Close Read

Sometimes, it's not until a piece of art is examined in fine detail that new meanings arise. When cultural context, the artist's intentions, or even your own prior knowledge are set aside a new way of "seeing" the art can emerge. This is the purpose of a close reading, sometimes called an explication.

For this essay, you will conduct a close reading of a classic scene from musical. Your goal is to delve deeply into a scene in hopes of uncovering new ways to understand it. You will have wide latitude in how you choose to engage it. However, your focus should be concise, minute details. For example, instead of examining the Mona Lisa as a whole, in a close read, you'd consider only the hands. As always, ground your analysis in a strong thesis, supported by evidence from the scene only—no outside research.

Choose only one of the following songs for your analysis:

• "Good Morning" from Singin' in the Rain (1952)
• "The Man That Got Away" from A Star is Born (1954)
• "If I Loved You" from Carousel (1956)
• "Whatever Lola Wants" from Damn Yankees (1958)
• "America" from West Side Story (1961)
• "My Man" from Funny Girl (1968) 
• "Mein Herr" from Cabaret (1972) 
• "I Don't Know How to Love him" from Jesus Christ Superstar (1973)
  
• "Summer Nights" from Grease (1978) 
• "Easy to be Hard" from Hair (1979)
• "I Will Always Love You" from The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas (1982)
• "Suddenly Seymour" from Little Shop of Horrors (1986)
• "Rainbow High" from Evita (1996)
• "Wig in a Box" from Hedwig and The Angry Inch (2000)
  
• "Diamond's are a Girl's Best Friend" from Moulin Rouge! (2001)
• "All That Jazz" from Chicago (2002)
• "Prima Donna" from The Phantom of the Opera (2004) 
• "Seasons of Change" from Rent (2005)
  
• "I Want to Hold Your Hand" from Across the Universe (2007)
• "I Can Hear the Bells" from Hairspray (2007)
• "A Little Priest" from Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007)
• "I Dreamed a Dream" from Les Misérables (2012)
• "More Than Words/Heaven" from Rock of Ages (2012)
  
• "No One is Alone" from Into the Woods (2014) 
• “Audition (The Fools Who Dream)” from La La Land (2016)
• "Un Poco Loco" from Coco (2017)
  
• "Memory" from Cats (2019)
  
• "No Me Diga" from In the Heights (2021) 
• "Waving Through the Window" "from Dear Evan Hansen (2021)
  
• "America" from West Side Story (2021)

Requirements:

• MLA Style (including works cited—the only citation you need is of your film)
  
• Approx. 500-750 words

Due: Fri 11. 17