Final Reflectoin

What was your favorite lesson this year and why?

• My favorite lesson would had to have been the novel project. Mainly because I got to pick my own book as well pick from multiple things to do with it.

What was your least favorite lesson this year? Why?

• Poetry! I'm just not wired for poetry, I wish I could understand it but there is just some of it that makes no sense and that was my biggest issue with it.

Academically, what have you learned from this class?

•  That almost EVERYTHING has a meaning in literature.

What life lessons have you learned from this class?

• Honestly, there are TO MANY TO COUNT. Everything we did always got down and personal and for me it's hard to get personal but I defiantly learnt that life can be a pain in the butt as well as I'm stronger than I ever thought possible.

What can I change and improve upon as an educator to make this class more beneficial for future classes?
Final thoughts and opinions

• Have them read How to Read Literature Like a Professor during the summer. That book honestly is a lifesaver and is a very crucial part of the class.  

Novel Project

#7

• Although Mary Shelley's Frankenstein is compelling in and of itself, it also functions on a symbolic level or levels, with Frankenstein's monster standing in for the coming of industrialization to Europe — and the death and destruction that the monster wreaks symbolizing the ruination that Shelley feared industrialization would eventually cause. The novel also contains a number of "framing devices," which are stories that surround other stories, setting them up in one way or another. Robert Walton's letters to his sister frame the story that Victor Frankenstein tells to Walton, and Frankenstein's story surrounds the story that the monster tells, which in turn frames the story of the De Lacey family.

#1

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley begins with Captain Robert Walton hanging out in St. Petersburg, Russia, probably near the end of the 18th century. He's waiting around for a ride to the port of Archangel, where he's going to hire some hardy Russians to go sailing off to the North Pole. Unfortunately, the boat gets stuck in impassible ice hundreds of miles from land. Boring! With nothing else to do, he writes letters to his sister back in England. His main complaint? He wants a male friend to keep him company. (What about that ship full of sailors? No, he means a worthy companion.)

Soon, Walton's despair is interrupted by the sight of —a man! On the ice! Riding a dog-sled! The man boards the ship, and it seems as if Walton's wish for a friend has come true. Except this new guy, Victor? Kind of nuts. Here's his story, as told to Walton:

Victor started out like any normal kid in Geneva, with his parents adopting a girl named Elizabeth for him to marry when he was older. You know, totally normal. At college, he decides to study natural philosophy (like a rudimentary physics) and chemistry, along with chemistry's evil twin, alchemy. In about two years, he figures out how to bring a body made of human corpse pieces to life. (We couldn't even manage to finish high school in two years.) Afterwards, he's horrified by his own creation (no…really?) and is sick for months while his friend Henry Clerval nurses him back to health.

Back in Geneva, Victor's younger brother, William, is murdered. The Frankenstein family servant, Justine, is accused of killing him. Victor magically intuits that his monster is the real killer, but thinking that no one would believe the "my monster did it" excuse, Victor is afraid to even propose his theory. Even when poor Justine is executed.

Victor, in grief, goes on a trip to the Swiss Alps for some much needed R&R. All too conveniently, he runs into the monster, who confesses to the crime and tells Victor this story (if you're keeping track, we're now in a story-within-a-story-within-a-story):

When Frankenstein fled, he found himself alone and hideous. No one accepted him (being a corpse-parts conglomeration can do that to you), except for one old blind man. He hoped that the blind man's family of cottagers would give him compassion, but even they drove him away. When he ran across William, he killed the boy out of revenge. In short, he's ticked off that his maker created him to be alone and miserable, and so would Frankenstein please make him a female companion?

After much persuading, Victor agrees. He drops off Henry in Scotland while he goes to an island in the Orkneys to work. But, just before he finishes, he destroys the second monster: he's afraid that the two will bring destruction to humanity rather than love each other harmlessly. The monster sees him do this and swears revenge … again. When Victor lands on a shore among Irish people, they accuse him of murdering Henry, who has been found dead. He's acquitted, but not before another long illness.

Victor returns to Geneva and prepares to marry Elizabeth, but he's a little worried: the monster has sworn to be with him on his wedding night. Eek! Victor thinks the monster is threatening him, but the night he and Elizabeth are married, the monster kills the bride instead. This causes Victor's father to pass away from grief (as he just lost a daughter-in-law and a daughter), so it's kind of a twofer for the monster.

