9B: Sample Macbeth paragraph

Here's the sample paragraph we wrote in class Tuesday.

Discuss the symbolism of blood in scene two, and apply it to specific lines.

In act 2 scene 2 of Macbeth, Shakespeare uses blood as a symbol of guilt in order to contrast for the audience how Macbeth and Lady Macbeth deal with the guilt over the death of Duncan. When Macbeth returns from having killed Duncan and finds blood on his hands, he worries about the ability to wash his hands clean. ‘Will all great Neptune's ocean wash this blood / Clean from my hand? No, this my hand will rather / The multitudinous seas in incarnadine, / Making the green one red.’ (II.ii.27-30) Shakespeare does this to show Macbeth’s strong sense of guilt over the act he has just performed. By saying that he doubts whether he can wash his hands clean, Macbeth symbolically shows his doubts that he will ever be free of the guilt over the murder. In fact, not only will his guilt be permanently on his hands, but it will make all of the sea red: this foreshadows the fact that Macbeth’s sense of guilt will affect not only him, but all of Scotland as it motivates his tyranny. On the other hand, Lady Macbeth has a totally different attitude about the blood and, symbolically, her sense of guilt. She says, ‘My hands are of your colour,’ but in contrast with Macbeth, assumes that ‘A little water clears us of this deed: / How easy is it, then!’ (II.ii.39-40) Lady Macbeth sees the guilt, symbolized by the blood on her hands, as insignificant; it can easily be washed away, forgotten, left behind. By having both characters talk about the blood on their hands, Shakespeare contrasts the two characters’ attitudes about guilt and the consequences of evil actions.

10B: sample analysis paragraph

Here’s the sample we wrote in class. It’s about the ad linked above.

Association

One of the most common ways of selling a product is through association. With this technique, the product is linked to a desire to which the advertiser believes the target audience will have some attachment. In the 1971 Coca-Cola advertisement, the association is with idealism, unity and internationalism. Because the late 1960s and early 1970s were heavily influenced by the youth counter-culture movement of the anti-war protests and the ‘hippie lifestyle,’ these were ideas and desires that were important, especially to young people. Naturally, young people are the target audience of the ad. When the ad starts, a young woman is singing the song alone. Her natural appearance and the fact that she is looking off into the distant sky gives the impression of her sincerity and idealism. As the song continues, more people start singing with her, giving the impression that the song is gaining in strength as the voices, belonging to a group of people with various ethnicities and wearing clothing suggestive of national costumes. (I would then go on the describe the nature of the song, the outdoor setting, the girl at the end looking like she might cry, the slogan 'The Real Thing,' etc.)

10A: sample analysis paragraph

Here's the sample we wrote in class. It's about the ad thumbnailed above. (Click for a bigger copy.)

ironic ad

Some advertisers will avoid the more mainstream advertising techniques and instead use ironic ads. Ironic ads make fun of traditional ads, and by so doing they make the consumer feel like the product trusts them. In other words, the consumer is treated like she is too smart to actually be advertised to. A classic example is the Volkswagen ‘Think Small’ campaign. Volkswagen wants to make a claim of a unique selling proposition, so they emphasize not only the differences between this car and other cars on the market, but also the differences between this ad and other car ads. For instance, the car is shown very small and on a neutral, white background, making it look somewhat ridiculous. Most car ads would show the car in great detail and in a highly associative context. The slogan ‘Think Small’ is the opposite of what one expects a car ad to say, thus making fun of that more traditional style of advertising. (Then you would keep writing about the other techniques in the ad.)

10: advertising analysis assignment

You will choose three techniques of advertising and create a poster, notebook or PowerPoint demonstrating how those techniques are used, analyzing specific ads that are examples of those techniques in use. You must include copies of the ads which you are analyzing.

9: Macbeth act II questions

Choose 2 of the following questions and answer them in structured, planned paragraphs. Aim for more than 200 words. Use specific references to the play with scene and line numbers. It would look like this: Macbeth says, “Two truths are told, as happy prologues to the swelling act of the imperial theme” (I.ii.126-128)

1. Discuss the significance of omens in this act.

2. What is Macbeth’s state of mind in either scene 1 or 2, and what specific techniques does Shakespeare use to establish it?

