IAGO'S SOLILOQUIES: CUT AND CROPPED!

In the comment section below you will find the full text versions of Iago's soliloquies as well as the cropped versions we created in class. 

Argue for one or two of the discarded lines to be added back into the soliloquy.  What is lost/changed if this line is discarded?  Comment on the lines' connections to the development of ideas, motifs, mood, characterization, or plot concerns of the play.  Use persuasive language -- you goal is to convince your classmates to put it back!  What is at stake here?

Post your argument by replying to the soliloquy you are discussing.

Othello Motif Blog

A motif is a recurring object, image, or word that takes on symbolic significance and unifies a text. 

You will be assigned one of the motifs listed below to track.  EACH TIME you see the motif used in an interesting or significant way in the text, add comments under the spot where your motif is listed.  Include the following:
           * Quote the lines of dialogue where the motif occurs
           * Analyze how the motif is used in those lines.  What ideas or emotions are evoked?    
              How does this use of the motif develop something you noticed earlier ( the development
              of a character, situation, relationship, or theme)?  How does this use of the motif add
              a new layer of meaning?

Please note that variations or close matches to the words listed below also count in terms of your tracking of the motif.

Outside reading book-- end of book response

Identify the title, author, and genre

In one paragraph, give a brief synopsis of the book.

In a second paragraph, discuss one aspect of the book that intrigued you in some way.  It could be a character, a relationship, a particular scene or even a particular passage. In a nonfiction book, it could be the way the author developed an idea in a particular chapter or passage.  Develop your discussion with specific details from the text as well as specific observations about what the writer is doing.

Then finally, discuss whether you would  recommend this book to others.  What kinds of readers would enjoy it?  What was your over-all assessment of your reading experience with this book?  What did you appreciate or find frustrating about this particular author.

End of Old School graded discussion

For our seminar prepare notes by writing ideas, connections, reflections, and noting relevant passages for each of the following questions that we came up with. Write these notes on a piece of paper you can bring with you to seminar, not on this blog.

1.        Why does the story end with the Dean and not the narrator? How does the ending relate to the narrator’s story?  How does the theme of honesty/truth relate to both characters’ stories?

2.       Why does the school still honor the narrator after he was kicked out?  Why did Mr. Ramsey seem to hold him in such high regard?

 

3.       Is it possible to have a unique idea?  Can we ever escape the influence of what we read, see, and hear from other writers/thinkers?  What is the difference between influence, imitation, and plagiarism?

 

4.       Why didn’t the narrator go home after being kicked out?  How do you make sense of his life after the incident?  How does he try to make sense of it?

 

5.       Does the narrator feel any guilt about plagiarizing?  Why did Susan Friedman respond the way she did?  What changed Susan’s point of view about writing?  How do you interpret her own life choices?

 

6.       In what ways does truth become relative and elusive?  Does absolute truth matter?

 

7.       What does it mean to discover your voice?  Has the narrator discovered his?

 

8.       Notice continual references to acting, role-playing, and theater.  What does the use of this motif help us to see about the characters, this school, and some larger themes in the book?

 

Side question:  What is Tobias Wolff’s connection to his narrator?  What would be the significance of that connection?  How does that come through in the writing?

Post discussion and "When in Disgrace" chapter blog

Before doing this blog entry, be sure to read the chapter
entitled "When in Disgrace" from Old School. 

Focus your blog on both your reading of that chapter AND something that came up in our graded discussion OR something that didn't come up that maybe should have.

If you need a prompt to get you going, look back at the handout of Blog Questions (essential questions) that I gave you when we started this book.

Be sure to ground your ideas in a close analysis of textual details.  Don't just list quotes; analyze and dig deep!

Finalized list of graded discussion questions for Old School chap. 3-6

These are the questions we, as a class, chose to focus on for our up-coming graded discussion. 

For our discussion you need to prepare notes. 

For each question, write down your ideas, page numbers with passages you want to examine, and connections you want to make.  You should write either a lengthy paragraph or a lengthy list of developed items for each question.

Do your prep work on a piece of paper that you can bring to seminar, not as a comment on this blog.

