English 1Acc – 4th Quarter 2007 – 08

Date	Assignments
05/13—16/08	In class: Romeo and Juliet, Act Five Romeo has another prophetic dream Balthasar brings bad news Romeo defies Destiny Romeo trades poison for gold Friar John fails to deliver Friar Laurence changes the plan Paris shows his love and dies for his devotion Romeo makes another fatal mistake All is lost—except an important lesson West Side Story movie—a modern version of Romeo and Juliet 1. While viewing the movie, take note of similarities and differences with the original Shakespeare story. 2. Pay particular attention to the way the old story is blended with additional modern conflicts and how the message changes only slightly.
05/12/08	In class: Turn in Romeo and Juliet six deaths essay Review final scenes of act four Begin close reading of act five
05/09/08	In class: Read “A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings,” pp. 864—70 Answer questions 2, 3, & 4, p. 871 Class discussion based on your answers Turn in your revised answers Homework: Read Romeo and Juliet, act five and briefly describe the six deaths that occur in six days of the play and explain your understanding of why there are so many deaths in a drama that is supposed to be about love. Is it really about love, or is it about something else? Support your conclusion. Write at least 500 words. Due Monday, 05/12
05/07—08/08	In class: Romeo and Juliet, Act Four Juliet unexpectedly meets Paris at Friar Laurence’s cell She outwits Paris and gets him to leave Juliet claims she will do anything (hyperbole), and Friar Laurence formulates a desperate plan The happy Capulet household prepares for a wedding Juliet, alone with her thoughts, imagines what might go wrong with the plan “Romeo, I come! This do I drink to thee.” “She’s dead, deceased; she’s dead!” “The heavens do lower upon you for some ill”
05/05—06/08	In class: Turn in Romeo and Juliet, act three timeline Romeo and Juliet, Act Three “Come forth thou fearful man” “exile hath more terror in his look” “there on the ground, with his own tears made drunk” “Art thou a man?” Who does Romeo care about above all others? Capulet’s plan to change Juliet’s sadness Romeo and Juliet argue about the time Lady Capulet brings good news to Juliet Juliet speaks of her hatred of Romeo Capulet rages at Juliet’s ingratitude Juliet loses the support of her father, then her mother, then her Nurse In despair Juliet turns to Friar Laurence, her last hope
04/30—05/02/08	In class: Romeo and Juliet, Act Two 1. A lesson in physics: Which is faster, thoughts or light beams? 2. Nurse’s temporary power over Juliet—information is power, and power is not given up easily 3. Romeo’s explosive passion and naïve judgment 4. “Too swift arrives too tardy as too slow” Romeo and Juliet, Act Three 1. Benvolio wants to avoid a fight; Mercutio jokes that Benvolio is a notorious troublemaker 2. Tybalt is enraged by Romeo’s compliments 3. Romeo’s interference gets Mercutio killed 4. “No, ‘tis not so deep as a well, nor so wide as a church door; but ‘tis enough, ‘twill serve” 5. “Gallop apace, you fiery-footed steeds” 6. “Ah, well-a-day! He’s dead, he’s dead, he’s dead” 7. More misunderstanding as Juliet and Nurse argue over the death of “the best friend I had” Homework: Read Romeo and Juliet, act three and fill out timeline handout. Due Monday, 05/05
04/29/08	In class: Romeo and Juliet, Act Two Romeo’s ghostly father, Friar Laurence Friar Laurence speaks of the coexistence of good and evil in herbs and humans. Proper use brings proper good—sometimes; improper use brings evil “Holy Saint Francis! What a change is here!” “Thy love did read by rote, that could not spell” “Wisely, and slow. They stumble that run fast” “Tybalt . . . hath sent a letter to his father’s house” Deliberate misunderstanding between Mercutio and Benvolio ( like Tybalt’s deliberate misunderstanding earlier and later) Some other examples of misunderstanding Tybalt is “Prince of Cats” “[Enter Romeo, no longer moody]”
04/28/08	In class: Turn in “Queen Mab Dream” homework Romeo and Juliet, Act Two 1. “Call me love, and I’ll be new baptized” 2. Romeo and Juliet swear their mutual love 3. “And but thou love me, let them find me here” 4. “Well, do not swear. Although I joy in thee I have no joy of this contract tonight” 5. “If that thy bent of love be honorable, Thy purpose marriage, send me word tomorrow” 6. “Hence will I to my ghostly father’s cell”
04/24—25/08	In class: Turn in Romeo and Juliet, act two timeline Romeo and Juliet, act two “Can I go forward when my heart is here?” “He jests at scars that never felt a wound.” “O Romeo, Romeo! Wherefore art thou Romeo? Deny thy father and refuse thy name! Or, if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love, And I’ll no longer be a Capulet.” Homework: Annotate and paraphrase the “Queen Mab Dream” handout. Due 4/28
04/22—23/08	In class: Romeo and Juliet, act one, scene 5 Comic relief with the serving men Capulet and his cousin recall days gone by Romeo speak (aloud) of Juliet Tybalt recognizes Romeo and wants to fight Capulet wants peace, and Tybalt leaves—but vows to fight Romeo later The “pilgrims” meet and embrace Nurse intervenes “My life is in my foe’s debt.” “What’s he that follows there, that would not dance?” “My only love, sprung from my only hate!” Homework: Read Romeo and Juliet, act two and fill out timeline handout. Due Thursday, 04/24
04/21/08	In class: Turn in Yellow Raft in Blue Water unit test homework Romeo and Juliet, act one 1. Dreams in literary works are always important 2. Romeo and Mercutio have different ideas about the importance of dreams 3. Romeo: “I dreamt a dream tonight.” 4. Mercutio: “And so did I.” 5. Mercutio: “ Queen Mab hath been with you.” She brings out the worst vice of the dreamer—vanity, greed, violence, lust 6. Mercutio: “I talk of dreams; / Which are the children of an idle brain.” 7. Romeo: “My mind misgives / Some consequence, yet hanging in the stars.”
