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Ms. Flagg
Posted:
2/2/2017 10:19:00 PM
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M*A*S*H Research Paper
Hey all! One of the requirements at my college is a Research Writing Class to be taken the second semester of freshman year. The topics vary year to year, but I was lucky enough to secure a spot in one titled, "American Culture in the 1970s." The main purpose of this class is to help us adjust to college writing and end the semester with a minimum- 15 page research paper. Well, today we brainstormed ideas for our papers, we can write about anything we want as long as it relates to the overbearing theme of the class. So, of course I decided to write my paper on the cultural impact of M*A*S*H! Specifically relating to the ongoing (but ending) Vietnam War, and how it helped to shape the opinions of the American public.
I don't have anything about the specifics of the paper set in stone yet, but I have a basic idea of some stuff I'd like to cover.
First off, I'd like to analyze some of the more poignant episodes. The ones that really drove home the horrors of war. On my list of possibilities so far I've got...
"Sometimes You Hear the Bullet" (01x17)
"Abyssinia, Henry" (03x24)
"The Interview" (04x24)
"Dreams" (08x22)
I would love to hear if you guys have any suggestions to episodes that could be added to this list. These four just came to my mind in the half hour or so we got at the end of class to work.
Secondly, I intend to analyze some of the major characters. That list includes...
Hawkeye
Frank
Klinger
Captain Flagg
As I said with the episodes, any suggestions you guys have for characters or character aspects I could talk about would be greatly appreciated!
I'm also going to talk about the ideas behind the creation of M*A*S*H. Why it was set during the Korean war, relevance of certain plot lines, response in the 70s, lasting effects, etc.
Anyway, I just thought I would share with you guys how M*A*S*H is continuing to play a role in my life. I know I haven't posted in a very long time, but I still check in and I'm, of course, still watching. :)
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FinestKindinTN
Posted:
2/2/2017 10:35:43 PM
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BeccaLeo1972
Posted:
2/3/2017 3:19:33 AM
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phantomeagle
Posted:
2/3/2017 3:26:30 AM
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Ruptured Brook
Posted:
2/3/2017 6:35:56 AM
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Nice to see a new name around here! I think you've got a great idea and have a great bunch of ideas to get you moving. M*A*S*H is obviously a better choice than most shows of ANY era, because there is so much material to pull from. Your choices of episodes and characters seems strong while keeping it relatively short--it would be tempting to try to encapsulate the whole show, but that would put you into the hundreds of pages, wouldn't it?
I have many suggestions for you for episodic content:
"Showtime," at the end of S1, is a show with a USO concert interspersed with several side plots. I think it's a good comparison to the Bob Hope concerts that were still going on in Vietnam in the 70s (and I think in Desert Storm in the 90s, even!) and the realities of war.
"For the Good of the Outfit," in S2, probably irked some warhawks and military types upon its release, but it's a good storyline about collateral damage and political coverup.
"George" is about a soldier who suffers physical abuse in fights after admitting to being a homosexual. That's two pages right there...
"Yessir, That's Our Baby," as Finest mentioned. Touches on a lot of refugee type issues.
"Are You Now, Margaret?" deals with McCarthyism.
"Inga" deals with feminism quite bluntly (note that many of the episodes that deal overtly with social commentary are not the most polished or funny episodes).
"Preventative Medicine" (Hawkeye) and "Bombshells" (BJ) and "Radar's Report" (Trapper) all deal with characters stumbling in their ideals and losing another slice of innocence in the midst of their insane environment.
There are a lot of M*A*S*H books out there, the most comprehensive of which is probably this.
https://www.amazon.com/Complete-Book-Suzy-Kalter/dp/0810980835/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1486103223&sr=8-2&keywords=mash+book
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Ruptured Brook
Posted:
2/3/2017 6:36:29 AM
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Ms. Flagg
Posted:
2/7/2017 5:26:27 AM
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Ruptured Brook
Posted:
2/7/2017 6:51:46 AM
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FinestKindinTN
Posted:
2/13/2017 11:56:26 AM
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Ms. Flagg
Posted:
2/21/2017 4:57:47 AM
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Hawkeye84
Posted:
3/9/2017 4:50:07 AM
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Ms. Flagg wrote:
Hey all! One of the requirements at my college is a Research Writing Class to be taken the second semester of freshman year. The topics vary year to year, but I was lucky enough to secure a spot in one titled, "American Culture in the 1970s." The main purpose of this class is to help us adjust to college writing and end the semester with a minimum- 15 page research paper. Well, today we brainstormed ideas for our papers, we can write about anything we want as long as it relates to the overbearing theme of the class. So, of course I decided to write my paper on the cultural impact of M*A*S*H! Specifically relating to the ongoing (but ending) Vietnam War, and how it helped to shape the opinions of the American public.
I don't have anything about the specifics of the paper set in stone yet, but I have a basic idea of some stuff I'd like to cover.
First off, I'd like to analyze some of the more poignant episodes. The ones that really drove home the horrors of war. On my list of possibilities so far I've got...
"Sometimes You Hear the Bullet" (01x17)
"Abyssinia, Henry" (03x24)
"The Interview" (04x24)
"Dreams" (08x22)
I would love to hear if you guys have any suggestions to episodes that could be added to this list. These four just came to my mind in the half hour or so we got at the end of class to work.
Secondly, I intend to analyze some of the major characters. That list includes...
Hawkeye
Frank
Klinger
Captain Flagg
As I said with the episodes, any suggestions you guys have for characters or character aspects I could talk about would be greatly appreciated!
I'm also going to talk about the ideas behind the creation of M*A*S*H. Why it was set during the Korean war, relevance of certain plot lines, response in the 70s, lasting effects, etc.
Anyway, I just thought I would share with you guys how M*A*S*H is continuing to play a role in my life. I know I haven't posted in a very long time, but I still check in and I'm, of course, still watching. :)
There must be something in the water. I'm also writing a paper for a graduate level course and using feminist performance theory and M*A*S*H (Houlihan specifically) as my topic. Good luck on yours!
Side note: I just logged in after a 10+ year absence and remembered both my user name and password *pats self on the back*
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Ruptured Brook
Posted:
3/10/2017 6:43:58 PM
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Ms. Flagg
Posted:
5/10/2017 7:43:23 PM
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