--Today we performed the final Othello scenes, despite the crazy week and lots of people being absent! If you missed class today, see me asap to figure out how you can makeup the assignment.
--Because we missed class on Monday, I decided to assign the Othello essay as homework instead of as an in-class exam. See below for the assignment. This will be due on January 7th, the class we get back from break. E-mail me over break if you have any questions about the essay, or ask me on Friday (if we have school, that is!)
Global Lit. and the Arts—Lawless
Expository Essay Topics for Othello
Below are six statements about the play—opinions, not facts—that have been voiced by various critics of the play. Some of them you will agree with, and some of them you won’t. These kinds of statements can make excellent beginnings for a strong thesis that takes a stand, focuses on one main idea, and reflects higher level thinking (meaning that it is a statement that answers a “so what?” question and/or a “how/why?” question). A thesis is not a fact and is not just a statement of personal preference—it’s a supportable argument made about the text.
Develop one of the topics below into a 500 to 750 word essay. Your essay will be worth 30 points and will be based on a score of 1 to 6 in each of the six writing traits: word choice, syntax, sentence fluency, conventions, ideas/content, and voice. You can get extra credit by scoring a 6 in any category.
Before turning in your essay, be sure to go through the following checklist:
o Did you type and double-space your entire essay, including the heading?
o Did you include an MLA heading on the left with your name, date, class and word count?
o Did you include a strong thesis as the last sentence of your first paragraph that makes a clear, supportable argument about the text?
o Did you carefully organize your paper into 4-6 distinct paragraphs supporting your thesis, including a developed, engaging introduction and a conclusion that reviews your main ideas?
o Did you include topic sentences for each paragraph that introduces what the paragraph will be about?
o Did you use at least 2 specific examples from the text in each paragraph, including at least 3 quotes (properly formatted and cited according to MLA style)?
o Did you use clear, specific nouns instead of “I” and “you”?
o Did you spell-check and proofread, being sure not to use any fragment sentences, run-ons, or comma splices?
Topic Choices:
Do not use any of these statements as your exact thesis. These statements are subjects your thesis will explore rather than thesis statements themselves. You may choose to write a paper that confirms, denies, or complicates any of these statements, but you need to turn the statement into your own unique argument.
1. Othello’s real problem is his own jealousy, more so than Iago’s scheming.
2. It is very important to the play that Othello is a Moor (of African descent).
3. Although the women in Othello at first may seem spineless, in fact the play ends up making a statement that women should not be underestimated.
4. Desdemona is not angelically pure. The possibility of her straying from Othello must be in her character in order for the drama to work.
5. Iago is not a “motiveless malignity” as he has been called—a devil who does evil for its own sake. He simply has a thirst for power. Desdemona’s death is a side effect he did not really intend.
6. Othello is, in the end, a racist play—not because of the derogatory terms used against Othello, but because of how he ends up conforming to the stereotypes some people held about Moors at the time.
Othello Essay Outline Form—due with your essay
Topic Choice #: _________
Thesis Statement:_______________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Supporting Paragraph #1 Topic Sentence: ___________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
2 specific examples from the text:
1. ___________________________________________________________________________________
2. ___________________________________________________________________________________
Supporting Paragraph #2 Topic Sentence: ___________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
2 specific examples from the text:
1. ___________________________________________________________________________________
2. ___________________________________________________________________________________
Supporting Paragraph #3 Topic Sentence: ___________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
2 specific examples from the text:
1. ___________________________________________________________________________________
2. ___________________________________________________________________________________
Conclusion/Restatement of thesis in different words: ___________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Wednesday, Dec. 10
--Today everyone worked the whole period on their Othello scene presentations. We'll be performing these on Monday, so make sure your group is ready to go!
--HW: Practice scenes, and make sure you've read all of Act 5 by Monday and completed your Act 5 log entry. (I'll be collecting all of the logs on Monday.) Remember that you should write your Act 5 entry from the perspective of the character you're playing in your scene--how does he/she feel about the events of Act 5? About your scene? What are his/her objectives in your scene?
***Special Note: If there is a snow day on Monday and we don't have class, we will perform these on Wednesday instead, so be sure to bring all of your costumes and props to class Wednesday if that happens!
--HW: Practice scenes, and make sure you've read all of Act 5 by Monday and completed your Act 5 log entry. (I'll be collecting all of the logs on Monday.) Remember that you should write your Act 5 entry from the perspective of the character you're playing in your scene--how does he/she feel about the events of Act 5? About your scene? What are his/her objectives in your scene?
