Whedon related essay topic needed

[Vamp Jenny]

Hi everyone!

I got a question for y'all. My English teacher is asking us to write an essay (and do an oral) for our last assignment of the semester and it's supposed to be about a controversy in a field we know well. Since the Whedonverse is pretty much what I know best, I figured I would do my essay on that.

Now the question is: what controversy should I write my essay on?

Any ideas?

 

[Black Eye Guy]

Like an in storyline controversy or one from the show the affected the real world?

If it's one from the show, maybe something on school shootings, and that episode from Season 3, Earshot, what it focused on and the fact that it was pulled because it was due to air around the time a school shooting actually happened?

 

[SlayerFest]

Yeah maybe you could write about Earshot or Grad Day Part 1 and 2. They refused to air part 2 on its original air date because Columbine happened 4 weeks before it was scheduled to air and the incident was being blamed on violence on television/in movies/in video games which is a ridiculous claim that is still made to this day. People said it was in poor taste to air it because it might inspire kids to blow up their school...so they aired it in July.

As if someone wouldn't blow up their school when it started back up again.

 

[Vamp Jenny]

I love you guys! This is actually the best possible topic (hard to to put all in 550 words essay, but I'll definitely try) I could use.

At first I really wanted it to be about vampires, butthe teacher kinda gave a weird look when I told him. I'm sure he'll prefer that 🙂

 

[WileyDairyGnome]

Maybe the topic about feminism? I know feminism can be a controversial topic for some, and Whedon is definitely known for having strong female characters.

 

[Ethan Reigns]

Topic 1. Situational Ethics

Is it right for Angel to lock the main characters of Wolfram & Hart in with two vampires, knowing these people will do far more damage in the future than will be done to them? Angel seems to be all about situational ethics when he takes over the LA branch of Wolfram & Hart, culminating in killing Drogyn so he can get to the killing of all the members of the Circle of the Black Thorn.

Topic 2. Mind Tampering

It is pretty clear that Willow goes off the deep end with magic in Season 6 and that it is meant to be taken on one level as an allegory to drugs, but she alters other people's minds as well, notably Buffy and Tara and then all of them in Tabula Rasa. This is similar to the poisons used to calm ADD designees, and having seen the permanent damage done by Ritalin and similar drugs, you can ask: Is it ever permissible to take control of another person's mind?

 

[Vamp Jenny]

Maybe the topic about feminism? I know feminism can be a controversial topic for some, and Whedon is definitely known for having strong female characters.

Topic 1. Situational Ethics

Is it right for Angel to lock the main characters of Wolfram & Hart in with two vampires, knowing these people will do far more damage in the future than will be done to them? Angel seems to be all about situational ethics when he takes over the LA branch of Wolfram & Hart, culminating in killing Drogyn so he can get to the killing of all the members of the Circle of the Black Thorn.

Topic 2. Mind Tampering

It is pretty clear that Willow goes off the deep end with magic in Season 6 and that it is meant to be taken on one level as an allegory to drugs, but she alters other people's minds as well, notably Buffy and Tara and then all of them in Tabula Rasa. This is similar to the poisons used to calm ADD designees, and having seen the permanent damage done by Ritalin and similar drugs, you can ask: Is it ever permissible to take control of another person's mind?

Very good topics. Unfortunately, I don't think I can manage to resume those in a 550 words essay... (Why be in the best English class if it's only to write so few words???) I think I'll go for the Columbine/Graduation Day controversy. I thought for a moment to maybe go with the cancellation of Firefly, but I don't know if there's enough documentation on the subject...