Assignment
Introduction to the Visual Cultures of Southeast Asia (Fall 2017)
Writing Assignment: An Analysis of William Wyler's film, The Letter (1940)
The Writing Assignment on William Wyler's film, The Letter is due Monday, October 16, 2017 at 5:20 pm. We only accept papers submitted through eCommons. Note: We do not accept e-mailed papers and more important, late papers will not be accepted.
Directions and Guidelines
This writing assignment asks you to write a short paper analyzing William Wyler's film, The Letter (1940) by answering ONE of the following prompt questions below. In addition, please draw upon materials from class lectures and in-class discussion. For this assignment, you must write a three-page (maximum four-page) essay answering of the prompt questions below. The assignment asks you to analyze Hollywood representations of the "Others" in Wyler's film. Your essay should be neatly typed and doubled spaced (with one-inch margins, and be sure to number, collate, and staple your pages). More important, please structure your essay around a thesis statement, and organize your visual analysis and discussion of two specific scenes from the film into a cohesive argument.
Note: Please be sure to choose two specific scenes that enable you to compare and contrast how Asians (or "Others") versus the hegemonic ("dominant" or "superior" race) Whites are represented in Wyler's film.
The film will be screened in class on Wednesday, October 4, 2017. There is only one copy of a dvd of this film on reserve at the Media Center at the McHenry Library under HAVC 24 (DVD 7822, with captions) so please be sure to attend the in-class screening of the film.
Please read Richard A. Oehling, "The Yellow Menace: Asian Images in American Film," in your course reader (eCommons, week 1), which provides you with a brief history of how Asians are portrayed in Hollywood films.
As I already mentioned, this writing assignment requires no research beyond reading Richard A. Oehling's article in your course reader (eCommons, week 1). However, when appropriate, please reference Oehling's article in proper footnotes (or endnotes). Please make use of the Perdue University Online Writing Lab (OWL): https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/section/2/. Note: Should you need to learn how to use footnotes, this is a very useful online resource.
Please note also that we do not accept Web sites as sources (i.e., do not use Google or Wikipedia for this assignment). More important, we will only accept papers submitted through eCommons. We will not read drafts of your writing assignment. However, your respective TA would be more than happy to discuss the assignment questions with you. In fact, I would encourage you to see your respective TAs during their office hours.
Note: Please DO NOT fill your pages with a summary of the plot of the film. Keep in mind that you are asked to provide your own analysis, not write a synopsis. Rest assured that we have seen this film many times, so just mention the plot when it is relevant to your argument. You will get an automatic "F" on your paper if you hand in a paper that is simply a summary of the story narrated in the film.
Warning: If you do not follow the above directions and guidelines, you risk failing the writing assignment.
In the age of great internet access and smart phone, we all turn to google for information and thus it is very important that you avoid copying information and writings from the internet and claim them as your own work. Please be honest and respectful of copyright laws by footnoting and crediting your sources properly.
Warning: If you get caught plagiarizing, you will get an automatic "F" on the assignment and in the course. We will report your misconduct to the provost of your respective colleges and your case will be handled according to the regulations and policies as outlined in the above websites.
Prompt Questions:
1. What specific country (or countries) is (are) referred to in the film? How are Asians represented and portrayed in Wyler's film? How does the black and white format of Wyler's film lend itself to visual representations of this racial/colonial binary? How do the make up, dress, speech, facial, and physical expressions contribute to the racial contrast between the two main female characters in the film: Mrs. Hammond, "the Eurasian woman" (Gale Sondergaard), and Leslie Crosbie (Bette Davis)?
2. Discuss when and how Leslie Crosbie crochets in the film. In what ways does Crosbie's activity stand metaphorically as a visual narrative thread that helps to untangle the film's complex narrative plot into a coherent story? In what situations and circumstances do we see Crosbie crochet in the film? How might we interpret the lace shawl that Crosbie wore to meet Mrs. Hammond related to this motif of veiling and unveiling of her true face and her hidden motive?
3. How does the portrayal of Ong Chi Seng's character (Victor Sen Yung) in the film shed light on European and white American perceptions of "Asian" men? Is he portrayed as a masculine? Is he represented as a generous and frank character?
4. In what ways does the visual depiction of interior space in the film signify racial differences? How does the lighting of spaces illuminate the contrasting world of the white colonialists (expatriates) versus the "Others"? How might the moonlight (or the lack thereof) and its specific association with the appearance of the "Asians" (or "Others") in the film shed light on Hollywood perceptions and characterizations of the "Others" as dark, mysterious and thus not easily legible?