TOP DISCUSSION QUESTIONS FOR OLD SCHOOL CHAP. 3-6

 

1.       What is Bill White writing that makes him so upset and exhausted?  What is going on with his relationship with the narrator?  Why don’t they really talk?  Why do they hold back so much?  How does that kind of relationship affect them, positively and negatively?

2.       Explore the world of “Randism” and what is would look like in real life.  Is it possible today?  Is it desirable?

 

3.       What is the significance of the scene where Jeff Purcell rejects the chapel visits?  Why is that scene there?  What are his motives?  What role does Big Jeff play in his decision?

 

4.       What is the narrator’s relationship with his school?  Does he value it?  How does that change and why?  Explore the narrator’s decision to use the story he found entitled “Summer Night.”  Why is this his vehicle for revealing himself?  Why is he plagiarizing? 

 

5.       What is the truth behind the narrator’s background and why is it significant?  If he revealed it, would it matter?  How do we know?

 

6.       Why are the school and narrator left unnamed?


On the side:  why is chapter six entitled "The Forked Tongue?"
 

Questions for graded discussion on Old School chapters 3-6

1.  Read and annotate the chapter entitled "The Forked Tongue."

2.  Go back and read your classmates responses to the last blog we did on chapters 3-5 (the one that was due Tues).  Reply to at least  2 of your classmates.

3.  For this blog, think about some of the issues that you see coming up in the blog comments and some of the things you've been noticing and wondering about as you've been reading the following chapters:  "Frost," "Ubermensch," "Slice of Life," and "The Forked Tongue."  Submit 3 possible questions you think would be worth exploring in our next graded discussion.    Post these 3 questions as your comment for this blog.

Old School: chapters 3 - 5

 

                                Use any part of these chapters for your blog: 

                       "Frost," "Ubermensch," or "Slice of Life" 

 

1.  Pick one of the blog questions to explore (see the Old School handout I gave you for the list).

2.  Focus on something specific (a specific scene, character, or idea) and explore it thoughtfully.  Really take the time to EXPLORE possible insights, points of view, connections and interpretations.  Do not feel like you have to cover all three chapters.  Narrow your focus, but go deeper in your analysis.

3.  Don't just list quotes.  Take the time to do real analysis.  Take the time to really examine the language and the way the author presents ideas.  Take the time to ask questions and ponder possible ways to interpret what you see.
 
4.  Remember to include a fitting title as well as your name.

Old School Blog for chapters 1 & 2

Pick one of the blog questions to explore (see the handout I gave you for the list). 

Stick to one focus and write thoughtfully about the assigned reading.

In your response go back to the text and analyze specific sentences, images, and details that connect to your big idea. 

Use the Tips for an Effective Blog for guidance.  Include a fitting title as well as your name,  Don't forget to proofread.

Blog assignment #2: "Barn Burning"

                                                                              Image taken from the Films Media Group's website

Write about an idea you have about the story that we read in class.  Your idea doesn't have to cover the whole story -- it could focus on one specific passage or passages. Look for ideas from the class activities and discussions that surrounded our exploration of this text.

Develop that idea with specific details from the text. Talk in detail about the examples you use and how they relate to your bigger idea.

Give your entry a title that fits your idea. Also don't forget to include your name.

Outside reading quarter one -- near the beginning of your book

         After you have read a few chapters, it is time to take a moment to start noticing things. 

Before you start writing take 10 minutes and do our NOTICE AND FOCUS strategy.  Make a list of your observations on a sheet of paper.  Then go through your list, look for patterns or connections.  Start asking questions and posing possible interpretations or ideas (at this point, they just might be predictions).  Free write, list, do what works for you.  Then look at your ideas; pick one you can really sink your teeth into, and then start your blog!  Keep focused on that one idea and develop it with connections to the specifics in the text. 

The Power of Books

“A real book is not one that we read, but one that reads us.”

-- Auden, W. H.  

 

Books are very powerful. They can take us to a different world where we may learn about other people, cultures, lifestyles, etc., but books can also make us learn about ourselves.

 

Directions:  Think of a book you read this summer where when you put it down you were full of emotion. It could be anger, jealousy, shock, happiness, etc. Share with us why that particular book or a situation in that book had an impact on you.

