Hamlet Essay due Sun Nov 6

Week’s overview: Read Act III, blog about symbols for Wed., blog your conclusion for Thursday, Thurs. short quiz on symbols in Hamlet, Yeats, finish your essay, proofread it, and upload it to Turnitin by midnight, Sunday, Nov. 6.
Oct 31 blog due: 1st body paragraph Finish reading Hamlet Act 3	Nov 1 Work on Hamlet essay every day! Yeats, audio, act, analyze	2  bring laptops 4th Wed blog symbols theme in Hamlet read p.84+98+1272	3 bring laptops blog due: your conclusion + quiz: symbols, Hamlet essay	4 no School Essay due Sunday 11/6 Read Act 4 Mon, no blog

Monday's Blog: Body Paragraph

for Monday's blog write a new paragraph, a body paragraph, and include the following:
1. Catchy two-part title
2. Your introductory paragraph and working thesis (revised, if you like)
3. New body paragraph with short quotes carefully analyzed to show how they support your thesis that different characters are given different speech patterns that reveals their different personalities
4. A quick outline of the remaining paragraphs
5. MLA citation for plays:  "To be or not to be" (3.1.56-57).   means: act 3, scene 1, lines 56-57
You should be almost half done by then!  Time to do college apps!

Direct and Perform a Scene

You are the Director!
Pick one of these short scenes, pair up or form a small group, and prepare the scene to be acted in class.
Be sure to explain your acting and performance choices.

3 people act short scene in Act I: p.727 line 40 to p. 728 line 62:   King, Laertes, Polonius

2 people act short scene in Act I p.736 line 88 to p.737 line 115: Ophelia, Polonius

2 people act short scene in Act I p.741 line 1 to p.742 line 32: Ghost, Hamlet

3 people act short scene in Act I p.744 line 111 to p.745 line 155: Horatio, Marcellus, Hamlet

2 people act short scene in Act II: p.746 line 1 to p.747 line 27: Polonius, Reynaldo

4 people act short scene in Act II: p.750 line 1 to p. 751 line 39: King, Queen, Rosencrantz, Guildenstern

3 people act short scene in Act II: p.751 line 40 to p.752 line 57: King, Queen, Polonius

3 people act short scene in Act II: p.754 line 150 to p.755 line 168: King, Queen, Polonius

Your blogs about Claudius' vs. Hamlet's speech

To be gartered or not to be

From your Blogs on Claudius’ speech patterns:

Claudius's speech shows that he's a true snake in the grass, discouraging anything directed toward him. For example, he loves to keep mentioning the dead and most importantly the dead brother.

Claudius "asks" that Hamlet not return to school as it goes against his and the queen's "wishes."

He then proves to be very swift in moving past the proper mourning time of his brother and scolds Hamlet's so-called elongated mourning period.  In this case, Claudius is thinking solely of himself.

Claudius is actually apathetic to the death of his brother, only caring about the power he could gain. In particular, Hamlet's naive honesty in his sorrow highlights the dishonesty in Claudius' otherwise true words. Indeed, Claudius' speech would seem almost comforting in an odd way, seemingly proclaiming an attitude of "life goes on," without this contrast. However, Claudius does reveal his intentions of gaining power at the end of his speech, saying "think of us as a father."

Claudius responds with somewhat comforting words that he does not fully feel. His words seem empty and cold, whereas he intends for the context of those words to be warm and cozy. He says to Hamlet to view him as a new father figure in his life, although that action itself would be "unmanly." His tone is contradicting and fake.

Yet the Queen shows great love for both her son and husband, yet, she seems weak and shallow- whereas the King seems strong and certain. In Hamlet lies massive and beautiful paradoxes that give way to a deeper meaning- one i've yet to find, but will hopefully give way deeper into this work.

each character is essentially given a different language, or way to speak. When Hamlet speaks, he speaks honestly (no matter how sad or rude the comment is) and he speaks sarcastically  ("Ay, madam, it is common"). On the other hand, Claudius speaks in codes almost. He is very deceptive in his speech. He can also at times be very rude and to the point. He tells Hamlet that the only reason that Hamlet is still mourning the loss of his father is because it is "duty" and an "obligation" not simply because it was a hard loss.

Claudius seems to refuse to consider or inquire about Hamlet’s thoughts and fails to properly converse, rather than preach, to him. He seems to demand rather ask of Hamlet’s cooperativeness. On the other hand, Hamlet’s language seems to carry a melancholy tone throughout this act due to his perturbation with his mother’s marriage.

