Posted: March 6th, 2015

Compare/Contrast Arthur C. Clarke’s short story "The Sentinel" and Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey

Compare/Contrast Arthur C. Clarke’s short story “The Sentinel” and Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey

Compare/Contrast Arthur C. Clarke’s short story “The Sentinel” and Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey

Using Arthur C. Clarke’s short story “The Sentinel” and Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey, a film based on Clarke’s story, compare and contrast the short story with the film, with special attention to discontinuities between the written and visual form. Analyze both forms using terms drawn from narrative fiction (plot, character, setting, point of view, metaphor, etc.).

Then, analyze how the short story and film present first contact between humans and aliens. How do both forms view this first contact and its impact on society? Are there any differences between the short story and film in this regard? What does this tell us about the limits of each form?

This paper must be four double-spaced pages in length (not including the references page) and utilize at least four academic quality secondary sources. Margins should be no more than one inch (right and left) and the essay should be composed in 12-point Times New Roman font. Sources must be documented and cited using APA format.

Science Fiction Essay, Week 4

No matter which of the two topics you use for your paper, this paper must be 4 double-spaced pages in length (not including the works cited page) and utilize no less than 4 academic quality sources IN ADDITION TO THE PRIMARY SHORT STORY(s) AND FILM. This is a research paper, and not doing research for the paper will strongly affect your grade.  Margins should be no more than 1 inch (right and left) and the essay should be composed in 12 point Times New Roman or Arial font.  Sources must be documented and cited using APA format (cover page, page numbering, internal documentation, and a references page).  Please see the tutorial in the syllabus for additional details on APA formatting and the tutorial in Week 1 on “The Elements of Fiction” for this paper. I would also strongly advise, if you do not feel confident in your academic writing, to finish a draft early and use the Tutor Source available in our class.
Your assignment is due by Week 4, Sunday, end of week, 11:59 P.M. (MT). Submit your assignment to the Dropbox located on the silver tab at the top of our web page.
Looking at the sample paper I posted may help you.
Question #1:
Using Arthur C. Clarke’s short story “The Sentinel” and Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey, a film based on Clarke’s story, compare and contrast the short story with the film, with special attention to discontinuities between the written and visual form. The main theme of your essay should be “Views of first contact,” and you need to come up with a main thesis that states a claim about first contact in the two works. Analyze both forms using terms drawn from narrative fiction (plot, character, setting, point of view, metaphor, etc.).
Then, analyze how the short story and film present first contact between humans and aliens. Here are some questions to consider, and possibly incorporate into your essay. How do both forms view this first contact and its impact on society? Are there any differences between the short story and film in this regard? What does this tell us about the limits of each form?  Use at least 4 secondary sources.
Question #2:
This response should only be used when the film cannot be obtained, and the outside source requirements for it remain the same.
Compare and contrast the depiction of human–alien contact in Stanley G. Weinbaum’s “A Martian Odyssey,” Frederic Brown’s “Arena,” and Frank Belknap Long’s “Invasion.” The main theme of the essay should be “How alien encounters are used to portray humankind’s relationship to technology.” Use terms drawn from narrative fiction to analyze these stories (plot, character, setting, point of view, etc.), focusing on what each story’s human–alien encounter suggests about humankind. Examine the role of extrapolation and/or metaphor as it is used in these stories. Then analyze how these stories view technology and its effect on society. This assignment also requires research and four academic secondary sources, and formatting requirements are the same as the main assignment.