Hi, I am writing a paper about queer spectatorship in the movie The Wizard of Oz. I have to write a critical analysis five page essay.

Question

*I want to know if my thesis statement clearly communicates my argument and its significance, and my method and tools of analysis.
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My thesis statement:

Even though this film is a children’s movie, many queer spectators of this film articulate their own cultural meanings of queerness to the characters, actors, dialogue, and other symbols, in order to describe queerness in films that exclude overt representations of homosexuality.
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*Also, I would like to know whether my body paragraphes below are well developed, have main ideas, and provide solid evidence to back up arguments.

*Is it okay to have many citations throughout the body paragraphs?

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Body paragraphs I have so far:

For most of the twentieth century, homosexuality was considered to be shameful and distasteful. It was also considered as an illness and was declared illegal by law, (Hoffman, 2007). It was rarely written about, it rarely appeared in motion picture stories, and it was an inappropriate topic to talk about in polite conversations, (Hoffman, 2007). Most queer people had to live their lives in secrecy, keeping their sexuality hidden from friends, co-workers, and family members (Hoffman, 2007). As a result, many queer individuals remained isolated from each other. However, there were queer communities in many western urban areas where homosexuals could practice their own subcultural practices in a heterosexual dominant culture (Hoffman, 2007).
In many motion pictures, the use of fictional narratives, and normative heterosexuality became fundamental to the story-telling formula (Hoffman, 2007). When queer characters were represented, they were usually reduced to minor parts and/or were the butt of jokes, however these representations of queer characters often reflected the early-twentieth-century mode of homosexuality as gender inversions, (2007) For instance, feminine men or masculine women quickly became the stereotypical clichés of queer representations. In Hollywood film, the gender-inversion stereotype was used in order to describe homosexuality because of the censorship laws in the Hollywood Production Code that was enforced in 1934 (Hoffman, 2007). The Hollywood Production Code banned explicit representation of homosexuality from Hollywood movie screens for almost three decades. Filmmakers were not allowed to show overt makers of homosexual desire, therefore, many filmmakers used suggestion rather than sense when dealing with onscreen homosexuality (Hoffman, 2007).
“Queer moviegoers also decoded classical Hollywood films in ways that often went beyond and sometimes against what their makers explicitly intended” (Hoffman, 2007). Many queer spectators both celebrated and ridiculed Hollywood films and their larger-than life characters and situations (Hoffman, 2007). For example, many men identified themselves to each other as “friends of Dorothy,” to indicate their devotion to The Wizard of Oz. The movie The Wizard of Oz explicit parallels between the characters behaviors and homosexuality. For example, the lion….
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This is what I have so far...I'll appreciate your responses and suggestions...thank you!

Answer 1

In many motion pictures, the use of fictional narratives, and normative heterosexuality became fundamental to the story-telling formula (Hoffman, 2007). When queer characters were represented, they were usually reduced to minor parts and/or were the butt of jokes, however these representations of queer characters often reflected the early-twentieth-century mode of homosexuality as gender inversions, (2007) For instance, feminine men or masculine women quickly became the stereotypical clichés of queer representations. In Hollywood film, the gender-inversion stereotype was used in order to describe homosexuality because of the censorship laws in the Hollywood Production Code that was enforced in 1934 (Hoffman, 2007). The Hollywood Production Code banned explicit representation of homosexuality from Hollywood movie screens for almost three decades. Filmmakers were not allowed to show overt makers of homosexual desire, therefore, many filmmakers used suggestion rather than sense when dealing with onscreen homosexuality (Hoffman, 2007).
“Queer moviegoers also decoded classical Hollywood films in ways that often went beyond and sometimes against what their makers explicitly intended” (Hoffman, 2007). Many queer spectators both celebrated and ridiculed Hollywood films and their larger-than life characters and situations (Hoffman, 2007). For example, many men identified themselves to each other as “friends of Dorothy,” to indicate their devotion to The Wizard of Oz. The movie The Wizard of Oz explicit parallels between the characters behaviors and homosexuality. For example, the lion….
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This is what I have so far...I'll appreciate your responses and suggestions...thank you!

Answer 2

I object to the overuse of the words "queer" and "queerness." In my opinion, they are denigrating terms.

Also -- although your thesis statement pertains to "The Wizard of Oz," your body paragraphs haven't mentioned this film.

Answer 3

The reading I am using for this paper states that the the world "'queer' should be understood as a theoretical approach to rethinking human sexuality. The term queer, once a pejorative epithet used to humiliate men and women, is now used by academics to describe the broad, fluid, and ever-changing expanse of human sexualities; queers are people (including heterosexuals who do not organize their sexuality according to that rubric."

I hope that explains my reasons for my overuse of this would. this what I have to far. I was thinking of using the readings i have to explain first how homosexuals developed their own cultural meanings to heterosexual films. Then I want to talk about how they interpret the Wizard of Oz as being a queer film by giving example of dialoge, characters behaviors,and symbols that they interpret as being queer and so forth. It is suppose to be five pages i so far have two. this the other paragraph i have done so far...i'm still working on it.Thanks for your reply. Also, it is okay to have that many citations throughout the body...most of ideas i got were from the reading and they are not mine that is why i cited most of the sentences.

Answer 4

“Queer moviegoers also decoded classical Hollywood films in ways that often went beyond and sometimes against what their makers explicitly intended” (Hoffman, 2007). Many queer spectators both celebrated and ridiculed Hollywood films and their larger-than life characters and situations (Hoffman, 2007). For example, many men identified themselves to each other as “friends of Dorothy,” to indicate their devotion to The Wizard of Oz. The movie The Wizard of Oz explicit parallels between the characters’ behavior and homosexuality . For example, the lion...

here i will start to talk about the characters and their interpretations of them.

Answer 5

I suggest you explain early in your paper just why you're using the word, "queer."

Answer 6

Okay I'll do that. Thanks.

Answer 7

sorri iv come across your essay and it seemed really interesting. was wondering where u referenced hoffman 2007 from? could you possibely give me the full reference?

thank you