Directions: As we begin to immerse ourselves in magical realism, I am going to be asking you to write a series of responses that will eventually lead to the story you write for this genre. I want you to choose one of the following prompts and construct a response (it does not have to be a five paragraph essay) that will answer the question thoroughly using examples from the film and little research on your part. You will be taking your Coming of Age piece and adding a layer on that character that allows him/her to live in a world populated with the conventions of magical realism. The Green Mile was the first example. This week, we will be focusing on Kafka's "The Metamorphosis" and how it relates to the film Groundhog Day. The next piece will be about "the labyrinth of self." Your response is due in Googledocs on Wednesday, 11/2/16.
1)Someone who maintains a set of beliefs and is murdered because of them is called a martyr. In your opinion, is John Coffey a martyr? Give three main points that show he is or is not.
2)Through the film, Paul Edgecombe is portrayed as a fairly religious man. Cite at least three examples in the film where you could argue that religion or morality affected his decision-making process, and what the outcome was each time.
3)Mr. Jingles, the mouse, could be said to represent freedom (being the only thing or person that could come and go as he pleased). Give at least three reasons why you believe Delacroix and the others so readily accepted his presence.
4)''The Green Mile'' involves assorted acts of cruelty and one lurid, extended electrocution scene that makes the horrors of the death penalty grotesquely clear, but much of it is very gentle. The mystical healing of Edgecomb's bladder trouble brings on some funny moments with Bonnie Hunt, who does a charming turn as his wife. Coffey's peculiar innocence is also given a lot of screen time. The way in which this huge black man, who calls the guards Boss, is given a magical capacity for self-sacrifice has its inadvertently racist overtones as well as its Christlike ones. But as Mr. Duncan plays him, Coffey is too flabbergasting a figure to be easily pigeonholed anyhow." (Maslin, New York Times)
Is Stephen King for or against the death penalty? From what you saw in the film, discuss instances that clearly prove your point.
5)Paul Edgecombe changes over the course of the story. What changes can your see? Explain the changes and what causes them.
