Convincing An Audience Essay

 (850 Words)

Prompt: Is the closest term to describe the world presented in the film Gattaca a Utopia (a desirable place) or a Dystopia (an undesirable place)?

Take a good look at all elements of the society depicted in the film (the eradication of terminal illnesses, the environmentally safe means of transportation, the frequent space travel and advances in science etc.) and argue for one or the other position. Remember that we are discussing closest match, not complete match: the film is neither a complete Utopia nor a complete Dystopia. While you will use evidence from the film as well as your research, remember you are not writing a film review or a mere plot summary.

You should start with some pre-writing on the issue to discover your position on whether the best fit for the society in the film Gattaca is desirable or undesirable according to you. Then once you have a thesis decide on what reasons you will give for its support. You will have to incorporate in your argument one of the articles included in the collection, or you can choose to include an article from the LaGuardia databases. There will be a library guide provided for how to do that if you so choose.

After you have decided which article to use, flesh out examples and evidence for each body paragraph using a mix of evidence from both the article and the film. Then write the first draft. Put it aside and return to it two or three days later to see whether there is a clear thesis, whether each paragraph has a topic sentence that supports the thesis, and whether evidence in each paragraph relates to the topic sentence. You should also ensure that the article is incorporated well into your essay. Check transitions, word choice, and edit and proofread. Follow the guidelines for format on page 2 of the syllabus.

You will upload the complete draft by the stated deadline; then you will participate in peer assessment. Remember, that process has its own grade for the class (it is worth 5% of the class grade) so you must submit your essay on time. Finally, after the assessment process, you will be able to upload a revised essay for a grade.

Structure: You can choose any position you wish; you will offer some reasons for supporting your position and you will substantiate these reasons with evidence. Evidence will come from the film and also your research. The reasons will become your topic sentences as you develop the paper. As you develop your own reasons, consider what objections your audience may have if they disagree with you. What objections can you expect? What examples will your audience bring to mind? How will you address them? What will your concession paragraph include (a concession paragraph is a must).

Sources: The film is one of the sources. You will need to use AT LEAST one additional source from the articles in the collection or from the library databases (more than one is fine, but not required). Using a website which you googled will not count as an academic article and will result in instantly losing those points for research.(Banner, Olivia. “The Post-racial Imagination: Gattaca’s Imperfect Science.” Discourse (Berkeley, Calif.), vol. 33, no. 2, Wayne State University Press, Apr. 2011, pp. 221–41.

Gattaca. Directed by Andrew Niccol, Columbia, 1997.

Kirby, David A. “The New Eugenics in Cinema: Genetic Determinism and Gene Therapy in Gattaca.” Science-Fiction Studies, vol. 27, no. 2, SF-TH Inc, July 2000, pp. 193–215.

Müller, Amanda, and Adam Dalzotto. “Gattaca and Genetic Determinism.” Nurse Education Today, vol. 70, Elsevier BV, Nov. 2018, pp. 94–95, doi:10.1016/j.nedt.2018.08.004.

Silver, Lee M. “Genetics Goes to Hollywood.” Nature Genetics, vol. 17, no. 3, Nov. 1997, pp. 260–61, doi:10.1038/ng1197-260.)