Hey folks!
Good job acting today; had a blast acting out Scenes 1-3 of Act 1.
We simply discussed (well, not that it's SIMPLE) iambic pentameter - 5 stressed syllables per line of writing. Rhythm: ta-TUM, ta-TUM, ta-TUM, ta-TUM, ta-TUM - remember, mastering the rhythm will help you master how the lines are read. It's not an easy read, but it is definitely WORTH the effort to understand the beautiful prose.
We also talked about Macbeth's character - what is racing through his mind at the end of Act 3?
We discussed the Witches' prophecies: 3 to Macbeth, 3 to Banquo.
Macbeth's prophecies:
1) Hail, thane of Glamis (he already IS Thane of Glamis)
2) Hail, thane of Cawdor (Duncan pronounced him Cawdor many miles away in scene 2, but Macbeth was not there, and thus had no idea he was getting the title, Cawdor)
3) Hail, king hereafter (we'll see about this one... =)
Banquo's prophecies:
1) Lesser than Macbeth, but more... (maybe lesser in TITLE, but more in MORALITY??)
2) Not so happy, and much happier... (maybe something bad happens, but it's for the best???)
3) Thou shalt get kings, though thou be none... (Your kiddos will be king, but they won't inherit that title from YOU)
HW: Read scenes 4 and 5 (IV and V), and practice writing lines in iambic pentameter.
ttfn,
Snow
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Monday, April 9, 2012
9th Grade Cohort A & B - Themes We've Covered
Going into the last quarter of the year, it's important to reflect on some of the major ideas we have covered so far in the literature. Here's a list:
1) Patriarchy - "Father-chief" - Men run society.
- What drives patriarchal men? Status. The "top dog"/"alpha male" mentality.
- Examples: Ancient Greek society (namely the male Gods), George Hadley (from "The Veldt" - though he was a failed patriarch because he WANTED to be "top dog," but he lost power of his house to The Nursery), Equality/Prometheus (from Anthem, which some of you are reading/read), Harrison Bergeron (from the story by Kurt Vonnegut), and Mr. Fox (from The Fantastic Mr. Fox).
2) Environments - "natural" / "human-made" / "techno-vironments"
- Most dystopian stories focus on a conflict between two (or all) of these types of environments. Most often, the natural environment is conflicted with some human-made device or leadership, but sometimes these human-made conflicts turn into fully functional environments of their own (like the Nursery in "The Veldt"), which is an example of a "techno-vironment."
- Examples: The "natural" vs. human-made environment in the Veldt - natural African Veldtland (where humans once thrived at the beginning of humanity) was seen as a "problem" by a family that had gotten hooked on their human-made Happylife Home, which cooked, cleaned, bathed, and did everything for the family (obviously, not natural).
3) Objectivism - Ayn Rand's philosophy of anarchic moral selfishness.
- Concern for "the Collective" is a sin - people should just worry about themselves
- The government should not have a big role in people's lives, as people should be able to pursue their own happiness by their own means.
- Individualism is prized
- Notes from class: "being independent; making 'your own'; not being a follower - 'lead, don't follow'; self-interest; don't worry about others' problems"
4) Collectivism - "The Collective" / "One big happy family"
- "Shared living spaces, shared resources, shared expectations, shared problems, shared goals"
- Positive aspects: workload lightens - "many hands make light work"; everyone is supposed to care aobut others
- Negative aspects: No concern for the individual, only the group; the "whole" matters most; there is inherent exclusion of those who are not "in the whole"; no individual success/fame -- GROUPTHINK: people think the same way even they think it's bad or wrong (ex: The "Asch Experiment")
1) Patriarchy - "Father-chief" - Men run society.
- What drives patriarchal men? Status. The "top dog"/"alpha male" mentality.
- Examples: Ancient Greek society (namely the male Gods), George Hadley (from "The Veldt" - though he was a failed patriarch because he WANTED to be "top dog," but he lost power of his house to The Nursery), Equality/Prometheus (from Anthem, which some of you are reading/read), Harrison Bergeron (from the story by Kurt Vonnegut), and Mr. Fox (from The Fantastic Mr. Fox).
2) Environments - "natural" / "human-made" / "techno-vironments"
- Most dystopian stories focus on a conflict between two (or all) of these types of environments. Most often, the natural environment is conflicted with some human-made device or leadership, but sometimes these human-made conflicts turn into fully functional environments of their own (like the Nursery in "The Veldt"), which is an example of a "techno-vironment."
- Examples: The "natural" vs. human-made environment in the Veldt - natural African Veldtland (where humans once thrived at the beginning of humanity) was seen as a "problem" by a family that had gotten hooked on their human-made Happylife Home, which cooked, cleaned, bathed, and did everything for the family (obviously, not natural).
3) Objectivism - Ayn Rand's philosophy of anarchic moral selfishness.
- Concern for "the Collective" is a sin - people should just worry about themselves
- The government should not have a big role in people's lives, as people should be able to pursue their own happiness by their own means.
- Individualism is prized
- Notes from class: "being independent; making 'your own'; not being a follower - 'lead, don't follow'; self-interest; don't worry about others' problems"
4) Collectivism - "The Collective" / "One big happy family"
- "Shared living spaces, shared resources, shared expectations, shared problems, shared goals"
- Positive aspects: workload lightens - "many hands make light work"; everyone is supposed to care aobut others
- Negative aspects: No concern for the individual, only the group; the "whole" matters most; there is inherent exclusion of those who are not "in the whole"; no individual success/fame -- GROUPTHINK: people think the same way even they think it's bad or wrong (ex: The "Asch Experiment")
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