| Adanggaman
Film
Review Essay
THE SHORT OPTION OF THIS PAPER MAY NOT BE REVISED!
| We
will use a rubric when grading your papers -- looking at the rubric
BEFORE
writing your essay will help you to understand how your praper
will be evaluated and, accordingly, help you write a better paper
(and get a better grade). See here.
(ms-word document delivered to your desktop) |
Imagine both that you are a famous historian of the Trans-Atlantic slave
trade and that Roger Gnoan M'Bala’s film Adanggaman has
just been released. The New York Post has asked you to write
a review that assesses the historical accuracy of the film. Remember,
the role of African elites and leaders (such as king Adanggaman in the
film) in the Trans-Atlantic slave trade is well known; accordingly,
you will have to assess other (but still significant)
aspects of the film's portrayal of the trade. Your review should
be no less than 550 words and no more 850. Historical inaccuracies,
in the context of your review, may include not only aspects of the film
that are outright false but also (and more interestingly) aspects that
-- although plausible -- misrepresent what was typical or common for
the slave trade at the time.
In short, take
as the primary goal for your review answering this question:
"How can the content of Roger Gnoan M'Bala’s film
Adanggaman be interpreted to demonstrate that the film is (or
is not) an historically accurate representation of BOTH the external
and internal slave trade in West Africa in the seventeenth century?"
(By
internal slave trade, I mean the capture and sale of enslaved
Africans within Africa for use as slaves within that continent. Be
sure that when discussing the film's portrayal of the internal
slave trade that you chose a scene that is explicitly
and exclusively about this internal trade.)
Spend no more than a few sentences summarizing the story; again, your
job here is to tell audiences whether or not what they are seeing is
accurate -- not whether or not the film is good (although it did
get excellent reviews in Africa
and Europe).
For the purposes
of this paper, assume:
A) the history
readings and this chart
is accurate
B) The only
history you need to know is contained in the course readings so far.
We neither expect or want you to do outside research.
C) Your response
can argue the film is entirely accurate, entirely inaccurate, or a mix
of accuracies and inaccuracies.
Writing Requirements:
To receive
full credit for this paper you must:
| PAPERS
THAT DO NOT IDENTIFY THE CLAIM/EVIDENCE/WARRANT UNITS WILL RECEIVE
NO CREDIT. (I am serious) |
1) underline
your thesis
2) label your claim/evidence/warrant units (see
below) with some clear system. For example, you might write (cl) or
(ev) in the margins, or include the word (claim) before your claim.
Remember, only paragraphs the present evidence will have claim/evidence/warrant
units. Others -- your introduction, for example -- will not.
3) cite all references from the course readings. Example: (Tignor, p.
17)
4) Have three points of comparison between the
film and the readings. When comparing the film to the reading, you must
have at least on piece of evidence from the film and one from the reading
or from this chart. DO NOT
IGNORE THE CHART.
5)
Address BOTH the external and internal slave trade in West
Africa. Papers that do not address the film's portrayal of the internal
slave trade in West Africa will lose 15% of the top.
6) Finally,
no outside research is necessary, desirable, or even permitted
for this paper. DO NOT USE OUTSIDE SOURCES IN WRITING THIS PAPER.
Papers that use outside sources as the basis either a direct
and indirect quotation will receive
an "F".
7) Remember,
your paper is on the film -- not the brief "Historical Viewpoint"
that accompanies it on the DVD.
Writing Tips:
1) yu will need to organize your response around a thesis
statement (which you must underline to get credit for the paper). As
we discussed in class, your thesis must answer the "how and why"
questions, rather than simply assert an observation. (See here
for a refresher handout on the thesis statement.)
2) The readings
do not directly address the internal African slave trade at any real
length, so to answer that part of the question based of the textbook,
you will have to extrapolate. (ex·trap·o·late,
v.: to use known facts as the starting point from which to draw inferences
or draw conclusions about something unknown). Keep in mind your responses
to the short answer questions on the slave
trade.
3) Consider
you homework questions on the slave trade when doing this paper;we asked
specific questions in order to prepare you to write this essay. You
will find it a challenge to do this essay unless you go back to that
homework.
| SAMPLE
PARAGRAPH:
(cl)
The film accurately portrayed (phenomenon x). (ev)
The scholar Prof.. Fancypants notes that (historical fact y).
This fact finds reflection in the film when (event y) occurs.
(wa) (event y) accurately portrays
(historical fact y) because (analysis t). |
4) In those
paragraphs in which you present evidence (and only those
paragraphs), be sure to use warrants to explain how the
evidence you supply supports your thesis.
So, one way to organize your paper might be:
I. INTRODUCTION
A. Establish
the context for your argument. What are (briefly) the important facts
your audience must know to read further (No more than 3 sentences)
| Example:
The historical accuracy of the film Adanggaman’s depiction
of the slave trade in West Africa in the seventeenth century can
be seen in A, B, and C. (where A,B, and C are aspects of the film
that you note) |
B. Thesis
I I. Point A
A. Claim
B. Evidence (from film and readings)
C. Warrant
III.
Point B
A. Claim
B. Evidence (from film and readings)
C. Warrant
III
Point C
A. Claim
B. Evidence (from film and readings)
C. Warrant
V Conclusion
|