***Special Note: If there is a snow day on Monday and we don't have class, we will perform these on Wednesday instead, so be sure to bring all of your costumes and props to class Wednesday if that happens!
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Monday, Dec. 8
--Took a quiz over Acts 3 and 4
--Discussed 4.2 and 4.3 and did an in-class log entry. If absent, re-read the conversation between Emilia and Desdemona, lines 57-101, pgs. 179-181. Based on this conversation, what are some of the different ways each woman sees men and marriage? Explain their differences in 4-5 sentences or so.
--We reviewed the final performance assignment for Othello and signed up for groups. If absent, see me for which group you're in. The assignment description is pasted below.
--HW: Read Act 5 (as much as you can by Wednesday) and do one longer log entry for the entire act from your character's perspective. What does your character want in your scene? In the entire act? How does your character feel about everything that happens in Act 5? This entry should be done by Monday when we perform the scenes.
Global Lit and the Arts—Lawless
Othello Final Scene Performances
Throughout this unit, we’ve done a lot of acting practice. For part of your final on Othello, you and a few of your classmates will present a longer scene from Act 5 of the play. This scene will require you to really get into your character’s head and show a great deal of emotion in your delivery of the lines. Each scene will need to be introduced, acted out, then commented on and analyzed. Every person in your group should play a more or less equal part in the presentation, so if one person has fewer lines in the scene, that person will need to do more of the introduction/explanation component of the presentation.
Your job is to show that you are experts on your scene. In your presentation, you need to do the following:
1. Introduce the context of your scene. What is happening right before it? Right after it? Which characters are present, and who is playing who?
2. Act out your scene, showing a clear interpretation in the way you perform the characters’ lines. Use lots of expression in your voice and body. Practice your lines a lot and make sure you know how to say all the words correctly. You must also include planned movement and blocking in your performance. Make sure the audience can see everyone’s face most of the time, and create interesting stage pictures with different levels for the audience. DO NOT JUST STAND IN ONE PLACE AND READ YOUR LINES! Make sure to also use props and costumes. For costumes, you don’t need to have head-to-toe Shakespearean garb, but try to suggest your character and not wear anything that is obviously modern and will take away from your character.
3. Lastly, analyze your scene. This part should involve most of the members of your group. To do this, think about the following questions: why is your scene important to the play? Does it foreshadow anything to come or include any irony? What do all of the words mean and what are their implications? Do any of them have double meanings? Make sure to also identify any wordplay or puns that happen, then think about their effect on the scene as a whole.
At the end of your presentation, I will ask you 2-3 follow-up questions about your scene, so be prepared to think on your feet!
All scenes will be performed on Monday, December 15. You MUST be here on this day, barring some unforeseen illness or catastrophe. If you have any conflicts with this date, you need to talk to me ahead of time. You will have most of the next class period to practice your scenes. If you want to receive an “A” on this, though, you will need to get together outside of class to practice and discuss your scene.
Though you are presenting this in a group, each person’s score will be based on both individual and group score components. The criteria are:
Group Scoring:
o Group introduces the scene, accurately explaining the context—5 points
o Group comments accurately on the relevance of the scene, including references to any foreshadowing, irony, symbolism, double meanings, etc.—10 points
o Group plans appropriate movement and blocking for the scene. Use of props is included here.—5 points
Individual Scoring:
o Actors wear clothing appropriate to the character and time.—5 points
o Actors read lines with feeling and appropriate gestures. Actors obviously understand their lines and their character’s motivations. Follow-up questions may be included in this.—15 points
o Actors can memorize their lines for up to 5 points extra credit.
TOTAL: 40 points
--Discussed 4.2 and 4.3 and did an in-class log entry. If absent, re-read the conversation between Emilia and Desdemona, lines 57-101, pgs. 179-181. Based on this conversation, what are some of the different ways each woman sees men and marriage? Explain their differences in 4-5 sentences or so.
--We reviewed the final performance assignment for Othello and signed up for groups. If absent, see me for which group you're in. The assignment description is pasted below.
--HW: Read Act 5 (as much as you can by Wednesday) and do one longer log entry for the entire act from your character's perspective. What does your character want in your scene? In the entire act? How does your character feel about everything that happens in Act 5? This entry should be done by Monday when we perform the scenes.
