Theatrical Adaptation

Meditation #1: Cite a Passage

Before Friday's class, by 8:00 am on Friday morning, post a meditation that addresses either or both of the two texts of The Wizard of Oz that we have studied so far. This meditation should be at least 2-3 paragraphs in length, and must also include a substantial quotation from either source (preferably Hearn's Annotated Wizard of Oz). This quotation should serve as evidence for your argument, or context for the question you pose. Be sure to cite the page number and annotation number, as applicable.

Your meditation should either make a claim or pose a question, providing your reader with sufficient evidence or contextual information to enable them to engage your discussion. To put this another way: if you wish to make a point, defend your argument. If you wish to ask a question, prepare your reader with the proper context. Use citation as the central part of your meditation.

Wondering what to write about? Try this question as a starting point.

Why would a particular scene in the 1939 film be different from its counterpart in the original book? For what reason, can you imagine, might the screenwriters and directors have chosen to render a scene differently or not at all? Isolate a particular moment in the book and discuss how it fares in the film. Describe specifically the key differences or similarities. Speculate as to why these changes were made - or why no changes were made.

Your meditation does not have to address this question; this is just a suggestion. However, I do ask that you restrict your subject to the 1939 film and/or the 1900 book, rather than introducing other variants of The Wizard of Oz. Feel free to draw on outside sources for your quotation, if that quotation is relevant to the subject, so long as you cite your sources fully (with a hyperlink as well, if possible).

posted by Kirk Andrew Everist @ 12:14 PM