The theme of Masculinity

OVERVIEW: In the film documentary The Mean World Syndrome, George Gerbner explains that the aggregate media create a culture of fear, in which its populace becomes insecure within themselves and fearful and untrusting of others, and to which the same populace becomes susceptible to control and manipulation by those in power who can then enact oppressive laws against whom they determine as an undesired element in society. For Tyler Durden, one of the fictional lead characters in the novel Fight Club, his creation of a fight club becomes a resistance movement against what Gerbner calls a culture of fear, thereby instilling a sense of power in all who participate, even though this power might be only temporary.

YOUR TASK: In a six-to-seven-page essay, identify one or two major themes in Fight Club and use these themes as guides by which you argue and verifiably prove, through your vigorous analysis, what Palahniuk’s values are and how his values are demonstrated in the novel. You will identify and logically demonstrate Palahniuk’s values through your analysis of the plot development of the entire novel, through the characters’ actions, and through the various anarchistic ploys that are enacted by the characters as a form of rebellion.

EXPECTATIONS, FORMAT GUIDELINES, AND SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS:

FORMAT REQUIREMENTS: 1) Your paper must be in MLA format, typed, one side only, and double-spaced throughout in 12-point Times New Roman font with one-inch margins all around. 2) In the upper left-hand corner of the first page only, type the following on four separate lines, also double-spaced: a) Your name, b) Name of course and assignment (ENG 100/Major Essay #2), c) Your instructor’s name, and d) The date. 3) Create a unique title for your assignment and center it above the first line of your text. 4) In the upper right hand corner of every page, also input a header with your last name and an automatic page number.
Rough Draft: In class, on 10/17, bring a hard-copy of, at least, a three-page typewritten, double-spaced Rough Draft. We will peer-review these drafts in class. Include this peer-reviewed rough draft with the hard-copy submission package (see #4 below) that you will turn in with your completed ME#2, when it is due on 10/24.
Works Cited: In compliance with MLA, a Works Cited page is required, correctly citing all sources used in your paper. Works Cited is not included in your page count. Of course, you can use outside sources, if you desire. See page 489 in Hacker’s Rules for Writers for instructions on how to correctly cite our source text, Fight Club, and page 499, example #54, for instructions on how to cite the film screened in class, Mean World Syndrome. Any additional sources must be cited and included in your Works Cited page. For viewing a sample of an MLA-formatted essay with a Works Cited page, see pages 598-599 in Hacker’s Rules for Writers.
DOUBLE SUBMISSION REQUIREMENT: Major Essay #2 will be due on 10/24 and will require double submission, as follows:

Hard Copy Submission–In class, on 10/24, you’ll submit your hard-copy packet, as follows: 1) Your finalized and completed draft of Major Essay #2, which will be the copy I grade; 2) One typed and detailed example of pre-writing or your peer-reviewed rough draft (pre-writing should be at least three pages in length). If no pre-written draft is included, five points off will be deducted from the grade of this essay. Duplicates of a finished draft that a student tries to pass off as pre-writing will see a five-point deduction applied to the grade received on ME#2.

Electronic Submission–Students must also submit Major Essay #2 (final draft only—no rough drafts) by 11:59pm on 10/24 to Palomar College’s plagiarism control program, Safe Assignment.

Very Important— Failure to submit either an electronic copy of Major Essay #2 into Safe Assignment or failure to turn in a hard-copy of a corresponding rough draft will result in that assignment not being graded and students will receive zero points until both of these requirements are successfully met. Once both of these requirements are met, a ten-point late penalty still may apply, if either of these requirements occur after the due date as noted above

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The theme of Masculinity

From time immemorial, the key role of a man has remained to be the principal breadwinner in their families. Traditionally, people were supposed to provide and look after their wives and children. What would happen if a man never had a woman? What if a man came from a family that was broken and no father? How would such a man be in a position to take great care of his family if he grew in a family without a good example to follow? Palahniuk, in his novel “Fight Club,” brings about the above-discussed issues and that relate to the theme of masculinity. This paper explores Palahniuk’s values as posed by the idea of masculinity.

The novel, in its entire plot, brings about the issues men of today pass………………….

MLA

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