 

Please include:

1.  Title of the book

2.  Author

3.  A brief plot summary of the entire book if you would like to talk about it in    

 its entirety or a brief summary of a situation in the book.

4.  How and why a specific scene, character, passage, situation, or perspective in the book had an impact on you.

 5.  What you discovered about yourself, your world, or your perspective.

Samples of blog entries for To Kill A Mockingbird

    The following are several blog posts about a book you read in 9^th grade, To Kill A Mockingbird.  They are not offered as perfect models.  Instead, let’s look at the strengths and weaknesses of each one as we consider what makes an effective blog entry.

 

1.  This blog post was taken from a blog for an English class entitled Literature and Disability:

                

Racial Disability in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird

Jem was sprawled on the sofa reading Popular Mechanics. He looked up. “It ain’t right. He didn’t kill anybody even if he was guilty. He didn’t take anybody’s life.”

“You know rape’s a capital offense in Alabama,” said Atticus.

“Yessir, but the jury didn’t have to give him death—if they wanted to they could’ve gave him twenty years.”

“Given,” said Atticus. “Tom Robinson’s a colored man, Jem. No jury in this part of the world’s going to say, ‘We think you’re guilty, but not very,’ on a charge like that. It was either a straight acquittal or nothing.” Chapter 23 Page 362

Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird is full of different forms of disability. The forms that we have looked at so far primarily deal with the physical and mental. In this passage, however, there is another form of disability that takes place. Tom Robinson’s life is essentially over when a white girl accuses him of rape. Through the public eye, his race automatically makes him guilty. As Atticus claims, “Tom Robinson’s a colored man.” (362). Including race as a form of disability is extremely necessary because of how much of an influence race did have on how society viewed groups of people; especially in the early 1900s. In this story, the town of Maycomb in the 1930s was full of racial discrimination and proves that race is, indeed, a form of disability. Although Tom Robinson has a physical disability with his left hand, which cannot be ignored due to the nature of the course, his true disability lies elsewhere. Tom Robinson is depicted as disabled more prominently by his racial status as a black man in a predominantly white community and the crime that he is accused of committing. Race, in this instance, determines the fate of Tom Robinson and defines him as a person, regardless of whether or not he committed the crime.

This passage specifically focuses on the true disability not only in this text, but in this time period as well. Since disability is considered such an umbrella term, seeing disability in as many ways as possible is pivotal to our own understanding of the term. Atticus’ statement, “No jury in this part of the world’s going to say, ‘We think you’re guilty, but not very,’ on a charge like that” (362) proves that race is the sole factor in determining Tom Robinson’s fate. Lee provides enough racial tension to make sure that race is not only considered under the umbrella term of disability, but that race is the most important category under the term as well. Viewing race as a disability allows for not only a broader understanding of the term as a whole, but also a more clear and concise understanding of the text. Jem’s statement, “He didn’t take anybody’s life” (362) is a clear understanding that Tom Robinson is an innocent man but the fact that his skin is a specific color makes him a guilty man. In To Kill a Mockingbird, Lee captures the essence of what disability truly is through Tom Robinson’s racial discrimination. More specifically, Atticus hits the nail on the head with his statement of Tom Robinson being a colored man. This line in the text is one of the most important when analyzing this text as racial disability.

 

2.    This blog post was taken from a 9^th grade English class’s blog called Boxer’s Blog:

The book it seems to me shows how deep racism and stereotypical beliefs were rooted into southern culture and how it could have affected families and maybe divided them. I also see how atticus is teaching his kids how to deal with racism head on and not to care how anyone else felt about it. I find that To Kill A Mocking Bird states many personal opinions on may different subjects some hit home personally stereotyping people to a different class either rich or poor. That is why I like the book because most people don’t like to talk about issues like that because they don’t want to be thought of a racist or stereotypes.

 

 

3.       This blog post was taken from the author’s personal blog on the Empower Network.

“It’s a sin to kill a mockingbird…”     September 24, 2012

“…Mockingbirds don’t do one thing but make music for us to enjoy… but sing their hearts out for us. That’s why it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.” So said Atticus Finch in the book, To Kill a Mockingbird.