3. Discuss the symbolism of blood in scene two, and apply it to specific lines.

4. Is Lady Macbeth’s response to the deaths of the guards is sincere or pretended? Why do you think so, and what difference does it make in our understanding of her character?

DUE: Thurs. 27.11

10: short sentences

10: poetry presentations

Here are some places to look for poems for your presentations:

Here is a webpage from a few years ago with the poems on which the students presented.

Here are some random sites with other poems:

• British War poetry - WW1


• An introduction to WWI poetry


• 120 War Poems

Here is a copy of the assignment (in case you lost it).

11: Victorian poetry orals

Victorian poetry orals

1. Find a poem by one of the poets we looked at and do an analysis of that poem, identifying theme and technique. Some poems:
   
   
   
   
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      1. 'Grief' by Elizabeth Barret Browning
      
      
      2. 'Consolation' by Elizabeth Barret Browning
      
      
      3. some Tennyson poems
      
      
      4. some Hardy poems
      
      
      5. some Robert Browning poems
         
      
      
      
      
   
   
   
   

1. Do some research on one of the poets we looked at, and use that information to explain something about the poems we looked at. Make sure the focus is on the poetry, not a long summary of a biography.

1. Look at elements of Victorian culture and values and explain how we see those present in some of the poems we read.

1. Write your own Victorian poem. Use the techniques and elements you saw used in these poems, and have a presentation explaining how you used the poems as a source for your own poem.

Orals will be presented Tues. 18 and Wed. 19 November.

9: Macbeth Act I assignment

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="408" caption="A cartoonist's rendition from Act I scene 5. Click the image to go to his blog."][/caption]

Choose two images from  Act I that you think are important in establishing character, conflict or setting. For each, quote the lines (including reference*), create an image and write a short paragraph explaining the significance. The paragraphs should be structured.

Due Thursday 13.11.

* act, scene, line number = I,ii,15-17.

9: Macbeth links

Here are some things to help you keep up with the play:

No Fear Shakespeare Macbeth: The original text side-by-side with a more modern, easy to read translation.

MIT Shakespeare Macbeth: Just a straight text, good for cutting and pasting when needed.

10: Cruel to Be Kind

A musical paradox...

11: Ebony and Ivory

More education for you:

11: 'Don't Fear the Reaper'

So we mentioned reapers today while reading 'The Lady of Shalott,' and I remembered a song title. 'Don't Fear the Reaper' is originally by Blue Oyster Cult, but a good version is by Helsinki's own HIM.

11: grammar issues

Purdue University's OWL (Online Writing Lab) is a good resource for grammar issues.

Here's a handout called 'Comma vs. Semicolon.' Very useful.

Here's a handout about various punctuation, including the colon, parenthesis, dash, quotation marks, and italics.

And one about active and passive voice.

11: Ulysses paragraphs

Here are the paragraphs we wrote in class today.

12:

9B: 'Fair is foul, and foul is fair'

Choose one of these questions and respond, using an organized paragraph and using examples to support your ideas.

1. How can a virtue ('fair') sometimes be dangerous or harmful ('foul')? Choose one virtue and describe some situations in which that virtue would be a negative.


2. Look at the virtues and choose two that might be in conflict with each other -- for example, tact and honesty. Explain how a person decides how to prioritize competing virtues in different circumstances, using an anecdote to illustrate how that decision might be made.

Due: Tuesday November 4

A: Content	B: Organization	C: Style & Language
· Do your ideas show clarity, originality and creativity? · Do you support your ideas well?	· Does your paragraph have structure? · Do you move from idea to idea clearly?	· Are you ‘following the rules’ of spelling, grammar and punctuation? · Do you use the right word for the right situation?

9: Declaration movie

Here's a Quicktime version of our little movie.

12: commentary structure

Download a pdf with a basic commentary structure.

12: Hamlet review