Today, we are needing to finish Act 1, and that means:
Read Act 1, Sc 5-7. Aloud is best with partners.
Write a character description of Lady Macbeth based upon what little we see.
Translate and similarly note the meaning of and behind Lady Mac's soliloquy in Act 1 Sc 5 "beginning with The raven himself is hoarse...
Evaluate Macbeth's interactions with his wife in these scenes.
Consider who holds the power in these scenes.
Consider each character's motives in these scenes.
Consider Macbeth's reactions to his wife.
Consider Lady Macbeth's reactions to him.
Predict where this business appears to be going... (I know you know, but we're looking for evidence for why you think these things...)
Thursday, March 29, 2012
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
ENG3U
READ Macbeth Act 1, Scenes 2-5 - aloud with a partner or small group would be good
MAKE a character web - who are the characters we meet who appear to carry the play? (the main characters) - how are they interrelated? how do we see them? what do we learn about them? Have at least 5 characters in your web.
NOTE the main events in these acts as best you can.
LOOK UP words and phrases you don’t know or are confusing (this could take some time)
TRANSLATE Macbeth’s soliloquy after he meets the witches
WRITE a short, modern language news article about the events of the battle that Macbeth took part in (on Duncan’s behalf)
READ Macbeth Act 1, Scenes 2-5 - aloud with a partner or small group would be good
MAKE a character web - who are the characters we meet who appear to carry the play? (the main characters) - how are they interrelated? how do we see them? what do we learn about them? Have at least 5 characters in your web.
NOTE the main events in these acts as best you can.
LOOK UP words and phrases you don’t know or are confusing (this could take some time)
TRANSLATE Macbeth’s soliloquy after he meets the witches
WRITE a short, modern language news article about the events of the battle that Macbeth took part in (on Duncan’s behalf)
Monday, March 26, 2012
Monday, March 26, 2012
You are taking your own notes on Macbeth.
pathetic fallacy
Morality plays
The Divine Right of Kings
hierarchy
aristocracy - THANES (earl, baron, lord, duke, etc)
feudal system - king gives stuff to baron, dukes, lords, THANES, etc
Stuff means estates, land and titles
WIth stuff like that comes a bunch of responsibilities and a bunch of serfs (peasant farmers who work the land the lords were given)
Peasants own nothing. Peasants get subsistence - enough to eat.
There is a warrior class that rules - these lords, and their close friends and followers, are called KNIGHTS - the ruling class was a warrior class - they didn’t do farm work because they had the job of fighting when the king said. Remember those responsibilities? This is the big one.
Teenagers were great knights! Crazy, self-confident to a fault, easy to manipulate, more violent, etc.
pathetic fallacy
Morality plays
The Divine Right of Kings
hierarchy
aristocracy - THANES (earl, baron, lord, duke, etc)
feudal system - king gives stuff to baron, dukes, lords, THANES, etc
Stuff means estates, land and titles
WIth stuff like that comes a bunch of responsibilities and a bunch of serfs (peasant farmers who work the land the lords were given)
Peasants own nothing. Peasants get subsistence - enough to eat.
There is a warrior class that rules - these lords, and their close friends and followers, are called KNIGHTS - the ruling class was a warrior class - they didn’t do farm work because they had the job of fighting when the king said. Remember those responsibilities? This is the big one.
Teenagers were great knights! Crazy, self-confident to a fault, easy to manipulate, more violent, etc.
Thursday, March 22, 2012
Thursday, March 22, 2012
Macbeth - William Shakespeare
Written around 1600.
Story takes place in the 11th Century - 1000 AD - 1100 AD
Why would we read stuff from this time period, about that time period, written by that guy?
There is at least ONE good reason why we would grapple with this guy’s stuff
from a dramatic perspective, Shakespeare created much of what we think of as entertainment (in terms of the structure) - his work is kind of a foundation for modern works of art
from a language perspective, the same! he was a neologist of unbelievable influence - he somehow was able to make up words that are still with us and clearly, caught on in his lifetime - some estimate he contributed 400 words to the language (and phrases) - he literally helped make our language
from an historical perspective, we can chart the process and progress of writing and drama and elements of story and style - create a sense of continuity that can be powerful - “Those who do not study history are doomed to repeat it.”
there is an intrinsic artistic value to this material - it is powerful and it is interesting and it used to be the dominant popular culture - it was movies
because it is hard - sometimes we do things because they are challenging that makes us better, smarter and gives us something that we need - “cutting teeth” - remember that idea of the dialectic? thesis + antithesis = synthesis - something plus struggle = progress - initial state plus forced change = growth/maturity
Another problem with reading Shakespeare: (or maybe more)
It is weird - the language is weird - it is not easy to read.
read it out loud as much as possible - it actually helps
read the sentences, not the lines
define, define, define
how else can I get this into my brain? comic book? movie? translated version? play? audiobook? DON’T LET THAT OTHER WAY BE THE ONLY WAY!
