I'm writing a research paper on the film "City Of God" and I need to expand my hypothesis, can anyone help?

Question

This is my current introductory paragraph:

Fernando Meirelles 2002 film City Of God is about life in one of the most dangerous favelas in the world, Rio De Janeiro’s Cuidad De Deus. The film takes place over two decades as the slum turns from a poor community on the outskirts of Rio to a warzone controlled by druglords. Although the film takes place in the sixties and seventies, life in Rio’s slums hasn’t changed much today. 

I gave a rough draft of my paper (which is due Monday) to my professor and she told me that I should re-word/change/expand my hypothesis but I really have no clue where to take it... My paper is completely written but I have some points where I don't clearly tie what I'm writing to the hypothesis, so I have to re-write it so it's more general and I can connect it to the broader aspects of my research paper.

For example, one paragraph I wrote is about the cinematography of the film and how it changes over the course of the film (as the crime rates soar and the war on drugs escalates), but I don't know how to relate that to the fact that life is still similar to what is depicted in the end of the film... 

So, if there's anyone in here who has seen "City Of God" and is good with words I'd really appreciate your help! 

Thanks!
Brittney

ooooo · Accepted Answer

Hm... I don't know your topic very well, but it sounds like the problem you're having is not that your subject is too narrow but that you've left too big a gap between point A (fictional film depiction of drugs and violence in the 60s and 70s) and point B (similar "real-life" problems today). You have two links you have to establish: 1. between fiction and social reality, and 2. between the 60s/70s and today. It's not enough to say that they are connected or similar or that the film is historically accurate; you will need to explain the relationships, i.e. establish what the film is getting at and answer the hows and whys of its choices with regard to its message.

A lot of historical films, literature, etc. comment more or less explicitly on current events and controversies. You know the adage that history repeats itself; well, historical fiction often makes that happen (figuratively) by projecting current issues into a past setting, drawing parallels between two sets of events in such a way as to adapt our understanding of each. Even if it's "just" Hollywood entertainment, you can tell a lot about the current cultural and political climate of a film or other work by how historical events are portrayed. So what I would suggest is to do some more background research on both the history told in the film and current issues, and to use that to find examples of where the film's choices seem to take a stance on current problems. 

Then you can answer how the film accomplishes its culturally relevant message cinematographically and why it chooses the particular setting of 60s/70s Cuidad de Deus to do so.

Anonymous · Answer

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I'm writing a research paper on the film "City Of God" and I need to expand my hypothesis, can anyone help?

2 Answers