Bell Work IB English IV

Bell work for Friday, August 7  Write down anything that you already know about any or all of these authors: Sylvia Plath Ted Hughes Annie Dillard Henry David Thoreau William Shakespeare

Bell work for Monday, August 18 Check out Ariel and Birthday Letters. Poetry Toolbox List as many literary devices as you can. Define each one and give an example of its use. For Friday – prepare “Fulbright Scholars” (TH) and “The Applicant” (SP)

The Tempest, Act I Video about The Tempest -- Introduction -- Characters -- Themes Poster activity in 4 groups: -- Act I, scene i (shipwreck) -- Act II, scene ii, lines (Miranda) -- Act II, scene ii, lines (Ariel) -- Act II, scene ii, lines 322-end (Caliban)

1. The Tempest (1611) was written at a time of exploration, discovery and intense interest in the native peoples of the “New World.” Identify and explain elements in The Tempest that make it an allegory on European Colonialism. 2. “Greed is the most powerful motive in the play.” Do you agree or disagree with this view of The Tempest ? Explain your reasons why or why not. Use quotations from the play to support your argument.

3. In the epilogue, what power does Prospero grant the audience? Explain his comments in terms of the relationship between art and life. 4. Analyze the character of Prospero in The Tempest: (a) Why is Prospero willing to part with his magic? What has it allowed him to accomplish? (b) How might Prospero's famous line "we are such stuff as dreams are made on" apply to his own magical powers? (c) Why do you suppose some critics have said that Prospero's words are Shakespeare's own "farewell" to his audience?

Class work Wednesday, August 21  “Lady Lazarus” by Sylvia Plath (in Ariel on page 14)  Audio by SP

Class work Wednesday, August 21  Discuss and analyze “Lady Lazarus” working in groups of 4.  In making your poetry analysis, think about: -- the title & first line(s) -- literal description / context -- symbolism / abstract ideas -- figures of speech and their effect -- an overall interpretation / POV

Bellwork Friday, August 22 Oral commentaries begin today! 1. Video summary of The Tempest (link) (link) 2. Journal check 3. “The Applicant” (Audio by SP)(Audio by SP) 4. “Fulbright Scholars” 5. The Tempest, Act II, scene ii (link)(link)

Bell work for Tuesday, August 25  Write a response to this question: “Everyone in The Tempest is a slave or a captive.” Explain how this statement applies not only to Ariel and Caliban but also to the shipwrecked noblemen, as well as to Prospero and Miranda.

Bell work for Tuesday, September 1 Write brief responses to these questions: 1. What is your definition of “poetry?” 2. What is the role of the poet in society?

Bell work Tuesday, September 8  What distinguishes non-fiction from other kinds of literature (poetry, novels, plays, etc.)? Make a list of similarities and differences.

 Check out a copy of Pilgrim at Tinker Creek. Then write a response to this quotation:  “I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.” -- Henry David Thoreau, Walden  What do you think the phrase “to live deliberately” means?  What are the “essential facts of life?” Bell work Thursday, September 17

Bell work for Friday, September 18  What does Annie Dillard mean when she says “Our life is a faint tracing on the surface of mystery”?  What does the title of the chapter mean?

 Chapter 5 in Pilgrim at Tinker Creek is entitled “Untying the Knot.”  What “knot” does Annie Dillard literally refer to in this chapter?  How does she use this image as a metaphor for her experiences in the book?

Bell work Wednesday, October 1  Please put your journals on the front table as you enter.  “The air cools; the puppy’s skin is hot. I am more alive than all the world.” What is Dillard describing?  How is she “more alive than all the world”?

Pantoum: a poem made of quatrains in which the second and fourth lines of the first stanza repeat as the first and third lines of the following stanza, repeat ad infinium. Write a pantoum response to Dillard.

Hamlet’s Odd Behavior When Ophelia describes Hamlet on page 46, what are his symptoms? How is he acting? How does Polonius interpret these actions? Given the fact that we know more of what’s going on than Polonius, we may draw different conclusions. How much of Hamlet’s actions are driven by Ophelia’s rejection, and how much by other life problems? Draw connections to the previous scenes with Hamlet to create your own diagnosis. Look back at Act I, scene v. Is he acting this way on purpose? How does he intend for Ophelia to respond? For others to respond? How much do you moderate your appearance and actions with others in mind? What is the purpose of adjusting your behavior or appearance for the benefit of others?

Polonius as a father Examine Polonius as a father here by examining his actions and their implications in a T-Chart. How does he act toward both his son and his daughter? What does this say about him as a parent? Example: He sends his son money and notes ACTION: He must care for his son PARENTING IMPLICATION:

Now get in your groups Take your conclusions you’ve drawn about Polonius here and get into your previously assigned groups. Compare your analyses: Did you see all the same actions? Did you draw the same conclusions? Go back to pages How are our first impressions of Polonius and his relationships with his children fulfilled or adjusted here? How is he different with his two children?

Group Work continued Now compare Polonius as a parent to some of the other parents in the book. How are his relationships similar to and different from the following: The Ghost and Hamlet Claudius and Hamlet Gertrude and Hamlet Old Fortinbras and Fortinbras

TABLOIDS! Create a tabloid article to highlight the parenting skills of the court in Elsinore. Try to make it sound authentic. Give examples to support your claims. In the article, explore the political, emotional, and thematic problem produced by bad parenting.

Reflection How are your skills in textual analysis progressing? How far have you come in the last year? What are you still struggling with? What are some methods you think would help you to further improve?

Soliloquy! Analyze one of Hamlet’s Soliloquys here:

Conversation skillz Examine one of the conversations with your group: Hamlet and Ophelia (78-80) Hamlet and Ophelia (87-94 behind the play) Hamlet and R&G (95-98) What does it reveal about the character’s relationships? About Hamlet’s character?

CLIMAX Some people consider Act III, scene iii to be the climax of the play. Why? What do you think makes it important? How does Dramatic Irony play a role in our understanding of the scene? How do Claudius’s and Hamlet’s speeches develop their characters in III, iii?

Mommy dearest! What is the relationship between Hamlet and Gertrude like? What can you learn from this scene? (Consider how we discussed other parent/child relationships.) What arguments does Hamlet make to Gertrude? How does she respond? What does he want her to do? What does the arrival of the Ghost mean? How does it influence Hamlet and his actions?

Another Soliloquy Time to analyze a soliloquy! Break down the language, ideas, and form of the soliloquy on pages on your paper. Express your knowledge of the context and your personal interpretation. Recognize the artistry of the passage. Organize your ideas and use appropriate language to the task. (In other words, follow the rubric!) Also, compare his ideas to his previous soliloquies—pages 15-16, 71, 76-77!

Loyalties 1.Act IV, i: Who is Gertrude loyal to? Does she respond as you expected after her conversation in III, iv? 2.How does Hamlet’s encounter with Fortinbras influence him and his plans? 3.Because this is Shakespeare’s longest play and somewhat impractical to perform in its entirety, the scene in which Hamlet meets Fortinbras is usually cut. What is lost when this scene is removed?

Love? His passions do not that way tend… Does Hamlet love Ophelia? What does the argument with Laertes show about him? How have Hamlet’s ideas of death changed over time? Compare his ideas here with his ideas over Polonius’s death and his initial ideas about death.