KEEP NOTES ON THE PLAY
the stories are complex and the character names are funny - “I had to study how to spell the names.”
keep a character log or web - keep a small list of key characters with thumbnail sketches (not actual sketches) I mean written
graphic organizer will help
we are used to doing things that do not challenge us - we are trained to be passive viewers of pap
we know we get marks for doing well - the process is worth “money” (marks)
you will receive a sense of great internal satisfaction by achieving at a standard that your peers last semester could NOT, because they were weak and pathetic
there are lots of distractions -
block out times to read and use them - this play is worth marks galore
use some kind of isolation technique
it is being tested by some old man - ugh - work
get used to it - this is the way of life...
Who is Macbeth?
He was a real king in Scotland in the 11th Century

Mac Bethad mac Findláich, known in English as Macbeth, was born in around 1005. His father was Finlay, Mormaer of Moray, and his mother may have been Donada, second daughter of Malcolm II. A 'mormaer' was literally a high steward of one of the ancient Celtic provinces of Scotland, but in Latin documents the word is usually translated as 'comes', which means earl.
In August 1040, he killed the ruling king, Duncan I, in battle near Elgin, Morayshire. Macbeth became king. His marriage to Kenneth III's granddaughter Gruoch strengthened his claim to the throne. In 1045, Macbeth defeated and killed Duncan I's father Crinan at Dunkeld.
For 14 years, Macbeth seems to have ruled equably, imposing law and order and encouraging Christianity. In 1050, he is known to have travelled to Rome for a papal jubilee. He was also a brave leader and made successful forays over the border into Northumbria, England.
In 1054, Macbeth was challenged by Siward, Earl of Northumbria, who was attempting to return Duncan's son Malcolm Canmore, who was his nephew, to the throne. In August 1057, Macbeth was killed at the Battle of Lumphanan in Aberdeenshire by Malcolm Canmore (later Malcolm III).
Why would Shakespeare make this guy evil?
It’s way more fun to read and watch.
Drama comes from CONFLICT and the most useful main character to create conflict is a character called a TRAGIC HERO.
A TRAGIC HERO is a character type that is as old as plays themselves - the Greeks (as usual) came up with this fun guy of character (see: Oedipus)
What is the tragic hero?
Starts on a high note - loved, honoured, has all great qualities, is a pinnacle of humankind and usually is going to an even higher point
But wait! There is some TRAGIC FLAW lurking within this hero and this tragic flaw is often called HUBRIS - the sin of PRIDE, the sense of one’s own great worth, the overestimation of what one deserves. Those who suffer this are often in a position of power.
There is a FALL that comes as a direct result of this HUBRIS, this TRAGIC FLAW. This fall comes as the TRAGIC HERO aims a little too high and allows his/her greed for power to control and overpower his/her morals.
This tragic flaw will result in NEMESIS! This is the direct enemy of the tragic hero - the RETRIBUTION or revenge or punishment or consequences. The direct and expected result of the flaw. Whatever the tragic hero did will create the exact expected punishment. There should be some line or connection from the HUBRIS to the NEMESIS.
The audience learns a great deal from the fall of the tragic hero. We all learn and we all see the reward for that sin of pride. This is a lesson to teach people about their place and power and what happens when we allow our egos to grow too strong.
What about the world at this time?
The Middle Ages - swords and shields, castles, knights, monarchism, kings, The Crusade, jousting, war, dirty, superstition, witchcraft, EXTREMELY RELIGIOUS
eg - The Pope at that time was in a conflict with a person called The Holy Roman Emperor - this conflict resulted in the Emperor being excommunicated from the Church and to get back in, he crawled through Rome on his knees and came before the Pope and apologized
Religion was BOSS and everything else was WAY in the backseat.
Apocalyptic World!
The intelligent people at the turn of the century “knew” that when it got to 1000, it would be the end of the world. So, they didn’t plan anything. Or set up for anything. Or try to learn anything new. They just kept studying the one thing that was important - The Bible.
It was a time of complete surrender to death and misery and Apocalypse.
Funny part?
2012!
Written around 1600.
Story takes place in the 11th Century - 1000 AD - 1100 AD
Why would we read stuff from this time period, about that time period, written by that guy?
There is at least ONE good reason why we would grapple with this guy’s stuff
from a dramatic perspective, Shakespeare created much of what we think of as entertainment (in terms of the structure) - his work is kind of a foundation for modern works of art
from a language perspective, the same! he was a neologist of unbelievable influence - he somehow was able to make up words that are still with us and clearly, caught on in his lifetime - some estimate he contributed 400 words to the language (and phrases) - he literally helped make our language
from an historical perspective, we can chart the process and progress of writing and drama and elements of story and style - create a sense of continuity that can be powerful - “Those who do not study history are doomed to repeat it.”
there is an intrinsic artistic value to this material - it is powerful and it is interesting and it used to be the dominant popular culture - it was movies
because it is hard - sometimes we do things because they are challenging that makes us better, smarter and gives us something that we need - “cutting teeth” - remember that idea of the dialectic? thesis + antithesis = synthesis - something plus struggle = progress - initial state plus forced change = growth/maturity
Another problem with reading Shakespeare: (or maybe more)
It is weird - the language is weird - it is not easy to read.
read it out loud as much as possible - it actually helps
read the sentences, not the lines
define, define, define
how else can I get this into my brain? comic book? movie? translated version? play? audiobook? DON’T LET THAT OTHER WAY BE THE ONLY WAY!
