Module A Essay help

[Lydia.k]

Hello,
I have just begun to write and essay for module A about King Richard III and Looking for Richard (I still need to write the conclusion). If anyone could help me on what else to add to this essay it would be great....

Never again will a single story be told as though it is the only one. John Burger
To what extent is this statement true in the light of your exploration of Textual Conversations? In your response, make close reference to the pair of prescribed texts that you have studied in Module A.

To a large extent this statement is true as everyone has a different interpretation of a text. The textual conversation between Al Pacino’s Looking for Richard and William Shakespeare’s Richard III displays that “a single story will not be told as thought is the only one” through the resonances and dissonances of each text. Corresponding themes of conscience and duplicity are displayed in a contrasting manner.

The universal theme of conscience is evident in both King Richard III and Looking for Richard but is presented dissimilarly. Shakespeare presents that audience with the idea of lack of conscience through the Machiavellian character, Richard. Machiavellian politics was the belief that an effective ruler should abandon morality and maximise personal power to ensure survival. Richard chose to ignore conscience in view of maximising personal power. Richard’s personification of conscience “o coward conscience, how dost thou afflict me?” positions conscience as a weakness. Richard also states “conscience is yet but a word that cowards use” again reiterating that he views the value as a weakness. In contrast, the protagonist of Looking for Richard uses conscience as a stimulus to create his docudrama. Through vox pops such as “it’s boring” or “I tuned out after ten minutes”, Pacino ascertains that Americans are disconnected with Shakespeare. Through the docudrama, Pacino endeavours to bring deeper understanding and appreciation for Shakespeare in the modern audience. Conscience drives Pacino to prevent a neglect of Shakespeare’s work and their significance in contemporary society. The resonances and dissonances shown through the differing representations of the same theme, emphasises that a single story is never told as though it is the only one.

Shakespeare’s King Richard III and Pacino’s Looking for Richard both convey the idea duplicity through appearance of character. Shakespeare created Richard as a duplicitous character who is only hones with the audience, enlightening them as to his evil plans and disposition. He uses dramatic irony and soliloquy to hide his callousness and lack of conscience from other characters. “I am to prove a villain…As I am subtle false and treacherous.” This discloses to the audience his immoral plans. Pacino’s film is less concerned with the moral aspect of truth and deceit and focuses on the manipulation of appearance and reality. The docudrama is an adaptation of King Richard III and explores the behind-the-scenes of a film more than the literal performance. Pacino’s use of intertextual reference to Prospero’s speech in The Tempest “these our actors…were all spirits and are melted into thin air.” This shows contemporary ambiguity and blurs the line between performance and reality, highlighting the duplicitous nature of actors. The contrasting exploration of duplicity allows the audience to engage with the way composers reimagine texts and tell it as a different story.

[avocadinq]

Hello,
I have just begun to write and essay for module A about King Richard III and Looking for Richard (I still need to write the conclusion). If anyone could help me on what else to add to this essay it would be great....

Never again will a single story be told as though it is the only one. John Burger
To what extent is this statement true in the light of your exploration of Textual Conversations? In your response, make close reference to the pair of prescribed texts that you have studied in Module A.

To a large extent this statement is true as everyone has a different interpretation of a text. The textual conversation between Al Pacino’s Looking for Richard and William Shakespeare’s Richard III displays that “a single story will not be told as thought is the only one” through the resonances and dissonances of each text. Corresponding themes of conscience and duplicity are displayed in a contrasting manner.

The universal theme of conscience is evident in both King Richard III and Looking for Richard but is presented dissimilarly. Shakespeare presents that audience with the idea of lack of conscience through the Machiavellian character, Richard. Machiavellian politics was the belief that an effective ruler should abandon morality and maximise personal power to ensure survival. Richard chose to ignore conscience in view of maximising personal power. Richard’s personification of conscience “o coward conscience, how dost thou afflict me?” positions conscience as a weakness. Richard also states “conscience is yet but a word that cowards use” again reiterating that he views the value as a weakness. In contrast, the protagonist of Looking for Richard uses conscience as a stimulus to create his docudrama. Through vox pops such as “it’s boring” or “I tuned out after ten minutes”, Pacino ascertains that Americans are disconnected with Shakespeare. Through the docudrama, Pacino endeavours to bring deeper understanding and appreciation for Shakespeare in the modern audience. Conscience drives Pacino to prevent a neglect of Shakespeare’s work and their significance in contemporary society. The resonances and dissonances shown through the differing representations of the same theme, emphasises that a single story is never told as though it is the only one.

Shakespeare’s King Richard III and Pacino’s Looking for Richard both convey the idea duplicity through appearance of character. Shakespeare created Richard as a duplicitous character who is only hones with the audience, enlightening them as to his evil plans and disposition. He uses dramatic irony and soliloquy to hide his callousness and lack of conscience from other characters. “I am to prove a villain…As I am subtle false and treacherous.” This discloses to the audience his immoral plans. Pacino’s film is less concerned with the moral aspect of truth and deceit and focuses on the manipulation of appearance and reality. The docudrama is an adaptation of King Richard III and explores the behind-the-scenes of a film more than the literal performance. Pacino’s use of intertextual reference to Prospero’s speech in The Tempest “these our actors…were all spirits and are melted into thin air.” This shows contemporary ambiguity and blurs the line between performance and reality, highlighting the duplicitous nature of actors. The contrasting exploration of duplicity allows the audience to engage with the way composers reimagine texts and tell it as a different story.

The essay seems good so far, except potentially adding more evidence into your essay to support your points, as well as fixing up the phrasing of your essay by reading it out loud. For your introduction you could make your thesis sound a little more nuanced rather than colloquial, expanding upon that argument and explaining how your themes reflect the statement above. Include more contextual evidence also to back up your points, remember to link the question throughout your essay. Otherwise, a good first draft!

[Lydia.k]

Ok awesome, thx heaps

[caffinatedloz]

I think your ideas are really fantastic- especially in those body paragraphs! But your language and the way you express them could use a little refining. Like avocading said, reading your writing aloud will help you to pick up clunkiness and colloquialism.