Modern Drama Project

Modern Drama Project

Assignment:
Choose one of three plays to read:  A Doll House by Henrik Ibsen, Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller, or The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams.  You will be grouped with others who choose to read the same play so you can discuss that play, help each other understand it, split up duties for biographical and critical research, and present your analysis and research findings to the class.

Objectives:

• Critically read and analyze drama more independently
• Consider the ways a modern play fits or even changes the definition of tragedy that Aristotle laid out
• Clearly present analysis, biographical and historical context, and criticism of the play to the class so they are exposed to a play they did not read.

Directions:

1. Choose the play you’d like to read.  Turn in your choice to me.
2. Read the play critically, taking notes and writing a one(to two)-pager as soon as you finish that addresses what you think the theme is, the details that you noticed as support for that, and your initial thoughts on whether or not it is a tragedy.  I will collect these for a grade early this week!
3. Use some class time to discuss the play with your group members, using the questions in the textbook to get you started.  Assign one group member to take good notes of this discussion to be emailed or shared with me via Google Docs.  Use this discussion to clarify your interpretation of the play, the important details that support that theme, and your ideas on how this play is or is not a tragedy.  Keep in mind the important aspects that a tragedy must include at minimum:  1.  Tragic hero is portrayed as better than man and falls due to a tragic flaw (not a vice) which evokes pity and fear in the audience AND 2.  Includes important plot pieces:  reversal, recognition, and scene of suffering.
4. As a group, complete research of the biographical and historical context of the play and several (at least 3) pieces of criticism.  Turn in a brief summary (1-2 paragraphs) of each critical source AND a reflection (1-2 paragraphs) of the reader’s thoughts on that criticism in context of his/her own reading of the play and the group’s interpretation.
5. Complete a works cited page that includes all sources (minimum of 4--at least one bio/historical and three critical).
6. Plan a 20-25 minute presentation for the class that briefly summarizes the play for those who have not read it but focuses on analysis of the theme and whether it is a tragedy or not.  You should include bio/historical/critical information in the presentation, but the majority of the presentation should be the group’s interpretation of the play and the details that support that.

Timeline:
Monday:  Intro and choose play
Tuesday:  Organize groups; time to read play
Wednesday:  Turn in one(or two)-pagers at beginning of class; discussion time
Thursday:  Discussion/planning time--email or share discussion notes by end of the day
Friday:  Planning time
Monday & Tuesday:  Presentations

Hamlet Test

Things to study for your test tomorrow:

• Your reading journal
• Know the vocab and info from your textbook

What the test looks like:

• Poem about the play--you will need to know the play to answer the questions, but if you do, you'll easily be able to understand the poem.  This tests your knowledge of Hamlet and the critical reading skills we've been working on for a year and a half now.
• Vocab stuff
• Long answer--you'll write 1-2 paragraphs over two questions of your choice (I believe there are 5 choices)

Hamlet Character Help

This is a one-page document by the Folger Shakespeare Library that might help you keep your characters straight.

Annie John RJ

1. As you read, keep in mind the aspects of post-colonialism we discussed in class.  Be sure to follow the general guidelines for your reading journal in addition to the questions below.  (Now might be a good time to go back and reread those guidelines on your reading journal handout. ☺)

2. How is the parent-child struggle between power and lack of power extended to other conflicts in the novel?  Make note of all the different places you see this struggle for power and the ways in which it is achieved, lost, etc.  Also, pay careful attention to who has the power and who does not.  How does this contribute to Kincaid’s overall meaning?

3. Keep in mind that this is a bildungsroman.  How does identity work in this novel?  When does Annie discover she has an identity separate from her mother?  How does she assert it?  What implications does Kincaid’s choice to use a bildungsroman have on the novel as a whole?

4. Look at the depiction of education in the novel.  What is the effect of a British curriculum on Caribbean children?  Is it absurd or admirable?

5. As Kincaid tells the story, she relates it as an expulsion from Paradise.  What was the original expulsion from Paradise?  Who was expelled and why?  What do the references to Lucifer and Paradise Lost indicate to you?

6. Make note of the many references to sexuality.  How do these details contribute to Kincaid’s point?

7. By the end of the book, Annie has rejected every aspect of her home and childhood:  “As I was lying there my heart could have burst open with joy at the thought of never having to see any of it again.”  Is this sort of rejection an inevitable part of growing up?  Is Annie’s hostility and rejection unusually extreme?  If so, why?