KEEP NOTES ON THE PLAY
the stories are complex and the character names are funny - “I had to study how to spell the names.”
keep a character log or web - keep a small list of key characters with thumbnail sketches (not actual sketches) I mean written
graphic organizer will help
we are used to doing things that do not challenge us - we are trained to be passive viewers of pap
we know we get marks for doing well - the process is worth “money” (marks)
you will receive a sense of great internal satisfaction by achieving at a standard that your peers last semester could NOT, because they were weak and pathetic
there are lots of distractions -
block out times to read and use them - this play is worth marks galore
use some kind of isolation technique
it is being tested by some old man - ugh - work
get used to it - this is the way of life...
Who is Macbeth?
He was a real king in Scotland in the 11th Century

Mac Bethad mac Findláich, known in English as Macbeth, was born in around 1005. His father was Finlay, Mormaer of Moray, and his mother may have been Donada, second daughter of Malcolm II. A 'mormaer' was literally a high steward of one of the ancient Celtic provinces of Scotland, but in Latin documents the word is usually translated as 'comes', which means earl.
In August 1040, he killed the ruling king, Duncan I, in battle near Elgin, Morayshire. Macbeth became king. His marriage to Kenneth III's granddaughter Gruoch strengthened his claim to the throne. In 1045, Macbeth defeated and killed Duncan I's father Crinan at Dunkeld.
For 14 years, Macbeth seems to have ruled equably, imposing law and order and encouraging Christianity. In 1050, he is known to have travelled to Rome for a papal jubilee. He was also a brave leader and made successful forays over the border into Northumbria, England.
In 1054, Macbeth was challenged by Siward, Earl of Northumbria, who was attempting to return Duncan's son Malcolm Canmore, who was his nephew, to the throne. In August 1057, Macbeth was killed at the Battle of Lumphanan in Aberdeenshire by Malcolm Canmore (later Malcolm III).
Why would Shakespeare make this guy evil?
It’s way more fun to read and watch.
Drama comes from CONFLICT and the most useful main character to create conflict is a character called a TRAGIC HERO.
A TRAGIC HERO is a character type that is as old as plays themselves - the Greeks (as usual) came up with this fun guy of character (see: Oedipus)
What is the tragic hero?
Starts on a high note - loved, honoured, has all great qualities, is a pinnacle of humankind and usually is going to an even higher point
But wait! There is some TRAGIC FLAW lurking within this hero and this tragic flaw is often called HUBRIS - the sin of PRIDE, the sense of one’s own great worth, the overestimation of what one deserves. Those who suffer this are often in a position of power.
There is a FALL that comes as a direct result of this HUBRIS, this TRAGIC FLAW. This fall comes as the TRAGIC HERO aims a little too high and allows his/her greed for power to control and overpower his/her morals.
This tragic flaw will result in NEMESIS! This is the direct enemy of the tragic hero - the RETRIBUTION or revenge or punishment or consequences. The direct and expected result of the flaw. Whatever the tragic hero did will create the exact expected punishment. There should be some line or connection from the HUBRIS to the NEMESIS.
The audience learns a great deal from the fall of the tragic hero. We all learn and we all see the reward for that sin of pride. This is a lesson to teach people about their place and power and what happens when we allow our egos to grow too strong.
What about the world at this time?
The Middle Ages - swords and shields, castles, knights, monarchism, kings, The Crusade, jousting, war, dirty, superstition, witchcraft, EXTREMELY RELIGIOUS
eg - The Pope at that time was in a conflict with a person called The Holy Roman Emperor - this conflict resulted in the Emperor being excommunicated from the Church and to get back in, he crawled through Rome on his knees and came before the Pope and apologized
Religion was BOSS and everything else was WAY in the backseat.
Apocalyptic World!
The intelligent people at the turn of the century “knew” that when it got to 1000, it would be the end of the world. So, they didn’t plan anything. Or set up for anything. Or try to learn anything new. They just kept studying the one thing that was important - The Bible.
It was a time of complete surrender to death and misery and Apocalypse.
Funny part?
2012!
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Finish Poster
THEN - find a poem that you can, as a group, apply your poster material to
This is the first part of the poetry SUMMATIVE
Poetry Summative:
Choose a poet that you think has an interesting life or some “hook” that pulls you in.
Give some bio info that would inform the reader to look for certain things in the poetry
Put this into some kind of presentation - your choice (multimedia=good)
Find THREE poems by that poet that are representative of something from that poet’s life - LINK these poems to the info from the life story (1/2 to 1 page)
Choose ONE poem to analyse according to your plan (from the poster)
Individually:
Write THREE poems that somehow tell me something about YOU in the same way.
How do I Get LEVEL FOUR$
deep analysis - how low can you go? higher order thinking - symbols, connection, associations and applying the poem to life or vice versa
choice of poet is smart - some poets are cooler than others (ie some had weird lives)
how much info do you SHOW and how much research do you DO
PRESENTATION - what kind of communication skills do you use?
