Exit Paper

We have spent all of December working on the play 12th Night and learning about Shakespeare.

Write a 600-700 word paper in which you synthesize your knowledge of the play with your knowledge of Shakespeare and his age. The last essay we read in the TLS made the claim that Shakespeare is to be understood in the context of his life in the culture of Elizabethan/Jamesian theater: he reflects his age and the working conditions.

Focus you paper on the CONNECTIONS between the play and Shakespeare's life in London.

Because this is a broad topic, it is essentially a response paper, in which you discuss anything you like with respect to the play, the playwright and his age. Use the class lectures and the Nicholl (TLS) essay from Friday to help you.

You are writing for an educated audience that wants to know more about the topic. They appreciate good writing; they know some very basic things (you DO NOT need to cover basic biography) about Shakespeare.

You are writing to expand their knowledge of the topic and demonstrate your own knowledge. If you use information from the TLS essay (Friday's essay), just make make a note of it in the paper like this:

Charles Nicholl notes that Shakespeare depended heavily on Richard Burbage.

In other words you do not need a citation...note the source in your sentence.

If you have questions email me at the school.

Your work is due no later than Thursday the 19th.

Write your paper as a Drive document and share with me at rhetorx1@gmail.com.

12th Night

Please watch the rest of the play on You Tube or rent elsewhere to view.

Here is the link to art one...find other chapters at the left...

12th Night

Please read all of Act I for Monday.

You may also watch the film version here. 

The link is just to Part One...you can pick up the subsequent parts by looking at the film choices posted to the right of the screen on YouTube. They are contributed by WatBorg.

Also feel free to use Sparknotes or any other study guide.

However, your quiz will be a quote test. So to pass you need to know the WORDS!

Test

These are the five poems for quotes: Sestina The Waking Catch Mirror What Work Is Then you will given a new poem and you will fill out worksheet, proof that you "get" the application of terms.

Gerald Stern

I love the poet Gerald Stern!!

Here is a video that gives you a sense of who he is.

Here are two key poems that show him at his best...use the arrows at the top to go to the next page.

Please read and then make some kind of comment in which you demonstrate that you can think about the poem analytically....what do you see in the poem that you might NOT have picked up on a few weeks ago...show off your new skills.

Reading and Response

Levine Himself

Please read this poem by Phillip Levine. In the top right you will see a number that is the page (313)...click on the forward arrow to get the next page...the poem is over two pages!

Then in the comments section, write about anything you see in this poem that connects to the poem "What Work Is." Do you see any patterns or motifs emerging? Do you see the poet working on some of the same Big Ideas?

Remember that you are writing as a member of the class...be sure we an ID you...be sure you write like the smart man you are becoming! Present as Smart!! Be insightful.

The three most insightful comment sections will be rewarded.

When you get done with the comment, learn more about Levine here...(or anywhere else on the web you think you an learn!!)

Uses of Poetry

Although some people hold that poetry is inherently impractical (in fact, they argue that all art is basically impractical and from this uselessness emerges its value), others think of poetry as socially useful in a number of ways.

The national poet laureate is Natasha Treathaway and at the link below you will find a video of a news story about her work/project in Chicago.

Please watch the video and then be ready to discuss it tomorrow.

In advance of that please make a short comment here at the blog.

Do you think this kind of project is a good idea? Will it help solve any problem? Could you see yourself as a student in this project?

Keep your language grammatically sound, clean, and legal. Present as the intelligent person you are.