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3-4 pages, typed and double-spaced (100 points)
*Write on your own-NO PLAGIARISM. GIVE THE SOURCE IF YOU USE ANY INFO.
PLEASE go through class notes in the bottom of the this page it will be very helpful to understand about this essay.
****PROMPT:
Evaluate how effectively film (We also read as a book,) The Man Who Shot Liberty Valence and Unforgiven challenge outdated cowboy mythology when it comes to your choice of ONE of the following subjects: justice, manhood, or womanhood. Forward at least TWO main points for each film, making use of specific Plot, Character, and/or Setting evidence from the movies to better illustrate your reasoning. Once you?ve treated the effectiveness of the two films individually, then devote a section of your essay to discussing the implications of your evaluation of the films. When both are considered, does one emerge as doing a more thorough
job of challenging stereotypes linked to the ?subject,? in question? Why? Or, are they roughly equitable in terms of effectiveness but unique in how they challenge (or fail to) outdated notions connected to your subject? Again, remember to reference specifics from the two texts to bolster your thinking. An additional requirement involves including the writing technique Clich? Busting somewhere in your essay, an objective discussed further below.
An overview of stereotypes linked to the ?subject? options?
? Justice: A simple transaction of good defeating evil. As it says about stereotypical Western justice
in our PWR introduction, ??[W]e get to have our cake and eat it. [The male hero] does the killing,
then rides [off], carrying all guilt away with him. Our problems have been solved quickly.?
?
Manhood: The male hero has few feelings, few human connections and few needs. He acts with
little to no question of his authority, masculinity, or capability.
?
Womanhood: Female characters used as little more than ?stage prop? for male-dominated
narratives. Often largely excluded from the questing and striving male characters can access, the
portrayal of female subjectivity is highly simplistic.
Writing technique requirement?
At a moment of your choosing, please inject a Clich? Bust to deepen some aspect of your argument. Clich? Busts can make for excellent introductions/conclusions. They can also aid with defining similarity or
difference and expressing evaluation, which could come in handy when addressing the objective requiring
you to discuss why one film challenges stereotypes better than another.
-NOTES FROM CLASS:
If you would like to do more ?close reading? of Liberty Valance/Unforgiven they are both available for cheap rental through Amazon?
?Amazon link to Liberty Valance online rental:
?Amazon link to Unforgiven online rental:
-these sources is desired, feel free to do so and just provide proper in-text citations and a Works Cited page for whatever you use.]
?The Seductive and Subversive Meta-Narrative of Unforgiven?
Joseph H. Kupfer
Journal of Film and Video , Vol. 60, No. 3/4 (FALL/WINTER 2008), pp. 103-114
Published by: University of Illinois Press on behalf of the University Film & Video Association
Article Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/20688605
?Unforgiven?
Harvey R. Greenberg
Film Quarterly
Vol. 46, No. 3 (Spring, 1993), pp. 52-56
Published by: University of California Press
Article Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/1212904
Spectacles of Death: Clint Eastwood and Violence in “Unforgiven”
Carl Plantinga
Cinema Journal , Vol. 37, No. 2 (Winter, 1998), pp. 65-83
Published by: University of Texas Press on behalf of the Society for Cinema & Media Studies
Article Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/1225643
?Giggles and Guns: The Phallic Myth in Unforgiven?
Susan M. Kelley
Journal of Film and Video , Vol. 47, No. 1/3, The Western (Spring-Fall 1995), pp. 98-105
Published by: University of Illinois Press on behalf of the University Film & Video Association
Article Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/20688068
HBO’s “Deadwood”: Not Your Typical Western
John Mack Faragher
Montana: The Magazine of Western History , Vol. 57, No. 3 (Autumn, 2007), pp. 60-65, 96
Published by: Montana Historical Society
Article Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/25485637
?Our Heroes Have Sometimes Been Cowgirls: An Interview with Maggie Greenwald?
Tania Modleski and Maggie Greenwald
Film Quarterly , Vol. 49, No. 2 (Winter, 1995-1996), pp. 2-11
Published by: University of California Press
Article Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/1213309
?Stories: A Narrative History of the West?
Elliott West
Montana: The Magazine of Western History , Vol. 45, No. 3, Popular Culture Issue (Summer,
1995), pp. 64-76
Published by: Montana Historical Society
Article Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/4519816
?Killing and Dying?