CREATIVITY and using the reverse engineering on your own poems - looking at, and study, pro poems should upgrade your own poems (should)
Charles Bukowski
Sylvia Plath
Irving Layton
ee cummings
Lawrence Ferlinghetti
Allen Ginsberg
Bob Dylan
Jim Morrison
Samuel Coleridge
Percy Bysse Shelley
Elizabeth Barrett Browning
Siegfried Sassoon
Gary Snyder
Gregory Corso
THEN - find a poem that you can, as a group, apply your poster material to
This is the first part of the poetry SUMMATIVE
Poetry Summative:
Choose a poet that you think has an interesting life or some “hook” that pulls you in.
Give some bio info that would inform the reader to look for certain things in the poetry
Put this into some kind of presentation - your choice (multimedia=good)
Find THREE poems by that poet that are representative of something from that poet’s life - LINK these poems to the info from the life story (1/2 to 1 page)
Choose ONE poem to analyse according to your plan (from the poster)
Individually:
Write THREE poems that somehow tell me something about YOU in the same way.
How do I Get LEVEL FOUR$
deep analysis - how low can you go? higher order thinking - symbols, connection, associations and applying the poem to life or vice versa
choice of poet is smart - some poets are cooler than others (ie some had weird lives)
how much info do you SHOW and how much research do you DO
PRESENTATION - what kind of communication skills do you use?
CREATIVITY and using the reverse engineering on your own poems - looking at, and study, pro poems should upgrade your own poems (should)
Charles Bukowski
Sylvia Plath
Irving Layton
ee cummings
Lawrence Ferlinghetti
Allen Ginsberg
Bob Dylan
Jim Morrison
Samuel Coleridge
Percy Bysse Shelley
Elizabeth Barrett Browning
Siegfried Sassoon
Gary Snyder
Gregory Corso
Monday, March 19, 2012
Monday, March 19, 2012
Looking at Charles Bukowski's "Dinosauria, We"
We started by listening to Jason Silva.
Here's a little analysis of it found online on a student blog.
She's got some great ideas.
Dinosauria, We Essay. Tell me what you think!
Naomi McPherson
Stephanie Lytle
English 4
4 Dec 2010
Sorrowful Deadliness: an analysis of Dinosauria, We
In Dinosauria, We by Charles Bukowski, he highlights the idea that as humans, are functioning within a modern dystopian society that we have inherited. He rages with misanthropy towards the human species in general, and hints that this is only one cycle of destruction that is doomed to be repeated.
The title of the poem, at first glance, is nonsensical. After reading the poem, the title suggests that we, as a society, are going to become extinct - and, in fact, be the cause of our own downfall and eventual destruction. The line “Born into” is repeated throughout the poem, suggesting that although we are not solely the causes of our grim societal state, we can do nothing to combat its digression because we are merely the inheritors. The concept of what the ‘this’ is can be interpreted many different ways. The readers individual concept of what the ‘this’ truly is helps to shape the poem as the reader views it.
The poem seems to take place in many different time periods - present, past and future. Bukowski addresses the futility of government and education in the first section “As political landscapes dissolve / As the supermarket bag boy holds a college degree / As the oily fish spit out their oily prey / As the sun is masked” The beginning of the poem seems to detail how the end begins, oddly enough. The downfall of political power, the uselessness of education and extreme pollution are all things that have been topics in dystopian literature. In this poem, Bukowski sets it in the present in order to drive in the fact that we, as we are, function within a dystopian setting. A real live 1984, Brave New World, Fahrenheit 451. Although he does not go into detail of the cause of the downfall, one can relate his tone to just a general feeling of misanthropy towards humankind. He conveys a feeling of negativity harbored towards people in general, possibly believing that their inherent flaws have always caused this world to be a dystopia.
The short, choppy and fragmented flow of the poem conveys the feeling of desperation that it intends to portray. Bukowski makes use of a list-like format, detailing the effects on humans, rather than the effects on the whole. He speaks in one section about drugs replacing God because God does not provide necessary support for the people within society. “The fingers reach for the throat / The gun / The knife / The bomb / The fingers reach toward an unresponsive god / The fingers reach for the bottle / The pill / The powder / We are born into this sorrowful deadliness”. He also depicts that humans will become inherently more violent towards each other as a means of coping, survival, recklessness. Murder will run rampant and people will have no morals or self-control. This section also foreshadows a downfall of the masses into drug dependence - much like the prominent use of the drug soma in Huxley’s Brave New World. The dependence on drugs, and the emphasis (or non-emphasis) on religion are both prominent topics within Dystopian literature. Just as soma was used to repress the presence of feelings within the World State society in Huxley’s novel (the drug once being referred to as “Christianity without tears”), Bukowski alludes that tangible, recognizable pills and other drugs will be used as a alternative to religion and the “unresponsive god”.
