As the article “Film Style and Narration in Rashomon” notes, the film uses several stylistic techniques to reflect the varied perspectives from which this story is told. The short story “In a Grove” has a non-traditional narrative structure as well, dividing the story into different perspectives that build a conflicting sense of what “actually” occurred in the incident.
For this formal writing assignment, please address the following prompt:
Compare and contrast how the film and short story formally construct “The Rashomon Effect.” How do they take a similar approach to showing different perspectives? What are the greatest divergences between the depiction in the film and the depiction in the short story? Finally, your essay should argue: what story most successfully creates doubt in the audience, asking the question “what is truth”?
Please note that this is a formal academic paper. There should be an introductory paragraph, a thesis statement which includes an assertion (and is located at the end of your introduction), supporting paragraphs with textual evidence, and a concluding paragraph. You are also welcome and encouraged to use the critical essay to support your argument. You’re also encourage to consult Chapter 3 “Formal Analysis” from Writing About Movies to learn more about how to construct a formal analysis.