Poems we've studied first semester

Prufrock 1033 

Coy mistress 693 simile: like am’rous birds

Virgins 672

Dark 57 dead deer: touch, warm imagery

Woodchucks 58    fig lang compare

Grecian Urn 1102

Athlete Dying Young 21

Ulysses 1443

Second Coming 1272

Ponder busted statues (handout)  imagery of ruined poem

Ozymandias (handout)

As I walked out one evening (handout)

Out Out (Frost) 13 personif. Sound of saw: imagery

Fast Break 49

Intro to poetry (Collins)  10  similes/metaphors

Dover Beach 1265 (tone? Shift?)
Daddy 310

Blogs on PLOT, CHARACTER, and SETTING

SETTING

When I was on the set of Oklahoma! the lighting and the placing of each object on stage made a great difference. We had to put a table in an exact location  where we put a spike mark so that Jud and Curley can fight properly without any obstacle stymieing the plays progress. FJ

The circumstances and the mood of the play change when the setting is altered. For example, when Hamlet kills Polonius, it occurs in Gertrude’s bedchamber. Because this scene does not occur in the main hall of the castle, there is a more secretive feel to the death, hence why most of the characters were unaware that Hamlet stabbed Polonius. Also in the play, when Hamlet speaks to the ghost of his father, the setting is dark and outside during the night. in Jane Austin’s Pride and Prejudice, the tone of the novel shifts as the characters move from one estate to the other. For instance, there is a more pretentious feel at the Pemberly house and a more sarcastic tone in the Bennet’s house. SSh

The setting of a play, novel, poem, or short story becomes a huge role in the story itself. Setting contributes to the story as a whole, creates tension, and ultimately sets the mood for the whole story. For example, Hamlet's dark, mysterious setting of Denmark ads to the tragedy of the play, and makes the tragedy come to life. Also, the subtlety of Pride and Prejudice's vast countryside sets a very obeying and light tone to allow characters to outshine the lack-of-detailed setting. In poetry, setting is usually described with vivid imagery which usually sets the tone and creates a story for the reader. Moreover, when watching a play live, the audience will usually notice the setting and will feel they are in the setting with the actors, as the setting always comes to life with the play itself. When a setting is dark and mysterious, the play will seem to have a tragic ending. However, when there is a colorful, vivid setting, the play will tend to end in a happy marriage or other exciting event. Therefore, setting becomes a huge contributor to the overall plot and storyline of a novel, play, poem, or any other work, and contributes the audience or reader's feelings while reading or watching the story unravel. SSt

CHARACTER

There were flat characters who doe not undergo any substantial change or growth in a story and acts as a minor character. Such was the case for Mr. Collins in Pride and Prejudice. Mr. Collins served a role in advancing the story between Elizabeth and Darcy by providing comedy, but throughout the whole book his character stays unchanged. Similarly, Horatio is a flat character in Hamlet. Horatio acts as the loyal and trustworthy companion to Hamlet and witness to his death, but does not undergo any significant transformation throughout the whole play. MC

Character is, to me, the most important part of a story. With the employment of flat and multi dimensional characters within the same story line, the reader or audience is able to relate with at least one person in the tale. Hamlet, the protagonist, and Horatio are probably the most multi-dimensional characters throughout the entire play. Their ability to change views based on situation is vastly different than any other character. Furthermore, Hamlet's continuous inner conflicts are also a reflection of his multi-dimensional persona. The flat characters Shakespeare tends to use are: Polonius and Ophelia. GK

Apprehension is a personality trait that is present in all three works. Hamlet's apprehension is what drives the plot of Shakespeare's play, Elizabeth's lack of apprehension in assigning value to Mr. Darcy's character is the focus of Elizabeth's entire character arc, and the apprehension and anxiety of Prufrock doom him to a life of anonymity. EM

Despite the fact that the fiction Hamlet is different from the drama Pride & Prejudice, the main characters in each work are quite similar.  First, in P&P, Elizabeth is undergoes an internal problem out through the play, just like Hamlet does in Shakespeare's play.  RL

The way characters operate in fiction and drama are relatively the same. There is usually always a protagonist and an antagonist and then the plot revolves around the two. SD

Though the plot setup and structure of each are much different, the main protagonists in Hamlet and Pride and Prejudice are actually quite similar. Their both seemingly the most educated characters in their respective roles. Hamlet is very philosophical and reflective and seems to understand the workings of the world better than his counterparts while Elizabeth also possess a sort of intellectual curiosity that puts her above hers sisters, mothers, and friends. But let me expand on the reflectiveness of both characters for I believe that this trait is clear demonstrated in both characters. When Elizabeth received the love letter from Darcy, she went into a deep period of reflection where she contemplated all her views and morals. Likewise when Hamlet witnessed an actor cry with a very real and sincere emotion he too contemplated his worth and on numerous occasion Hamlet reflected on such topics as suicide. AA

Like plot, characters with their conflicts bring a story to life in a drama or narrative. Any story has a main character called the protagonist. The protagonist has a conflict with another character called the antagonist who is usually mean and out to get the main character in trouble. A protagonist  may have struggles with society or their setting like Liz Bennet in 19th century England. On the other hand some conflicts may be internal. For instance, Hamlet has contemplated suicide, murder, and revenge throughout the play. Shakespeare frames Hamlet to have a conflict with internal indecision. Furthermore, in plays the characters have an exchange in speech which is called a dialogue. FJ