Bukowski concludes the poem by stating blatantly that the cycle is doomed to be repeated, whether it be by humans or another society of beings. He alludes to some sort of solace found in the aftermath of man’s self-created decimation in the final few lines of the poem; “And there will be the most beautiful silence never heard / Born out of that / The sun still hidden there / Awaiting the next chapter.” The circle of life and optimism are crushed by Bukowski’s blatant pessimism throughout this poem and his idea of, essentially, a cycle of destruction. The self-perpetuating, inherited flaw that mankind possesses creates his own destruction. The poem conveys an overall theme of helplessness, and the hopelessness of life itself – all qualities that are most certainly depicted in all dystopian novels.
And then, we started the next key assignment:
Coming Up With A Group Poetry Analysis Poster
Areas to Consider Including:
the meaning - the W5 approach
the poet and the context
style and structure - poetic devices, imagery, genre, form, etc
symbolism - discussing and assessing and analysing
allusions, allegory or other references (or definitions)
personal response (emotional, artistic, etc)
What to do?
A set of responses or activities that any student could follow.
A process that has a logical order - don’t start too deep - build to depth
maybe there would be pieces in modules - chunks within chunks (or questions within certain areas)
Some kind of very specific plan, with literal lines to fill in
I will assign marks for design, presentation and froufrou as well.
These will be posted for handy reference.
Due: Wednesday of this week
We started by listening to Jason Silva.
IMAGINATION from Jason Silva on Vimeo.
Here's a little analysis of it found online on a student blog.
She's got some great ideas.
Dinosauria, We Essay. Tell me what you think!
Naomi McPherson
Stephanie Lytle
English 4
4 Dec 2010
Sorrowful Deadliness: an analysis of Dinosauria, We
In Dinosauria, We by Charles Bukowski, he highlights the idea that as humans, are functioning within a modern dystopian society that we have inherited. He rages with misanthropy towards the human species in general, and hints that this is only one cycle of destruction that is doomed to be repeated.
The title of the poem, at first glance, is nonsensical. After reading the poem, the title suggests that we, as a society, are going to become extinct - and, in fact, be the cause of our own downfall and eventual destruction. The line “Born into” is repeated throughout the poem, suggesting that although we are not solely the causes of our grim societal state, we can do nothing to combat its digression because we are merely the inheritors. The concept of what the ‘this’ is can be interpreted many different ways. The readers individual concept of what the ‘this’ truly is helps to shape the poem as the reader views it.
The poem seems to take place in many different time periods - present, past and future. Bukowski addresses the futility of government and education in the first section “As political landscapes dissolve / As the supermarket bag boy holds a college degree / As the oily fish spit out their oily prey / As the sun is masked” The beginning of the poem seems to detail how the end begins, oddly enough. The downfall of political power, the uselessness of education and extreme pollution are all things that have been topics in dystopian literature. In this poem, Bukowski sets it in the present in order to drive in the fact that we, as we are, function within a dystopian setting. A real live 1984, Brave New World, Fahrenheit 451. Although he does not go into detail of the cause of the downfall, one can relate his tone to just a general feeling of misanthropy towards humankind. He conveys a feeling of negativity harbored towards people in general, possibly believing that their inherent flaws have always caused this world to be a dystopia.
The short, choppy and fragmented flow of the poem conveys the feeling of desperation that it intends to portray. Bukowski makes use of a list-like format, detailing the effects on humans, rather than the effects on the whole. He speaks in one section about drugs replacing God because God does not provide necessary support for the people within society. “The fingers reach for the throat / The gun / The knife / The bomb / The fingers reach toward an unresponsive god / The fingers reach for the bottle / The pill / The powder / We are born into this sorrowful deadliness”. He also depicts that humans will become inherently more violent towards each other as a means of coping, survival, recklessness. Murder will run rampant and people will have no morals or self-control. This section also foreshadows a downfall of the masses into drug dependence - much like the prominent use of the drug soma in Huxley’s Brave New World. The dependence on drugs, and the emphasis (or non-emphasis) on religion are both prominent topics within Dystopian literature. Just as soma was used to repress the presence of feelings within the World State society in Huxley’s novel (the drug once being referred to as “Christianity without tears”), Bukowski alludes that tangible, recognizable pills and other drugs will be used as a alternative to religion and the “unresponsive god”.
Bukowski concludes the poem by stating blatantly that the cycle is doomed to be repeated, whether it be by humans or another society of beings. He alludes to some sort of solace found in the aftermath of man’s self-created decimation in the final few lines of the poem; “And there will be the most beautiful silence never heard / Born out of that / The sun still hidden there / Awaiting the next chapter.” The circle of life and optimism are crushed by Bukowski’s blatant pessimism throughout this poem and his idea of, essentially, a cycle of destruction. The self-perpetuating, inherited flaw that mankind possesses creates his own destruction. The poem conveys an overall theme of helplessness, and the hopelessness of life itself – all qualities that are most certainly depicted in all dystopian novels.
And then, we started the next key assignment:
Coming Up With A Group Poetry Analysis Poster
Areas to Consider Including:
the meaning - the W5 approach
the poet and the context
style and structure - poetic devices, imagery, genre, form, etc
symbolism - discussing and assessing and analysing
allusions, allegory or other references (or definitions)
personal response (emotional, artistic, etc)
What to do?
