This Review Is Based on The Film Alien (1979)
For this assignment, consider the following topics. Choose ONE topic to write about for your paper. This paper should be seven pages in length and contain examples from the film to support your claims. This means using quotes, paraphrases, or scene descriptions. Remember that you must always cite your sources using MLA format. You must include a Works Cited page.
1) Relationships are a main factor in this film. Using evidence to support your theory, explain how the hierarchy of the Nostromo contributed to, or was the ultimate cause of, the deaths of the majority of the crew.
2) The creature in Alien is a life form that is following its natural instincts. Although we may consider it a \”monster\”, make a case for who, or what, may be the real monster in this film. Use evidence from the film to support your theory.
3) Ash calls the creature \”Kane\’s son\”. Why does he do this? What is his motivation, aside from simply pointing out that Kane \”gave birth\” to it? Use evidence from the film to support your theory.
4) Does gender matter on board the Nostromo? Explain your answer using evidence from the film.
5) Dallas and Ash spend a lot of time trying to save Kane. Why don\’t they simply freeze him, as Parker suggests, and let the company deal with it when they get back? Use evidence from the film to support your theory.
6) When Kane is \”buried at sea\”, Dallas asks if anyone wants to say anything before the body is blown out of the airlock. Why doesn\’t anyone say anything in Kane\’s memory? Presumably, this crew has been serving on the vessel for months, if not years, together.
7) Why does Ripley survive in the end? Go beyond just simply explaining her strengths. Consider how she operates from the very beginning of the film until the end. How does she change, adapt, or remain the same depending on the circumstances? Use evidence from the film to support your theory.
******This assignment requires you to think beyond what you watched and to consider \”who, what, when, why, where, and how\” when attempting to address your topic. You are making a case for your theory, so you must have a strong thesis statement and support in order for the theory to work. Remember that although we have some information in the film that is very straightforward, there are clues to other ways of considering what may be in certain circumstances. Develop your theory so that it is not simply a review of the film or a character analysis. You are integrating the character with the story and with the environment in this assignment, so your paper should reflect a depth of critical thinking that attempts to explain rather than to just simply show.******
Avoid \”I\” statements. Proofread your work. Make sure that your paper is logically organized and doesn\’t jump from idea to idea without a full explanation of the points that you are attempting to make. Don\’t assume that your reader knows what you mean.
