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7 Paragraph Analytical Paper: The Western

The Searchers:

As a Civil War veteran spends years searching for a young niece captured by Indians, his motivation becomes increasingly questionable.

The Searchers, an American Western that was directed by John Ford in 1956. John Wayne plays Ethan Edwards, who is a former civil war soldier. The beginning scene shows Ethan who is returning home to visit his brother Aaron. The family shows him a warm welcome as he makes his return with stories and some presents. They also show other characters such as Debbie who plays a major part later in this film.

 Ethan’s brother, Aaron, and his family are killed by Comanche Indians. We later find out that Debbie is still alive and is being held captive by the Indians. This sets the plot up for Ethan Edwards to embark on a journey that takes several years to find Debbie. He is accompanied Martin Pawley who plays his sidekick. They go through a journey of mishaps and encounters with these Indians as they are in search for the girl. The two men end up finding Debbie several years later, who now is one of Scars wife’s. She ends up not wanting to go back to her old life so Edwards and Pawley escape the Indian camp but Edwards is wounded. They decide to try one more time to rescue Debbie while attacking the Indian camp. During the attack Scar is killed and Debbie is rescued.

Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid is also an American Western, similar to the movie, The Searchers. George Roy Hill directed the film in the year 1969. The movie’s main character, Butch Cassidy who is played by Paul Newman and his partner the Sundance Kid who is played by Robert Redford. Butch Cassidy is the leader of the Hole in the Wall Gang who is notorious for robberies in the West. The Hole in the Wall Gang is planning on robbing the Overland Flyer. The first time they rob the train, it is a piece of cake for them, but the second time they encounter a few problems. After blowing up the whole train cart they are scared away by law enforcers on horses. Butch and the Sundance kid flea to Bolivia where they continue to rob banks. They continue to be scared off by the men on the horses. The last scene, both Butch and the Sundance Kid are cornered into a town. Both shot and injured take refuge in one of the town houses. They unknowingly charge towards the whole Bolivian army while thinking they are only up against a handful of men while trying to make a final stand together.

Both The Searchers and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid fall under the genre of the Western. In both films there is a common theme of man verses wild. In both movies the main characters are going after something they want. While the two films are very different, they both embrace the ideas of a traditional western. The Searchers focus on the idea of the West being the new American frontier and the conflict between the settlers and the natives.

In Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid women are often objectified, and the main character Butch is one who is sleeping with many of these women. Most of the women in this movie are prostitutes or are often looked as objects instead of people or human beings. There is a scene in the film where Butch and The Sundance Kid exchange one of the girls with no problem. Butch Cassidy says “He is stealing her away.” and The Sundance Kid simply responds by saying have her and then goes back inside. The sole purpose of women is that they are objects of lust.

These two movies are classic examples of an American Western and show how two very different movies can fall under the same genre. I really did like these movies because although they were different than movies I do see today, I really did like the moral of the stories. It was a nice change of pace to see a different genre.

Bibliography

Berardinelli, James. "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid." ReelViews. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Dec. 2012. .

CHECKLIST FOR PLAGIARISM 

1) (x) I have not handed in this assignment for any other class. 

2) (x) If I reused any information from other papers I have written for other classes, I clearly explain that in the paper. 

3) (x) If I used any passages word for word, I put quotations around those words, or used indentation and citation within the text. 

4) (x) I have not padded the bibliography. I have used all sources cited in the bibliography in the text of the paper. 

5) (x) I have cited in the bibliography only the pages I personally read. 

6) (x) I have used direct quotations only in cases where it could not be stated in another way. I cited the source within the paper and in the bibliography. 

7) (x) I did not so over-use direct quotations that the paper lacks interpretation or originality. 

8) (x) I checked yes on steps 1-7 and therefore have been fully transparent about the research and ideas used in my paper. 

CHECKLIST FOR EDITING

1. (x) An introductory paragraph clearly introduces the subject. A topic statement is evident within the paragraph. The position taken is clear. If the position is unclear, -put a question mark in the margin.

2. (x) The next two paragraphs each have a single or main claim. Note each claim in the margin in a 3-4 word phrase. If you can't identify the claim, put a question mark in the margin. If two or more claims exist and tend to diverge from a coherent thought, put a question mark in the margin.

 3. (x) The same thing holds for the next two paragraphs on the opposite side of the issue.

4. (x) The four paragraphs above all focus on the issue at hand; they do not wander off into irrelevant territory. If any paragraph wanders, put a question mark in the margin.

5. (x) The sixth paragraph weighs the conflicting claims from the four paragraphs above and arrives at a conclusion. Why some evidence is more convincing than other evidence is explained. The ensuing conclusion is clearly stated. Circle it. If you can't find the conclusion, put a question mark in the margin. 6. (X ) The final paragraph returns to what was stated in the first paragraph and, in light of the evidence presented and weighed above, convincingly rephrases the position statement. If the conclusion expected by the assignment is to be 'finessed, justifying statements for the variance must appear here and flow from the explanation in the sixth paragraph of your paper.

7. (x) Is each claim in paragraphs 2-5 supported by evidence? Are there any naked claims supported only by variations of"! believe..."? If so, put a big X in the margin beside that paragraph.

8. (x) Is each claim backed up by a reference? If a claim stands naked of supporting evidence or argument, put a big X in the margin.

9. (x) Does the paper do more than simply but gloriously restate the question? Examine the case study and cross out all ideas that appear in both the case study and in your paper. What remains uncrossed out is your analysis. It should constitute the majority of your paper. If it doesn't, you haven't done an analysis.