A set of responses or activities that any student could follow.
A process that has a logical order - don’t start too deep - build to depth
maybe there would be pieces in modules - chunks within chunks (or questions within certain areas)
Some kind of very specific plan, with literal lines to fill in
I will assign marks for design, presentation and froufrou as well.
These will be posted for handy reference.
Due: Wednesday of this week
Thursday, March 8, 2012
Thursday, March 8 2012
Today’s Activities:
Finish the material from yestiddy.
Moo vaughn to the Poem. This one will be looking for SYMBOLISM.
Symbolism -
things can mean other things
those other things are usually more complex and wider in scope and may have to do with UNIVERSALS - issues that affect all people probably throughout time (some of them don’t affect only specific time periods - note: see the poem from yestiddy)
ie refugees are always with us - we might see images of refugees or symbols that suggest something about the refugee experience
what could you see as an image or a reference in a poem that might suggest something about the refugee experience?
1. one trick - words have multiple meanings - ie in Goya, groaning can have multiple layers of meaning
people can groan - with pain, with tears, with the weight of something, with struggle or as they die
a wooden cart can groan under the weight of objects
2. What COULD X mean?
3. Find things that also have value - negative, positive, light, dark,
cement - hard, heavy, powerful, gray, ominous, same colour as old black and white photos of war, same colour as uniforms, bullets, barrels, weapons, etc.
The value could be emotional, historical, sociological, scientific, etc
To find these things, it may help to read the poem aloud and play it.
Finish the material from yestiddy.
Moo vaughn to the Poem. This one will be looking for SYMBOLISM.
Symbolism -
things can mean other things
those other things are usually more complex and wider in scope and may have to do with UNIVERSALS - issues that affect all people probably throughout time (some of them don’t affect only specific time periods - note: see the poem from yestiddy)
ie refugees are always with us - we might see images of refugees or symbols that suggest something about the refugee experience
what could you see as an image or a reference in a poem that might suggest something about the refugee experience?
1. one trick - words have multiple meanings - ie in Goya, groaning can have multiple layers of meaning
people can groan - with pain, with tears, with the weight of something, with struggle or as they die
a wooden cart can groan under the weight of objects
2. What COULD X mean?
3. Find things that also have value - negative, positive, light, dark,
cement - hard, heavy, powerful, gray, ominous, same colour as old black and white photos of war, same colour as uniforms, bullets, barrels, weapons, etc.
The value could be emotional, historical, sociological, scientific, etc
To find these things, it may help to read the poem aloud and play it.
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
In Goya’s Greatest Scenes We Seem To See
Formative - Did we come up with good Qs and As?
Generate questions that follow into an analysis. No content. No simple comprehension.
We’re setting up to have a pattern to follow that we will make.
Work in a team to solve a group problem -> coming up with your own pattern through Qs.
In pairs or groups - if groups, swap left
Read the poem.
Take some time to prepare - research? context? digging in group?
Come up with THREE questions that require thoughtful response.
Answer the THREE questions (in rough).
Submit for formative check. I will comment specifically on problems.
Marking for:
depth
symbols
considering deeply
finding outside elements to bring in or vice versa
context and knowledge applied (ie allusions to historical characters, etc)
quality of answer to indicate understanding
Formative - Did we come up with good Qs and As?
Generate questions that follow into an analysis. No content. No simple comprehension.
We’re setting up to have a pattern to follow that we will make.
Work in a team to solve a group problem -> coming up with your own pattern through Qs.
In pairs or groups - if groups, swap left
Read the poem.
Take some time to prepare - research? context? digging in group?
Come up with THREE questions that require thoughtful response.
Answer the THREE questions (in rough).
Submit for formative check. I will comment specifically on problems.
Marking for:
depth
symbols
considering deeply
finding outside elements to bring in or vice versa
context and knowledge applied (ie allusions to historical characters, etc)
quality of answer to indicate understanding
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Tuesday, Mar 6, 2012
1958 -
What are we doing?
- learning a pattern of thinking and analysis for poetry
taking something into the next classes (4U) and into a poetry assignment
teach a pattern for you to use in place of questions
we want to find ways to dig deeper - symbols and allegories and deeper meanings
1958
Context - we have to learn (for analysis) something about the 50s
we look for stuff in the poem that we recognize as fitting the era
we know these things aren’t NOW and we see the title, so we assume -
research or consider common cultural knowledge - ie movies, other songs, etc
things IN the poem and things we just KNOW
this poem has a title that suggests, hey, we need to contextualize
fashion elements - musical elements - subject matter - formal conventions (the way something is done - ie black and white, slower paced editing)
Form = glass
Content = water
Recap the Whole Decade
post WW2, this is big deal - the entire world has been shaken to the core
The Holocaust - Nuclear Weapons - Communism
Rock and Roll came out of nowhere (not true) in 1956 - where did it come from?