PLOT

It is interesting to compare plot in fiction (Pride and Prejudice) vs. Drama (Hamlet). In Pride and Prejudice the story unfolds through the gossip of other people; however, this contributes to the rising action of the story. It can be argued that the climax of the story comes however, through the veracity revealed through Darcy's letter to Elizabeth. The climax is the most honest part of the novel. Elizabeth's realization of her love for Darcy and the fact that she has been foolish up until this point can be seen as the denouement. In Hamlet the climax of the story comes when the sword fight occurs. This is what Hamlet has been waiting for. The denouement is everything that follows--which is the ultimate deaths of many characters. LG

the rising and falling action is much more dynamic in Hamlet than in Pride and Prejudice. For in Hamlet it is clear that the rising action begins when Hamlet begins to contemplate killing Claudius while Claudius and Laertes begin to contemplate killing Hamlet. Moreover it is very clear when this play reaches its climax; the death of Polonius and this extends on to the death of Hamlet. This is then followed by a few lines for falling action and then the denouement. This is in deep contrast to Pride and Prejudice where the rising action and climax are much more subtle and could be easily skipped by the reader.  Moreover, Austen's structure simply is not as rigid and as clear cut as Shakespeare. For the flow of a story like Austen's is constantly shifting with the introduction of new characters and issues. AA

In Pride and Prejudice, the main plot operators are characters acting out of social compulsion and being rejected by Elizabeth's strongly willed personality. In Hamlet, the plot is driven by apprehension and political maneuvering. These are two completely different plots where the similarities are more complex than simply what happens. EM

All plots have five main points: The exposition, the rising action, the climax, the falling action, and the denouement. The exposition serves to set context to the coming action and to also provide any background detail necessary for understanding. The exposition ends when the inciting incident causes rising action. Rising action tends to be the longest part any narrative and involves conflict for the main character or characters. The climax serves as the turning point in any narrative and is the point where the conflicts brought upon the main characters during the rising action are solved in some way or another. The falling action follows the turning point and serves to finish off any unresolved conflicts. The final resolution then spurs the denouement which tends to be very short and can even come in the form of a single sentence like: 'they lived happily ever after'. JB

While in Pride and Prejudice, Elizabeth shapes the story through her rejection of social norms, Hamlet shapes his story through his indecision. BD

With an intricate plot, Shakespeare offers various climaxes to stress the urgency and tension within the play itself. However, on the other hand, Austen's Pride & Prejudice follows a tight narrative of a more 'standard' approach. Each action is revealed through a clear and well-timed manner, albeit predictable; however, Austen emphasizes her mocking and sarcastic tone throughout to give the novel a fresh feeling. Ultimately, both Shakespeare and Austen succeed tremendously in conveying the thematic significances in their work: Shakespeare exploits friendship, betrayal, and violence within a war torn Denmark, whilst Austen focuses on true love within a monotonous, traditional 19th century England. BD

Both Elizabeth and Hamlet take the whole book and a full venture to make up their minds for Elizabeth to finally elope with Mr. Darcy and Hamlet to finally kill his uncle. The difference in both novels is the type of journey both characters take but the similarities is that both major characters need to make a life altering decision. JZ

Pride and Prejudice, the plot is more conventional. It comes from within the characters. Two people think they hate each other, they can't be together because of their different stature in society, they realize they are in love, and they make their love work! But in Hamlet, we have an external and internal plot. The external being all that is happening in Denmark with the change of Kings, etc. And internally because of the way the plot centralizes and focuses around Hamlet, and what he reveals to the audience. AS

After perceiving the diagram shown on page 60, I noticed that both Hamlet and P and P follow the conventional narrative, even though one is a drama and one is fiction.  In “Hamlet” the exposition is the introduction to the major characters, such as the king, Hamlet, Gertrude, and Horatio.  The exposition also introduces the nature of the conflict, which occurs when Hamlet discovers from his father’s ghost that Claudius assassinated his father and that he must seek revenge.  In “Pride and Prejudice” an example from the exposition is when the we first meet the Bennets in their household, where each character is shown in dialogue with one another after the father Mr. Bennet finds out that a new man has come into the town (Mr Bingley).  EM

Eight Blogs for Reviewing Lit Concepts

Our purpose here? Review. In eight blogs you will review and explore eight key concepts by explaining them with specific details from at least two works we’ve read. 

--       Reread the textbook’s explanation of each concept.

--    Write your own explanation. Find appropriate examples from two different texts we have read this semester and explain the term or concept using details (not generalities) from the two examples to illustrate it.

--   Ask ‘What effect does the term/concept have on the text, the reader, or the meaning of the work as a whole?’ Do not just identify the term: explain it. Write your blog.

-- Choose one blog to be graded (10 points—or instructor may choose one)

1. PLOT Blog #1 Explain Plot reread pp. 59 + 92: (due Tue Nov 23)

In a well-written paragraph, use detailed examples from Austen & Shakespeare to trace the plot points in each and compare plot operates in fiction vs. drama.

·         Ex: Use the chart on page 60 to specify all the important plot points in Hamlet and in Pride and Prejudice. What similarities do you find? What major differences?

2. CHARACTER Blog #2 Explain Character reread pp. 63 + 93

(due Wed Nov 24 even if we don’t have class)

In a well-written paragraph, use detailed examples from what we have read (Austen & Shakespeare, and perhaps Prufrock), to analyze and explain how character operates in fiction vs. drama (and perhaps some poetry).