8. Jamaica Kincaid has said that her leaving Antigua “was a means of personal liberation” (NOW, 12 Oct. 1989).  Why do you think Kincaid was only able to find liberation by leaving home?  Do you think Annie is the same?  Why or why not?  Find points of support in the text for your claim.

COME TO CLASS WITH THE RIGHT-HAND SIDE COMPLETED.  YOU MUST COMPLETE ALL THE QUESTIONS.  ANYTHING LESS IS UNACCEPTABLE.  COME TO CLASS WITH SPECIFIC QUESTIONS OR PARTS OF YOUR READING JOURNAL TO DISCUSS.  KNOW WHAT YOU NEED TO GET FROM CLASS DISCUSSION IN ORDER TO UNDERSTAND THIS NOVEL.

Semester Exam Study Guide

AP Lit & Comp

Semester Exam Study Guide

Literary Terms

Matching—these terms will pull from the poetry and short stories sections of the Bedford.

Critical Lenses

Matching—know the different lenses discussed in your textbook.

Works Cited

I will give you a couple of sources with which, using the your own MLA Handbook (bring it) or a print-out of the Purdue OWL's MLA citation pages (I'll provide), you will create a works cited page.

Good Readers & Good Writers

This section will test your understanding of the key points of Nabokov, Frost, and Perrine.  You’ll want to go back and review your annotations, notes, and reading journals. 

Short Stories

I’ll pull key passages from a variety of stories we’ve read this semester.  You’ll need to match them to the correct title and author.

AP Multiple Choice

I’ll give you one section of an AP exam (one poem and the questions following).  By the way, it’s to your benefit to answer all of the questions even if you don’t have a clue. =)

AP Free-Response Essay--Annie John

I’ll give you one essay question for which you should allow yourself 40 minutes.  Free response essay questions ask an open question/make a statement about literature in general.  You would then answer the question by writing an essay on the topic as it directly relates to a piece of literature (one from a provided list or, if you choose, another novel or play “of similar literary quality.”)  I’ll show you a few examples of free response essay prompts in class.  You should answer the prompt on your final using Annie John.

Extra Credit Opportunity

You have two options to earn 10 points (a letter grade on a major assignment) of extra credit.

Option #1:  Attend one of the following literary events and bring me back your ticket and playbill:

‘The Santaland Diaries’/‘A Christmas Memory’

A theatrical double- header. David Sedaris and Truman Capote, are brought together in one must-see event that will tug at your heart strings and get you in the holiday spirit. Dec. 9-11, 14-28, 20-23 at Kirkwood Theater, 400 Walnut St. Tickets $18-22 through Midwestix or at 244-2771.

Iowa’s First Lady Presents ‘A Christmas Carol’

This beloved Charles Dickens story is performed by the Iowa Shakespeare Experience. The show includes a gourmet reception, complimentary wine and a dessert intermezzo. Dec. 15-18 at Terrace Hill, 2300 Grand Ave. $65 adults, $45 young professionals, $15-$25 youth through Midwestix or call (515) 244-2771.

The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams Directed by Ann Woldt
Box office open November 16
Pote Theatre, December 2 & 3 at 7:30 pm and December 4 at 1:00 pm

Tickets are $9 for non-Simpson students

Simpson students are free

Order tickets online:  http://simpson.tix.com/Schedule.asp?OrganizationNumber=2794

Option #2:  Watch a movie version of a GREAT LITERATURE book or play you have read and write a review (1-2 pgs typed) to be submitted to Turnitin.com.  Your review should include your opinion of the film's interpretation of the book and your commentary on the differences you see in the film.

Short Story Terms--study for exam

Short Story/Literary Fiction Terms

Plot
In medias res
Flashback
Exposition
Rising Action
Conflict
Foreshadowing
Protagonist
Hero/Heroine
Antagonist
Climax
Resolution (a.k.a. denouement)
Characterization
“Showing”  Dramatic Characterization
“Telling”  Narrative Characterization
Motivation
Plausible Characterization
Consistent Characterization
Absurdist literature
Antihero
Dynamic character
Static character
Foil
Flat character
Stock character
Round character
Setting
Point of view
Narrator
Omniscient narrator
Editorial narrator
Neutral narrator
Limited omniscient narrator
Stream-of-consciousness technique
Objective point of view
First-person narrator
Unreliable narrator
Naïve narrator
Symbol
Conventional symbol
Literary symbol
Allegory
Theme
Style
Diction
Tone
Irony
Verbal irony
Sarcasm
Situational irony
Dramatic irony