1) RELATE WHAT WAS DISCUSSED IN CLASS OR THE TEXT TO THE SCREENING.

The Graduate which is ultimately a tale of self discovery and rebellion though on a small and upper
middle class scale, was the perfect film in a way. Made in 1967 it highlights the main protagonists need
to break free of the sterile and prescribed lives they are living and both discover and reawaken their
sexuality. It is a modern classic not just because of the message it conveys, but because it is perhaps one
of the best examples of when superior writing, direction, acting, cinematography, editing and score all
come together to produce something timeless with broad appeal. It is also faultless on its wit and
comedic timing and just seems to flow effortlessly and naturally despite the deliberate choreography of
actor and camera. The editing and cinematography also lend themselves to creating an image of a
repressed closed world with lots of hard cuts and extreme close ups and compositions that compromise
the subjects. A classic and iconic example being the shot of Benjamin beneath Mrs. Robinsons raised leg
as she is working her way towards deflowering him, showing her dominance and power as an older more
experienced woman.
2) FIND A RELATED ARTICLE AND SUMMARIZE THE CONTENT. (on the film, director, studio,
actor/actress, artistic content, etc.) You can use the library or the internet. We will discuss suitable
references in class. CITE THE ARTICLE AND COPY THE URL TO YOUR JOURNAL ENTRY. YOU
SHOULD ALSO MENTION THE TITLE OF THE ARTICLE AND AUTHOR DIRECTLY IN THE
ANSWER. SUMMARIZE IN YOUR OWN WORDS THE RELATED ARTICLE BUT DO NOT
PLAGARIZE ANY CONTENT.
The film is also perhaps best known for its amazing comedy dialogue, producing such classic lines as :
Would you like me to seduce you, is that what you are trying to tell me, and Ive got one word for you
Benjamin, are you listening, yes.Plastics which just cut right through and sum up perfectly the
sentiments of the scenes in which they come from. My personal favorite has got to be he sure is a good
walker when Benjamin follows Elaine to the Zoo for her date with the old make out king, Carl. In
this coming-of-age classic, Ben, a recent college grad, has just returned home. Unable to relate to his
parents and unsure about his future, Ben is a passive, vulnerable individual. An older, married woman,
known only as Mrs. Robinson, takes advantage of Ben and seduces him. Despite their sexual dalliance,
there is no emotional connection between the two of them. When Ben hits it off with Mrs. R's daughter,
though, not only does find romance but he also sheds some of his passivity.
http://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=EE05E7DF1739E564BC4A51DFB467838C679EDE
3) APPLY THE ARTICLE TO THE FILM SCREENED IN CLASS. HOW DID THE ARTICLE
SUPPORT OR CHANGE THE WAY YOU THOUGHT ABOUT THE FILM, DIRECTOR, CONTENT,
ETC.?
There is also of course the chart topping score written and performed by Simon and Garfunkel which
again perfectly complements and makes The Graduate entirely contemporary using the simplicity of the
Mrs. Robinson refrain or motif throughout giving the Graduate yet another recognizable hallmark. The
climax of the film is also brilliant whereby Benjamin breaks into the church where Elaine is about to
marry Carl whom she doesnt love but he is the right and proper choice for her. She comes to her
senses, and the pair wrestles with an angry mob of disapproving family members. They are ranting and
snarling but the soundtrack becomes silent the couples have reached an epiphany and no longer need to
listen to their disapproving elders, they have decided their future is theirs! Symbolically they trap the
congregation in the very modern looking church with a crucifix, so they are not only able to escape the
situation but also the institution of marriage, the establishment of the church and their family.

4) WRITE A CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF THE FILM, INCLUDING YOUR PERSONAL OPINION,
FORMED AS A RESULT OF 4 THINGS: THE SCREENING, CLASS DISCUSSIONS, TEXT
MATERIAL AND THE ARTICLE. I AM LESS INTERESTED IN WHETHER YOU LIKED OR
DISLIKED A FILM, (ALTHOUGH THAT CAN BE PART OF THIS) THAN I AM IN YOUR
UNDERSTANDING OF ITS PLACE IN FILM HISTORY OR THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF THE
DIRECTOR.
Benjamin Braddock (Dustin Hoffman) is at a crossroads in his life. He has just graduated college which
means he has reached adulthood and must decide what to do with his life. The problem is Benjamin is too
immature to handle it. He is passive and watches as the world around him moves on. He prefers to laze
around in the pool rather than consider graduate school or finding good job. He is beginning to realize
that the path his parents have chosen for him isn't the one he wishes to follow. From the opening scenes
you can see how tight their hold is on Benjamin by the claustrophobic camera shots at his graduation
party. Everyone at the party is a friend of his parents who apparently makes them a friend of his, but he
barely knows them past their last name and occupation.

Enter Mrs. Robinson, probably the most interesting character in film history not to have a first name. She
is sophisticated, elegant. Just like Benjamin, she doesn't fit in with the party crowd, and she is drawn to
him. She asks (forces) Benjamin to take her back to her place where she attempts to lure him into sex. He
embarks on an affair with Mrs. Robinson but later falls for her daughter, Elaine.

This is a movie with many layers. Mrs. Robinson is on a quest for her lost youth. She is often in control of
everything around her but she loses it when she discovers that Benjamin will go on a date with Elaine. To
her, the flings with Benjamin are a source of rejuvenation, since she is unhappy with her life, and her
husband, so Benjamin provides her only escape. We soon discover that the real reason Mrs. Robinson
doesn't want Benjamin with her daughter is because she is jealous of Elaine's youth and freedom. She
refuses to realize that she is no longer a girl in her 20s. She doesn't want to lose the fountain of youth she
has with Ben.

A passive Benjamin must come into his own and achieve independence.
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 pages 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 class 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.
Name: ___________Carla Baylor____________________________
Date: ____________5/12/14________________________________