·         Ex: Compare Elizabeth vs. Hamlet, or Wickham vs. Claudius, or Ophelia vs. Caroline Bingley, or some other pair. Use the textbook to frame good questions to explore.

·         Contrast how character is revealed in ‘Prufrock’ vs. in a novel like Pride and Prejudice.

3. SETTING Blog #3 Explain Setting reread pp. 67 + 96 (due Mon Nov 29)

In a well-written paragraph, use detailed examples from what we have read (Austen & Shakespeare, and perhaps Prufrock), explain how setting operates in literature (fiction, drama, or some poetry).

Ex: Also, you may analyze the setting of Oklahoma and how it contributed to the experience.

·         You may also speculate on the dramatic version of Pride and Prejudice (adapted 1937) and how the stage setting can contribute to the themes of the work.

4. SYMBOL/THEME Blog #4 Explain Symbol reread pp. 84 + 98 (due Tue Nov 30 except B period)

In a well-written paragraph, use detailed examples from what we have read (poetry, Austen or Shakespeare), explain how symbol or theme operate in literature (fiction, drama, or poetry).

·         Ex: Contrast the symbolism of the beast in ‘Second Coming’ with that of the clocks in ‘As I Walked out One Evening.’ How does each symbol in a kind of shorthand or image communicate larger themes without having to explain as much? What major difference do you find in the use of these two symbols?

5. POETRY SOUNDS Blog #5 Explain Sounds of Poetry (including rhyme, meter, alliteration, enjambment, caesura, etc.) reread pp.26-28

(due Wednesday Dec. 1—or 3^rd day)

In a well-written paragraph, use detailed examples from what we have read (poems we have read), explain how character operates in poetry.

·         Ex: Pick any two poems. Read them aloud. Analyze how they sound. What differences in sound help distinguish the two poems? How does sound contribute to the larger meanings of each poem? How might altering the sound diminish the overall effect of each poem?

6. IMAGERY/FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE Blog #6 Explain Imagery (or Figurative Language) reread see p.22  (due Thursday Dec 2 or Friday Dec 3—for A and B periods)

In a well-written paragraph, use detailed examples from what we have read (poetry, Austen or Shakespeare), explain how imagery and figurative language operate in literature (fiction, drama, or poetry).

·         Ex: Trace the theme and metaphor of ‘disease’ in Hamlet. How does it run through the play and enhance the meanings?

·         Discover and analyze a series of similes, metaphors, or personification in any two works and explain how the imagery or figurative language affects the reading.

7. DICTION Blog #7 Explain Diction (Denotation, Connotation, Associations, Poetic syntax) see p.22 (due Tue Dec. 7—except B period)

In a well-written paragraph, use detailed examples from what we have read (poetry, Austen or Shakespeare), explain how diction operates in literature (fiction, poetry, or drama).

·         EX: For instance, compare the diction of two characters in Hamlet and explain how their diction conveys their emotions.

·         Or compare Hamlet’s diction when joking around and acting crazy with his soliloquies. How does diction communicate so much? Analyze several individual words to show how diction works.

·         Or compare diction in ‘Traveling through the Dark’ (57) with diction in ‘Woodchucks’ (58) to show its role in communicating tone and attitude toward the death of animals. Pick individual words to analyze and contrast.

·         Or examine individual word choices in ‘ponder’ vs. ‘As I Walked out One Evening.’ How do both play with unconventional diction? To what effect? How do the poems use unconventional diction to differing effects?

8. TONE/MOOD Blog #8 Explain Tone & Mood see p.22 (due Wed. Dec 8—or 3^rd class meeting)

In a well-written paragraph, use detailed examples from what we have read (poetry, Austen, or Shakespeare), to explain how tone or mood operates in literature (fiction, drama, or poetry).

·         EX: For instance, compare the tone (with good descriptions of tone and specifics) of ‘Prufrock’ vs. ‘Coy Mistress’ vs. ‘ponder.’

Practice Multiple Choice Questions for Hamlet Test

Sample/practice multiple choice test questions for Hamlet:

_____ 1. In the script, Claudius is referred to as:

A. “Gertrude’s lover”

B. “Monarch”

C. “King”

D. “Little Hamlet”

_____ 2. When Claudius says “our sometime sister, now our queen” he means:

A. Gertrude is like a sister to him and he treats her like a queen.

B. Gertrude was his sister-in-law, but now, by marrying him, she has become his queen.

C. Gertrude’s relationship with the young Hamlet is like brother and sister, though she is queen.

D. Claudius and Gertrude have the same father.

_____ 3. In Hamlet’s “To be or not to be” speech, he contemplates what?

A. Revenge as either a likely closure to his father’s death or a cycle of killing

B. The Ghost as either sent by the devil or his father’s legitimate form

C. Death as either a comfort or a further unknown.

D. Love as either being requited by Ophelia or not

_____ 4. What is Hamlet’s attitude toward Rosencrantz and Guildenstern?

A. He trusts them because they are childhood friends.

B. His mistrusts them because he believes they are spying on him.

C. At first he mistrusts them, but then takes them into his confidence.

D. He reserves judgment because has never met them before.

____ 5. What is the “Murder of Gonzago”?

A. The play within the play for which Hamlet writes a few extra lines.

B. The book filled with “words, words, words” that Hamlet shows to Polonius.

C. The source for Hamlet.

D. The First Player’s speech on the tale of Hecuba and Priam in Act III.

Hamlet pages and lines to study in Acts IV and V

p.764 II.ii.475 O, what a rogue and peasant slave am I! (Soliloquy)

