, personification and other literary devices are of paramount importance. Be sure your poems are intriguing enough to merit a "ooo-I've-gotta-read-that-again" response. ||
 * Newspaper articles || From a journalist's perspective, chronicle the events of the crime. Think outside of the crime scene alone. Include separate, "seemingly unrelated" articles to use as lin the motive. ||
 * Multi-genre approach || Use a variety of genre to create a multi-genre piece in which you flex your skills in journals, statements, poems, etc. ||
 * Other ideas? || I would love to hear your other ideas. Next year, I'll add them to this wiki and look like an even better teacher.  ||