04/18/08	In class: Romeo and Juliet, act one Capulet, the good father Paris, the proper suitor Benvolio’s plan to help Romeo Lady Capulet, the good mother? Nurse, the bawdy real mother? “It is an honor that I dream not of.” Homework: Complete the Yellow Raft in Blue Water unit test. Type detailed answers on a separate sheet(s) of paper using complete sentences. Your answers should be in paragraphs of 5—8 sentences. Due Monday, 04/21
04/16—17/08	In class: The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, act one 1. Shakespeare immediately introduces the theme 2. Levels of conflict escalate quickly 3. Romeo is not himself 4. Benvolio, the peacemaker and friend 5. Foreshadowing Homework: A Yellow Raft in Blue Water unit test. Due Monday, 04/21
04/14—15/08	In class: A Yellow Raft in Blue Water, “Ida,” discussion and review. Explain the following quotations by Ida. What does she mean, and what does it tell us about her character? “I never grew up, but I got old.” I’m a woman who’s lived for fifty-seven years and worn resentment like a medicine charm for fifty.” “I should have kept myself free of them all.” “If I were to live my life differently, I would start with the word No.” “I was different with Christine, but it turned out no better.” Lucy’s letter and the end of the world Ida experiences the end of the old world and the beginning of a new world The symbolic meaning of Ida braiding her hair on the roof in the darkness with Father Hurlbert.
04/11/08	In class: Turn in Romeo and Juliet, act one timeline A brief overview of the story of Romeo and Juliet and Shakespeare’s adaptation of it Homework: Read A Yellow Raft in Blue Water, “Ida,” pp. 297—372 and be prepared to discuss Ida’s character in detail on Monday, 04/14.
04/09—10/08	In class: Turn in annotated Prologue handout Prologue quiz Homework: Read The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, act one and fill out the “Reading Shakespearean Drama” timeline handout. Be sure to include time of day, day of the week, geographical location, and exact location for each scene. Due Friday, 04/11.
04/07—08/08	In class: Write and review highlights of Shakespeare’s World, pp. 983-85 Read Shakespearean Drama, pp. 986-87 and explain the terms using your own examples Read aloud (red italics) introduction to the Prologue Act One prologue handout—read aloud in chorus several times Discuss the purpose of a prologue Homework: Annotate the second Prologue handout and study for Prologue quiz on block day.
04/03-04/08	In class: Shakespeare’s World, pp. 983-85 England Theater Impact on English language Shakespearean Drama, pp. 986-87 1. Tragedy 2. Comic Relief 3. Allusion 4. Foil 5. Soliloquy and Aside 6. Blank Verse and Iambi Pentameter Homework: Read Yellow Raft in Blue Water, pp. 234—93. Due Monday, 04/07
04/01-02/08	In class: Christine’s Character Development a study in contrasts the self she presents to the world the inner self that no one sees her actions vs. her true feelings stages of her development she represents the transition from the old to the new she is responsible for Rayona’s knowledge of the world Homework: Read Yellow Raft in Blue Water, pp. 234—93. Due Monday, 04/07
03/31/08	In class: Choose one of the quotations below and write a well-organized essay that explains the literal meaning and the broader meaning to the story as a whole. Write at least 1-1/2 – 2 pages. You may use the book. “Mysteries were the least of my problems. When the world didn’t end, I got another chance” (141). “I had walked into the wrong bar that night, and the experience left me temporarily insane” (181). “I never had another child. . . . If I had a boy I’d have to name it Lee. . . . I couldn’t take the chance” (232). “I was born that day too, just as sure as Rayona, and as time went on, I got older but I didn’t get happier. I learned more than I wanted to know and never could completely let go of anything” (233). “I wanted to go back and do Aunt Ida’s part better, and mostly I did” (233).