Sample
Battle of Neretva is a 1969 a Yugoslav partisan film, which relatively
accurately portrays the so-called “Fourth Enemy Offensive” against the
Yugoslav Partisans in the early 1943 along the Neretva-River in BosniaHerzegovina. Directed by Veljko Bulajić, the film is based on the true events of
World War II. Surrounded on all sides, the Partisans suffered heavy losses, but
managed to break through the enemy lines (I/146-147).
While the film renders an accurate depiction of the battle, it does convey
the impression that the Partisans as well as their enemies were ideologically
motivated. In reality, the bulk of the population in wartime Yugoslavia held no
rigid political loyalties. Instead, they were forced to survive as best they could
and their allegiances shifted according to the situation. For example, the
Chetniks, who are portrayed as the inveterate enemies of the Partisans, were
not a single unified force, but initially fought alongside the Partisans against
the Germans and then joined the Germans against the Partisans (I/45-51).
Bosnia-Herzegovina especially represented a contentious mix of political
ideologies, ethnicities, and religious beliefs – including nationalism and
communism, and Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and Muslim denominations –
and consequently, the war there was particularly cruel (II/13-18). The film
crafts a fascinating narrative of rival radical ideologies, particularly between
the multinational vision of the Communist Partisans versus the xenophobic
nationalism of the Serbian Chetniks and the Croatian Ustaše. Although the film
emphasizes the battle between the Partisans and the Axis powers, Bulajić
stresses its local dimension – the conflict between the citizens of the former
Yugoslavia. As Commissar Stole says “hatred between the same people is the
most vicious.’”
The film correctly shows that the Partisans fought for much more than
mere survival – from the beginning Tito envisioned the war against the
Axis powers mutating into a revolutionary struggle and turning Yugoslavia
into a communist state (II/64-68). Although most Serbs initially joined the
Partisans to survive the Ustaše genocide, the Partisan leadership from the
beginning emphasized the importance of social revolution that would
change the country’s political and socio-economic landscape. In other
words, the unique conditions of the Axis occupation and the bitter ethnic
and ideological conflicts engendered the revolutionary movement united in
its primary objectives (I/256-258).
Regrettably, the film does not stress the background of the Partisan
leadership and in my opinion, this issue is very important. The KPJ’s long
experience as an underground political movement meant years of
recruitment through cultural groups, sports clubs, schools, and unions.
This fact alone helps explain why the Partisans were much better
organized not only to fight large-scale battles, but also creating the socalled “free zones” – the Neretva basin was but one – in which they set up
the small replicas of revolutionary society, later superimposed upon the
entire Yugoslavia (II-221-223).
The Partisans never viewed the armed struggle against the Axis
powers from a purely military prospective, but were determined to
transform this struggle into a political battle aimed at building a
“genuinely multinational socialist society.”
Sources:
I. Jozo Tomasevich. War and Revolution in Yugoslavia, 1941-1945:
The Chetniks. Stanford, California: Stanford University Press, 1975.
II. John K. Cox, The History of Serbia. Westport, Connecticut and
London: Greenwood Press, 2002.
Your response paper will be evaluated by the following
criteria:
1. Introduction – 20%
Does the introduction contain a clearly defined thesis? Does the introduction
provide 2-3 general points that will be offered as proof to be defended in the
body of the essay?
2. Body of arguments - 50%
Does this part focus on 2 -3 points mentioned in the introduction and analyze
them (rather than narrate), making good use of reasons and evidence drawn
from the assigned readings? Are sources properly quoted? Does the conclusion
restate the thesis, summing up the essay in a clear and concise way?
3. Structure, grammar, style – 30%
While the content and structure of the essay form the basis of the grade, poor
sentence structure, spelling errors. and faulty punctuation will have a negative
impact on your grade.
Identification essay sample
Catherine the Great was the Empress of Russia between 1762 and 1796. She was put in power by a
group of Russian nobles who had assassinated her husband, the Emperor Peter III. Catherine was an
intelligent woman, familiar with the works of French Philosophes, and seemed to favor social and
economic reforms. Yet, realizing that her rule depended upon the support of the Russian nobility, in
1785 she granted the nobles a charter that exempted them from taxes. Such policy led to worsening
conditions of Russian peasants who rebelled against the government. In response, Catherine further
expanded the institution of serfdom placing peasants completely at the will of their landlords.