Global Lit and the Arts—Lawless
Othello Final Scene Performances
Throughout this unit, we’ve done a lot of acting practice. For part of your final on Othello, you and a few of your classmates will present a longer scene from Act 5 of the play. This scene will require you to really get into your character’s head and show a great deal of emotion in your delivery of the lines. Each scene will need to be introduced, acted out, then commented on and analyzed. Every person in your group should play a more or less equal part in the presentation, so if one person has fewer lines in the scene, that person will need to do more of the introduction/explanation component of the presentation.
Your job is to show that you are experts on your scene. In your presentation, you need to do the following:
1. Introduce the context of your scene. What is happening right before it? Right after it? Which characters are present, and who is playing who?
2. Act out your scene, showing a clear interpretation in the way you perform the characters’ lines. Use lots of expression in your voice and body. Practice your lines a lot and make sure you know how to say all the words correctly. You must also include planned movement and blocking in your performance. Make sure the audience can see everyone’s face most of the time, and create interesting stage pictures with different levels for the audience. DO NOT JUST STAND IN ONE PLACE AND READ YOUR LINES! Make sure to also use props and costumes. For costumes, you don’t need to have head-to-toe Shakespearean garb, but try to suggest your character and not wear anything that is obviously modern and will take away from your character.
3. Lastly, analyze your scene. This part should involve most of the members of your group. To do this, think about the following questions: why is your scene important to the play? Does it foreshadow anything to come or include any irony? What do all of the words mean and what are their implications? Do any of them have double meanings? Make sure to also identify any wordplay or puns that happen, then think about their effect on the scene as a whole.
At the end of your presentation, I will ask you 2-3 follow-up questions about your scene, so be prepared to think on your feet!
All scenes will be performed on Monday, December 15. You MUST be here on this day, barring some unforeseen illness or catastrophe. If you have any conflicts with this date, you need to talk to me ahead of time. You will have most of the next class period to practice your scenes. If you want to receive an “A” on this, though, you will need to get together outside of class to practice and discuss your scene.
Though you are presenting this in a group, each person’s score will be based on both individual and group score components. The criteria are:
Group Scoring:
o Group introduces the scene, accurately explaining the context—5 points
o Group comments accurately on the relevance of the scene, including references to any foreshadowing, irony, symbolism, double meanings, etc.—10 points
o Group plans appropriate movement and blocking for the scene. Use of props is included here.—5 points
Individual Scoring:
o Actors wear clothing appropriate to the character and time.—5 points
o Actors read lines with feeling and appropriate gestures. Actors obviously understand their lines and their character’s motivations. Follow-up questions may be included in this.—15 points
o Actors can memorize their lines for up to 5 points extra credit.
TOTAL: 40 points
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Thursday, Dec. 4
--We turned in the Othello reading logs at the beginning of class--bring yours next time if you were absent today
--We reviewed 4.1 and talked a little bit about epilepsy (because Othello seems to have an epileptic seizure after Iago upsets him so much.) We also watched about 20 minutes of the film and talked about Desdemona's reaction to Othello hitting her. Should she have defended herself more? Is she too timid for her own good?
--At the end of class, we did a dramatic reading of Iago's most manipulative lines toward Othello. Period 3--we'll do the reading of the lines next class
--HW: Read 4.2-4.3 and do a log entry for Monday
--We reviewed 4.1 and talked a little bit about epilepsy (because Othello seems to have an epileptic seizure after Iago upsets him so much.) We also watched about 20 minutes of the film and talked about Desdemona's reaction to Othello hitting her. Should she have defended herself more? Is she too timid for her own good?
--At the end of class, we did a dramatic reading of Iago's most manipulative lines toward Othello. Period 3--we'll do the reading of the lines next class
--HW: Read 4.2-4.3 and do a log entry for Monday
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Tuesday, Dec. 2
--Turned in the second set of vocab words for Othello
--Reviewed some tips for the Great Minds essays, "best effort" drafts of which are due tomorrow or Friday
--Discussed 3.3 and 3.4. If absent, get a copy of the Powerpoint notes from the crate and read over what we discussed
--Swordfighting! I taught some basic swordfighting moves for stage combat and we played around them, using wooden dowels as our "swords".
--HW: Read 4.1 and do a log entry for Thursday
--Reviewed some tips for the Great Minds essays, "best effort" drafts of which are due tomorrow or Friday
--Discussed 3.3 and 3.4. If absent, get a copy of the Powerpoint notes from the crate and read over what we discussed
--Swordfighting! I taught some basic swordfighting moves for stage combat and we played around them, using wooden dowels as our "swords".
--HW: Read 4.1 and do a log entry for Thursday
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