Act III

p.767 King: as ‘twere by accident  King:  The harlot’s cheek: my most painted word

p.768 To be or not to be

p.770 you jig, you amble, and you lisp

p.771 King: Was not like madness

p.778 III.ii.230 King: Give me some light: away!

p.783 III.iii.36-61 King: O, my offence is rank, it smells to heaven;

p.784 Hamlet: No! When he is drunk asleep, or in his rage,

Or in th’ incestuous pleasure of his bed;        King: My words fly up

p.785-791 III.iii Hamlet: I took thee for thy better.

p.788 Hamlet: In the rank sweat of an enseamed bed,

Stew’d in corruption, honeying and making love

Over the nasty sty,--

p.790 Let the bloat king tempt you again to bed;

p.792 Act IV Queen: mad as the sea and wind

Scene ii sponge

p.794 Scene iii King: must seem / Deliberate pause

p.795  Hamlet: you shall nose him

p.796 King The present death of Hamlet. Do it, England.

p.797 scene iv Hamlet: How all occasions do inform against me,

And spur my dull revenge!  (SOLILOQUY)

p.799 scene v Ophelia: let in the maid, that out a maid

p.800 King: we have done but greenly, In hugger-mugger to inter him

p.801  King: let him go, Gertrude.

p.802 King: Like a good child

p.804 King: let the great axe fall.

p.806 scene Vii King: so that my arrows

p.808 King: Laertes, was your father dear to you?

p.810 Queen: There is a willow

p.811 Act V [churchyard, comic relief, riddles, puns]

p.814 for thou liest in ‘t

p.815 Alas, poor Yorick!  (also Alexander stopping a bung-hole)

p.817 Hamlet: forty thousand brothers

p.818 Queen: This is mere madness

p.819 V.ii (last scene of play) My head should be struck off

p.821 Osric is “spacious in the possession of dirt”

p.826 Gertrude, do not drink. Queen: I will, my lord,; I pray you, pardon me.

p.827 Queen: The drink, the drink! Laertes: the king, the king’s to blame.

p.828 You that look pale. . . Death is strict in his arrest.  Wounded name. The rest is silence.

p.829 Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are dead

End of Semester Overview

Please look at this page and the homework page carefully to see what is due and what is expected.
Sun. Nov. 14: upload a 2-3 page essay comparing two poems.
(We will work on those essays this week. Be ready to bring your own laptops (or use the laptop cart) on Wed. (G period) or Friday to work in class.
We will continue reading Hamlet, as well.
Finish Hamlet before Thur. Nov 18 and be ready for the Hamlet test.
After the test, you will post eight blogposts that are a review for the final exam of concepts such as character, setting, poetry sounds etc. (see Homework page for details).
Keep well!

Homework for Monday

due MONDAY: Homework for Monday, Nov. 1:
Post on your blog a few sentences or so explaining the PERFORMANCE CHOICES you have been discussing as you prepare to act out a few lines from Hamlet. Give us a sense of HOW you want to play your character, why you chose to play it that way, what your choice is an alternative to.

Compare two Basketball Poems

p.41 Analyze "Slam, Dunk, & Hook" (Yusef Komunyakaa)
Note: fragments, allusions, vivid imagery, memory of past, sanctuary from 'Trouble'

p.49 Analyze "Fast Break" (Edward Hirsch)
Note: one sentence, one fluid moment, you are there!

Plan an essay comparing and contrasting the two poems: how do the literary devices of each help explore the speakers' attitudes toward the game?

p.52 Organize tex-by-text or element-by-element?
 Note: Latter lets you compare as you go rather than waiting till the end.

p.55 Read Sample student essay and evaluate it.
________________________________________                                 Compare Two Animal Poems

p.57-8 Later, you may be asked to do the same compare/contrast for two poems about dead animals:
  "Traveling through the Dark" (William Stafford)
  "Woodchucks" (Maxine Kumin)

How would you contrast the two?
Prompt: Compare how the language of each poem reveals the relationship between the speakers and the animals.
How would you organize the essay, text-by-text or element-by-element?
Which key elements would you focus on?

You are the director!

In pairs in class, pick a dozen lines to prep and writer actor's notes for. Don't just deliver the lines; do something interesting with them. Find two different ways to deliver the same lines. Look for conflict between two characters. By Wed. or Thur, perform the lines (rehearse a few times first) and then explain the choices you made in delivery.
PERFORM + EXPLAIN on Wed., Thu, or Friday.

Some new resources:
YouTube Directing Shakespeare: see how they get extra meaning out of delivering the lines
MIT Shakespeare Course: See how a college Shakespeare course would be structured
Word count in Hamlet: see which words occur most and interpret that
Remix Shakespeare (video clip): How students can make an audio play of a scene

How can you best prep your scene to get across your acting choices?

Ten Steps to writing your Hamlet essay

      1.       Catchy title: main idea in a few words (write this last)

2.       Introductory paragraph

3.       Working thesis (keep revising)

4.       Outline/Structure

5.       Topic Sentences for each body paragraph (claims, relate to thesis)

a.       TEA = topic, evidence, analysis
b. Closely read key passages to find language that jumps out at you
c. Infer from patterns of language what the char. or Shakespeare is trying to do

6.       Draft body paragraphs

7.       Draft Conclusion (compare to intro)

8.       Reread entire essay: plan for major revisions

9.       Print and proofread

10.   Upload to turnitin.com (by Sun. eve)

Closely read Claudius Praying

CLAUDIUS:

O, my offence is rank it smells to heaven;
It hath the primal eldest curse upon't,
A brother's murder. Pray can I not,
Though inclination be as sharp as will:
My stronger guilt defeats my strong intent; 5
And, like a man to double business bound,
I stand in pause where I shall first begin,
And both neglect. What if this cursed hand
Were thicker than itself with brother's blood,
Is there not rain enough in the sweet heavens 10
To wash it white as snow? . . .