Catherine was one of the most successful Russian rulers, especially in foreign policies. Continuing
territorial expansionism initiated by Peter the Great, Catherine acquired territories in the south
defeating the Ottoman Empire and participated in the partitioning of Poland, whereby gaining more
than fifty percent of Polish territory. At the same time, Catherine expanded commercial relations with
Europe and China. By the end of her reign, Russia had become a European superpower.
Comprehensive essay template
Question: Compare the basic principles of Judaism and Christianity. Why, in spite of its humble
beginnings, did Christianity achieve the status of a world religion?
Thesis:
Despite their close relationship, Christianity and Judaism took a different path of development and
eventually became hostile to each other. The point of rupture between the two religions was teachings
of Jesus Christ, who defied the Jewish traditional religious establishment, and whose appeal to the
masses won him a significant popular backing. Although early Christians were persecuted, specific
socio-economic and political circumstances forced Roman Emperors to embrace the new creed as a
crucial universal bond that helped them solidify their rule and hold together the multicultural Roman
Empire.
Arguments and specific examples:
Judaism and Christianity are closely related world religions. Judaism was founded by Abraham as a
monotheistic religion – that is the belief in one, universal god. According to Judaist teachings, God and
Abraham struck an agreement – the Covenant – according to which ancient Jews would believe and
revere only one God (II/67-71). In exchange, God would love and protect Jews as the chosen people.
The second important premise of Judaism is that God’s love to Jews is contingent upon their belief in
him. If they stop following his guide, they will be punished. The oral traditions of Judaism were written
down in the series of books called the Old Testament roughly between 500 and 300BC. Christianity
took its roots from Judaism, and also is a monotheistic religion (I/309-311).
See below:
The founder of Christianity was born about 4AD in a Jewish family in Bethlehem, Palestine. Jesus was
baptized by John the Baptist and followed his preaching of the coming of heaven and washed off his
sins in the Jordan River. He preached to the poor and sick in Judea – then a Roman province -- and
convinced them to follow the teachings of God. The major tenet of this new religion -- called Christianity
due to the Greek word Christos (the Messiah) – is the belief in one universal God, who loves and
protects the human kind. Salvation and the kingdom of heaven are attainable by everyone who puts
trust in the All Mighty (II/112). Around 32AD Jesus was apprehended by the Jewish leadership, which
was alarmed by his growing popularity among the masses. Fearful of Roman reprisals, the Jewish
elders handed Jesus over to the Romans, who crucified him (I/324).
While Christianity started as a small religious group, it gradually attained wide following. Several
reasons contributed to its growth. After Jesus’ death, his work was continued by charismatic leaders
such as Peter and Paul, who gained popularity in Europe, especially Greece and Italy (II/112-113).
Christianity offered salvation to everybody, regardless of social status and wealth – poor and rich, sick
and healthy, princes and slaves. Therefore, it became especially popular with common people (II/131134). The charismatic work carried out by Christian priests, and their dedication to the cause
contributed to the fact that many affluent people supported and financed Christian institutions. While in
the Roman Empire the Christians suffered persecution, the decline of the Empire compelled emperors
to seek a device that would unify the diverse imperial population (I/329). Such a device was a single
religion, and Christianity seemed to be popular enough to serve this purpose. In 313AD it was declared
state religion, and from that moment on Christianity would eventually gain the status of world religion
since the Roman Empire ruled on three continents, and thus Christianity affected many people of
different cultures, languages, and histories (I/329).
Summary:
Although Christianity evolved from Judaism, this affiliation was conveniently forgotten as the Christian
Church turned against the Jews in the Middle Ages. The relation between the two religions remains
strained until this very day. In spite of its humble beginnings, a strange creed preached by a Palestinian
Jew named Jesus has become the most popular (numerically) religion of the world.
