river oaks [english]

As we begin the study of Macbeth , I thought it might be useful to include a list of resources. In addition to the following links, some students have found a side-by-side translation useful. Even better, buy a version of the play with annotations. Although your textbook does include marginal notes, they are not as extensive as they could be. I like the The Annotated Shakespeare series, which includes an introduction and annotations by Burton Raffel and an essay by Harold Bloom. You can find the book locally at Windows. The following sites are related to Macbeth in particular: Internet Shakespeare Edition: Macbeth Backstage with the Royal Shakespeare Company Analysis from Shakespeare-Online "Macbeth: Playing at Witches" Wikipedia: Macbeth As noted in class, we will read and watch portions of the play. There are several good versions of the play on film, including the Polanski version that we are watching in class ; perhaps the most critically acclaimed version of the play i...

Your next assignment is to write a letter to the editor (or an editorial) regarding a local problem. By "local" I mean pertaining to your community -- school, city or state. Please follow the classical model for rhetoric discussed in your book on pages 13 and 14: Introduction - introduces the subject, piques interest of the reader, establishes the authority of the author [appeal to ethos] Narration - provides background, establishes the problem, connects to the audience [appeal to pathos] Confirmation - develops the argument, provides evidence [appeal to logos] Refutation - anticipates the opposition, lends credence, refutes claims [appeals to pathos and logos] Conclusion - brings the essay to a satisfying close, answers the question "so what?" [appeals to pathos] This should be between 400 and 500 words, formatted according to MLA. You may want to look on The News Star 's "Voices and Views" page for recent examples, or to generate a topic. Typed ro...

Your assignment is to write a sonnet , using the Shakespearean form as your model. Please try to emulate the poems we have read: develop an idea with each quatrain, ending with a couplet that comments on the whole poem. Please observe the following requirements: Must be 14 lines Must use iambic pentameter Must follow the Shakespearean rhyme scheme Must develop an idea (usually about relationships or love) Type and double-space your sonnet and format according to MLA. This assignment is due MONDAY 11/17 .

Please study the following authors, poems and terms for your test on Monday: Sir Thomas Wyatt ~ Introduced the sonnet to England (Petrarchan, or Italian), "Whoso List to Hunt" Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey ~ English Sonnet and Blank Verse Edmund Spenser ~ Sonnets 30 & 75, The Fairie Queen William Shakespeare ~ 154 sonnets, sonnet form, Sonnets 29, 73, 116 & 130 Christopher Marlowe ~ "The Passionate Shepherd to His Love" Sir Walter Raleigh ~ "The Nymph's Reply to the Shepherd" Robert Herrick ~ "To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time" Andrew Marvell ~ " To His Coy Mistress" John Donne ~ Metaphysical Conceit, "Song", "A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning" & "Death Be Not Proud" (Holy Sonnets)