Black culture - WHAT!? This must be a very bad, scary, dangerous kind of music! because black people are bad, scary, dangerous people (if, in fact, they are actually people) - the belief at the time wasn’t too far from this
the onset of teen culture -
the rise of modern advertising - super manipulative, psy-ops tricks
teenage life becomes something depicted as separate and special and it becomes a marketing target for everyone
nostalgia makes people forget the bad things, or romanticize them in a strange way
savages of the Fifties - ruthless - why? white, middle-class, 50s kids with cars and clothes and money and selfish desires and they are ignorant of the lives and problems and feelings of others -
terrible perfect bodies - you’re at your peak here, folks - this is when you’re at your best - “youth is beauty” and that beauty, when combined with the ruthlessness above can make for a nasty combo - they are fake
imagery - kind of - referring to the smells - the writer is sensitive
slang talk, cool cat talk - ridic now, but we have the same stuff
the girls are focus on, especially their clothes, which tells us about the narrator
the mean girls have a code of clothing and behaviour and this narrator is not following the code - just like today
Xenobia - Cat Woman - images of female strength and violence - a nice way to describe the Queen of the School -
what is the factor that makes any kid a “Queen of the School” - confidence
tough = confidence = can’t be hurt
“the boys learned shop and the girls sewed shaky seams” - Western Technical High School- old fashioned sex roles for men and women
these are kids who are right on the lower middle class rung - not rich, not poor, lower middle and will always be there.
the kids in this school expect X and that is all - they are already at their peak in every way
this pattern, this expectation structure IS the 50s - it IS 1958
the 60s show us the reaction to this world that this poem is about
What are we doing?
- learning a pattern of thinking and analysis for poetry
taking something into the next classes (4U) and into a poetry assignment
teach a pattern for you to use in place of questions
we want to find ways to dig deeper - symbols and allegories and deeper meanings
1958
Context - we have to learn (for analysis) something about the 50s
we look for stuff in the poem that we recognize as fitting the era
we know these things aren’t NOW and we see the title, so we assume -
research or consider common cultural knowledge - ie movies, other songs, etc
things IN the poem and things we just KNOW
this poem has a title that suggests, hey, we need to contextualize
fashion elements - musical elements - subject matter - formal conventions (the way something is done - ie black and white, slower paced editing)
Form = glass
Content = water
Recap the Whole Decade
post WW2, this is big deal - the entire world has been shaken to the core
The Holocaust - Nuclear Weapons - Communism
Rock and Roll came out of nowhere (not true) in 1956 - where did it come from?
Black culture - WHAT!? This must be a very bad, scary, dangerous kind of music! because black people are bad, scary, dangerous people (if, in fact, they are actually people) - the belief at the time wasn’t too far from this
the onset of teen culture -
the rise of modern advertising - super manipulative, psy-ops tricks
teenage life becomes something depicted as separate and special and it becomes a marketing target for everyone
nostalgia makes people forget the bad things, or romanticize them in a strange way
savages of the Fifties - ruthless - why? white, middle-class, 50s kids with cars and clothes and money and selfish desires and they are ignorant of the lives and problems and feelings of others -
terrible perfect bodies - you’re at your peak here, folks - this is when you’re at your best - “youth is beauty” and that beauty, when combined with the ruthlessness above can make for a nasty combo - they are fake
imagery - kind of - referring to the smells - the writer is sensitive
slang talk, cool cat talk - ridic now, but we have the same stuff
the girls are focus on, especially their clothes, which tells us about the narrator
the mean girls have a code of clothing and behaviour and this narrator is not following the code - just like today
Xenobia - Cat Woman - images of female strength and violence - a nice way to describe the Queen of the School -
what is the factor that makes any kid a “Queen of the School” - confidence
tough = confidence = can’t be hurt
“the boys learned shop and the girls sewed shaky seams” - Western Technical High School- old fashioned sex roles for men and women
these are kids who are right on the lower middle class rung - not rich, not poor, lower middle and will always be there.
the kids in this school expect X and that is all - they are already at their peak in every way
this pattern, this expectation structure IS the 50s - it IS 1958
the 60s show us the reaction to this world that this poem is about
Friday, March 2, 2012
Friday, Mar 2, 2012
iBooks Author (Mac only - Mac store)
OpenOffice Presentations
Corel Presentations
MS PowerPoint
Prezi
Keynote
iMovie
Google Presentations
Learning Goals:
Implement a system/pattern for poetry analysis
Build a set of skills for presentations
Implement knowledge of context in analysis - ie time period, poet’s life, poet herself, etc
Develop a “critical eye” and be able think deeper
Learn about seeing with a “child’s eye”
What does it mean to see with a child’s eye and what does that have to do with Poetry?
What about the Human Brain?
two hemispheres
maybe our brains are MORE than we even think
brain is memory, brain is emotion, brain is personality, brain is SELF -
how is it possible that a five cup ball of mush can be you?
your brain is your ONLY ticket to reality - PERIOD
The brain is two main parts with a little thing in the middle called the CORPUS CALLOSUM.
Things that require activity from either side must go through this little pathway. This is a good model for thinking of any brain activity.
EVERY single thing you do is a system of activity - your brain is actually working like a team
SPEECH - memory - muscle movements - comprehension of words - formation of words - emotion - visual element - sound - etc
How does this SYSTEM form?
