Empowering Representation: The Significance of Black Superheroes in American Cinema. This research paper aims to explore the emergence of superhero films in American cinema and their representation of historical and ideological contexts. Specifically, delve into how superhero narratives intersect with themes of race, identity, and power, focusing on the portrayal of Black superheroes. Analyze the influence of genres like RomCom, Western, and Science Fiction, as well as adaptations from print media, to understand how these tales inform and reflect American values related to gender, technology, community, consumerism, and the concept of good versus evil. The goal is to examine how superhero ideas and themes resonate, particularly from the perspective of a Black male in America, and the significance of empowering representation in shaping cultural discourse and societal perceptions.
THESIS
After you are satisfied that you have thoroughly
researched a topic that interests you (and it is a good idea to complete
an annotated bibliography), it is time for you to develop your thesis
statement. The thesis is the central argument of your paper. It’s a
little more than just what the paper is about, because an effective
essay must argue a point that is both focused and compelling. The
thesis must satisfy a basic standard that goes beyond mere observation
of something and description to link what is observed to some deeper
level of meaning. This is a central argument you are making about
meaning, and the statement should also convey the significance of your
argument.
In other words, it’s not enough to say something is (All
In The Family is considered a great television series or Citizen Kane is
a great film); instead you must go further to persuade your reader why
something is and why it is significant (Citizen Kane is a great film
because—there are a myriad of reasons!—and this is significant because
so many other filmmakers have been influenced by this movie—in ways that
you must then demonstrate).
Yes, the thesis of the paper is your opinion, but it is
an opinion informed and supported by all of the research you have
conducted. In the final analysis, I will be looking for a concrete
thesis statement (contained early in your paper in one well-crafted
sentence after you have introduced the general topic) that is original,
focused, and that satisfies the questions that always pop into the heads
of every professor in the Communication Department: does this thesis
meet the “So what?” and “Why should I care?” standard.
ORGANIZATION
After you have developed a strong thesis, you will need
to organize the arguments that you have selected to “prove” (or
adequately persuade the reader of) your point. These arguments will
come from other scholars or writers, from the creative use of ideas and
theories you have encountered, from television texts themselves, from
biographical circumstances of members of the creative teams’ lives, etc.
Be sure to use only relevant supporting materials and to structure
your arguments into an organized system—an outline is very useful in
helping you think about the big picture before you begin to write.
Do not forget that not only should your outline produce a
logical flow of ideas and a cohesive structure for your essay, but you
must use transitional devices (probably sentences and words rather than
paragraphs given the length of your assignment) to make the writing easy
to follow and, hopefully, elegant.
STYLE
Use MLA as your style guide for writing your paper.
Remember that format, grammar, syntax, and spelling all count toward
your final grade. Proofread your papers very carefully several times.
Careless errors always detract from your grade the same as a poorly
considered thesis, lack of organization, and weak conclusion. Even
though you turned in an annotated bibliography previously of the sources
you consulted in the course of your research, you will turn in a
standard bibliography of the sources actually cited in your paper with
the final draft of your paper.
AVOIDING ERRORS
Underline or italicize movie titles but put TV episode titles within quotation marks.
Years are not generally possessive (i.e. 1970s not 1970’s).
“That” should be used in essential clauses and a comma preceding
“which” for non-essential clauses. (This is an error that many students
make./This is a common error, which students would be well-advised to
avoid.)
It is a weak construction to begin a sentence with “however.” It
is, however, perfectly acceptable to embed the word. Many short
sentences would work quite well with the word held to the end, however.
Use present tense when describing something that happens in a show.
Ozzie walks out on Harriet (that would never happen!), Roseanne and Dan
take a vacation without the kids, and the characters on Curb Your
Enthusiasm engage in mundane, if clever and colorful, dialogue about a
variety of pop culture topics. It all happens in present tense because
we are watching the movies in the present regardless of when they were
produced.
Don’t assume that you know what a writer means to convey by a
particular choice unless an interview or commentary track (which you
have cited) states so directly. You may infer a range of ideas about
meaning from a choice the director or writer or producer or star makes
so long as you support your ideas with evidence from the text or other
sources.
Use between if you are making a connection between two things,
people, or ideas and use among if the connection is among several.
Further is to explore a subject more deeply and farther is a measure of physical distance.
A comma is not required before a prepositional phrase (though is should follow an introductory prepositional phrase).
There should not be a comma place before a dependent clause.
Please use a comma to separate all items in a series. If you are
writing about apples, bananas, and pears, for example, use a comma after
bananas.
Spell out numerals one to ten.
Make sure your pronouns and pronoun antecedents agree. For example,
a viewer is singular. “A viewer can maximize his or her movie
experience by keeping an open mind.” If you want to be gender neutral
rather than inclusive, try this: “Viewers can maximize their movie
experience by keeping open minds.”