Alone and bent on revenge, Victor chases the monster over all imaginable terrain until he is ragged and near death. (In fact, we can't really tell the two of them apart anymore except that the monster is taller and uglier.) And now we're back up the present: he finds Walton's ship, tells his story, and dies.

Story over? Not quite. Walton discovers the monster crying over Victor's dead body. We're not sure if he's crying because he's sad or because, as he says, he has nothing to live for anymore—but either way, he heads off into the Arctic to die. Alone.

#3

In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, The creature, or "Frankenstein's Monster," is a lonely, sympathetic and largely misunderstood character. Abandoned by his creator -- the closest thing to a father figure that the creature has -- the creature, shocked by the horrified reaction of society to its physical appearance, turns against its creator. The creature's experience is that all humanity equates his deformed physical appearance with evilness. "As I fixed my eyes on the child, I saw . . . divine benignity to one expressive of disgust and affright."
Frankenstein is ambitious, preoccupied with his work, and obsessive. It is this drive to succeed that eventually pushes his experimentation too far. While it is often thought that the creature is the villain of the piece, in fact, upon reading Shelly's novel it becomes clear that Victor Frankenstein himself must take some degree of responsibility for the monster's crimes. Victor shows a selfish self-interest in his experimentation; he does not shoulder the monumental responsibility of his actions because he is driven only by ambition and not by a regard for others: "I had desired it with an ardour that far exceeded moderation; but now that I had finished, the beauty of the dream vanished, and breathless horror and disgust filled my heart."
Both Frankenstein and his monster see themselves as wronged. Both have the desire and the inclination to love, but their loving intentions are swiftly transformed by hate and isolation. The novel focuses upon the redemptive power of love. Both admire beauty (Elizabeth's), and are repulsed by the physical appearance of Frankenstein's monster. "How can I describe my emotions at this catastrophe, or how delineate the wretch whom with such infinite pains and care I had endeavored to form?"
Both become isolated from main society: Victor is isolated by his obsession with work, and because the creature kills off those he loves. The creature is isolated because of his appearance. Both start out with good intentions: Victor's love of nature encourages him to study natural science but his ambition soon leads him astray. The creature's instinct is to love and be loved, but the reaction to his appearance is one of hatred and repulsion, so it reacts in kind. "This was then the reward of my benevolence! I had saved a human being from destruction, and as a recompense I now writhed under the miserable pain of a wound which shattered the flesh and bone . . . vowed eternal hatred and vengeance to all mankind."
While Victor Frankenstein grew up in a loving family environment, surrounded by the love of Elizabeth and the friendship of Henry Clerval, the creature is abandoned almost immediately. Dr. Frankenstein fails to show his creation the same love and support that he himself experienced in his own upbringing. "No human being could have passed a happier childhood than myself."
The story of Frankenstein plays with the themes of human nature, nurture and human needs. Essentially, Victor has a parental duty to nurture his creation, which he fails to do. The monster, on the other hand, is not bound by the usual bounds of humanity, since he has been born an unworldly being. The creature is made from fragments of human life, and as such his heart is similarly fragmented. "I looked upon them as superior beings who would be the arbiters of my future destiny."

#2

The Monster

In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, The monster is Victor Frankenstein’s creation, assembled from old body parts and strange chemicals, animated by a mysterious spark. He enters life eight feet tall and enormously strong but with the mind of a newborn. Abandoned by his creator and confused, he tries to integrate himself into society, only to be shunned universally. Looking in the mirror, he realizes his physical grotesqueness, an aspect of his persona that blinds society to his initially gentle, kind nature. Seeking revenge on his creator, he kills Victor’s younger brother. After Victor destroys his work on the female monster meant to ease the monster’s solitude, the monster murders Victor’s best friend and then his new wife.

While Victor feels unmitigated hatred for his creation, the monster shows that he is not a purely evil being. The monster’s eloquent narration of events (as provided by Victor) reveals his remarkable sensitivity and benevolence. He assists a group of poor peasants and saves a girl from drowning, but because of his outward appearance, he is rewarded only with beatings and disgust. Torn between vengefulness and compassion, the monster ends up lonely and tormented by remorse. Even the death of his creator-turned-would-be-destroyer offers only bittersweet relief: joy because Victor has caused him so much suffering, sadness because Victor is the only person with whom he has had any sort of relationship.