Hamlet's speeches are more easily understood whereas Claudius' diction seems more to impress. They both use very long sentences but Hamlet at times replies with short responses while Claudius is usually long-winded.

both parents view his mourning as an obligation and not as true emotions for the loss of his father, further illuminating the moral differences between both characters.

Hamlet Essay due Nov. 6

HAMLET ESSAY ASSIGNMENT on Different Speech Patterns for Different Characters

Due date for final, revised essay: Sun. Nov. 6 uploaded to Turnitin.com                

Essay Question:

To what extent does Shakespeare give different characters in Hamlet different speech patterns and what are the advantages to the actors, audience, and themes? Compare and Contrast the speech patterns of two different characters (or one character in private vs. in public).

Write a 3 to 5 page essay on how different speech patterns are given to two different characters in Hamlet. This assignment requires that you intensely focus on language, which you will analyze microscopically and discuss precisely for patterns: repetition of words or types of words, predominance of certain parts of speech (command forms of verbs, questions?), patterns of syntax (how words are ordered), compliance to iambic pentameter—minute details of patterns of language. These careful analyses of language are to be used as direct evidence to support a clear, fresh, bold claim about how and why Shakespeare gives two different characters two different types of speech. (Also, how is this differentiation of language between characters useful to actors, to the audience, and to the play’s themes?)

Hamlet   

How do Hamlet’s speech patterns reflect the way he thinks (about life, suicide, his parents, revenge, etc.)? What specific features of his language show the equivocation and indecisiveness he feels? How is his language a window into how he thinks? Do the language patterns change as the play proceeds? Does Hamlet have different speech patterns in his soliloquies versus in his conversations with Claudius or Horatio? What patterns show up when he is performing for others? What patterns does he use when acting mad? When engaged in wordplay? When speaking to women? Can you reveal two sides to his character that are reflected in language? Narrow your focus. Analyze examples. (Hint: Frame your own narrow question.)

Claudius (What speech patterns reflect Claudius’s character: Ruthless ambition, authoritative, dominating, self-serving, self-absorbed (“we ourself”), at times vulnerable and feeling guilty). Can you reveal two sides to his character that are reflected in language (as when praying)?

Gertrude (What characteristics does Gertrude have and how are they borne out in her words?)

Polonius (What are his dominant characteristics and how are they reflected in how he talks? Does he alter his speech patterns when with Claudius versus with his children?)

What vs. HOW: Part of this assignment is also to investigate the link between ‘What is Said’ (content) and ‘How it’s said’ (Language). Consider how a paraphrase of a speech is not a good substitute. (You can use this as an example in your essay.) Explain that the “How” (or Style) actually influences our understanding of the “What” (or content).

Questions to get started:

1.      How is Hamlet’s language different when alone or with others?  What does this provide the actor with?

2.      How is Hamlet’s language different from Claudius’s language? What does each reflect about the inner person? About legitimacy to be king?

3.     How do different language patterns give the actors an advantage even before they start working on the lines? How does it help enhance the characters and the themes for the audience?

PLAN BEFORE YOU WRITE

[] 0. Start Early! Don’t begin the day before. Work a little every day. Make a plan, an outline, and a rough draft. Go to the Writing Lab for feedback.

[] 1. Choose your two characters (or one with two sides to him or her). List personal characteristics of each that may be reflected in the way each talks or thinks. Does either character have two modes of speaking?

________________________________      _________________________________

[] 2. Find representative language for each character and analyze the best passages in some detail. What does the language suggest about who they are? (see 3 below)

___________________________________ _________________________________

[] 3. How do you think the language reflects the personality of each of your chosen figures?  

_______________________________ _________________________________

[] 4. Craft a title and a thesis statement. Experiment with the following format: “While at first it might appear that X and Y speak ___, close examination reveals that each uses speech that reflects _____.”  Consider tacking on a very short second thesis to clarify the long one that begins “In short.”

___________________________________ _________________________________

 [] 5. Begin writing your outline, introduction, and topic sentences so that when you sit down to type, you are well begun.

[] 6. As you continue writing, look at how each example can do more than just supply evidence, but rather can help you develop new insights that develop your thesis claim.

[] 7. Save plenty of time to proofread, use proper MLA documentation, change words, etc.

