University of Washington Adverse Effects of Mental Illness Essay
Instructions
ASSIGNMENT 1 :
In this short post (150-200 words) would you describe the jinn as an agent of “good” or “evil”? Who are the sole survivors by the end of the series and why do you think they survive? How do you think Nida’s character has transformed since the first episode? If you had to choose, who do you think is the “enemy” of Ghoul? Lastly, now that you have finished the series, which topic do you plan to write about and why? This post should be at least 250 words.
Assignment
Instructions: Essay #2 Ghoul and the World of the Jinn
For this assignment, please compose an essay of 3-4 pages (double-spaced) on one of the following topics OR a topic of your choosing. This essay must be written according to MLA format and must include a Works Cited page.
Your essay should present a contestable thesis statement, take a clear stance, and use carefully chosen textual evidence to support your claims. Since this paper will center on the series Ghoul, “textual evidence” will come from the scenes in the show as well as the readings from the Quran and Amira El-Zein’s text. Any textual evidence from the show should come from descriptions of the scenes you choose to discuss as well as the show’s script (link to script below).
Click here to access the script to Ghoul.
Each piece of textual evidence should also be surrounded by carefully reasoned analysis. The goal of this paper is not only to persuade your readers to support your claim, but to teach them something new and valuable about the text that they did not know before. What new insight does your particular reading uncover?
The essay should aim to take an “in-depth” approach to textual analyses by zooming in on particular moments (quotations) from the readings/show.
A tip for organizing your paper: I recommend choosing 2-3 scenes in Ghoul to analyze closely, and dedicating one body paragraph to each scene. Try to strategically select scenes that help support your claim in some way. Be sure to describe the scene (setting, characters, dialogue) in detail before diving into your analysis.
The first draft of this paper is due Thursday, October 28th for peer review. The final draft is due Thursday, November 4th.
You may choose one of the following topics OR pursue a topic of your choosing as long as it focuses on the show Ghoul:
Topic #1: “Good and Evil in Ghoul”
According to the Quran, written from the perspective of the jinn, “some of us are righteous, but some of us are less than that; we follow divergent paths” (72.11). The jinn in the show Ghoul commits what seem like morally reprehensible crimes. What kind of moral path does the jinn character take on the show? Is the jinn “righteous” or “less than that”? In other words, is the jinn in Ghoul good? Evil? Something in between? What evidence of the jinn’s actions support your stance? See Amira El-Zein’s section entitled, “Jinn, Humans, Evil” for more insight (18-19).
Topic #2: Nida’s Transformation
In the first episode of Ghoul, Nida betrays her father, giving him up to the state. She is top of her class at the academy, and appears to believe fully in the integrity of the government. Why, by the show’s end, does Nida undergo such a drastic transformation? How does the jinn and her experience at the advanced interrogation prison alter her perception of the state? What do you make of the show’s ending, and what broader social and moral message do you think the show is attempting to convey to viewers?
Topic #3: Crossing Realms in Ghoul
According to Amira El-Zein, no jinn can crossover from one realm to another without permission from God, citing a passage from ch.55 of the Quran (El-Zein 18). If this is so, why would God sanction the entry of the jinn in Ghoul who commits numerous violent murders? Do you think Nida, too, crosses into the “imaginal” realm when she enters the tunnel? Why might God sanction her crossing over?
Topic #4: The Quran, Amira El-Zein, and Ghoul
How does your reading of the Quran or Amira El-Zein’s book change, deepen, or enhance your experience watching Ghoul? What knowledge and insight do either text (or both) provide about the jinn that adds a new layer of meaning to the show?
Topic #5: Who is the Enemy in Ghoul?
Many of the characters in the show commit moral atrocities, such as torture, violence, and murder. If you had to choose, who (or what) do you think is the “enemy,” the primary agent of evil, in Ghoul? What makes this character or entity so much more morally depraved than the other evil characters on the show? What evidence from the show supports your claim?
Link:
https://youtu.be/VE-wPW2H7O4
https://youtu.be/6-RPGM_nS28
https://youtu.be/blyzgf4zBJ0
https://youtu.be/8VSjZ47b_vw
https://subslikescript.com/series/Ghoul-5909930/season-1/episode-1