Assignments

Quizzes

There will be ten, brief, ten-item unannounced quizzes. They will consist of short answer and identification questions. They will cover the reading for that day (Shakespeare and other readings) and any terms and concepts discussed in previous classes. The quizzes will be handed out at the beginning of class and collected after fifteen minutes. Quizzes may not be made up.

Paper 1 Soliloquy Transcription and Paraphrase

Shakespeare’s characters are famous for their soliloquies and speeches.  These somewhat lengthy passages contain observations on recent events in the play, and larger meditations on themes and tropes of the play overall.  By analyzing a particular speech, we can get a sense of what the character believes, but also what the play as a whole is about. 

In this paper, you will take one of the Bastard’s speeches from King John, either 1.1.188-222 or 2.1.588-626 and analyze it to see how it connects to one of the themes of the play.  The paper will have two parts.  First, you will create an accurate transcription of the speech so that it matches the book in spelling and punctuation.  You will then circle and define, using the Oxford English Dictionary (OED), at least ten words with which you are not familiar.  The definition should make sense in context and should be accurate to Shakespeare’s lifetime (roughly 1550-1650).  If your text already glosses these words, cross check that definition with the OED and modify the definition as you see necessary to fit the context.  Next, identify and briefly explain important literary elements (similes, metaphors, allusions, images, personification, puns, or symbols) that appear in the speech.  These will be important in analyzing the speech.  Then, using your own words, write a paraphrase of the speech.  This paraphrase must convey the full meaning of the original, but you cannot use any words or phrases that appear in the original.  Your paraphrase will most likely be much longer than the original.  The length of this part will vary, but it should be no less than three pages.

            Second, write a two page paper that identifies a theme or trope in the play and shows how the speech relates it.  The literary elements will be helpful here.  You will need to be familiar with the events and characters of the play to complete this part.  The goal will be to show how the speech relates to the play as a whole.  This section will require you to use quotations from the text.  The rules for this are on the syllabus.

This assignment is designed to demonstrate your ability to use the OED, to read and understand Shakespeare’s language, and to practice your skills in paraphrasing. It will be scored on these criteria as well as how well it follows directions and format rules.  You are to rely only on the OED, your text, and your abilities as a critical reader and writer.  No outside sources may be used.  Any use of outside sources will be considered plagiarism.

            Be sure to follow the rules of format as described on the syllabus.  This course regards writing as a process.  The process of writing this paper will include a complete first draft, a side shadow, and a peer review.  Failure to complete one of these elements will result in the loss of ten points from your final score, up to a total of thirty.  On the day the final version of this paper is due, you will turn in the peer review sheet, the side-shadowed version, and the final version.

Paper 2 Character Analysis

This paper is a literary analysis that uses an argumentative thesis statement.  Shakespeare’s plays frequently contain two (or more) characters that seem to posses either similar or contrasting motives, goals, or beliefs.  By comparing and contrasting what these characters say, what they do, and what other characters say about them, we can establish a more sophisticated and nuanced understanding of them and of the play.  In this paper, you will identify two such characters, compare and contrast them in order to reveal something about their natures that may not be readily apparent.  You may examine two characters from one of the plays we have read thus far.  Or you may examine two characters from two different plays.  The paper will use quotations from the play or plays to support its thesis.  The paper must have an MLA-style bibliography (works cited page) that lists the text or texts that you used.  Rules for MLA style are in A Pocket Style Manual (138).

            The paper must have a clear thesis statement.  This thesis will be what you and your reader learn about a given character based on your analysis.  It must be an argument that your paper will support.  A statement of fact, such as “There are many similarities and differences between King John and Macbeth,” is not a thesis statement.  The paper should be three to four pages long and follow the format rules described in the syllabus.  The paper should be entirely your own effort; you are to use no outside sources beyond your text and the OED.  If I discover evidence that you did use outside sources, that is, the paper is plagiarized, it will receive a score of zero.

            This paper is designed to demonstrate your understanding of how Shakespeare creates his characters through comparison, contrast, use of imagery, metaphor and other literary elements, your ability to establish and support a thesis, your ability accurately and properly to use quotations from Shakespeare, and your ability to use the OED.  The paper will be scored on these criteria as well as how well it follows directions and format rules and use of paraphrase/summary/direct quotation.