Notes on writing essays:

1. Opening: Be direct. Introduce your topic quickly. Catch our interest.
2. In your thesis say something surprising.
3. Analyze quotes, don’t just quote them. Integrate quotes into your prose
4. MLA header: No page number on page 1, last name, space, page number starting page two in the header
5. Use a two-part title with a catchy phrase, a colon, and the name of the work or author mentioned. Give away your best idea in the title, your main point.
6. Don’t underline or italicize your title, only the novel’s.
7. Use proper MLA punctuation” (Smith 22). Period after parenthesis, quote marks before, no comma or “p” before page number.
8. Develop your main idea: don’t just repeat it and give examples of it. Say more about your ideas as the examples are discussed.
9. Narrow your topic or main idea: cover less territory in 3-5 pages, but more in depth.
10. Topic sentences: first sentence of paragraph makes a claim (not an example) that predicts the main topic for the entire paragraph.
11. Use paragraphing effectively.
12. Make closing sentences of paragraphs sum up the paragraph’s main idea or link back to the developing thesis idea or transition to the next paragraph’s idea.
13. Write a conclusion that reminds us of your best ideas and examples but also goes beyond, hinting at some of the implications of what you’ve shown us.
14. Avoid comma splices, they join two sentences by a comma.
15. Agreement (of noun and verb, or noun and pronoun: reader/their)
16. A sentence fragment.
17. Don’t space differently between paragraphs
18. Don’t use a comma between subject and verb.
19. Ellipsis is made by spaced periods. . . .
20. Period after page number” (27).
21. Use two hyphens--to make a dash.
22. Try this structure: “At first it would appear, but. . .”
23. Shorten your quotes: only use the words from the text you need to repeat.

How to Tell a Strong Thesis Sentence from a Weak One

Create a strong, arguable Thesis Statement; it is your essay’s claim, main point, or argument. Don’t write an over-general thesis statement. Instead, write an interesting and debatable claim—that is specific, not vague or general. Avoid the shotgun approach of listing several possible topics or merely announcing the topic. Narrow the focus and revise the thesis to fit what you say in the body of the essay

  Show your conclusions about a subject in your thesis. (Don’t save your concluding ideas for the end.) a. A strong thesis takes some sort of stand. b. A strong thesis justifies discussion. C. A strong thesis expresses one main idea.

Readers need to be able to see that your paper has one main point. If your thesis expresses more than one idea, then you might confuse your readers about the subject of your paper. d. A strong thesis statement is specific. A thesis statement should show exactly what your paper will be about, and will help you keep your paper to a manageable topic.  (See www.indiana.edu)

PLAGIARISM: Always remember: Browsing the internet or Spark Notes or Wikipedia for an overview of your text or topic can lead to intentional or unintentional plagiarism, which are treated the same way. As seniors, if caught, you would need to report suspension for academic dishonesty to your prospective colleges. Next year in college, you could be expelled from the university or put on academic probation. Rather than that, it’s always better to do your own work, even if you feel it’s not your best or you feel rushed.

When using another person's words, to avoid plagiarism one must always do both of the following: 1. provide a parenthetical citation in the text and 2. either enclose their words inside quotation marks. (Note that the intent of a plagiarist is irrelevant. It is no defense for the plagiarist to say "I forgot." or "It is only a rough draft." or "I did not know it was plagiarism.") College rules for student conduct sometimes say that plagiarism is an academic offense, not a legal offense. That statement is not completely correct. Colleges certainly have the authority to punish plagiarists in various ways, including expulsion from the college or revoking a degree earned in part by plagiarism. But plagiarism is also a legal issue. Michael Hand "earned" a Ph.D. in counseling psychology at New Mexico State University in 1982. In the Fall of 1987 an anonymous tipster sent to the University a copy two scholarly sources that Hand had plagiarized in his dissertation. In April 1988, the University rescinded the Ph.D. it had awarded to Hand.             “Having someone help you write a paper (peers, tutor, writing center) is allowed as long as their contributions are not to the extent where they could reasonably be listed as a co-author. Not knowing the correct way to attribute sources is not an excuse for submitting improperly cited papers.” (from USC’s website)

How would you organize an essay comparing the speech patterns of two characters?

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

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 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

Mon blog: analyze language of Claudius v Hamlet

BFF?

HAMLET  (1.2)

Seems, madam! nay it is; I know not 'seems.'
'Tis not alone my inky cloak, good mother,                80
Nor customary suits of solemn black,
Nor windy suspiration of forced breath,
No, nor the fruitful river in the eye,
Nor the dejected 'havior of the visage,
Together with all forms, moods, shapes of grief,       85
That can denote me truly: these indeed seem,
For they are actions that a man might play:
But I have that within which passeth show;
These but the trappings and the suits of woe.