Dan Moller
American Philosophical Quarterly , Vol. 43, No. 3 (Jul., 2006), pp. 235-247
Published by: University of Illinois Press on behalf of the North American Philosophical
Publications
Article Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/20010244
?Forgiveness and the Unforgivable?
Trudy Govier
American Philosophical Quarterly , Vol. 36, No. 1 (Jan., 1999), pp. 59-75
Published by: University of Illinois Press on behalf of the North American Philosophical
Publications
Article Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/20009953
Reading “The Gunfighter” as Homeric Epic
Kostas Myrsiades
College Literature , Vol. 34, No. 2, Reading Homer in the 21st Century (Spring, 2007), pp. 279-
300
Published by: College Literature
Article Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/25115431
****Student Clich? Busting examples?
The saying, ?The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence,? is a complete lie. This quote is used to express hope and optimism for whatever is on the other side of a hurtle being a lot better than the ?grass? you left behind. But when it comes to the Old West?particularly in the hands of directors trying to push the genre beyond its comfortable stereotypes?the other side isn?t all that much better. For instance, the Schofield Kid in Unforgiven thinks that he wants
to be a killer who can shoot down whomever, wherever. But, when it gets down to it, and he is able to fulfill his ultimate wish, he is surprised to see that killing someone isn?t that exciting after
all. He suddenly became guilty and depressed and swore he would never do it again. The one thing he thought he wanted from life: to be a coldblooded killer, turned out to be his worst nightmare?that sought-after ?green? suddenly closer to the sickening shade of death on face of the man he killed, not the bright side of a metaphor. Another example would be Ranse Stoddard from The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance. He wanted to be a big-shot lawyer who knew how to bring justice to someone not by killing, but by proper judicial process. Sometimes the new pasture you jump into doesn?t play by the rules you had in mind when you leapt, though. Ranse?s desire for official justice ironically forces him into confrontation with the town?s enemy, Liberty Valance, a foe who doesn?t care about the pretty legal thoughts Stoddard brought to the showdown. Ranse has to do the thing he disapproves of the most: stand up to the enemy using violence. Liberty is shot, and the town believes it?s Ranse (although it was Tom). Ranse therefore becomes a hero based on an action that he doesn?t believe in. By portraying characters who don?t reach the ?greener side of life,? these two films remind us to think harder about how our intentions might quickly involve things they were never meant to.
The saying ?the truth shall set you free? suggests that, by telling the truth, a person will be relieved of the burden of housing a lie. However, some revealed truths will cause people to turn their backs on you or tarnish your reputation. Take Ranse Stoddard, the leading role in The
Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, who became the senator due to an uncorrected lie in regards to who actually shot Liberty Valance. Although Ranse found out that Tom Doniphen shot Liberty,
he never corrected his legend. But, who would really want him, too? Tom doesn?t because he wants to err on the side of Hallie?s happiness. And, Tom has already been looking out for Shinbone in his more ?private? ways?maybe he also thinks revealing the lie would hurt his
town if Ranse wasn?t able to achieve political office and fight for Shinbone?s representation. Maybe a modern moviegoer who?s seen western after western offering only the most clich?
forms of justice would appreciate the dilemma director John Ford plays out. After all, this dilemma of justice being reached by questionable means is something we?re all still confronted with today, regardless of how far we feel removed from the life of Shinbone otherwise.
The saying ?Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die? implies that a man can live a little
selfishly and without guilt, because in the end, we all die. Although it sounds simple, many
discover this to be much more difficult than expected. Westerns often generalize men as humans
who act with little thought or feeling?often they are granted the absence of guilt altogether,
or just enough of it to create a damsel?s/audience?s sympathy, and the self-serving narrative
moves on. However, the reality of guilt is that it?s rarely so easily managed. As humans, we
often find ourselves haunted by rehashing things we?ve done in the past. Some may even try the
proverbial ?shot of whiskey,? hoping for the same peace of mind it brings the typical western
hero. But, troubles will always be there, waiting for you when you sober up. The reality of human life doesn?t dovetail with the fa?ade ?reality? created in westerns. But, some directors try to navigate the gap between human facts and Hollywood magic. Both Will Munny of
Unforgiven and Ranse Stoddard of The Man Who Shot Liberty Valence test this idea of running faster than your past, but both men fail in their own distinct ways. Yet, by capturing a more realistic process of guilt, both characters provide modern audiences with a more informed, potentially hopeful parable.
