ENMC 352-MDST 352 (Schedule #705RB-700Q3)
University of Virginia
Spring 2007
201 Clemons :: TR 12:30-1:45pm
Mr. David Golumbia
Office: 304B Bryan
Spring 2007 Office Hours: TR 11am-12:30pm & by appt

Vernaculars, Media, Texts

Assignment 2

Please write a 3-5pp paper (approximately 1000 words) on one of the following topics. You may also choose another topic related to the class by discussing it with me via email or in office hours. The paper is due at the beginning of class on March 29.

  1. The Harder they Come tells a similar story to the stories told in Rolling the Rs and Name Me Nobody. Compare the main story of The Harder they Come with the main story one of the two novels. How does the medium in which the stories are told change the effects of the story on the reader/viewer? This paper should carefully contrast the narrative and formal characteristics of the film with one of the novels.
  2. Locate a vernacular language that is not one of the ones we will cover in class (if you have any questions, please check with me via email). Write a brief research report not just on the language, but on the cultural history of the language, including the roles it plays in contemporary society. Make sure to describe the relationship between the vernacular and other languages with which its speakers come into contact. Note that you may only choose this option if you did not choose it for Assignment 1.
  3. Watch one or both of the two episodes of The Wire carefully and identify the various linguistic registers spoken by characters in the program. Focus on a few characters in particular whose register changes, even if in a subtle way, over the course of the episode(s). What conclusions can you draw from these changes with regard to the themes of the program? Are these changes conscious or unconscious? Do you think the producers have requested the actors to shift registers? You may embed this discussion in a more general discussion of the language of The Wire and its relationship with the program's themes.
  4. Compare two works in which narrative strategy is handled differently with regard to language: one in which the main narrator speaks a vernacular (Me Dying Trial or Rolling the Rs) and one which is narrated in standard English (Name Me Nobody, Dogeaters). You may substitute an episode of The Wire or The Harder they Come for the standard-English narration. How do these narrative strategies affect the themes of the work? How do they affect your understanding of the language and themes of the novels/movie/program?

 

Last updated March 13, 2007.