Who's more handsome, me or him?

KING CLAUDIUS (1.2)

'Tis sweet and commendable in your nature, Hamlet,  90
To give these mourning duties to your father:
But, you must know, your father lost a father;
That father lost, lost his, and the survivor bound
In filial obligation for some term                                95
To do obsequious sorrow: but to persever
In obstinate condolement is a course
Of impious stubbornness; 'tis unmanly grief;
It shows a will most incorrect to heaven,
A heart unfortified, a mind impatient,                        100
An understanding simple and unschool'd:
For what we know must be and is as common
As any the most vulgar thing to sense,
Why should we in our peevish opposition
Take it to heart? Fie! 'tis a fault to heaven,                 105
A fault against the dead, a fault to nature,
To reason most absurd: whose common theme
Is death of fathers, and who still hath cried,
From the first corse till he that died to-day,
'This must be so.' We pray you, throw to earth           110
This unprevailing woe, and think of us
As of a father: * * *

-see pages 728-730 in textbook
-Compare/Contrast the language used by King Claudius vs. Hamlet (or Queen Gertrude)

compare contrast essay structures: weighing alternate choices

How to effectively organize a compare (or) contrast essay?

Compare text by text structure versus element by element structure. Which emphasizes what aspects?

A. Obama v Romney fixing the economy

Or

B. Jobs for the economy: Ob v Rom

National debt for the economy: Ob v Rom

C. Woodchucks v Travelling through the Dark

Or

D.
1 speakers’ attitudes toward animals

W: bloodlust  Tr: moved toward Nature

2 How attitudes are shown?

W: shift in diction/language  Tr: shift in language

E. Slam, Dunk vs. Fast Break
or F.

1 How does style mirrors each speaker's experience?

Slam: choppy = struggle  Fast: smooth = team effort, graceful

G. Out, Out (Frost) p13 vs. Athlete Dying Young (Houseman) p21
or H.

Out: present time tragedy unfolding: shock!, ordinary work language

Athl: memorial trying to comfort with false logic, staid, funereal language

 

QUESTIONS to answer:

--Which comparison is most difficult to structure and why?

--Which is the easiest and why?

--What have you learned about compare/contrast questions?

 

Obama vs. Romney on the Economy:

Woodchucks vs. Traveling through the Dark

Slam, Dunk, vs. Fast Break

Out, Out vs. To an Athlete Dying Young

King Claudius' use of language vs. Hamlet's (or Queen Gertrude's)

 

Alternate ways to structure compare/contrast essays



How should I contrast myself? Ways to structure compare/contrast essays



Candidate-by-Candidate

1. Intro

2. Obama: Economy, Foreign Policy

3. Mitt Romney: Economy, Foreign Policy

Issue-by-Issue

1. Intro

2. The Economy Obama v Romney

3. Foreign Policy: Obama v Romney

Depending on your purpose, which organization is most effective?

Text-by-text (p.52)

1. Intro

2. Woodchucks: how language signals tonal shift

3. Traveling through the Dark: how language signals tonal shift

Element-by-Element organization (p.53)

1. Intro

2. How language works in Woodchucks v Traveling

3. How tone shifts in Woodchucks v Traveling

Depending on your purpose, which organization is most effective?

Organize the same two choices for these two basketball poems:

“Slam, Dunk, Hook” by Yusef Komunyakaa  p.41

“Fast Break” by Edward Hirsch p.49

Depending on your purpose, which organization is most effective?

Organize the same two choices for these two poems about death:

“Out, Out” by Robert Frost p.13

“To an Athlete Dying Young” by A. E. Houseman p.21

Depending on your purpose, which organization is most effective?

Click homework tab to see this week's homework

Be sure to check out the updated homework by clicking on the homework tab.
Highlights:
HW for Tuesday 10/11 read two basketball poems p. 41 and p.49: How would you structure a compare/contrast essay?  Or for Out, Out p.13 vs. Athlete p.21?
HW for Wed 10/12: Blog about plot in Austen and another work. Read p.59 + 92
HW for Thur 10/13: Study for quiz on lit terms (p.1490-1500) and plot
HW for Mon. 10/17: Read Act I of Hamlet; blog about Claudius' speech p.728-730

Blog due Mon: compare poems about deer and woodchuck

In a BLOG post: Compare these two poems about animals. How are tone and the speaker’s relationship to nature communicated differently in each?  