. . .But, O, what form of prayer
Can serve my turn? 'Forgive me my foul murder'?
That cannot be; since I am still possess'd
Of those effects for which I did the murder,  15
My crown, mine own ambition and my queen.
May one be pardon'd and retain the offence?
In the corrupted currents of this world
Offence's gilded hand may shove by justice,
And oft 'tis seen the wicked prize itself     20
Buys out the law: but 'tis not so above; 
There is no shuffling, there the action lies
In his true nature; and we ourselves compell'd,
Even to the teeth and forehead of our faults,
To give in evidence. What then? what rests?  25
Try what repentance can: what can it not? 
Yet what can it when one can not repent?
O wretched state! O bosom black as death!
O limed soul, that, struggling to be free,
Art more engaged! Help, angels! Make assay!  30
Bow, stubborn knees; and, heart with strings of steel,
Be soft as sinews of the newborn babe!
All may be well.

                                                            (III.iii.35-72)

Close reading of Polonius' language (for your essay)

Do a close reading of language in Polonius’ exchange with Ophelia on pages 736-7. The proper citation is act.scene.lines: (2.3.90-135). Count how many times he says “you” to Ophelia (11 times). Why? How would an actor use that word in the scene? Does he use “you” with Laertes as much? Why? Trace Polonius’ metaphors and figurative language: ‘green girl’ (101), ‘baby’ (106), ‘pay,’ ‘dearly’ (107-8), ‘fire’ (117-120), ‘brokers’ (126-131). What patterns emerge? How does Polonius manipulate his children with loaded language?

Respond in writing to these ideas

From (Neill, Michael. Hamlet: A Modern Perspective. In Hamlet. Folger Library, Washington Square, 1992)

How readily first Ophelia and then Gertrude allow themselves to become passive instruments of Polonius’s and Claudius’s spying upon the Prince; how easily Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are persuaded to put their friendship with Hamlet at the disposal of the state. Even Laertes’s affectionate relationship with his sister is tainted by a desire to install himself as a kind of censor, a “watchman” to the fortress of her heart (1.3.50). In this he is all too like his father, Polonius, who makes himself an interiorized Big Brother, engraving his cautious precepts on laertes’s memory (1.3.65 ff) and telling Ophelia precisely what she is permitted to think and feel. . .  

Polonius is the perfect inhabitant of this court: busily policing his children’s sexuality, he has no scruple about prostituting his daughter in the interests of state security, for beneath his air of senile wordiness and fatherly anxiousness likes an ingrained cynicism that allows him both to spy on his son’s imagined “drabbing” in Paris and to “loose” his daughter as a sexual decoy to entrap the Prince. (Neill 312)      Respond in writing to these ideas.

Work out more than one way of structuring and organizing your Hamlet essay

   Formulaic Five-Paragraph Essay

1. Thesis map listing barely-connected points 1, 2, and 3

2. π about 1

3. π about 2

4. π about 3

5. Conclusion

   Compare Claudius vs. Hamlet’s speech

π1. Intro + Thesis

π 2. All about Claudius’ speech

π 3. Comparing Claudius’ speech with Hamlet’s speech

π 4. Conclusion

   Compare Claudius vs. Hamlet’s speech B

π1. Intro + Thesis

π 2. Claudius’ convoluted speech reveals his deceptive side

π 3. Hamlet’s convoluted speech reveals his indecisive side

π 4. Two convoluted speakers, two different inner states

π 5. Conclusion

  Point by Point Comparison

π1. Intro + Thesis about words/metaphors and long sentences

π 2. How Claudius and Hamlet use vivid words and metaphors

π 3. How Claudius and Hamlet use long sentences: what it shows about them

π 4. How two different characters can have similar speech, but it comes from different impulses

π 5. Conclusion

  Compare Hamlet’s public vs. private speech

π1. Intro + Thesis

π 2. How Hamlet speaks in public reveals his persona

π 3. How Hamlet speaks in soliloquies reveals his inner turmoil

π 4. Conclusion

  It seems x, but actually y!

While at first it may seem that Claudius and Hamlet speak similarly, using long sentences and many metaphors, a careful analysis reveals that Claudius uses overly authoritarian language to compensate for his illegitimacy while the Hamlet uses eloquent but equivocal language, revealing his extreme self-doubts.

π 2. How Hamlet and Claudius seem to speak alike

π 3. How Hamlet and Claudius have different patterns of speech, revealing important differences in character.

π 4. Conclusion

Analysis of Two Basketball Poems, Then Writing an Essay

Tips on Writing a Close Analysis Essay and a Compare and Contrast Essay

See Jago textbook p. 41-58
p.41-3 Annotate the basketball poem “Slam, Dunk, & Hook” by Yusef Komunyakaa

p.44-48 Respond to the Thesis Statement and Sample Essay on “Slam, Dunk”

p. 49-56 Annotate “Fast Break” and respond to the compare and contrast essay

p.57-58 Annotate two poems about animals, “Traveling through the Dark” and “Woodchucks”

How can you apply these same skills to your essay comparing the way two characters speak differently in Hamlet? How can you organize your essay? How do you include close reading of passages and then move to a larger claim? How can you write a strong thesis?