Babies are born ready to be structured by their experiences.
New things literally form new neural pathways. - Experiences literally create the brain.
Babies react to things in a very pure way. They haven’t got a reference for new things, so their response is natural and very much based upon their senses.
Free of preconception and judgment.
The brain is formed by the variety and differences to accept more and more and more stuff. More stuff, more experiences = more pathways = more growth and more abilities
If babies need new experiences, and if babies react very honestly and naturally and without prejudgment, then we could also suggest that poets need to approach reality with a child’s or a baby’s eye.
There is a part of our brain that is the opposite of a baby - there is a part of our brain that just behaves automatically.
The older we get, the more likely we are to follow patterns and routines and to follow this unconscious brain without reflecting upon it in any way.
This part of our brain just KNOWS stuff, it stops observing and it stops thinking.
A poet, a baby and Sherlock Holmes all should share the ability to ACTUALLY perceive and then the poet is able to describe.
Cliches - a repeated, often-used, trite (and now much reduced in interest and power) turn of phrase or idea or description (or anything)
A person who doesn’t observe is more likely to resort to cliche
You want to begin to value the way things really are. You want to begin to SEE for real. And hear for real. etc.
The Sense Challenge
Pick one or two or three of your senses that you like.
Do something that is socially acceptable that engages all of these senses.
Try to deeply engage in that sensual input.
Try to really think about what you’re sensing.
Really feel/smell/taste/see/hear/ESP exactly what’s happening.
THEN, try to describe it in as interesting a way as possible.
Example - FOOD of a complex nature.
Burrito Taste Adventure
avocado - soft, flavourless, fatty texture
cabbage - crunchy, sweetish, tinny flavour
coca powder in some kind of chili - beans, tomatoes, chili powder, cumin, lime juice, coriander, soy sauce or anchovy paste
chicken or pork - cook and shred into threads
hot peppers or hot pepper sauce
sour cream
strong cheddar
salsa
french fries down the middle
DO the crazy sundae - all kinds of candy and sweets and junk
OpenOffice Presentations
Corel Presentations
MS PowerPoint
Prezi
Keynote
iMovie
Google Presentations
Learning Goals:
Implement a system/pattern for poetry analysis
Build a set of skills for presentations
Implement knowledge of context in analysis - ie time period, poet’s life, poet herself, etc
Develop a “critical eye” and be able think deeper
Learn about seeing with a “child’s eye”
What does it mean to see with a child’s eye and what does that have to do with Poetry?
What about the Human Brain?
two hemispheres
maybe our brains are MORE than we even think
brain is memory, brain is emotion, brain is personality, brain is SELF -
how is it possible that a five cup ball of mush can be you?
your brain is your ONLY ticket to reality - PERIOD
The brain is two main parts with a little thing in the middle called the CORPUS CALLOSUM.
Things that require activity from either side must go through this little pathway. This is a good model for thinking of any brain activity.
EVERY single thing you do is a system of activity - your brain is actually working like a team
SPEECH - memory - muscle movements - comprehension of words - formation of words - emotion - visual element - sound - etc
How does this SYSTEM form?
Babies are born ready to be structured by their experiences.
New things literally form new neural pathways. - Experiences literally create the brain.
Babies react to things in a very pure way. They haven’t got a reference for new things, so their response is natural and very much based upon their senses.
Free of preconception and judgment.
The brain is formed by the variety and differences to accept more and more and more stuff. More stuff, more experiences = more pathways = more growth and more abilities
If babies need new experiences, and if babies react very honestly and naturally and without prejudgment, then we could also suggest that poets need to approach reality with a child’s or a baby’s eye.
There is a part of our brain that is the opposite of a baby - there is a part of our brain that just behaves automatically.
The older we get, the more likely we are to follow patterns and routines and to follow this unconscious brain without reflecting upon it in any way.
This part of our brain just KNOWS stuff, it stops observing and it stops thinking.
A poet, a baby and Sherlock Holmes all should share the ability to ACTUALLY perceive and then the poet is able to describe.
Cliches - a repeated, often-used, trite (and now much reduced in interest and power) turn of phrase or idea or description (or anything)
A person who doesn’t observe is more likely to resort to cliche
You want to begin to value the way things really are. You want to begin to SEE for real. And hear for real. etc.
The Sense Challenge
Pick one or two or three of your senses that you like.
Do something that is socially acceptable that engages all of these senses.
Try to deeply engage in that sensual input.
Try to really think about what you’re sensing.
Really feel/smell/taste/see/hear/ESP exactly what’s happening.
THEN, try to describe it in as interesting a way as possible.
Example - FOOD of a complex nature.
Burrito Taste Adventure
avocado - soft, flavourless, fatty texture
cabbage - crunchy, sweetish, tinny flavour
coca powder in some kind of chili - beans, tomatoes, chili powder, cumin, lime juice, coriander, soy sauce or anchovy paste
chicken or pork - cook and shred into threads
hot peppers or hot pepper sauce
sour cream
strong cheddar
salsa
french fries down the middle
DO the crazy sundae - all kinds of candy and sweets and junk
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