            As with Paper 1, the process of this paper will include an outline, a complete first draft, a side shadow, and a peer review.  Failure to complete one of these elements will result in the loss of ten points from your final score, up to a total of thirty.  The day the paper is due, we will meet in Library 230.  You must bring a paper copy of your completed paper, an electronic copy, the rubric, and the outline.  If your paper is not complete at this time, ten points will be deducted from the score.  As with Paper 1, you will sideshadow, peer review, and revise your paper during the class period.

            On Tuesday 10 March, you are to bring to class an outline that identifies your thesis statement and at least three quotations that you intend to use to support it. This is to be typed on a single sheet of paper.

            For tips on generating an argumentative thesis statement, see: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/545/01/  Or A Pocket Style Manual (113-15).

Paper 3 Review

For this paper, you will write a four to five page review of the film of A Midsummer Night’s Dream.  This will not be an informative or descriptive review.  Based on your knowledge and your interpretation of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, you will present a critical analysis of the interpretation the film presents. 

The paper will have two parts.  The first part should begin with a brief paragraph that communicates basic information about the film, such as the release date, the director, the lead actors, and anything else that your reader needs to know to understand your review.  The next several paragraphs should briefly summarize the opinions of at least three reviews you found in class.  One review must be from a newspaper, one from a news magazine, and the last from a scholarly journal.  In general, what did the reviewers like and/or dislike about the film?  Do the three reviews have anything in common?

The second, and longest, part of the review will present your analysis of the director’s interpretation of A Midsummer Night’s Dream.  There are several strategies for doing this.  One is to begin with the themes of the play and ask how the film treats these themes.  Does it prefer one more than another?  Does it ignore one completely?  (For example, imagine a film of Macbeth that emphasizes the role of the Weird Sisters and makes Macbeth seem like a puppet without free will.  How would this fit with your own view of the play?)  A second strategy is to look at the performance cruces within the play.  Compared to your own idea of a particular moment or element, how does the film portray it?  (Imagine a film of Macbeth that has the Weird Sisters played by old men.  How would you evaluate that decision?)  A third strategy is to look at what the film leaves out and/or what it adds.  On average, a Shakespeare film uses only about thirty percent of the original lines.  Films will also change the setting (Macbeth in Brooklyn in the 1970s) or emphasize certain characters by giving them more screen time or more lines.  It is generally best to think about how the performance cruces and any changes affect the themes of the play, in other words, use a combination of all three strategies.

Your thesis statement for this paper will present your evaluation of the film’s interpretation.  For example, “By emphasizing the roles of the Weird Sisters and Lady Macbeth, this film of Macbeth makes Macbeth seem too weak and lacking free will of his own.”  The paper would go on to describe at least three moments in the film that demonstrate how overly influential the female characters are and how Macbeth’s character ends up seeming too powerless. 

            This assignment is designed to demonstrate your ability to interpret a filmed performance of a Shakespeare play, to establish and support a thesis, to locate and incorporate useful resources using Lexis/Nexis and other library resources, as well as those analytical skills described in papers one and two.  It will be scored on these criteria as well as how well it follows directions and format rules.

As with previous papers, this paper should follow all the usual rules of format.  The process of this paper will include an outline, a first draft, a side shadow, and a peer review.  Failure to complete one of these elements will result in the loss of ten points from your final score, up to a total of thirty.  On the day the final version of this paper is due, you will turn in the outline, the peer review sheet, the side-shadowed version, and the final version.

Editing Journal

This is to be kept in a blue book. I will make comments on each paper you turn in.  After you receive a paper back, make an entry for that paper in the blue book. The entry should be divided into four parts.  First, it should respond to any questions that I ask.  Second, it should describe any grammar/spelling/punctuation/usage/format errors and their corrections.  I will note these with check marks in the margin of your paper and as a category on the rubric.  Third, it should note any problems with MLA citations or the bibliography page.  Fourth, you should write two or three sentences describing what you would do differently if you were to re-write the paper.  The more specific these sentences are, the better.  The goal of the editing journal is to create a critical record of your own writing so that you can better address your strengths and weaknesses.  You will have an entry for each of the first three papers this term.  Your score will be determined by the comprehensiveness and organization of your journal. I will collect and check the journals periodically so be sure to bring it to class every day.

Portfolio

This is due on the last day of class.  It should contain each of the three papers that you wrote, with my comments on them and the rubric.  It should also contain your completed editing journal and the usage exercises done in class, and all of the quizzes.  Most importantly, it should have a one to two page personal statement, following the format rules, in which you describe how your writing has progressed from the first paper to the last.  You must cite specific examples of improvement or lack of improvement.  Your editing journal will be helpful in composing this.  Please assemble this in a paper folder, do not use three ring binders.