Click the Homework Page

Click here to go to the Homework Page -->

Sample Essay: One may be mad and mad and be Hamlet

 In Hamlet, by William Shakespeare, Hamlet pretends to act mad, to deceive people around him, so they do not question his behavior around the palace. Hamlet’s soliloquies show the reader that his speech changes dramatically to suggest he is becoming madder, than he is trying to act. In each of his soliloquies, Hamlet initially blames himself, and contemplates suicide, but then immediately starts to blame others. For example, his anger and resentment towards his mother, when in should only be focused on Claudius. This shows how Hamlet has an inner struggle, which causes him to live in fantasy, act out, and lie to the people who get in the way of his father’s revenge.

Sample Essay: The King and The Prince: Analyzing Their Different Speech Patterns

              In Shakespeare's Hamlet, King Claudius and Hamlet are contrasted through the various ways they speak in public to when they are contemplating their own thoughts. The two men have both a different set of values and different speech patterns. Shakespeare uses the different speech patterns of Hamlet and Claudius in order to differentiate between the two characters and in order to aid the actors in the ability to perform the character, the audience to understand the characters and the different speech patterns show certain themes throughout the play. The different ways an actor recites a character’s line or the way a character’s lines are phrased make a big difference in Hamlet. Each word chosen makes a big difference to the entire meaning of what the character is saying. Hamlet says everything with equivocation, witty and with lots of puns which says that his character is very deep and he is in the midst of making a huge decision and he does not know what to do. On the other hand Claudius’ character says things with an authoritative tone, and is very paradoxical with the things he says. This could be because he wants to confuse his audience and other characters in the play. While King Claudius and Hamlet are both alone they seem to expose their true emotions, when in public Claudius is a deceiving speaker in order to steer away his audience from the truth and takes command of the stage,  and Hamlet "pretends" to act mad when he is around others so they will not see his real emotions.

Homework (click below)

Click:--> Homework/Assignment page

Essay due Sun. Oct 24

Homework Mon. Sept. 27 to Oct. 4

Home work due by Mon. Sept.27:  NONE (just getting back from Senior Retreat)

Homework due by 2^nd class meeting of week (Tue Sept. 28 for A/G, Wed. Sep. 29 for B)

Read Pride and Prejudice and DW Harding from Senior Reader

Blog about your turnitin.com comments on your essay (strengths, grammar, areas to work on)

Homework due by 3^rd class meeting of week (Wed. Sep. 29 for G, Thu. Sep. 30 for A/B)

Read Pride and Prejudice

Blog about DW Harding: Is Collins funny or a nightmare? (a full paragraph)

Homework due by final class meeting of week (Thu. Sep. 30 for G, Fri. Oct. 1 for A/B)

Finish Pride and Prejudice

Comment on two students' blogs about DW Harding
(Review online guidelines for commenting: respectful, specific, constructive)

Homework due by MON. Oct 4

Finish Pride and Prejudice and prep for test (40 multiple choice plus paragraph)

No blog is due.

Reading and Responding to D.W. Harding

Objectives: 1. Practice reading dense, college-type prose, 2. Extract main points of difficult articles, 3. Take a stand: agree with one point, qualify or disagree with another, 4. Ask questions of the text, 5. Come to class prepared to speak out, ask questions, participate, and read passages aloud from both texts to further the classroom conversation or support a point, 6. Write a (blog) paragraph responding to Harding in interesting ways, 7. Comment on others’ blog posts about Harding, 8. Simulate a college seminar in which you are obligated to participate intelligently.

  Questions to Prepare for:

1.      What is/are Harding’s main point(s)?

2.      How does he set it up? How can you find it?

3.      How does he organize his ideas (paragraph by paragraph)?

4.      What specific idea can you agree with Harding on? Would you modify or qualify what you agree with?

5.      What specific idea do you disagree with?

6.      What questions do you have or could your raise for others to discuss?

7.      What will you speak up about in class? How can you further the discussion by listening carefully and commenting? What larger question about Austen can you raise?

What passages from Harding and/or Austen can you read aloud to help the conversation?

Most Important Aspect of an Essay

Guide for Taking Notes from Text

From the works we’re reading, analyze examples (& their effect) of the following terms & concepts from Jago’s textbook
Diction
Figurative Language
Imagery
Syntax
Setting
POV
Theme
Symbol
Character
Plot
Tone/Mood
Sound of Poetry (rhyme, meter, form, syntax, alliteration, caesura, etc.)
Sentence types (1501)

Works to find examples in:
Their Eyes were Watching God
Pride and Prejudice
Hamlet
“Coy Mistress” (693)
“Prufrock” (1033)
Gatsby (25)
“Intro” (10)
Frost (13)
“In disgrace” (36)

Most important aspect of any essay is:


Conclusion (Adam) Alfi
Concise (Eric) B2
Intro (Tony) Eunice
Opening (Cyrus) Beatrice
Claim (Molefi) B
Thesis (David) Alfi
Thesis (Matthew Benz) D2
Thesis (Andrew D)
Intro (Brian)
Support (Liz)
Clarity (Gauri) C2
Thesis (Stefana) B
Thesis (Celine) B
Intro (Lauren) GRISELDA
Intro (Sara K) C2
Claim (Cathryn)
Examples (Alec) SAPHIRE
Specificity (Matt A) D2
Clear (Samantha) XANDER
Originality (Shanelle) D2
Fluidity (Ryan) CECILIA
Thesis (Francesco) ZELDA
Thesis (Brady)
Analysis (Sara G) p18
Simplicity (Eddie) Punching Bag
What is it for you?
Is there a clear winner?
What two factors would you list?