I have thought about these words many times over the past few days.

To Kill a Mockingbird, the Pulitzer Pize winning novel by Harper Lee, was published in 1960. It was immediately successful, and has become a classic of modern American literature.

The reason these words have come to me over and over recently is this: last week I spent my first ever day in court as a witness.

You see, it all started a few months ago I needed to accompany my boss on a meeting to see our local government councillor. While we were there, a heavily pregnant young staffer had cause to walk into the meeting room. I remarked on her pregnancy and expressed my delight for her, upon which time councillor interrupted forcefully, glaring at the young lady, and saying, “I am NEVER going to employ any woman of child bearing age EVER again…she’s LEAVING me to have the baby right before the election!”

It you could have seen the frightened young face of this slight, thin young lady, so heavy with child, you probably would have piped up to defend her, like I did…but sadly, it seems, to no avail.

The lady was fired for being pregnant shortly after this event.. Yep, as archaic as that sounds in this day and age, that is the ugly truth.

Intractable and utterly unwilling to cooperate, the councillor and her team of lawyers refused to answer to her calls of injustice. The lady’s mediation efforts failed and the unfair dismissal proceeded to court, some months later. I was asked to be a witness.

The way I see it, that young lady was a mockingbird. Sweet, vulnerable, unpolished and not slick in the slightest.

She could not afford a lawyer, and was accompanied by two good hearted Industrial Relations advocates to court that day. From the witness stand, I looked out at these three ladies on one side of the room, and then over the the army of lawyers filling the benches on the councillor’s side, and suddenly I was very, very glad that I was there to tell the truth.

So glad. I had waited in the hall (waiting to be called in) for about four hours. In that time, I had grown a little grouchy. I had grown a little self-involved. “Ah, what’s the use?” I had thought. They have taken up my whole day, I will get in there and be ripped to shreds by the other side…to what end?”

Yes, they played dirty. Yes, it was hard to stick to my guns when the lawyer was ridiculing me, and trying to catch me up by asking the same questions ten different ways. All I know is that I tried to be strong and tell the truth. It was no fun, but the need to do right by this lady eclipsed everything so I held, I held.

Somewhere during my grilling I glanced at the vulnerable young woman, remembered her tiny baby (which was probably being minded by her worried parents, and no doubt constantly on her mind), and remembered why I HAD to be there. She was my mockingbird.

And it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.

Let me know…have you ever tried to save a mockingbird? I can’t wait to hear.

Tips for an effective blog entry

Tips on a Good Blog Entry

How do you write an interesting entry that gets read? Here are ten tips that make a blog entry grab readers:

1.     Choose an attention-getting and accurate title.
Like a newspaper headline, a good blog title draws readers in. It’s your chance to convince a reader to take a look at what you’ve written. Just make sure that your title reflects the content of the entry.

2.     State your opinion clearly.
Take a stand and make it clear. Your blog isn’t the place for meandering. If your opinion isn’t appropriate for the general public, choose a different subject. If you wouldn't stand up in front of your peers and share your opinion, don’t post it on your blog.

3.     Back things up with specific examples from the text.
Once you state your opinion, explain it. Discuss specific quotes/ details from the text we are reading that validate your opinion. Show. Illustrate. Don’t just tell!

4.     Keep it short (300 words).
You have a few seconds to catch someone’s attention. People rarely read every detail of longer posts. Focus on one specific topic, state what you have to say, and end the post.

5.     Chunk your text.
People read webpages quickly. They scan more often than they read every word. Because of the way people read on the web, it’s best to use short paragraphs and lists to chunk your content. If you have a really long entry, you might want to use subheadings.

6.     Link to outside sources.
Sometimes it is necessary to add examples and explanations to your text by linking to outside resources.  Identify the source you are linking and why you are bothering to connect it to your blog entry.

7.     Go with an informal, first-person style. No need to use formal, academic prose. Go ahead and use words like I, me, and mine. Be conversational and informal. You’ll draw in more readers. But your blog post shouldn't look like a text on your phone; basic grammar still applies.

8.  Proofread!
Take the time to reread your entry before you publish it. Little errors can slow readers down. And when your readers include English teachers, they’re bound to notice any typos.