Essay feedback

The essay lacks textual support, as well as decent word choice. There is an attempt at trying to use parallel events but it didn’t follow through.  As well, I used the wrong pivotal moment completely which means I didn’t even answer the prompt in any way, shape, or form. The introduction was impeccably weak as well as a conclusion that was basically non-existent.   In the end the essay in its entirety deserves a three at most mainly because to get a five you have to at least answer the prompt and I didn’t even grasp that concept. If I was to redo the essay I would for one, pick the right moment, and second use textual support. Honestly I feel like I need help on everything!

Reflection

1. Favorite play. Why?

• My favorite play was The Taming of the Shrew mainly because I somewhat feel like I can relate to it a little better than Othello. Especially after watching 10 things I Hate About You.

2. What would you have changed and/or added to the Othello unit? What was your favorite part?

• The blogs. Some of the questions were just hard for me to put in words that made sense out of my head. I really didn't have a favorite part to Othello, other than the trial, but other than that it was honestly my least favorite thing we've read all year.

3. What would you have changed and/or added to the Taming of the Shrew unit? What was your favorite part?

• I wouldn't have changed anything about this unit. My favorite part is tied between watching 10 Things I Hate About You and making our own version of the play.

4. How well do you feel you understand both plays? Use a scale of 1-10 and explain.

• When it comes to Othello I would give myself a 7 because that one was just harder for me to get because i really just couldn't get into the book. With The Taming of the Shrew I would say a 10 because the activities with did with it made it more understandable because we put ourselves in that spot when we acted it out. Plus I'm just a shrew in general so I related to the play.

5. Create a major assignment for one of the plays. Explain why you think this would help future AP Lit students.

• I think if you were to have the kids do a video with Othello too, it would make it more understandable because they would have to act out the situation instead of just imagining

Similarities between O/Othello

• similarities that both the movie and play focus on are themes of racial tension, jealousy, manipulation
• Othello/Odin is seen as different by the rest of the community
•  Iago/Hugo are jealous of Othello/Odin's success and want to essentially bring them and Cassio back to earth, and knows he can manipulate them using Desi and Odin's pride as the targets. 
• Iago/Hugo knows that he can use his skill and pick on the weaknesses in each character in order to get what he wants
• a prop of significance in both the play and the movie is the handkerchief
• It was a gift, and when it ends up in the wrong hands, Othello/Odin becomes furious about it
• Othello/Odin is manipulated into believing that Desdemona/Desi has been cheating on him
• Othello/Odin promises Iago/Hugo that he will kill her for what she has done.
• Desi/Desdemona holds true to her word when she says she hasn't cheated on him, but he still does not believe her and strangles her at the end of the movie.
• main difference between the play and the movie is the setting. 
• Othello is set in Venice and the island of Cyprus while there were wars between Venice and Turkey.  "O" is set at a modern day prep school
• In the play, Othello and Desdemona marry while in the movie, they are only high school lovers bound by a rubber band ring on Desi's ring finger.
• drug use becomes a factor in the movie that contributes to how the characters act
• Hugo uses steroids and Odin uses cocaine

