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A Midsummer Night's Dream

In A Midsummer Night's Dream, there is a play-within-the-play, “The most lamentable comedy, and most cruel death of Pyramus and Thisbe”. What could possibly be Shakespeare's reasoning for including this?  Is it a particular technique that Shakespeare is using to help with the comedy, or is there another possible reason?  Please explain your reasoning.

Welcome to British Literature!

Welcome to the new term of British Literature!  

This term, I hope you will enjoy the selections we will be reading.  To begin, we will start with a comedy, after all, we need to have some laughter in class!  We will begin by reading William Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream.  To begin, you will need to create an account on Moodle.  Please go to the following site:  Bay City Public Schools - Moodle.  Go to:  High Schools - Western High School - British Literature Section 2 (Robinson).  Create a new account (unless you already have an existing account).  You will receive the enrollment key from me in class. 

Once you have created your account and logged in, please Introduce Yourself to the class!  Make sure you follow the directions as to what you need to do - I would hate for you to lose points because you didn't follow the directions!

After you introduce yourself, you will take a field trip and visit William Shakespeare in Stratford!  During your visit, you will need to answer and do the following:

1. Construct a Shakespeare timeline with at least ten important events
2. List at least three ways Elizabethan speech is different from yours
3. Describe the Globe and explain why it was reconstructed (modern day Globe)
4. Discuss the significance of the London plague including conditions during the plague and its relationship to Shakespeare
5. Define sonnet, including an example of one of Shakespeare's sonnets
6. Access Shakespeare's work online

The link to the website is:  Shakespeare Virtual Field Trip

Have fun learning about Shakespeare.  Remember, when you are finished with the field trip to Click on the Discussion Forum:  Shakespeare Virtual Field Trip and answer your questions.  After you answer your questions, reply to two other classmates (make sure you follow the directions!).  

Student Teacher

Our student teacher, Mrs. Payne will be leaving next week.  Please give a review of how you think she did.

• How did you like her? 
• What did you like in particular?  
• What is something that you didn't like that she did in class? 
• What was your favorite thing from the class?
• What was your least favorite thing?
• If you could give her a piece of advice as a teacher, what would you tell her (remember school appropriate!)?

Let's wish Mrs. Payne the very best as she goes off into the world, looking for a position as a teacher.  If you could give her one piece of sound advice, advice that you yourself would use to interview for a position, what would you tell her?  Explain.

Final Exams

Please post a reply on how you feel you did on the final exam.  What area were you strong in?  What area were you weak?  What could you have done to receive a better score?  Did you study?  Did you try your hardest on the persuasive essay?  Did you use the techniques Mrs. Payne went over with you to improve your essay?  Did you use any of the reading strategies that we went over with you?  If so, which one(s)?  Did you feel more confident taking the exam because we focused on using the reading strategies and techniques to improve your essay?  Please explain.

A Knight's Tale

A Knight's Tale is a movie that deals with what it is like to be a knight, but also an associate of a knight during the Middle Ages.  In the movie, you are introduced to William, a squire to a knight who dies.  William takes his place, and on the way, he acquires help and friends in the one's who help him.  Chaucer is also a character introduced in the movie, and through the movie you learn some of the reasoning as to why Chaucer likes and dislikes other characters from his tales.  Which character from The Prologue of the Canterbury Tales do you like the best? the least?  Bring in reasons why with examples from the text.

What Women Want . . . .

Wife of Bath

We are beginning this week "The Wife of Bath's Tale."   We started a discussion in class today on what we know about the Wife of Bath, her characteristics, and what life was like during the time period and how women were looked at.  Knowing what you know about the Wife of Bath and the time period she lived in, what do you think she would say that women want?  In our day and age, what do you think women want?  Compare your answers between both time periods.  Are there similarities?  differences?