Drama Reflection

Directions: You have now learned a little more about drama and Shakespeare. Yay you! Please, now, describe what you found most helpful about the unit, what you thought was most difficult, and what you would like to know more about. While I will not be able to help you with this last part, you might be able to learn more in a class or on your own.

Thank you so much for a wonderful semester!

Due before 5pm on December 6th.

No reply.

Historical view of Othello

Directions: Given the source you chose to bring to class (list the source with your response in MLA format), what do you now understand about the works of Shakespeare, the setting of Othello, the plot of Othello or the characters in Othello? Did understanding the historical approach to Othello help you to understand the play (Acts I-III) better? Why or why not? Please answer the questions in paragraph form. 200 words or less.

Blog due before class on Wednesday, November 19th.

Reply to classmate: Find a classmate's blog that allowed you to think differently about the play. Whether you agree with what your classmate said or not, ask your classmate a question that might provoke further research into the classmate's particular historical approach.

Reply due before 5pm on Friday, November 21st.

Character in Drama

Directions: Read Mistaken Identity, by Sharon E. Cooper (1326-1330) and write a 50-100 word character sketch for Kali and Steve that moves beyond/deepens the initial sketch on page 1326. Who are these people? What are their views on life? What shapes their expectations and reactions? Feel free to assume some information, but do not color too far outside the lines.

Initial Response Due before class on Wednesday, November 12th.

Reply to Classmate: add a 50-word or less piece of information to a classmate's description of one or both of the characters. Your additions must follow the story the classmate has already set up, but your response should either bring them new insight into the character or bring them back into the scope of the actual play.

Reply Due before 5pm on Friday, November 14th.

Play Comprehension

Directions: many modern plays have stage direction, but the primary aim of writing a screenplay is to allow the director creative license and to let the dialogue carry the exposition and relate the plot and action. Please read The Reprimand, by Jane Anderson and answer the following questions: Based on what you already know, what are the plot and theme of the play? When you read the scene, what do you picture--what would the scene look like to you if you were to perform or direct the play? Offer a 100-200 word summary of the scene.

Initial reply due before class on Wednesday, November 5th.

Response to classmate: comment on a classmate's summary by offering a suggestion for how the play might be different than the classmate believed, given that s/he seems to have missed one aspect of the dialogue. If you believe the scene your classmate depicted is fairly accurate, point out one or two specific aspects of your classmate's summary that were particularly interesting.

Reply due before 5pm on Friday, November 7th.

Reflection: Fiction Analysis

Directions: look back on the entire fiction unit and the analysis you just wrote. What new aspects of fiction did you discover, either through class discussions, the blogs or the readings? Be specific about the lessons and the modes. What do you still wish you knew about fiction? Do you feel like you were prepared to write your analysis? What do you think might have helped you become more prepared?

Reflection due by 5pm on Saturday, November 1st. Write your blog after you have dropped your paper.

No reply from classmates.

5 points for posting on time
5 points for following directions

Life In Hell

Directions: read "Life In Hell," by Matt Groening on pg. 292 of the Bedford book and answer the following questions: what is the real message of the strip? How does that message reinforce and/or contradict what the father actually says? This message is very simply constructed and delivered. How does the language and delivery of comics compare to the language and delivery of messages via traditional fiction?

Initial post due before class on Wednesday, October 22nd.

Reply to Classmate: ask a classmate a question that will encourage him/her to think more deeply about his/her interpretation of the comic strip.

Reply due by 5pm on Friday, October 24th.

Midterm Reflection

Directions: Your response will, of course, be determined by which prompt you chose, so discuss, briefly, which prompt you chose and why.  Then, reflect on your your experience with the midterm in 200 words or less. Did you feel more prepared this time to discuss poetry? Did the compare/contrast help give you focus (if you compared and contrasted)? Did the feedback from your explication help you perform the midterm better than you might have if you'd gone in cold? Was it useful to have poetry you had discussed in class be part of the prompt or was it easier to choose two poems of your own (again, depending on the prompt you chose)?

Do not write the reflection until after the midterm.

Due by 5pm on Friday, October 17th.