   (These poems appear on pages 57 and 58 in our textbook.)

 Woodchucks Maxine Kumin

Gassing the woodchucks didn't turn out right.
The knockout bomb from the Feed and Grain  Exchange
was featured as merciful, quick at the bone
and the case we had against them was airtight,
both exits shoehorned shut with puddingstone,  
but they had a sub-sub-basement out of range.

Next morning they turned up again, no worse
for the cyanide than we for our cigarettes
and state-store Scotch, all of us up to scratch.
They brought down the marigolds as a matter of course 
and then took over the vegetable patch
nipping the broccoli shoots, beheading the carrots.

The food from our mouths, I said, righteously thrilling
to the feel of the .22, the bullets' neat noses.
I, a lapsed pacifist fallen from grace   
puffed with Darwinian pieties for killing,
now drew a bead on the little woodchuck's face.
He died down in the everbearing roses.

Ten minutes later I dropped the mother. She
flipflopped in the air and fell, her needle teeth  
still hooked in a leaf of early Swiss chard.
Another baby next. O one-two-three
the murderer inside me rose up hard,
the hawkeye killer came on stage forthwith.

There's one chuck left. Old wily fellow, he keeps  
me cocked and ready day after day after day.
All night I hunt his humped-up form. I dream
I sight along the barrel in my sleep.
If only they'd all consented to die unseen
gassed underground the quiet Nazi way.   30

  Traveling through the Dark William Stafford

Traveling through the dark I found a deer
dead on the edge of the Wilson River road.
It is usually best to roll them into the canyon:
that road is narrow; to swerve might make more dead.

By glow of the tail-light I stumbled back of the car
and stood by the heap, a doe, a recent killing;
she had stiffened already, almost cold.
I dragged her off; she was large in the belly.

My fingers touching her side brought me the reason--
her side was warm; her fawn lay there waiting,   
alive, still, never to be born.
Beside that mountain road I hesitated.

The car aimed ahead its lowered parking lights;
under the hood purred the steady engine.
I stood in the glare of the warm exhaust turning red;  
around our group I could hear the wilderness listen.

I thought hard for us all--my only swerving--
then pushed her over the edge into the river.

Last pages of Pride and Prejudice

I'm almost done with my novel!

            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

    

236-241 Lady Catherine bullies Liz (see the video of the play)

245 Dad still not appropriate

            WEDDING BELLS

246 Another proposal (guess who!)

251 Liz tells a disbelieving Jane

254-5 Liz tells a disbelieving Dad then Mom
  (which of these is the most awkward for Liz?)

Agree and Disagree with DW Harding about Austen

How do I convince my family I love Darcy?

1. On Rubric cover sheet, write your own evaluation of how your essay is strong, what was your best point, and what would you like the first reader to pay particular attention to. Turn this in with your rough draft.
2. Read DW Harding (p.43-44 of red spiral-bound college reader) and be ready in class on Tue/Wed. (and in your blog due Wed.) to agree with one point he makes and disagree with another. (Purpose: to simulate college reading, understanding, and responding.)
3. Finish reading Austen (if you haven't) in preparation for Thursday's exam (multiple choice plus one short answer).
4. In-class journal: Rank 3 scenes for humor and Liz's discomfort: convincing Jane she loves Darcy (251), convincing Mr. Bennet (254), and convincing Mrs. Bennet (255). Give your reasons and explain how the scenes are similar but also different.
5. Read, Write, Think, and Discuss every day in class.

DW Harding.
1. What arguments can you summarize?
2. Which do you agree with and why?
3. Which do you disagree with (or want to qualify) and why?
Do you agree with these statements?
-'detests and fears'
-'laugh at faults they tolerated in themselves'
-'bringing the caricatures into direct contact with the real people'
-Collins is Liz's 'comic monster'

Reading and Responding to D.W. Harding: “Regulated Hatred”

Objective:

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 (agree and disagree with Harding)

7. (optional) Comment on others’ blog posts about Harding,

8. In class, simulate a college seminar in which you are obligated to participate intelligently.

  Questions to Prepare:

1.      What are Harding’s main point(s)? How does he set them up?

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

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

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

5.      What will you speak up about in class? How can you further the discussion by listening carefully and commenting?

6. What larger question about Austen can you raise? What passages from Harding and/or Austen can you read aloud to help the conversation?

You have now practiced participating in a college discussion section. Repeat often!