From teacher: ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTION. THERE ARE NO "CORRECT" ANSWERS PER SE. EFFECTIVE, WELL- ...
From teacher: ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTION. THERE ARE NO "CORRECT" ANSWERS PER SE. EFFECTIVE, WELL-SUPPORTED, CLEARLY WRITTEN ESSAYS MAY BE CONSTRUCTED FROM A VARIETY OF PERSPECTIVES. THE PROMPTS RELATE TO BUT USUALLY GO BEYOND THE SPECIFIC COURSE MATERIAL IN ORDER TO STIMULATE BROADER AND DEEPER ANALYSIS AND APPLICATION RATHER THAN MERE FACTUAL RECALL. THE OBJECTIVE IS TO ANALYZE THE PROBLEM CAREFULLY, SYNTHESIZE MATERIALS EFFECTIVELY, AND EXPRESS YOUR VIEWS AND CONCLUSIONS COHERENTLY. BE SURE TO MAKE APPROPRIATE REFERENCES TO FILMS, DISCUSSIONS, AND EXTERNAL SOURCES WHEREVER RELEVANT AND APPROPRIATE TO YOUR RESPONSE. THE ESSAY SHOULD BE TYPED AND BE APPROXIMATELY 6-7 PAGES IN LENGTH Imagine another (over the top) scenario: After finals in June 2024, you are returning from a much needed vacation in New York. On the plane, you are sitting next to a man named George Babbitt, III, who is remarkably similar to the character Ed Horman in the film “Missing.” Like Horman, George is a middle aged businessman who is largely apathetic to the world around him and is almost entirely consumed by his family and his business concerns. While waiting for takeoff, your conversation consists mostly of small talk. You tell him that you’re a UCLA student and have recently completed your Spring Quarter, including “Films of Persuasion.” Then, suddenly, the pilot announces that a serious mechanical problem has forced an unscheduled delay and that everyone must disembark. She says that passengers will not be able to leave for a minimum of 5 hours and will be given vouchers for a meal and two drinks. She apologizes for the delay and says that when the problem is fixed, the flight to Los Angeles will take off. So, you and Mr. Babbitt decide to go for drinks together and “hang out” during the delay. He (“Call me George”) tells you that he has a son, George IV, who has just graduated from Torpor State in upstate New York (TS), with a major in business. He relates that he’s disappointed that his son George wants to take a gap year and is even thinking of going to Africa or Ukraine “or some other weird country” to help out with relief work. George says he should really be thinking about law school or joining his dad’s company, “Widget Pharmaceuticals.” “It’s a fine corporation. I’m going to LA to make a deal to buy some raw materials from China and outsource some of our work to some other place near there, Burma or Bangla something or other. We’re making lots of profits these days. Great place for a young person like George. He can start as a supervisor.” Then George the Elder asks you about your classes. You tell him that you’ve recently seen and discussed “Missing” in one of your classes. You mention that it’s about a murder of a young American man in Chile in 1973 by the new military Chilean government, with American help. George replies: “Hey, I don’t know anything about that! I wasn’t even born until 1974. How could I even know about events like that? I’m not even sure where that country is!” Then you have a revelation: you think that you might use that film to make George Babbitt more actively engaged in the world. You tell him that you have the film with you on your laptop and that you have time to show it while you’re waiting in Kennedy Airport in NY. He says to you, “Sure, let’s take a look. But like I said, I don’t know anything about Chile or what happened there in 1973. That’s such a long time ago! I don’t really care! I’ll buy you another drink!” You reply, “Okay, I’ll show you the film. I don’t want to persuade you to take any particular side about Chile or even take any particular side on any political or social issue. I just think that films in general, and this film “Missing” in particular, are useful in getting viewers to have a sharper and less apathetic view of their world and society and to become more engaged citizens. Let me try to show you by looking at this film and many of its specific scenes and its general themes! I can also make it very personal to you. Maybe “Missing” can get you to be more informed and involved in your society and the world, maybe even like your son George Jr., apparently.”