O Review

Changing the words of Shakespeare is pretty hard. It levels between the difficulty of trying to drive a car without gasoline and building a rocket. Now add to that the attempt of changing the setting of Othello to a Southern prep school. The first thing that can be said about ''O,'' is that the movie drastically updates characters and situations from Othello, updating them to the gossipy atmosphere of a contemporary high school. To an astonishing degree, ''O'' gets the tragic Shakespeare mood, that feeling that reeks of complete and utter betrayal.
Some of the movie, admittedly, is labored. Minus the treacherous eloquence of Shakespeare's words, the business of the stolen handkerchief now plays like the hoariest of hoary devices. Yet the central triangle retains its racial-sexual ambiguity. Mekhi Phifer as the charismatic and forthright yet secretly vulnerable basketball star Odin, Julia Stiles as his devoted girlfriend Desi, Josh Hartnett as the weak and bitter Hugo, who out of a tangle of envy and self-hatred tries to bust their relationship apart – each actor plays their role adequately and so close to the line, you honestly would believe it is their true self. As the drama comes to its gradual boil, they reveal their emotions with utter openness as well.
“O” turns out to be something far more rare than another novelty spin on Shakespeare, It's a teen movie that jettisons all irony, inviting us to sink, with a feeling that feels nearly lush, into the drive and clash of its characters. Odin, the only black student at Palmetto Grove Academy in Charleston, S.C., is a superjock, popular for his slam-dunks and also for the casual charm of his off-the-court camaraderie. He's devoted to Desi, and though it's hardly a color-blind romance, the deep-feeling bond that they share, at parties and in her dorm-room bed, makes their relationship look like the essence of a youthful love affair. Phifer and Stiles ground the movie in their playful sensual rapport; they make adoration look sexy. Odin and Desi see each other's race, but mostly they see right past it.
Hugo, too, is on the basketball squad, and the fact that he's not talented enough to be a star is just one of his problems. He's the son of the head coach and he feels passed over by his father, who was responsible for getting Odin a scholarship and who treats him like a saint. Hartnett, in a daring performance, plays Hugo as shy, moody, and all too easily wounded -- a maliciously overdelicate James Dean who schemes out of impotence, coveting Odin's success with a poison brew of admiration and envy. Hugo is one of Odin's inner circle of chums, and when he decides to plot against him, you wonder, for all of his cunning, how his convoluted plan could possibly succeed. He seems outclassed at every level.
That's where the racial politics of ''O'' grow at once powerful and, to me at least, a little dicey for comfort. When Hugo tells Odin that white girls like Desi are ''horny snakes,'' he's playing on the paranoia about otherness that everyone in America knows. Phifer shoots bolts of accusation out of his wary dark eyes. He reveals the spectacle of intelligence working against itself: As Odin begins to suspect his lover of infidelity, the reality of his past -- the fact that he didn't grow up with these privileged white kids -- starts to overheat and bend his judgment.
The motivation is laid out with meticulous care, and Nelson stages one extraordinary moment of primal anger: Odin, his roiling soul stoked by cocaine, smashing the basketball so hard at a dunking contest that it shatters the backboard, much to the ignorant delight of the crowd. Yet the movie, from this point on, has little choice but to escalate Odin's rage even further, and the effect, in its very overstatement, carries uncomfortable -- if unintentional -- racist overtones. The violent climax of O that resulted in all the distribution ruckus turns out to be the worst part of the movie because in the context of a modern American high school, it turns Odin into a junior O.J. Simpson, a young black man whose civilized facade is merely cover for an intrinsic and bottomless rage. Unlike Othello, he withdraws, in his very vengeance, from the audience, and the movie, for all of its feeling, recedes from tragedy.

Kite Runner

                #2

  In the book The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, the main character Amir, has a privileged upbringing. His father, Baba, is rich by Afghan standards, and as a result, Amir grows up accustomed to having what he wants. The only thing he feels deprived of is a connection with Baba, which he blames on himself. He thinks Baba wishes Amir were more like him, and that Baba holds him responsible for killing his mother, who died during his birth. Amir, consequently, behaves jealously toward anyone receiving Baba’s affection. His relationship with Hassan shows this. Though Hassan is Amir’s best friend, Amir feels that Hassan, a Hazara servant, is beneath him. When Hassan receives Baba’s attention, Amir tries to assert himself by verbally attacking Hassan. He mocks Hassan’s ignorance, for instance, when he calls him an imbecile, or plays tricks on him. At the same time, Amir never learns to assert himself against anyone else because Hassan always defends him. All of these factors play into his cowardice in sacrificing Hassan, his only competition for Baba’s love.

#7

In The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, The kite symbolizes many things in this portion of the story. The three main ones we came up with were the kites symbolizing freedom, power, and Amir’s relationships. This goes with kites symbolizing freedom. This shows us that Afghanistan is free and the story said that Russia would soon learn just as Britain learned that Afghanistan is in fact free. So this foreshadows the events that are about to take place in Afghanistan and how Russia would try to take over Afghanistan. When it comes to their kite-flying they don’t have any rules they just play the way they have been playing for a long time. They have their festivals and traditions that they will continue unlike being confined by any rules or being 

controlled.

#1

In The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, Amir and Hassan had a good relation because they used to play with each other and have a great time with each other, but Amir never officially called him as a friend. Amir wouldn’t let him play with him when his school friends were with him. He was also jealous because Baba would admire Hassan more because he was more manly then Amir. Amir also wanted Baba to pay less attention to Hassan then he did. The quote that describes this is when he says” Baba asked me to fetch Hassan to, but I lied and told him he had the runs, I just wanted Baba all to myself” (kiterunner, 14). There for the relation between them two are more servants to person relationship then friendship relationship

.#2

Hassan is a truly good and beautiful person even though he's had his fair share of hard times. In fact, Hassan has it tougher than Amir from the beginning. Not only did Hassan lose his mother (like Amir), his mother flat-out rejected him:

Sanaubar had taken one glance at the baby in Ali's arms, seen the cleft lip, and barked a bitter laughter. [...]. She had refused to even hold Hassan, and just five days later she was gone. (2.29-30)

But Hassan, unlike Amir, is a selfless and joy-filled creature. As Amir says, "Hassan never denied me anything," and we watch Hassan again and again think of others before himself (2.2). Hassan covers for Amir when they get in trouble. He defends Amir when the neighborhood bullies threaten them. The boy also serves Amir and Baba with the thoughtless goodwill of a saint.

