Write a 6-page paper on the play Doubt or its film adaptation, both by John Patrick Shanley, in which you argue that the character of Father Flynn is either a) guilty or b) not guilty of a sexual relationship with 12-year-old student Donald Muller (Miller in the film adaptation). You may feel a little of both, that Father Flynn may be guilty, but then again maybe not. The play is designed to create this sort of response. However, for the purpose of this paper you must choose one side or the other, or you won’t be able to argue effectively. Decide which perspective you can argue more persuasively.
We read the play and viewed the film together in class. You may write about the play exclusively or you may write about the film exclusively, but please do not write about both. If you were to write about both, your essay would be a compare/contrast essay, and this assignment is not asking for that approach. Also, an effective compare/contrast essay would need to be twice as long as this assignment requires.
Specifics:
Formulate a strong, clear thesis and then support it with evidence both from the text and from outside sources. For this paper, your thesis is the statement of your position regarding whether Father Flynn is guilty or not.
Please note: consent does not enter into this argument, because Donald is a child and therefore cannot give consent.
Also: Mrs. Muller/Miller suggests that Donald is gay. During class discussion it came up that perhaps Father Flynn is also gay, which might mean he and Donald share that secret. If Father Flynn and Donald are both gay it could give them something in common (particularly in the Catholic Church which forbids homosexuality) and it could give Father Flynn another reason to feel protective over Donald, but it has nothing to do with pedophilia. If you are to suggest that they are both gay, be very careful not to conflate homosexuality with pedophilia, which is an example of homophobia intended to demean and demonize gay men.
Once you’ve written a strong thesis, the rest of the paper will clearly support your argument with textual evidence and research. A strong thesis strikes a balance between subjectivity (your perspective on or interpretation of the text) and objectivity (factual evidence from and about the text).
Please remember: you are required to take a guilty or not guilty position. “He could be guilty, but on the other hand he could be not guilty,” “He’s somewhere in between,” or “He’s not guilty of an inappropriate relationship with Donald, but he is guilty of something” will not
suffice. A strong thesis means you are making a strong argument about something in a literary text that is debatable and supportable with evidence. A wishy-washy position will not accomplish the things this paper is asking you to do.
Technical Requirements:
6 pages, typed, double-spaced, .doc, .docx, or .pdf files only.
MLA format – in-text citation, works cited page, standard font (12 pt.), standard
margins (1 inch), correct formatting.
Use of direct quotations from the text of the play or screenplay.
Use of at least 2 outside sources (other than the play) to support your argument.
These sources must be scholarly, academic, legitimate sources.
Only papers uploaded to Blackboard will be accepted. (This means please don’t
email me your paper, don’t send me a link to a GoogleDoc, don’t bring a hard copy to class, etc. or your paper will not be accepted).
Due Date: March 11, 2022
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