Discussion 4 Bonus - Mom and Dad, meet Hamlet

Rent or borrow a copy of Hamlet. Consider a video rental store, a public library, a friend, or a family member as a borrowing source.

I think you'll have greater success finding a copy of,

Hamlet - Mel Gibson
Hamlet - Kenneth Branagh
Hamlet - Ethan Hawk
Hamlet - Laurence Olivier

If you find another version, I would like to know about it before you proceed.

Watch it ONCE, with your parents / guardian (yes, I mean together in the same room, at the same time). Answer these questions:

• What did you think of the adaptation?
• What did your parent / guardian think of the film?
• What was your parent's / guardian's reaction to the character, Hamlet?
• Is their reaction to Hamlet as portrayed in the film similar to your understanding of Hamlet from the actual play?

Explain and prove your findings using quotes from the participants.

Discussion 4 - Insight via Soliloquy

Choose any two soliloquies spoken by Hamlet in Hamlet.

Discuss how the two soliloquies give an insight to mental / emotional state of the character at two points in the play.

Discussion 3 - Writing

Consider the division between what you write about and how you proceed to write it.

Have you ever thought about your writing?

Do you want to continue writing using the same (read limited) vocabulary and sentence structure as you use now for the rest of your life?

Do you think that university will teach you to write, or that you should start university with an emerging writers voice?

Next year, regardless of your discipline, you will be judged by your writing. Consider that your ideas on a topic or subject will always be filtered by your ability to articulate your thoughts and set them down on paper. Always.

Your vocabulary and sentence structure develop by reading. Read everything: magazines, poetry, newspapers, the back of a cereal boxes, both professional and amateur writing on the internet, comic books, texts, and if all else fails, novels. When you encounter a word that you cannot define for your mom, or little brother or your English teacher, stop reading- grab a dictionary and look up the word.

Commit the following to memory, "Writing is a cyclical process". It usually is not a linear process. Understand now that authors, textbook writers, and poets all start and write / rewrite their work until they begin to see that their words stand alone.

Start by reading the resources that I will post in the Writing section of the course website.

To help you sort out my resources (not the Writing Process examples) start with 'Writing' on the website.

For this week's assignment, choose a structure and explain it to me in this week's posting. The due date for this weeks blog is Monday at 12:00 pm.

Discussion 2 - You say solid, I say sullied

You have 3 choices for this weeks blog. Please respect the limit if 10 replies per topic as explained in the blog's instructions.

1. Read the entire article for The Prince at Wikipedia. The article is here. How do the ruling characters in Act 1 of Hamlet act in accordance with the principals set forth by Machiavelli?
2. What does the Hamlet's first soliloquy reveal about the him? How does it affect the mood in Act 1? How does this effect you? I am looking for a close reading. If your next question is "close reading?", please read this. It will help. Be careful of the sources that you find explaining close readings; they can be discouraging.
   
3. Poetry is living language. Find lines that speak to you in Act 1. Quote them fully and explain them as best you can. Why do you love these lines? What do they reveal about the characters that speak them, what do they reveal about you- the person that likes them?
   

Discussion 1 Bonus - The Dead

Read Joyce's The Dead. Isolate and discuss the theme of this short story.
A copy of this story can be found on the course website.

Note this bonus is indicative of most of the blog bonuses- not for the faint of heart.

Discussion 1 - The Matter of Theme

The first three short stories that I've assigned deal with the central character experiencing an epiphany. Reread Indian Camp, Araby and Soldiers Home.
Articulate your own themes.
Be original by developing your own ideas- not ones found haphazardly on the internet or, God forbid, a book.
Once you have developed your themes, compare the theme of any two of the stories.
Please note that posting expectations have been outlined in the April 2006 post, Welcome.
These short stories can be found on the course website.