Bibliography:
I. Carter Lindberg. A Brief History of Christianity (2006).
II. J. H. Moran Cruz. Medieval Worlds (2004).
Identification essay provides information about an individual, a place, or a historical event on
the basis of the following questions:
•
Who or What?
•
When?
•
Where?
•
What significant role did this individual/place/event play in history?
Sample:
Mohammed
The founder of Islam, Mohammed (Mahomet) was born about 570AD in Mecca in
what today is Saudi Arabia. When he was 40 years old, outside of Mecca he had
visions of the angel Gabriel calling him to “recite” in the name of God the creator. He
received revelations that were to become the first part of the Koran (Qua’ran) – the
holy book of Islam. The Koran teaches faith in God, the coming judgment against
unbelief, and the ideas of heaven and hell; it also describes duties appropriate to
marriage, the family, and social life. Mohammed’s followers were called Muslims
(Moslems) – “surrendered men,” since they had “surrendered” or submitted to one
God (Allah).
By 630AD, Mohammed had raised a powerful army and had captured Mecca. After
the death of Mohammed in 632, his successors were able to conquer all of the Arabian
Peninsula, the Middle East, and North Africa, and Spain establishing one of the
greatest empires of the Middle Ages. Although the empire soon fell apart, Islam has
continued its victorious rise in the Middle East and Asia and becoming the fastest
growing religion in the world with about one billion followers.
Why, in spite of its humble beginnings, did Christianity achieve the status
of a world religion?
While Christianity started as a small religious group, it gradually attained wide
following. Several reasons contributed to its growth. After Jesus’ death, his work was
continued by charismatic leaders such as Peter and Paul, who gained popularity in
Europe, especially Greece and Italy. Christianity offered salvation to everybody,
regardless of social status and wealth – poor and rich, sick and healthy, princes and
slaves. Therefore, it became especially popular with common people. The charismatic
work carried out by Christian priests, and their dedication to the cause contributed to the
fact that many affluent people supported and financed Christian institutions. While in the
Roman Empire the Christians suffered persecution, the decline of the Empire compelled
emperors to seek a device that would unify the diverse imperial population. Such a
device was a single religion, and Christianity seemed to be popular enough to serve this
purpose.
In 313AD it was declared state religion, and from that moment on Christianity
would eventually gain the status of world religion since the Roman Empire ruled on three
continents, and thus Christianity affected many people of different cultures, languages,
and histories. Although Christianity evolved from Judaism, this affiliation was
conveniently forgotten as the Christian Church turned against the Jews in the Middle
Ages. The relation between the two religions remains strained until this very day.
In sum, despite its humble beginnings, a strange creed preached by a Palestinian Jew
named Jesus has become the most popular (numerically) religion of the world.
GUIDELINES FOR WRITING FILM RESPONSE PAPERS
(1) The point of any good movie is not the action, but the message. Hence, do not just
summarize the film. If there is no analysis involved, then you have not responded, only
regurgitated. If the movie is based on true events, you should evaluate the level of
analogy and either justify or criticize any differences the movie exhibits with respect to
the original story it is based on.
(II) Do not try to be a film critic. Do not worry about the actors’ performances (except
insofar as they might be relevant in evaluating the film’s success in making its point) or
the subtleties of direction and editing. The issues are what count. Your target is a
particular theme, not filmmaking.
(III) Your first paragraph should be an introduction to your topic—that is, the issue or
issues on which you are going to focus. It should be a brief paragraph—maybe four or
five sentences. Be sure to say which aspect of the movie, specifically, will be discussed
in the paper. If you want to emphasize and discuss issues that are secondary in the
movie, still try to mention the movie’s central theme or themes.
(IV) The main body of your essay should be the exploration of your theme or themes,
using characters, scenes, symbols, and situations in the movie to show how the movie
supports or contradicts your understanding of a particular topic. It should be composed
of, preferably, three distinct paragraphs – each of them discussing your impressions and
thoughts as related to the film in question.
(V) Pay close attention to basics like grammar and punctuation. Proofread your essays.
(VI) Your conclusion should contain a short summary of all points comprised in your
argumentation.