?A student Clich? Bust still in process (my suggestions injected via brackets)?
Meat Loaf uses the clich? ?I would do anything for love? in his song to describehis willingness to make a relationship work. And even though he sets limits to his commitment with the phrase ?but I won?t do that? the listener believes that love will conquer all. But just what is a man willing to do for love? In a typical Western the men are portrayed as [singular / WC?], tough, emotionless, [certainly not in need or want
of love. / Or, if they are, not on a very involved, mutually respectful level. I would consider adding a suggestion along these lines.] However, in both Westerns ?The Man who Shot Liberty Valance? and ?Unforgiven,? the male leads literally would do anything for love. Both Tom and Ra[m / n]se are willing to either kill or live a lie for the love of Hallie. And Munny first gives up his unlawful killing ways for the love of his young wife, but viciously kills a Sheriff and his deputies in retaliation for his best-loved
friend Ned. [Love rarely plays a role in your average Western, but in these two it is a key issue. / Try to get more out of this final line. Be more suggestive about the impact of “love” on character/idea development in the films than just saying “key issue.”]
*****A sample of idea development possibilities for Essay #2 ?subject? options [NOTE: As I said in class, please do NOT consider the following notes exhaustive or ?what I?m looking for? necessarily. I just riffed on the ?subject? options of your essay prompt and spit out some notes to get you thinking. Though you may use my trail-blazing to your
own ends, taking your own path is adamantly encouraged as long as you support it. I have my own ?blinders? and am just one person thinking along with you]?
?Justice: A simple transaction of good defeating evil. As it says about stereotypical
Western justice in our PWR introduction, ??[W]e get to have our cake and eat it. [The
male hero] does the killing, then rides [off], carrying all guilt away with him. Our
problems have been solved quickly.?
Liberty Valance:
Not allowing the male-centered ?blaze of glory?: The arrangement of the
showdown is not glorifying violence, both in the manner in which shots are fired,
and a distinctly ?feminine? presence in Ranse?s wearing an apron.
The result of how justice goes down: Once the reality of Tom shooting
Liberty Valance is brought to light, and we understand the complexity behind
Ranse?s rise to political power, simplified notions of justice are openly
questioned.
Unforgiven:
Another attack on the ?blaze of glory?: Though bullets do fly in the film?s
final moments, we don?t see the impact (often a ?money shot? of stereotypical
westerns). And, Will is quick to point out his ?luck? and coldly cuts off
any ?glorifying? hopes when he speaks to the writer Beauchamp.
Things about Will?s actions that we don?t want to be a part of ?justice?:
What about how punishment is executed, and the criteria the punishment is based
upon, makes final showdown have qualities we hope not to have associated with
the process of justice?
Sample response / ?Once you?ve treated the effectiveness of the two films
individually, then devote a section of your essay to discussing the implications of
your evaluation of the films?:
The films are similar in the strength of their challenge to stereotypes of ?justice?
in movie westerns, but they are strong for different reasons. Ranse needs Tom?s
help. And, he needs the help of those who believe in him. And he helps those
helping him on the most ?public? of stages. Yet, this publicity comes with the
haunt of how Ranse got there and how his path is an indication of larger, potential
more sinister applications of ?legend over fact.?
The preference for ?policy makers? selecting myth over actuality is also
encouraged by voters/viewers who don?t want to think about what real justice
involves. But, Will Munny doesn?t allow for this. The cold nature with which he
is able to kill, after so much character development building up Will?s desire to not go back to his gunslinger days, frustrates the typical viewer desire for violence linked to nobility?instead violence is linked to dark, mysterious possibilities. This frustrated expectation makes the viewer more cognizant of what may be flawed about their preferences to receive the aesthetic reward of violence without thinking hard about its causes and results. Together, the two films together track a chain of distortion: Ranse has us thinking of the complication of justice in ?public? terms, and Will has us thinking of troubling negotiations made within the ?privacy? of the human soul.