Hassan gets even more saintly. When Amir betrays Hassan in the alleyway, Hassan looks up with resignation. Amir describes his expression as "[t]he look of the lamb" (7.133). Hassan's ability to suffer without becoming bitter really separates Amir and Hassan. Even years later, after being driven out of the house by Amir and losing his father to a land mine, Hassan writes letters to Amir filled with warmth and nostalgia for their time in Kabul. Somehow, Hassan never thinks to hold a grudge against Amir. It's unthinkable – it's simply not part of the makeup of this character.

Perhaps in the novel Hassan represents the good life Amir should aspire to imitate. That said, Hassan also infuriates Amir with his goodness. After Amir betrays Hassan, Hassan continues to serve Amir tirelessly. The two boys go up to the pomegranate tree and Amir begins to pelt Hassan with pomegranates. Amir calls Hassan a "coward" and begs Hassan: "Hit me back!" (8.88). Hassan just takes it and never fights back.

#9

The significance of the title The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini is, Flying a kite--or kite running--is as much of a national sport in Afghanistan as playing baseball or football is in the United States. The title refers to the characters Hassan, the good friend of Amir, who is the narrator of the story. It also refers to the event that changes the lives of both of these boys, the competitive kite running that Amir wins, with the help of Hassan, after which Amir shames himself by not coming to the aid of Hassan when he needs him. Besides referring to these characters and these events, the title also refers the freedom of the kite made possible by controlling it through manipulation of the spool. The freedom, then, is only partial, but beautiful, a cooperation, in this case, between 2 boys and nature. Because this is a story of their friendship, naming the book Kite Runner, captures all of these aspects of it.

#14

In The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, there are many controversial themes that carry out to show the prevalent meaning that correlates with the life of the author himself. I believe that Hosseini's life was exactly the same as he wrote Amir's life in the book. The tragic moments that occur in Afghanistan and intersect with personal life in the novel are very detailed as if it had happened to Khaled Hosseini himself. Since he was originally from Afghanistan, and his age falls in correctly with the novel, its nonsense to think that the story was a memoir. All historical events in the novel, are true, with the Hazaras and Pashtuns, as well as the Taliban.
I believe that it all correlates with the writer's personal life, and is very relevant. The story also is broken down to where it can be related to any situation in life, such as any kind of guilt or forgiveness, as well as rape and parental figures and showing emotions. The book touches base with many life lessons, to where I believe many authors do when writing a book. The author will always write about something they have personally interacted with, so they can share it with other people. I, for one, feel that is one important reason about novels and books, to not only inform people, but to help them and share with them your personal experiences, so you can help them as well.

#10

I chose the scene in Khaled's The Kite Runner of where Amir returns to Afghanistan in order to go and retrieve Hassan's son Sahrob (I probably spelled his name wrong - sorry). There are several things that I do want to discuss about the next sets of paragraph. First off, the soccer event that Amir and his friend Rahim attend. The fact that the couple was stoned in the middle of half time for a soccer game is completely ludicrous. Someone would have to be completely crazy to think that that was completely normal; even though it really did and probably still does happen, it almost sounds too far-fetched to believe. What's even worse was that they said it was for the glory of God, their Allah. Anyway, the next part of Amir's return I want to discuss would have to be his encounter with Assef and how he finally stands up for someone and himself. I'm completely satisfied with the fact that he stood up to his past and basically told him "No, I'm not like that anymore" and did what he thought was right. That right there took courage and it's something I don't think I could ever do. I also enjoyed the fact that Sahrob did use a slingshot just like his father did.

The Taming of The Shrew

Taming of the Shrew: Act 4 & 5

Act 4

1. How is Petruchio's masculinity represented? Examine his treatment of servants, Kate, etc.

Pertuchio comes across as a pretty powerful man. He treats his servants terribly and beats and strikes them as well. When it comes to Kate he acts mostly nice to and claims everything he does he does for love only to try and attempt to "tame" Kate.


