Please read the entire post yourself, even if someone else has already told you the contents.

This is the time of year where we might begin to wind down early. Know that we are not finished yet. There are expectations that should be routine for you now, but many are behaving as if we are still in first quarter.  Even though you might have very good reasons for being stressed, overwhelmed, and behind, you know the expectations and should make the choices that will help you meet them. Ask for help if you need it. I am taking this opportunity to remind you of some things.

• You should be taking notes as you are reading, so that you aren’t going home to start prompt book work with a completely blank mind. Those ideas should be germinating in class. 
• Work on English a little each night so that you are not trying to complete everything impossibly in one setting.
• Participate in class. You know what that looks like. Just because you are well behaved does not mean you are participating.
• Post blogs throughout the week and not on the weekend. That means at least one should be completed earlier in the week. People can’t comment if nobody posts. They are also more helpful if you are writing during the week when we are discussing the material.
• Write at least 2 paragraphs and use appropriate grammar, mechanics, and writing techniques.
• Comment on the current week’s posts. Check that their subject matter is current. Scroll down to see their previous posts, if yo have to in order to see what’s going on. If someone has posted for the previous week on Monday and you comment for the current week’s work, I don’t check that post and I miss your comment.
• If you believe a grade for blogs is incorrect, such as missing comments, send me an email with links to the comments so that I can check easily.
• If you do late work of any sort but online work, send me an email to let me know to check. I have no reason to check an old assignment on blogs, Blackboard, or Turnitin unless you tell me that you’ve posted it. With late blogs, send me links to the posts. When blogging late, remember that comments are part of the grade, so do the late comments, as well.
• When in doubt, check your resources. The syllabus and policy and procedures are online in Bb and on WH in topics. The Blogging Instructions page on this blog has all of the blogging related info I’ve mentioned above. The assignments with instructions are online. I am happy to help and to answer questions, but you should first make sure that you’ve read all instructions and checked feedback comments. They may answer your question first or help you figure it out fairly easily.  Use feedback from previous assignments to complete current and future assignments.
• Work on long-term assignments ahead of time. You all have some sort of performance assignment coming. You should already be working on it.

Blogs for this week: You are given a week from blogging to devote your energies to your prompt book and performance assignments. Make sure you have looked at the assignments online and are working on them.  You do need to respond to this post with a comment demonstrating your understanding (show that you’ve read the post) and a plan for moving forward.

4th Block

• free post
• clip analysis- Watch these two trailers: 

 

•  and  How does each trailer manipulate the viewer’s opinion of what Much Ado About Nothing is going to be? What of your own experience of the play do the clips capture? What do they miss? Don’t discuss plot. Think in terms of interpretation.
• 2 comments

5th Block

• free post
• performance analysis: Do a Youtube search for “famous Hamlets” or something of that sort. Watch at least 5 clips showing different, well-known or professional performances of a selection (e.g. soliloquy or speech) Hamlet (not student projects, etc.). Critique and compare and contrast the performances. Conclude by reflecting on what you have picked up about Hamlet by viewing these performances. Be detailed.
• 2 comments

Write well. Write throughout the week. Do not begin your work on the weekend. The weekend includes Friday night. Fight the 3rd quarter blues.

You are also working on promptbooks, so do them each night. You should have the hang of it by now. If you want to publish them as a document rather than the typical post, here’s a tutorial to help you with inserting media into your blog. 

BLOG THROUGHOUT THE WEEK MEANS POST AT LEAST ONE BEFORE FRIDAY!

I know that you are feeling rather slumpy, but do whatever you have to do to keep focused and maintain your work ethic. Work on prompt books as we are reading. This is a major assessment for this Shakespeare unit. Visit this screencast for a quick tutorial on how to set your time zone correctly in order to get credit for posting on the day you actually post. Also, it has a reminder about how to set your comments to approve automatically. Some students still haven’t moderated comments and others aren’t getting credit because you have not set up your commenting correctly.

4th block:

• 2 comments
• free post
• How is Much Ado About Nothing a tragicomedy? In what ways is it serious or culturally relevant? In what ways is it comedic? Use what we’ve been learning all along to answer these questions. Don’t just go off of the top of your head. Think about comedy theory, for example. When you’ve completed this discussion, also address how the play is still relevant or not today.

5th block:

• 2 comments
• Free post
• 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.

You have two free posts and two comments this week, but there are special conditions for your second free post:

• Free post
• Topic of your choice, but the topic must be different from anyone else’s and you must write it to a very specific audience of your choice.
• 2 comments
• Also required: pay special attention to all of the traits of writing this week- think about your composition.

If you didn’t do the links last week, fix it this week. Do these throughout the week. Weekend and Monday posts will not be accepted.