• Oct072009
    Shakespeare in the Bush

    POSTED AT 07:44 PM

    Read Laura Bohannan's article about sharing the story of Hamlet with the Tiv of West Africa and respond. What do you think of the tribemembers' interpretations? Did they totally misinterpret Shakespeare's play, or have we not fully realized all the play has to offer? Think about Bohannan's experience and discuss.
     
     
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    Sep272009
    Absolute Favorites

    POSTED AT 05:53 PM

    Think about all the literature you've ever read. Some works are so memorable they've remained in your memory, almost becoming a part of you, even after years. Others are forgotten almost before you put the book back on the shelf. Write about the unforgettable works by discussing the following two topics:
     
    1) What is your favorite literary work? Why?
     
    2) Who is your favorite literary character? Why?
     
    For each of these, focus on aspects such as the author's craft, the setting in which the work was read, the similarity of the character to someone you know or would like to know, etc.
     
    P.S. Although Star Wars did make its way into book form eventually, characters such as Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader are not considered literary characters for the purpose of this blog. Think "literature."       
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    Sep212009
    The Riddle of the Sphinx

    POSTED AT 08:56 PM

    If the answer to the Sphinx's riddle is not just man but Oedipus himself, may the answer to Oedipus's question "Who am I?" pertain not only to Oedipus but also to man, or at least to civilized Western man?

    What characteristics of Oedipus as an individual are also characteristics of man in the Western world? Is Sophocles writing only about Oedipus the king, or is he saying something about man's presumed place and his real place in the universe? Think about and discuss these ideas in this week's blog.      
     
    Think about the question this way, how does the Sphinx's riddle (and Oedipus's question) apply to us as mankind and us as individuals?
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    Sep132009
    Why?

    POSTED AT 05:50 PM

    What’s the purpose of literature? Why do we read? Sure, we all know that readers tend to have higher verbal and writing test scores, but is that what it’s all about? 
     
    Picasso said, “Art is a lie that leads to the truth.” Does this have anything to do with our need to read literature? 
     
    Oak asserts (http://www.buzzle.com/articles/importance-of-literature.html ) that it is through literature we understand life. C.S. Lewis stated that literature “irrigates the deserts that our lives have already become.” Explore the purpose of literature in this week’s blog.
     
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    Sep072009
    Macbeth as a Tragic Hero

    POSTED AT 07:43 AM

    Is Macbeth a Tragic Hero?
     
    According to Aristotle,
    1. a tragic hero must be of noble birth
    2. he (usually they were male) must demonstrate hamartia, a tragic flaw which brings about his downfall. Usually this tragic flaw is excessive pride, or hubris.
    3. his actions must bring about peripeteia, a reversal of fortune brought about by the tragic flaw
    4. his actions result in an increase in (the character's) self-awareness and self-knowledge
    5. the audience must be filled with pity and fear (some say compassion and awe)
     
    Aristotle states, "A man cannot become a hero until he can see the root of his own downfall."
     
    The first part of your task this week is to evaluate Macbeth as a tragic hero. Use specific examples to support your beliefs. What characteristics of Macbeth might cause Aristotle to reject him as a tragic hero? 
     
    The second part of the task is to evaluate another literary character as a tragic hero. He/she does not have to be from this year's texts, but make sure the character would pass Aristotle's tragic hero test.
     
    P.S. Your Perrine's Literature explains the concepts in greater detail in its drama section.
    P.P.S. Remember that responses to posts must be longer than a short sentence or two.
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    Aug312009
    The Witches: Agents of Evil?

    POSTED AT 06:40 PM

    Follow the link to Ian Johnston's lecture Introduction to Macbeth for his college English course. Read the section marked, "The Witches: Agents of Evil?" and respond to Johnston's claim that the witches "have no power to compel belief, but they can obviously appeal strongly to an already existing inclination to force one's will onto events in order to shape the future to fit one deepest desires."  
     
     
     
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    Aug232009
    Lights, Camera, Faulkner!

    POSTED AT 08:38 PM

    So Pride and Prejudice has been made into a film, and of course, several copies of Macbeth fill film archives. How about Light in August? We know Faulkner worked in Hollywood, so perhaps he thought about a film version. If Hollywood executives were to start putting this film together, which actors/actresses would they cast in the leading roles? Why? 
    Choose actors/actresses to portray Joe Christmas, Lena Grove, Byron Bunch, Joe Brown, Gail Hightower, and at least three other characters from the novel. Then explain the rationale behind your decisions. :)   
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    Aug072009
    #1 Summer Reading

    POSTED AT 07:55 AM

    Geraldine Woods, in her AP English Literature & Composition for Dummies, states "One of the major benefits of great literature is its ability to hook into our souls and express otherwise incoherent emotions and thoughts." Does this statement apply to any of our summer reading? If so, how? If not, explain. What other works have you read that "hook" into your soul? 

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