AMERICAN HORROR STORY
The Topic: Choose a recent television show that you think says something compelling about our society. To keep your analysis relevant, the episodes you will discuss must have been created within the last two years. If you don’t watch TV, you might take a look at the most popular shows on various streaming services and watch one episode. You can write about several episodes or even a single episode for this essay.
The Assignment: Write a well-developed, analytical essay in which you make a debatable argument about the show or its impact on viewers. The following advice will prove helpful: “In interpreting TV, you still need to rely on your skills in description and summary because you need to describe the show for your reader, but your purpose will be to go beyond these writing tasks towards the construction of interpretive arguments about the cultural significance of your topic” (Maasik and Solomon 249). Think of this essay as a graded draft of your research paper—you will build on this essay for the research paper.
Pre-writing Questions:
What kind of issues does the show address?
What are the show’s hidden messages?
What kinds of graphic images appear?
What stereotypes does the show perpetuate or challenge?
What cultural myths or ideologies does the show perpetuate?
What does the dialogue reveal about the characters?
Which characters tend to be mocked and which characters are taken seriously?
What is the genre of the show?
Requirements:
At least 4 full pages
Introduction with hook and persuasive thesis statement
Body paragraphs with topic sentences, specific support from the show, and analysis
Quotations from three outside sources
At least one must come from a peer-reviewed journal or book accessed through the library
The rest must come from the library databases
Thought-provoking conclusion
Works Cited (include the TV show)
MLA format
Tips
Make sure that your thesis goes beyond stating that the show has a positive or negative influence. Aim for an original argument that reveals something about our culture or the show’s deeper message.
Your three sources must come from a library database or a book.
Although you might have trouble finding a scholarly article about your TV show, you might find articles about the social issue or TV genre you are exploring.
Your research paper will be a continuation of this topic, so choose a topic and TV show that you find compelling.
This is an analysis essay, not a report or a review.