After these first essays: What we'll work on

Next, Work on these
1. #1 is ideas! All but a few of us need to refine and dig deeper to say more and understand what we are saying.
2. #2 is sentences. All but a few need to learn to polish sentence level writing to make it cleaner and more concise, to eliminate careless errors, and to learn the minor rules of MLA punctuation, apostrophes for possessives, noun-pronoun agreement (reader vs. their), etc.
3. Always, and forever, students need to keep revising thesis sentences and introductions. This is where you can improve an essay the most.
4. Better titles launch us into essays with more focus and more enthusiasm. Keep working on this all year.
Pickier stuff follows:
6. Remove header from page one.
7. Eliminate passive voice.
8. Cut quotations down. Only include the parts you need.
9. Eliminate awkward phrasing.
10. Avoid floating quotations that don’t quite fit and aren’t analyzed well.
11. Avoid wordiness, which decreases communication and focus.
12. Break long paragraphs into two.
13. Always proofread! And not just to catch errors, but also to find rough writing and revise it.
14. Get the MLA parenthetical punctuation right.
15. So much more!
 
Blog Assignment (due Tue. Sept. 28)
Log on to Turnitin.com and read over the comments (not just the score).
Post a blog outlining specific areas you need to work on next time in grammar and essay writing.
Option: You may revise your first essay for new points. Only substantial revisions.

What We've Learned So Far

What we’ve focused on so far:

• Reading Pride and Prejudice: learning plot, characters, satire vs. sarcasm, long sentences, bad dad, first impressions, how characters are introduced through narrator, gossip, action, dialogue and how each can sway the reader differently. How authors control our perceptions of different characters strategically, for a bigger purpose, of a designed pre-planned reading experience. When a reader has autonomy to decide.
• Summer Reading Their Eyes were Watching God: How Hurston introduces characters through gossip
• Annotation: why it’s important, how to do it effectively.
• Grading Rubrics that describe A vs. B writing: UC Davis, Princeton, Harvard, English IV
• Sample student essays: reading, ranking, evaluating. Determining the most important qualities of stand-out essays. Thesis? Catchy title or opening? Smooth, easy-to-follow writing? Ideas that one can grasp? Sticking to the topic without digression? Well-analyzed quotes that fit the topic?
• Introduction, Title, Thesis Statement, Topic Sentence
• Blogs for everyone
• Turnitin.com: how to use it, what it’s for besides just preventing plagiarism
• The Writing Process, from brainstorming to drafting, to revision
• Narrowing down a topic and having something to say: the first third of a college writing assignment is figuring out what to say, how to narrow the focus, how to logically deduce something based on re-reading the text.
• Writing a college-level essay. Some writing in class, most out of class on a weekend for uploading to Turnitin.com.
• A few reading quizzes.
• Classroom discussion of best essays, how characters get introduced in novels, and college admissions essays.
• Daily in-class writing in journals: less pressure, frequent writing
• Near-daily at-home writing on blogs: less pressure, frequent writing, critical thinking and analysis, sharing your writing with the world and your classmates (through the SmartBoard)
• Inititial drafts and discussions about college admissions essays: small incident, five senses, catchy opening, reveals who you are, clear writing
• Watching the fish swim randomly on the blog on the SmartBoard

What we will work on next:
• Learning from the feedback on your first essay. Blogging on your goals for your writing, including syntax and grammar errors, sentence fluidity, structure, paragraph organization, communication with the reader, development of ideas, sticking with one topic, narrowing your focus, and all the other realizations about how to improve writing.
• Much clearer diction and sentence level writing.
• Much clearer communication of (and then development of) central idea
• Practice with adverbs, semicolons, comma splices, fragments, commas, MLA format, etc.
• Frequent practice and quizzing on basic surface level rules
• Daily practice in forming an interesting claim (using poetry, fiction, college essays, quotes, etc.)
• Annotation of poetry, reading poetry, picking one line or word from a poem, forming a thesis about a poem, selecting quotes to support an argument
• Critical thinking, thinking aloud, thinking on paper, pushing your ideas, sharing your ideas, going out on a limb,
• Finish Jane Austen and discuss the book as a whole
• Test on Jane Austen
• DW Harding on comedy vs. nightmare
• Daily journal writing, daily blogging, structured paragraph writing, and frequent 3-5 page college essays
• Carol Jago’s new textbook: on literature, lit devices, composing essays, close reading, reading poetry, fiction, and drama
• Hamlet and Shakespeare: getting the plot, learning the language, an essay on how different characters are given different rhythms of language, different kinds of words, and why Shakespeare does that
• Acting out a scene of Hamlet for the class, for the camera, for learning
• Five different film versions of one scene of Hamlet

Pride and Prejudice Pages to Know Well

            WICKHAM AND MISS KING

98-9 Mrs. Gardiner warns Liz about Wickham

103, 105 Liz’s reactions to Miss King and Wickham

            ROSINGS with Darcy and Charlotte

109 Collins

113 Lady Catherine: Liz talks back

119 Darcy and Liz sparring

125-6 Col. Fitzwilliam: second sons can’t marry poor

            DARCY’S PROPOSAL and the AFTERMATH

129-31 Darcy’s proposal

134 Darcy’s letter of explanation

139 Liz re-reading (and re-evaluating) Darcy’s letter

141 Till this moment I never knew myself

144 Bad Dad

148 uglier hats

152 Liz’s confession

            LYDIA TO BRIGHTON?

