Argument:
In Aaron McGruder’s The Boondocks, African Americans are portrayed as both unique and rounded characters and as stereotypical caricatures. The viewer can often distinguish between a character’s unique portrayal and a character’s stereotypical portrayal by the character’s eyes, facial expressions, clothing, and speech. The characters within the boondocks mockingly fit into the traditional time period associated black caricatures but their intentional mockery adds a layer of social criticism to the portrayal of African Americans. Some critics think that The Boondocks not a positive force in African American representation. However, because The Boondocks mocks old character norms, and challenges frameworks of black representation, even though black people aren’t always portrayed in the best light, the diversity and uniqueness of their portrayal is a positive message to America that black people do not fit packaged nicely into caricatured roles.
Topic 1: The viewer can often distinguish between a character’s unique portrayal and a character’s stereotypical portrayal by the character’s eyes, facial expressions, clothing, and speech.
Key evidence 1: Eyes from Rhetorical Analysis II
Key evidence 2: Riley’s clothes vs. Dubois’s clothes
Key evidence 3: Speech patterns of the two white “ignorant niggas” (from Synthesis)
Topic 2: The characters within the boondocks mockingly fit into the traditional time period associated black caricatures
Key evidence 1: Angela Nelson’s Time periods (from Synthesis)
Key evidence 2: example time period characters from Nelson
Key evidence 3: Example boondocks characters
Key evidence 4: Characters that don’t fit the mold from The Boondocks
Topic 3: Some critics think that The Boondocks not a positive force in African American representation. They’re wrong. I think it is.
Key evidence 1: DeWayne Wickham’s article about the N word
Key evidence 2: Nancy C. Cornwell’s essay about Boondocks responses
Key evidence 3: Robert M. Entman’s essay about the effect on white viewers
Key evidence 4: Robert Ferguson’s essay showing how The Boondocks is misinterpreted as racist
Key evidence 5: Naomi Rockler’s and Roland Kelts’s international perspective
1 comment:
Aaron--I'm glad you're coming to office hours soon. You've located and mapped a dynamic argument about the nature of Boondocks and mapped the currents quite well in your dinner table exercise.
Yet I wonder if that action-packed dinner has shouted you out a bit. That is, currently you've re-fitted your paper so that you engage in the kind of pro-con argument (is this show good or bad). Your evaluation sounds more sophisticated than some of the secondary sources.
But it's also pulled you from the fundamental how-why questions of analysis that the RAE focuses on. Your sub-topics have become engaging and refuting the secondary sources rather than using them to explore your argument about the depiction of race within the show.
During our office hours meeting, let's discuss how we can blend what you now have as seperate sub-topics. Currently they sound like individuated mini-papers (and from the outline, your own close analysis of the show may disappear by section 3).
Post a Comment