Week 13

Othello

In act 3, "what goes around comes around!" After the riotous evening that closed Act 2, Act 3 opens with a clown dismissing the unwelcome musicians from Othello's hearing. Cassio sends the Clown to bring Desdemona out to speak to him. In this last scene of Act 3, it is Desdemona who sends the Clown to find Cassio so she may assure him that his cause with Othello has not been forgotten.

The "handkerchief" takes on some significance. Figure out what it means for Cassio, Bianca, Othello, and Desdemona. Also, it is important to note the lack of genuine communication between the victims and their oppressors. Iago continues to weave his web, while Othello's noble character morally disintegrates. In Act 4, Shakespeare illustrates this through Othello's language, once noble and lofty, and his psychological and physical abuse towards Desdemona. As readers, our hatred toward Iago intensifies; he is the devil.

Let us work hard this week by studying and analyzing the play's tragic movements...I am proud of you!

Here are your assignments/Agenda for Week 13:

Week 13 MS Word

Week 13 pdf

If you have questions about these assignments, please leave a comment or email me directly. Remember, I will check the blog until 9:59 pm. You know I need my Seinfeld fix.

Week 12

Othello

The fundamental question of philosophy is: Is the nature of man good or evil? Every philosopher, politician, and author intends to answer this question. As a teacher, I might also reach a conclusion depending of the day or week I have experienced. William Golding in Lord of the Flies leaves no doubt about his belief: man definitely tends toward evil. Left alone on an island without societal constraints, man will return to savagery, and destroy all who hold to the beliefs of a previous society. Further, evil lies within mankind itself, not in some outside force or "beastie." Psychologist Victor E. Frankl in Man's Search for Meaning asserts that there are "two races of men in this world, but only these two races-- the 'race' of the decent man and the 'race' of the indecent man. Both are found everywhere; they penetrate into all groups of society." Thus the universal idea surfaces again: can good and evil coexist? The answer is yes: Othello is good and Iago is evil.

Have a good week!

Here are your assignments/Agenda for Week 12:

Week 12 MS Word

Week 12 pdf

If you have questions about these assignments, please leave a comment or email me directly. Remember, I will check the blog until 9:59 pm. You know I need my Seinfeld fix.

Week 11

Othello

This week we begin our quest to study how a great poet, Mr. Shakespeare, portrays the fall of a noble soul who is entrapped by jealousy into deeds of violence which bring about their own destruction. "I am not what I am." Iago
Although the story line of Othello is a spin-off of an Italian novella by Cinthio, the Hecatommithi (1565), Shakespeare’s end product is a vastly richer, more deeply probing presentation of human love. As Othello and Desdemona live out their love story in the two-hour condensation of his stage, the author reveals them in shifting lights of hateful Iago (the most hated villain in the literary world), the shallow Cassio, the wordly-wise Emilia, and the foppish Roderigo. Each character, dexterously manipulated by Iago into his web of destruction, is caught by his/her own weakness. As each character in this action-packed drama “struts and frets his hour upon the stage and then is heard no more,” we realize that Shakespeare has once again held up his magic mirror wherein we can see ourselves and our times reflected clearly.

Note well that imagery expresses the themes of jealousy, revenge, and love; the conflicts of good and evil, of man vs women; of attitudes to love and marriage. We are involved immediately in the action of the play. How does Shakespeare do this? Why? -- What does the opening scene establish (characterization, tone, imagery).

I need two students from each section to prepare and present a poem for our Poetry Professor on Monday 11/19.

Have a good week!

Here are your assignments/Agenda for Week 11:

Week 11 MS Word

Week 11 pdf

If you have questions about these assignments, please leave a comment or email me directly. Remember, I will check the blog until 9:59 pm. You know I need my Seinfeld fix.

Week 10

As we commence with the 10th week of classes, it is essential that we ask ourselves "have we made a genuine committment to the AP Literature and Composition course." Take a look at your course syllabus; see if you have met my expectations of you. I expect and maybe even demand excellence; anything less is not accepted. The great John Wooden coined the idea that hard work and enthusiasm equate success...be passionate, work hard, and if you hit the metaphoric brick wall, do not turn away; that is too easy. Instead, figure out a way to break down the wall, overcome the obstacle...you will be a better person for it! Have a good week...SMILE too!

Important Assignments:

11/5: IR in class assessment.
11/7: Timed writing on The Awakening.
11/9: Blog your initial impressions on the playwright William Shakespeare and the tragedy Othello. Remember your blog must be at least 6 sentences for credit.
11/9: Independent Reading choice due.

Here are your assignments/Agenda for Week 10:

Week 10 MS Word

Week 10 pdf

If you have questions about these assignments, please leave a comment or email me directly. Remember, I will check the blog until 9:59 pm. You know I need my Seinfeld fix.