January 23rd, 2012
by kealyduke
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- Rhetorical Analysis of “To Be or Not to Be” soliloquy. This is one heck of a speech, and he uses a variety of rhetorical strategies to work through his issues and get his point across; it bears further scrutiny. Follow these basic “rhetorical analysis” steps to complete this post.
1. Exigence — What needs doing at this point? In other words, what is compelling Hamlet to speak at this moment in the play?
2. Audience – The audience is comprised of people who can in some way act on this exigence.Who is Hamlet’s primary audience and how does that influence his choices? Who is Hamlet’s secondary audience and how does that influence his choices? [Hint: they are not on the stage]
3. Purpose What is the purpose of Hamlet’s speech?
4. Appeals: Which appeal(s) does Hamlet use to convince and/or motivate his audience? Reference specific lines.
Ethos: Appeal to the character of the speaker
Pathos: Appeal to the emotions or interest of the audience
Logos: Appeal to logic
5. Figures of speech, imagery, diction, syntax: What literary devices does Hamlet employ? Where do you see him making comparisons? Which tropes–similes, metaphors, personification, hyperbole, etc. does he use? How do these comparisons relate to his rhetorical purpose? What particularly vivid images stand out? What effect do these images have on Hamlet’s rhetorical purpose?
6. How do you respond to Hamlet’s soliloquy? In other words, what do you think of him right now?
If you need further guidance, consult this handout, Basic Questions for Rhetorical Analysis. Use this website for ideas of rhetorical devices and figures of speech.
Do 4 comments this week, two of which must be on “to be or not to be” posts.
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January 17th, 2012
by kealyduke
2 posts and 2 comments
- Free post
- Current Event comparison- locate one current event article in a U.S. news source and one in a British news source. Summarize the articles/events. Then offer commentary on the events. Finally, compare and contrast events in the U.S. these days vs. what’s going on in the U.K.
- 2 comments
Remember:
- 2 paragraphs is the MINIMUM, but they should be GOOD, thorough paragraphs
- do these early, throughout the week, and on time, not at the last minute
- vary your comments- give someone new a chance
- comments must be AT LEAST 2 sentences
- not meeting requirements this week results in a zero, not reduced points
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January 11th, 2012
by kealyduke
2 posts and 2 comments
- Free
- Human Condition- I spoke earlier about Hamlet being a play about humanity and that you were going to have to take a different approach than we have been- thinking about the play in terms of what we can learn about being human. I used the term “human condition.” Write a post regarding your concept of what it means to be human. Also include in your post a discussion of how plays in general or Hamlet specifically can help us explore our humanity. Finally, if you are in 5th block, also address your concept of what an ideal society would be.
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January 5th, 2012
by kealyduke
Sorry for the delay. You have 2 posts and 2 comments this week. No penalties this week for last minute blogs, though you should try to go ahead and do them so people can comment. You should pay attention to conventions of writing, though. Follow grammar and mechanics rules, and try to write with a sense of voice.
- Free post
- Make a plan for the second semester in all of your classes. What events are occurring that you need to watch out for? What can you do to pace yourself? What do you need to avoid pitfalls? What does your “best” actually look like across the board? Be specific.
- 2 comments
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December 5th, 2011
by kealyduke
You have just one blog post due this week but 5 comments, so you will need to do the blog sometime this week and not wait until the last minute. The idea is that this is another way to study, so seeing what your classmates think could be very helpful in processing this week’s material.
Your blog this week should be a “brain dump.” Review and reflect on everything we’ve done this semester. What’s important to know or remember? What conclusions can you draw when you look at everything together? As this should be a comprehensive review, it will need to be longer than usual. Consider starting it early as a draft and continuing to add to it.
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November 28th, 2011
by kealyduke
Welcome Back! I hope you had a good break. We are on the downhill slide of the semester. It would be a HUGE mistake to slack off on blogs or reading or anything else. Keep up with your work.
- The Canterbury Tales- What do you think? How is it similar or different from previous things we’ve read? Why do you think it is considered groundbreaking? Why is it so famous?
- Free Post
- 2 comments
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November 14th, 2011
by kealyduke
You should do these blogs this week and finish them by Monday of Thanksgiving break. You then would have no blogs to write during the holidays.
- Free Post
- Reflection on your current English classwork (what we’re reading, discussing, etc.) What are your learning? How does it connect to other previous things we’ve done. How have you grown or developed over the semester so far?
- 2 comments
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November 8th, 2011
by kealyduke
- Free post
- Revision- Take any one of your previously posted blogs and revise it into a new post. Revision IS NOT editing. I don’t mean that you should just fix mistakes. Change the post organizationally, thematically, or in some significant way.
- 5th block post: Review the Beowulf projects. How did they answer the questions? What was good? What could be improved? How did they attend to audience engagement.
- 4th block post: Considering Beowulf, Harry Potter, and at least one other text or film, deduce the steps of the hero’s journey. You’ve been thinking about this for a while. Consult no other sources. What do you think they are and discuss how they manifest in all three sources.
- 2 comments
Blog throughout the week. Pay attention to conventions of writing.
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October 31st, 2011
by kealyduke
- Free post
- Read this article. Situate the idea of piracy in politics with what you know about heroism and heroes. What about human culture makes people respond to ideas like piracy or the “Occupy Wall Street” movement.
- 2 comments
Please remember that you will not get credit this quarter for late blogs, incomplete blogs, or blogs done only at the last minute (Sunday). It is time for you to manage your time, plan out your entire work load, and to try to do your best work (not just the minimum requirement. I spoke about this very clearly in class and many of you did not listen. Work will only get more difficult, so take care of blogs; don’t lose points on easy assignments.
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October 24th, 2011
by kealyduke
This week, you have 3 posts and 2 comments. Remember that you should be trying to use the conventions of good writing while developing a sense of voice. There is a two paragraph minimum, but you should write until you are finished. As always, blog THROUGHOUT the week. If you are having trouble with this, assign yourself specific blogging days based on your workload in all of your classes.
- Read THIS ARTICLE and respond to the issues she addresses. Minimize the summary, maximize the opinion. Support your opinion, of course.
- Free post
- 4th Block- Write an autobiographical post about your reading of Harry Potter this go around. Tell the story of your reading. Include dialogue, plot, and other features of a story in your retelling of how you are experiencing this book.
- 5th Block- Track the heroic journey in 2 movies or books. You will need to wait to do this assignment until we cover it in class. Show how the heroic journey manifests in these popular movies or books.
- 2 comments
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