2. Many critics mark the sun/moon scene in the road to Padua (scene 5) as the turning point in the play which indicates Kate's taming. What is different about this scene? If she is tamed, what is she submitting to? Is it really a "submission," or can it be interpreted in other ways?

In this scene Kate comes across as submitting but she is actually just doing it without really submitting it's kind of like a forfeit She's doing it but not agreeing to it.

Act 5

1. Analyze Kate's final speech. Is she sincere or ironic? Should we take her at her word? Or should we imagine a gap between what she says and what she means? Does the context of her words change their meanings? What are different possibilities in performing this scene?

Kate is completely sarcastic. If you look back upon the rest of the book she is way to stubborn to change. Especially in the scene with the moon, even though Petruchio is saying that the moon is the sun and that he is right, Kate reacts as if she was saying, ok whatever you say can you please just shut up.

There are different ways you could perform this. You could make Kate come across as sincere or sarcastic. It would all just depend on body language and how speak your words.


2. What happens to the power dynamics in this scene–between men and men, women and women, men and women?

Men to men are very equal even though they all think they are the best and have the best; always trying to outwit one another. Women to women are very jealous of one another and try to bring each other down, but yet some positive there because women look out for one another. Men to women is more of a dominance role play, because the female is supposed to be controlled by the male; to love him and serve him as a loyal wife "should".

Taming of the Shrew: Act 2 & 3

1. How does Petruchio "tame" Kate? Consider how he seems to define their roles.  Petruchio tames Kate by talking with her and saying nice and romantic  things to her even though she is being completely rude while he is trying to woo her. 

2.How does Katherine act in the scenes where she says little or nothing? For example, in Act 2, scene 1, how does Katherine behave when Petruchio reports on his success in wooing Kate and in their plans for marriage? Because the text provides little explanation, you must decide how she would act based on your interpretation of her character from previous scenes.   Honestly she doesn't seem to care other than the fact of being forced to be married.

3. imagine viewing this play in the Elizabethan era. Identify 4 moments of comedy.
 -Petruchio walking into his own wedding dressed in rags
 -when the Lord is all for playing a big joke on Sly, the drunkard.
 -Petruchio exclaiming that he is the plan with the plan and is going to tame Kate.
 -The Lord making his page dress up as a woman.
.

4. Disguise is a major theme in TotS. What famous Bible story involves deceit and disguise?  

The story of Jacob and Esau that involves disguise and deceit. Esau was the favorite child of him and his twin Jacob from his father. Jacob did not like that; therefore, he disguised himself as Esau as he was hairy, so Jacob wore sheep skin and went to their blind father and took Esau's birthrights from him.

 Taming of the Shrew: Induction and Act 1

Describe each character:

• Katherine- rude and outspoken, she is the shrew.
• Bianca- quiet and naive, also very well mannered and respectful. She is a "perfect" lady.
• Gremio- an old man who is greedy, conceited, stubborn and determined to win Bianca's hand in marriage.
• Hortensio- sneaky and blinded by love for Bianca, also would do anything to get her
• Petruchio- a man who is very wealthy and odd, and wants Kate mostly for her money
• Lucentio- a honored man, who is blinded by love and will do anything to get what he wants

1. Compare Katherine and Bianca to modern day people - Cinderella and her two stepsisters, no one wants to be with the stepsisters but the mother wont let anyone get near Cinderella because she is their slave.The Induction portrays role-playing. Who acts the part of whom? Why? How does such role-playing address issues of gender and class? What effects might these representations have on the play?    The Lord portrays a servant, and the page portrays a lovely wife. Sly is being portrayed to himself by the Lord, page, and others that he is a King or very high royalty to play a joke on him. The play issues playing a woman was something looked down upon so lower class people played those parts.
2. From the outset, we learn from Bianca's suitors that Katherine is the less desirable of the two sisters. Examine and question this claim. How are Biance and Katherine different? What ma kes Katherine rather than Bianca the shrew?   Bianca s rather quiet, sweet, and well mannered, while Katherine is the total opposite, which is that she shares her opinion, very independent, and very rude. Katherine is more of the shrew because she is so sour and harsh towards everyone including people who try to be nice to her.

Othello

Act I

1. What conflicts do you already see beginning to emerge? Choose two quotes from Act I that expose these conflicts. Explain why each quote is significant and what it reveals about the characters.

In the very beginning, Iago right of the bat shows his hatred for Othello when he is talking about how Othello got the place of lieutenant. He says                                                                                                              "Three great ones of the city (In personal suit to make me his lieutenant) Off-capped to him, and by               the faith of man I know my price, I am worth no worse a place." He basically says that he was just                 as deserving, if not more, of the position that Othello had been granted.

