writing to inform 1

Guidelines for writing an analysis over a tv series

Audience: your professor, who has seen the series and thus does not need extensive plot recap

Goal: to explore and offer your evaluation of how effectively the series portrays _____. (In the blank you should focus on whatever interests you and is depicted in The Wire. Some examples include but are not limited to: the un/realistic depiction of policing in an inner city, the use of technology in the show, gender discrimination on the force, racial profiling on the streets, the different layers of criminality among the different groups (from drug pushers to politicians), the plethora of violence and hopelessness, etc.) I would suggest focusing on no more than two elements of the show, unless you are a skilled writer and give equal balance to three elements. Please do not try to cover everything. I would much rather you focus on depth than breadth. Ideally, the focus of this analysis should not repeat what you have previously written in this class, so if you have already covered police brutality, consider a different focus. You do need to cite specific episodes.

Please do not: resubmit work you already wrote on the show, give me a plot review, waste space offering info on the actors (bare minimum, if you must) or focus extensively on what other critics have said about the show. I’m looking for your interpretation of the text we have worked with all semester.

Pages: 5 full – 7 + Works Cited