Entries Tagged 'American Studies' ↓

So, first, I’ll give you a bit of time and then we’ll present our short 3-minute skits.  Act!

Next, we’ll do a little bit of writing. I’ll give you a quote about war and then you’ll explain what the quote means, connect it to something in AQ, and then tell us if you agree/disagree and why. Finished writing goes here.

We’ll also look at our next writing assignment: More Lies!

I’ll read a bit about chapter 8 (pg. 193-194) and then ask you about what is right/wrong to do about the Russians. I’m hoping to get a chance to do chapter summaries of chapter 8 in comic book form.

And…we’ll get a headstart on chapter 9.

HW: Chapter 9 NEXT thursday…first draft of paper due.

We’re officially post-WASL!  Congrats! How’d it go?

We’ll vent a bit and then I’ll give a short-ish lecture on WWI. I’ll then ask you to study in small groups and I’ll give a quiz. Extra-credit if everyone in the group gets 100%.

Then, we’ll do a short reading from AQ.

HW: Read Chapter 3 in AQ

First, I want to suggest a contest for our next paper and see what you think.

ESSAY QUESTION: Imagine that you are Hillary Rodham Clinton, the new U.S. Secretary of State and head of the U.S. Department of State, whose mission is to create a more secure, democratic, and prosperous world for the benefit of the American people and the international community. Describe one international issue you think is important today. Why do you think this issue is important to both the U.S. and the world? Considering the mission of the U.S. Department of State, what would you do about this issue?

Then, we’ll read There Will be Chicken Blood and answer a few questions.

1. Comment on the opening (the first 2 paragraphs). How does it establish the voice of the writer?  What words would you use to describe the writer’s personality?
2. Pay attention to the use of syntax–the structure of sentences–to acheive a purpose.  What do you notice about how the punctuation and sentence structure contributes to the style of the essay.
3. Leone gives specific examples of people squeamish about chicken killing.  Why?  What is the purpose of the examples and how do they lead to the author’s main point?
4. Look at the paragraph beginning “But I wonder…”  Paraphrase it and then explain how it contributes to the author’s purpose.
5. Comment on the last two paragraphs. With what emotion or idea does she leave you with?  How does she try to capture the mixed feelings that she has?

Next step, peer editing your first draft of your personal essay. Have two readers looking for these aspects of your essay.

Reader 1: Show don’t (just) tell: See if there are places where the writer uses anecdotes and specific details to show us what is going on instead of telling us (e.g. we see the canary yellow, Cheeto-stained, cut-off Panama jack t-shirt the author tends to wear instead of just reading “I am a slob”).

Reader 2: What do I care?: Does the author use these personal experience to relate a clear and non-obvious idea or lesson?  Do we take something valuable away from the reading experience? Does it all boil down to “be nice”or is it more complicated than that?

Then, we write. I’ll look in on people who are ready to show me an essay that is:

1. Reasonably error free
2. Uses interesting and dramatic details and anecdotes
3. Says something of value

I’m looking to see everyone by next Friday.

So, I’m not there. But I am there in spirit. Not like Hamlet’s ghost (SWEEEEAAAAR! SWEEEEEAAAAAR!),but something more benign.

You’ll watch the 2nd half of Hamlet and then collect a copy of the play from the substitute. For next Tuesday, I want you to prepare for a round table discussion of the play. You’ll need to do a pretty elaborate blog post to get ready. This is an online version of the play to help you. Please grab a copy of Hamlet if you need it. Here are some of the questions I want you to consider for our discussion.

1. Why does Hamlet wait so long to kill Claudius? What are the reasons for his hesitation? How valid are they? How many times does he have the opportunity to attack Claudius? What are his reasons for not doing so?
2. Hamlet claims that his madness is feigned, an “antic disposition” which he puts on for his own purposes (I.v.172). Why would Hamlet want to feign madness? How can an appearance of insanity help him achieve his ends? Is he really sane throughout the play, or does he ever cross the line into madness? What about Ophelia’s mad scene? Is it real or feigned? Is there “method in her madness” as well, or is she entirely irrational? Why has she gone mad? (What two reasons do her songs suggest?)
3. Pay attention to the treatment of the women characters Gertrude and Ophelia. Is there any basis for the Freudian interpretation of an Oedipal attraction between Hamlet and his mother? Hamlet does seem obsessed with his mother’s sexuality. How old is Hamlet? How old do you think Gertrude is? Is Hamlet’s disgust at Gertrude’s sexuality justified? To what extent is Gertrude guilty? Was she “in on” her husband’s murder? Has Claudius confided in her since the murder? How does Hamlet’s perception of his mother affect his behavior or attitude toward Ophelia? Why does he tell Ophelia to go to a nunnery? Does Hamlet really love Ophelia? If so, why is he cruel to her?
4. Suicide is an important theme in Hamlet. Discuss how the play treats the idea of suicide morally, religiously, and aesthetically, with particular attention to Hamlet’s two important statements about suicide: the “O, that this too too solid flesh would melt” soliloquy (I.ii.129–158) and the “To be, or not to be” soliloquy (III.i.56–88). Why does Hamlet believe that, although capable of suicide, most human beings choose to live, despite the cruelty, pain, and injustice of the world?
5. Choose a soliloquy in the play to look more closely at. Paraphrase it and then connect it to the larger themes in the play.

Be ready for a round table discussion on Tuesday. Afterwards, we’ll break up into acting groups, rehearse, and try a little reader’s theater by the last week.

Image credit: Veer

The school year is starting and it’s time to get to work.  Go ahead and bookmark this site so that you can get to it quickly. The site will be where I give homework and other info as we go throughout the year. Notice the check your grade link on the right; when we have grades that is where you’ll go.  Also, there is a How to get your blog link which will be one of the first things we do to get started.

Let’s have an awesome year.