• Another quote of Iago is "So it’s all decided. I've worked it out. With a little help from the devil, I’ll bring this monstrous plan to success." This quote shows the reader that Iago, from the get go, has something bad planned out for all.

2. Create three discussion questions of your choice based on Act I

• What would you do with your daughter if you were in Barbinto's place?
• Would Othello be better off without Desdemona?
• Why does Roderigo let himself stay in love with a person who he has no hope of getting?

3. In a paragraph each, analyze the character of Othello and Iago (so far).

• Othello is a very humble and honest man. He has worked very hard to have the job he has, especially dealing with all the accusations. He is very loyal, seemingly very brave and willing to do whatever it takes to do what is right for Cyprus. He also has a true heart of love for Desdemona, despite the forbidden love that her father disagrees upon, he truly loves her and does not want to lose her. Othello is also slightly blinded to his officer Iago who truly despises him.
• Iago comes across very shrewd and not afraid to say what he's thinking. He has an obvious grudge on Othello and even goes as far as planning to completely destroy everything about him. He is self centered and uses other people to get himself ahead. He does this by befriending them and then manipulating them with patronizing them.

Act II

1. Choose one of Iago's soliloquies (end of 2.1 or end of 2.3) and thoroughly analyze it. 

As you analyze think about the following questions:

1. What is Iago saying?

2. Figurative language?

3. How is his rhetoric? His tone?

4. What is he revealing? Revealing about himself?

• At the end of 2.1, Iago's soliloquy explains to the audience the reasons as to why he is acting out his plans. He accuses Othello of sleeping with his wife and so he is looking for revenge on the man.  He comes up with a ruse, saying that Desdemona, his "one true love" and Othello's wife, is having an affair with Othello's subordinate Cassio, in order to enrage Othello. Iago seems to have several different reasons for planing out this type of revenge on Othello, even claiming that Othello slept with his wife a long time ago. Although if Desdemona is Iago's true love, then one would not consider that he would really care for the fact that someone had slept with his current wife. He just uses this as an excuse to hate Othello even more and to justify his actions even further.

2. In Act II Iago launches his plan to destroy Othello. What is his motive? Jealousy? Racism? Is he opportunistic? A sociopath? All of the above? None of the above? Use TEXTUAL SUPPORT. 

• Iago certainly has a motive's. The first motive is revenge, at the end of Act II, Scene I. Iago says, "I love her too, not simply out of lust, but also to feed my revenge. I have a feeling the Moor slept with my wife. That thought keeps gnawing at me, eating me up inside. I won’t be satisfied until I get even with him, wife for wife." This shows that he wants to get revenge on the Moor for his affair with his wife.

3. Choose another character (from film, books, etc) that reminds you of Iago. Explain

• The Volturi in Twilight are similar to Iago in the fact they use information to twist coven's around and tear them apart, ultimately causing destruction to the members who don't have special abilities, They do this because they want vampire's with special abilities to make their coven stronger. 

3. Create two discussion questions from Act II that you would like to discuss with the class.

• Do you think Iago's plan work?
• Would you believe Iago if you were Othello?

Act III

1. What is a tragic flaw? What do you believe is Othello's tragic flaw? What is your tragic flaw? Explain.

• A tragic flaw is a flaw in a (main) character that ultimately brings the character to sorrow or ruin.
• Othello's suffering results mostly from his poor judgment.  He trusts the wrong people and mistrusts those who are most loyal to him (Desdemona and Cassio).  In Act 3, he sets aside his sensible, military side and falls prey to Iago's manipulation.                
• I have the inability to say no. If someone ask me to do something for them I put away everything I'm doing to do it for them. I usually end up having fifty task at one time and it ultimately breaks me. I suffer from it, my grades suffer from it, and those around me suffer by watching me go crazy from trying to make sure everything is perfect.                                                                 

 2. Below is the Shakespearean and modern version of Othello. Examine the quote about a good reputation. What does Iago mean through this quote? How valuable do you believe a reputation is? What is your reputation? What kind of name do you have amongst others? 

"A good reputation is the most valuable thing we have—men and women alike. If you steal my money, you’re just stealing trash. It’s something, it’s nothing: it’s yours, it’s mine, and it’ll belong to thousands more. But if you steal my reputation, you’re robbing me of something that doesn’t make you richer, but makes me much poorer."

