Prompts for Response Paper #3

Prompts for Response Paper #3:

Due Tuesday, February 8 in class (and before class on turnitin.com)

Be sure to incorporate some of the moves Harris talks about in Chapter 2 of Rewriting. You should have citations and a work/works cited entry for this paper.

1)      Find something that someone has written about “The Body.” Then practice what Harris calls “forwarding.” In other words, take “words, images, or ideas” from that other text and put them “to use in new contexts” (37). You can use an online review of the episode, a published article, or a blog post.

2)      Discuss the concept of “negative space” in “The Body,” specifically thinking about the art teacher’s comment that her students shouldn’t draw the body, but the space around the body. How does the episode extend/continue that metaphor in its exploration of how a death affects the group? Another approach to this topic: consider why you think this episode called “The Body.”  

3)      In her article on “The Body,” Wilcox defends a scene in the episode others have criticized—the introduction of the vampire in the morgue. Explain Wilcox’s defense of Whedon’s decision. Then explain whether or not you agree with Wilcox—and why or why not.

4)      Wilcox discusses how fantasy shows like Buffy manage to incorporate realism into their worlds. She lists several elements allow that “The Body” to balance realism and fantasy. Respond to this larger question in general, thinking about the Buffy episodes we’ve seen so far. Do you agree with Wilcox that Buffy manages to stay in the world of fantasy and yet still earn its realism? Why or why not?

5)      Discuss a work of fiction which has, in your mind, treated the subject of the death of a loved one in ways that you found effective and/or realistic. Be specific, but do more than summarize.