Bobby continues to diligently complete his homework which includes reading portions of the play on his own. As we work through and discuss the play, his ability to interpret Shakespeare's words improves as evidenced by his study guide answers . Today, we discussed the parallel scenes where Portia begs her husband ,Brutus, to confide in her and Calpurnia begs her husband,Caesar ,not to preside at the Capitol. Based on our review, we supplemented Bobby' s study guide answers on how each woman displays her inner strength . We also noted how the conspirators defer to Brutus' decision not to kill Antony in order to ensure he participates in the assassination. We then continued to listen to the BBC production of the play, stopping the audio at critical speeches to analyze their import. For homework, read pgs 38-42 and finish Act II study guide.
Marcel completed a lengthy quiz on the first 6 chapters of the novel during today's session. For homework, read chapters 16 and 17 and answer study guide questions.
During the first half of the session,Lena completed a 50 question multiple choice test on the play. Her mother commented it was perhaps the longest test Lena ever took. However, she maintained focus very well and completed the test. After Lena completed the exam, we discussed differences between the movie version and the play and then watched a dramatic production of Act III of the play noting the use of lighting to effectuate scene changes.
Proceeding into Act II, we first examined the repeated thematic relationship between Brutus' insomnia and his aching conscience . I explained the concept of "dramatic irony" and pointed out examples where Brutus assures his co-conspirators that Antony will be no threat after Caesar is killed. The Elizabethan audience and the reader today, of course, both realize how wrong Brutus is as it is Antony who is his dramatic and historical comeuppance. Brutus' wife here makes a dramatic appearance ,and we studied her appeal to her husband to share his burden with her which is paralleled in a subsequent scene with Caesar's wife. We then continued listening to the dramatic performance of the play produced by the BBC as the sound effects and professional reading of the script facilitate understanding. HW- read the next 3 pages and answer 3 study guide questions.
Marcel has done very well keeping up with the reading and noting critical details in plot, theme ,and character description. In that regard , in preparation for a quiz on the first 6 chapters, we reviewed and detailed the character descriptions of the myriad characters Dickens introduces in the early part of the book. We noted how the characters have a dominant trait that allow the reader to distinguish one from the other given the large cast. Marcel then discussed the descriptions of Miss Havisham and Satis House noting the parallel between the decrepit setting and the morally debouched character. We examined quotes from the text demonstrating how Miss Havisham exists only to inflict pain on men ,justified in her mind because she was jilted at the alter.We further focused on how Estella's treatment of Pip begins to change Pip ,unfortunately for the worse, as he becomes ashamed of who he is, of his lower class status, and worst of all, of Joe. Elaborating on this theme ,we analyzed Dickens' metaphorical language comparing a person's value choices as choices between thorns and flowers in the chain of life.Commenting on Dickens' agenda of social justice, Marcel discussed examples of further child abuse Pip's sister inflicts on Pip.Last, we reviewed Marcel's study guide homework answers and made clarifications where necessary. For homework due Monday-study for quiz, read chapters 12-15, and answer accompanying study guide questions.
As we will be having a final test on the play on Monday I prepared and today distributed a review exercise incorporating vocabulary , quote recognition , and grammar. Lena ,on her own, completed the exercise and displayed mastery of the subject matter, and impressively correctly addressed all of the punctuation exercises. We reviewed the few vocabulary words that needed correction, and using flashcards again reviewed quotes from the play. We also reviewed a few of the plot details from the play.
We completed our review of Act I of the play and commenced studying Act II. As Act I highlights Shakespeare's use of the supernatural as a metaphor for mental unrest , we discussed the significance of Brutus' insomnia and his longing for a peaceful sleep. Bobby examined Brutus' soliloquy wherein Brutus convinces himself that killing Caesar is just and righteous . We detailed Brutus' twisted logic and his justification for killing Caesar based on what Caesar"might" become or "may" become rather than on what Caesar "is" . Bobby underlined operative language in the text, and in class discussion and in his homework study guide answers displayed a good understanding of the play's plot. He continues to improve in using the annotations to glean the meaning of the more difficult passages and did a good job explaining why Brutus feels the conspirators sully their purpose if they take an oath.For homework, read the next 4 pages and answer two study guide questions,
We finalized essay structure strategies by reorganizing the ideas in Bobby's last essay on " A Lesson Before Dying". I discussed how to connect the discordant ideas in the draft to our thesis sentence addressing the main character,Jefferson , as a Christ-like figure. Bobby recognized the issues that needed to be addressed and worked on word usage as well as on rearranging sentences into a more cohesive narrative. I pointed out quotes from the novel that Bobby could incorporate into his rewrite, and we examined where to incorporate the quotes. For the remaining segment of the session, we listened to the opening scene of a BBC production of the play we are studying ,Julius Caesar. Bobby indicated that hearing the dramatic performance enhanced his understanding and we will continue listening to the play after we first in class read and analyze the dialogue. For homework, read the next 3 pages of the play , answer one study guide question,,and complete essay rewrite we started in class.
I defined the term "social justice" and discussed Dickens as a novelist with a social reform agenda with respect to : education for the poor, the treatment of children, and the criminal justice system. Marcel took notes on these topics and pointed out examples from the opening chapters of what today would be considered child abuse and educational malpractice.We then explored the theme of guilt that haunts Pip throughout the novel. We studied quotes from the text where Pip explains his guilt in terms of cowardice to do either the right thing or to refuse to do the wrong thing. As the novel progresses, we will see more of Dickens' indictment of the criminal justice system but today I discussed the function of the prison ships or Hulks we see in the opening chapters, as well as the punishment of permanent banishment to Australia even for non-violent crimes. Marcel studied portions of the text that illustrate Joe's compassion and did a good job characterizing Joe and in discussing how Joe's violent childhood and lack of education shape his character. We last reviewed Marcel's study guide responses on the first chapters, and refined or modified responses where necessary. For homework due Thursday, read chapters 9-11 and complete accompanying study guide questions.
