Documentary Film Analysis
AP Language and Composition
Journal Entry : November 3, 2014
What is the last documentary film that you watched?
How does a documentary film deliver the message?
What is the purpose of a documentary film?
The Purpose
 Through the lens of documentary film makers, the general
public is often reintroduced to a topic that they are already
familiar with.
 Documentary film makers use the documentary to create a
platform for their message; a message which often times is
heavily biased.
 The purpose of this teaching unit is to use the analytical lens
which we all possess, to find the deeper meaning or the
purpose for documentary film making.
Terms
 Find time to define the following terms:
 Documentary
 documentarian
 Genre
 fiction
 non-fiction
 Accuracy
 objective
 Subjective
 propaganda
Day 1 : A Sneak Peek
 Today you will view a short documentary called Caine’s
Arcade.
 Using Aristotle’s Appeals, and your previous knowledge of
analysis, you will find the purpose of the documentary.
 Following the viewing of Caine’s Arcade, you will write a brief
review which includes how the documentarian appeals to the
audience. Is he objective or subjective?
Journal Entry : November 4, 2014
What are some challenges that
documentary film makers may face while
filming?
Do documentary films tell the truth?
Essential Information
 The difference between accuracy and truth
 The difference between objective and subjective
 The difference between subjective material and propaganda
 The difference between sharing one's own perspective and
telling the whole truth about an issue or event
 The role of evidence in determining whether all perspectives
are equally valid
 The techniques that documentary filmmakers use to show
reality (especially when merely pointing the camera and
recording cannot fully capture an experience)
Emotional Separation:
Staying Objective
 “[Journalists] feel terribly torn by their sense of obligation to
get the story yet the emotional drain on them that the story
evokes also can be very damaging,” -Jeffrey Dvorkin,
program director for the University of Toronto Scarborough’s
journalism program.
 “There has to be a way in which the journalist is able to
professionally handle these emotional challenges.”
Photographer Kevin Carter
 Photographer Kevin Carter won a Pulitzer Prize for his photograph that
depicted famine in Sudan (1994).
 Carter went on record to state that he waited approximately twenty
minutes to capture the image of a vulture stalking what appeared to be
an extremely malnourished young child.
 After taking the picture, Carter interrupted the vulture and scared the
predator away from his prey. He stated afterward that the scene caused
depression, and that he immediately wanted to hug his daughter.
 Once the photo hit mainstream media outlets, he started receiving
harsh criticism such as, "The man adjusting his lens to take just the
right frame of her suffering, might just as well be a predator: another
vulture on the scene.“
 At the age of 33, Kevin Carter’s body was found with an apology letter
after an apparent suicide.
Photographer Kevin Carter
Journal Entry : November 5, 2014
What are your thoughts about the results of
the election yesterday?
How do you feel about the future of
education in Oklahoma?
Journal Entry : November 6, 2014
How has the documentary changed your
perspective on Sea World?
Can you blame a company for the actions
of a wild animal? Explain.
Journal Entry : November 10, 2014
Are you mentally prepared for the winter?
 What is your favorite part of the winter?
Just remember that this classroom is
twenty degrees colder than the outside
temperature.
Journal Entry : November 11, 2014
Discuss the concept of “food deserts.” Where,
nationally, do food deserts exist?
What is the difference between hunger and food
insecurity?
Journal Entry : November 13, 2014
What are your thoughts about the novel
thus far?
Are you able to make a connection to the
narration?
Journal Entry : November 14, 2014
It’s Free Write Friday!!!
Write five complete sentences for full
credit.
Journal Entry : November 18, 2014
In a well-developed written response,
prove to me that Elroy Berdahl doesn’t
exist in the chapter On the Rainy
River.
Provide a minimum of four quotes to
support your answer.
Daily Classwork
Journal Entry / Discussion
Handout : On the Rainy River / Enemies / Friends
Read : (In Class/Homework) How to Tell a True War
Story (67-86)
Objectives :
 Analyze the ambiguity of war stories
 Evaluate / Analyze the novel as “war literature”
 Analyze the chapter On the Rainy River as social
commentary / internal conflict
November 19, 2014
How do you feel about Tim O’Brien as a
narrator?
What gives you this feeling?
November 20, 2014
Briefly discuss what you have found thus
far in regards to the theme of guilt in The
Things they Carried.
4-5 sentence response
The Dentist
Why does O’Brien feel the need to tell the story of Curt
Lemon and the dentist?
What is ironic about Lemon’s incident with the dentist?
Would the irony have been as strong if O’Brien had
placed this anecdote before the chapter describing
Lemon’s death? Explain.
Why does Curt Lemon ask the dentist to pull his
healthy tooth? How does this request illustrate the
theme of shame?
Daily Classwork
Journal Entry / Discussion
PPT : Written response questions over The
Dentist
Read : Chapter 9 – Sweetheart of the Song
Tra Bong
Objectives :
Discuss themes
Discuss structure / placement of vignettes
November 21, 2014
It’s Free Write Friday!!
Take time to reflect on the week, or to
express your need for Thanksgiving break.
November 24, 2014
Discuss the concept of superstition the
chapter Stockings.
Is it ok to be superstitious, or are
superstitions nothing more than lies?
In what way is Kiowa a character foil to
Dobbins?
Daily Classwork
Journal Entry / Discussion
Handout : Stockings and Church
Read : The Man I Killed
Objectives :
Discuss themes
Discuss structure / placement of vignettes
November 25, 2014
What was the purpose of repetition in the
chapter The Man I Killed?
How does that add emphasis the story?
Is it a positive coping mechanism?
December 1st, 2014
Explain how the Viet Cong soldier’s death,
as retold in The Man I Killed and Ambush,
coincides with the concept of time.
Explain how the narration changed in the
two vignettes and how that affects
storytelling.
Ambush and Style
• How does the narrative technique, the way the paragraphs
are structured, contribute to the different themes of the
novel? (Ambush)
• Explain how O’Brien copes/coped with the fact that he killed
a man. (Ambush)
• What kind of literary device does the narrator use to describe
the scene in the village where the young girl is dancing?
What effect is created in this scene? (Style)
• How do the actions of the young girl contradict war? (Style)
• In what way does the girl relate to the soldiers? (Style)
• From what you know so far, how much do you dislike Azar?
Why? (Style)