The questions are from Hughes brother's 1993 film Menace II Society and F. Gary Gray’s 1996 film Set it Off.

Option One

In what ways does violence in general and gender violence in particular play out in the film Set it Off? Does this representation of African American womanhood or femininity fit or challenge Watkins’s representation of African American womanhood in “The Ghettocentric Imagination”? Feel free to reference Menace II Society as you see fit or as it aids the argument you want to make.

Option Two

How does Cleo, a Black butch lesbian, stand in for the imagery of Black masculinity described in Watkins’s “The Ghettocentric Imagination”? How does Cleo’s death as well as Ursula and Black Sam’s reaction to watching it on television represent or challenge the ambivalence of gender described in “The Ghettocentric Imagination”? Please don't forget to say what the ambivalence of gender (which is connected to the ambivalence of religion) is about in Watkin's argument and engagement with Menace II Society.  

Option Three

How does Frankie’s death and the white police officer allowing Stony to escape to Mexico with money from the bank heist play with religious themes of sacrifice and redemption? What other scenes from the film reflect ambivalent attitudes toward money and post-Industrial capital? Is the story a happy ending? Why or why not?  

Your written reflection should be no less than 3 and no more than 5 double-spaced pages in length. That is, your response should be between 750 — 1250 words.  

You may choose to respond to any one of the options listed above. Clearly indicate in your response the option to which you are responding so that there is not confusion. Example of this: "This week I want to reflect on the questions about Cleo's role in the film…" or "My response this week will center around questions of redemption and sacrifice in Set it Off…" or "I want to consider how sacrifice and redemption works in Set It Off and gender (and maybe sexuality as well?) plays into this. However, in order to clarify the uniqueness of Set It Off in this regard I'm particularly interested in how Set It Off responds to the ambivalence around gender and religion in Menance II Society. I will argue that…"