"Good name in man and woman, dear my lord,

Is the immediate jewel of their souls.

Who steals my purse steals trash. 'Tis something, nothing:

'Twas mine, ’tis his, and has been slave to thousands.

But he that filches from me my good name

Robs me of that which not enriches him

And makes me poor indeed."

• Basically Iago means that reputations are all we have, as people. He also say's that people can take your money, but it doesn't matter because it will belong to so many people throughout the years. In his mind money is equal to nothing. However if your reputation is destroyed, it leaves you less of a person and the one who ruined it is basically king of the castle. It's great tfor the one who ruined it, but to the one who just lost their basic identity it's terrible. 
• I believe reputations are important in the world today. Basically because your reputation, whether it be false or true, is how people judge you. 
• My reputation is different with everyone I know. For example my reputation with Michaela, Mckayla, Izzy, and Emily is the geeky nerdy girl who knows way to many weird and unusual facts, but my reputation with Kassidy is the wild crazy weirdo who will do anything for a laugh. My reputation is also different with my family and teachers as well. To some I'm a wallflower with others I'm a goody goody who can do no wrong. I present my self differently with every person I know.

3. Connect this quote to another film/movie/book or to your own personal life. 

Ideas can be like poisons. At first they hardly even taste bad, but once they get into your blood they start burning like hot lava.

Dangerous conceits are in their natures poisons

Which at the first are scarce found to distaste,

But with a little act upon the blood

Burn like the mines of sulfur.

• When I was younger people planted the idea in my head that I was too weird to be loved by anybody. Eventually I started to believe it and I fell into are dark hole which I couldn't get out of for a long time. I still to this day don't speak my mind about much when it comes to my opinions or feelings because I still fear I'll hear it again.

Act IV

1. In Act 4 we learn the character of Desdemona. Choose two quotes that you believe best illustrate her character. 

• "I’d never do such a bad thing, not for the whole world!"
• "I swear I have no idea why he stopped loving me. Here I’m kneeling to swear that if I ever did anything to destroy his love for me, either by thoughts or actions, or if I ever took pleasure in anyone else, or if I never did love him, or don’t love him now—even though he tries to shake me off—then I hope I have a life of misery! Unkindness is powerful, and his unkindness may kill me, but it’ll never destroy my love." 

2. How is Othello changing in Act 4? What is the effect of his public humiliation of Desdemona by slapping her?

• Othello has become everything Iago wanted. Othello now believe Desdemona is cheating on him and he is now planning to kill her.When he slaps her in public it gets Emilia concerned and it lets Iago know his plan is working. It also leads others to think he always acts this way or that he's slowly losing his mind. 

3. At the end of Act 4 we get a glimpse into the private world of women. How does Shakespeare portray this world?

• The women are curious, and talk about other women they think are less valuable than them, and wondering how some women could do such a thing. Shakespeare has portrayed them to be very emotional,

4. Analyze "The Willow Song". What is the literal meaning of this song? What does this song symbolize?

• "Willow Song" is about a woman who loves her husband dearly, but he is going mentally insane and she is afraid that he won't be around for her anymore. This is the same situation that Desdemona is in with Othello. He is slowly losing his wits and she's afraid that everything will be taken from her when he does. 

Act V

1. At the end of this scene we witness the murder of several characters. Did this ending satisfy you? Why or why not?

• I was satisfied with the ending because everyone in the end basically got what they deserved, Iago honestly could have suffered more but it's still a good ending. 

2. This play is considered to be one of the greatest tragedies of all time. Why is it so tragic (avoid the answer: they all died).

• Everyone dyeing had nothing to do with it being a tragedy, it was everything that led up to that. it shows how easy people can be manipulated and torn apart ending in the destruction of loved ones.

3. What does the handkerchief symbolize?

• The handkerchief is a symbol of many things; the main thing it symbolizes is the wedding sheets. To Iago, it is his seed and the instrument that puts his evil plan in motion. For Othello and Desdemona, it is a symbol of their undying love and also of Desdemona's faithfulness to Othello. To Cassio it's a symbol of undoing - it being in his possession ultimately leads Othello to the decision to let Iago kill him.

4. Examine Othello's last words. What do these words show us about him?

• His last words showed us how noble he was to the end. And how sincere his feelings for his wife were. After coming back to his senses, Othello makes the decision to take his own life. Instead of living with his guilt of killing his wife, he takes the burden of committing suicide, in hopes of proving that he was truly devoted to her and that the grief of killing her was just too much for him.