155 lamentations resounding

156 Dad says no to Liz, yes to Lydia

159-60 Bad Dad

            AT PEMBERLEY

163 Pemberley

168 Darcy appears! How embarrassing!

174 Georgiana Darcy

180-1 Caroline Bingley gossips about Liz

            BENNET FAMILY CRISIS ABOUT LYDIA

182 Jane’s letter is a crisis

185 How Darcy reacts to Liz’s crisis.

189 Bad Dad

192 Wedding Clothes? At a time like this?

197 What does it mean to “ruin”?

199 Collin’s ‘reassurances’ are really gloating

200 Dad blames himself (for a moment)

208 Do they ever refer to sex?

            LYDIA TIES THE KNOT

212 Lydia brags about getting married

214 Lydia reveals the secret of who was at her wedding (can you guess?)

216 Bad Dad

220 Liz tortures Wickham
237ff Lady Catherine de Bourgh interrogates Liz
246 another proposal?
251 convincing Jane
254 convincing dad
255 convincing mom
Ending: Liz has her cake.

Homework till Sept. 20 (Rank essays)

Homework due by Mon. Sept. 13: 1. Read Pride and Prejudice 2. In class, begin daily journal writing in your in-class comp book. This week: Common App Essay Questions (see Sr. Rdr.) "One person with a belief is equal 99 who have only interests." Respond.


Homework due by SECOND class meeting of week: Tue Sept 14 for A/G (but Wed. for B) 1. Pride and Prejudice 2. Read and evaluate THREE sample essays from the Red Reader; Post to your blog which sample essay you like and why; Refer to specifics from the Rubrics in the Senior Reader as you explain.


Homework due by THIRD class meeting of week (Wed. Sep. 15 for G, Fri. Sep. 10 for A/B): 1. PandP 2. Read and evaluate THREE more sample essays from the Red Reader; Post to your blog about which sample essay you like best and why.


Homework due by FINAL class meeting of week (Thu. Sep. 16 for G, Fri. Sep. 10 for A/B): 1. Pride and Prejudice 2. Read and evaluate THREE more sample Pride and Prejudice essays from the Red Reader; Post to your blog.


REVISED Homework due by MON. Sept. 20 
Read and annotate Pride and Prejudice to p.220 (and be ready for a quiz)


Post to your Blog Monday (revised): Explain what, for you, is the most important aspect of a strong essay. Give concrete examples from the one best essay you’ve read in the Red Reader. Post to your blog.

Essays Need an Interesting Main Point!

Get to the Point!

Your essay needs an interesting main point or it will just be a series of examples. Make sure you dig deep and discover your best, most provocative idea. Write and re-write until your thesis sentence (and the sentences before it) clearly communicate your idea.

First English IV blogging assignment: Post your Thesis

1. Open your blog and on the top right of the menu bar, click on ‘New Post.’
2. Type in a title (a working title for your essay that communicates your main idea).
3. Type in a working thesis. This can approximate the actual sentence or sentences you plan to use OR in plain language it can state what the main idea of your essay is.
4. Click “SAVE.” You can EDIT your thesis by clicking on the pencil icon in the lower right.
• Make sure your thesis clearly communicates a claim or point that is debatable or controversial (not just an obvious fact, such as Austen introduces characters with foils).
• Avoid a list (especially a list of three): “Austen uses Showing, Telling, and Foils to introduce characters.”  Some examples follow:
     #1             Conflicting First Impressions
Austen employs town gossip as a method of introducing character, implanting first impressions in the reader’s head.
     #2              Different Character Introductions for Different Authors
Austen adopts the voice of the class-conscious public while Graham Greene gives open-ended impressions to let the reader decide.
      #3              The Dichotomy of Character Introductions
Austen introduces characters in two ways: first, since superficial details are of the utmost importance to her society, she supplies superficial information before the reader meets the character. Second, Austen describes the characters’ actions to set up a contrast that readers must resolve for themselves. add sentence?
  #4                     Austen Teaches Readers
By introducing Darcy and Bingley through gossip and the opinions of others, Austen creates first impressions that she will later break down, teaching readers not to prejudge anyone.
  #5                   Mr. Bennet, the Lovable Bully
Despite Bennet’s imperfections as a prudent father, his witty perceptions make him an ironically likable figure who satirizes his surrounding, lending the reader a detached perspective on Austen’s world.
  #6                  An Examination of Class and Economy through Mr. Hurst
Despite his seemingly weak presence in the novel, Hurst is the epitome of the triviality of Austen’s class-conscious aristocracy, a representative of all she satirizes. (most votes!)
   #7                How Minor Characters Help Develop Major Ones
Darcy’s basic demeanor, general façade and even integrity are continually judged by the biases of others. He is often compared negatively with others, such as Wickham and Bingley, and is rarely characterized directly by the narrator. Darcy’s multidimensional and nuanced nature is depicted by a complex cast of minor characters, who flesh out his complexities over time.
 
 Which is your favorite and why?  #6? #7
What do we expect from a title? Catchy, not interchangable, main idea
What do we expect from a thesis? Clear writing, predicts essay's point, not too wordy, direct but doesn't oversimplify