?Manhood: The male hero has few feelings, few human connections and few needs. He
acts with little to no question of his authority, masculinity, or capability.
Liberty Valance:
From the beginning of the film, Ranse is in a state of ?need?: And, his
authority is scraped and clawed for right in front of us. Not typical for a male lead in a western.
? Class: What are some of your thoughts on the significance of being in the position of watching Ranse patch together ?manhood??
Tom, though a hero with immediate authority, shares it: Even at his own
cost, Tom shares his power with Ranse. He says he does it for Hallie. Even if
that?s all it is, though this might be seen as keeping Hallie at more an ?agent of plot? status rather than a fully realized subjectivity, Tom?s preference for Hallie?s happiness over his own seems to at least uniquely honor female subjectivity
compared to stereotypical male behavior in westerns. And, if we consider the evidence that Tom seems genuinely interested in the safety of his town, there?s the chance that his deference to Ranse speaks to a western manhood strategizing on behalf of ?community,? however indirect the calculation may seem, at times.
Unforgiven:
Similar to Ranse: Will starts off ?in need? and broken down, too. This is
especially striking considering who Will was before. Both Will?s status as a
character and the fact that he?s played by iconic gunslinger-actor, Clint Eastwood, make the demystifying of legend all the more striking.
When Will regains his ?authority? it is not in a way we like to think
about: Will finally shoots straight in the showdown and his calm allows him a cold efficiency, but so far fallen now from the promise to his wife, and already haunted by the images of those he killed in the past before he picked up the gun again, Will?s manhood is connected uncomfortably to violence.
Sample response / ?Once you?ve treated the effectiveness of the two films
individually, then devote a section of your essay to discussing the implications of
your evaluation of the films?:
Together Tom, Ranse, and Will become a composite ?manhood? representative of a powerful challenges to stereotypical male authority in westerns.
? Class: What are some of your thoughts on this male collage?how might
qualities of each man combine to make important counters to overly
simple depictions of manhood in western narrative?
?
Womanhood: Female characters used as little more than ?stage prop? for male-dominated narratives; often largely excluded from the questing and striving male characters can access, the portrayal of female subjectivity is highly simplistic.
Liberty Valance:
What we can infer about Hallie?s subjectivity from opening/
closing ?frame?: Some of the most tellingly complex facial expressions and dialogue of Hallie occur not in the flashback that dominates the film, but in
the ?present? of Shinbone. How might we read Hallie?s words/actions during the bookends of this narrative? What does she still long for and how might this longing be connected to more complicated understanding of female subjectivity?
How might the fact that Hallie plays such an important part in the ?tone? of
the film?s beginning and ending speak to a strength of narrative agency that stereotypical westerns often don?t afford female characters?
Before considering the opening/closing frame, the importance of
Hallie?s choice: Though she seems to possibly not be completely at peace with her choice to follow Ranse to the city, during the flashback we can understand why the choice of Ranse may have seemed hugely important for Hallie. An illiterate woman stuck serving food to roughnecks, Ranse provides an opportunity to define her femininity beyond domestic (i.e. ?kitchen?) capabilities alone. And,
even the fact that Hallie is given this choice, and that her decision is honored by the male leads of the film, speaks to at least the makings of female autonomy that goes beyond your typical male-dominated western narrative.
Centre of equal daughters, equal sons,
All, all alike endear?d, grown, ungrown, young or old,
Strong, ample, fair, enduring, capable, rich,
Perennial with the Earth, with Freedom, Law and Love,
A grand, sane, towering, seated Mother,
Chair?d in the adamant of Time.
Unforgiven:
The look on Delilah?s face as ?justice? is pursued by her co-workers
and the men who seek the bounty: Delilah says few words but her character speaks volumes with her facial expressions. At best ?conflicted? about the justice pursued in her ?honor? (if it can still be comfortably called that), Delilah?s troubled interior doesn?t allow male heroism to be comfortably linked to nobility. When Davey, much more innocent of her maiming than Quick Mike, offers Delilah his best horse, she arguably seems ready to accept it. The fact that the story of what happened to Delilah continues to be exaggerated, and that the ?justice? done in name goes horribly wrong, Delilah?s uneasiness complicates any simple notion of female characters serving as plot agents.
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