TGIF: A Week In Review!

Looking over our blogs, I have to say there is some very interesting reading this week. For example , Student 1127 has linked the class to a blogger who writes extensively about life in Iraq. Student 1127 has family serving in Iraq, so I can sure see why this link would provide a fascinating view of political issues which you may or may not agree with. Check it out! Thanks, Student 1127.

On the topic of current events, many of you posted about the tragedy at Virginia Tech and so many of you talked about the importance of reaching out and being kind to each other. It's hard to imagine what would push a person to that kind of insanity.

I notice bloggers are getting and giving great advice on books to read. Glamorousnpink asked for help and bloggers were quick to respond! The variety of books offer a lot of great choices. Way to go! How many of you like Grey's Anatomy? If so, you need to read Lakewobegon's post!

Mostly all of you wrote about Shakespeare, too. Cavalierschick wrote about Lois Burdett's grade school version of Romeo and Juliet. I got a kick out of the title: Shakespeare and Naptime!

Lastly, I enjoyed reading a number of your comments about writing poetry. Those of you who can put your hands on just the right pictures are so lucky!

Poetry, pictures, artwork, music, and even dancing can deepen our understanding of the world!

Have a great weekend! Keep reading and blogging!

*A note to those of you who missed class today...We conferenced our free verse poems today. The packet (lst draft, conferencing notes, revision, and letter) are due on Tuesday.

"A Rose By Any Other Name Would Smell As Sweet"

It is easy to see qualities in Shakespeare's characters that are still evident in human nature today. Do you recognize qualities from any of these characters in people you know...or even yourself? Tybalt's hot temperedness...Romeo's impulsive attraction to beauty...Mercutio's relentless attempt at humor (at anyone's expense)...Benvolio's kind and loyal nature...the list goes on. Who was your favorite character? Why? If this person were alive today, what would he or she do for a living? What would they be like?

Shakespeare’s work is eternal. Many of the lines from his plays are quoted or alluded to in other works. What are some of the famous lines you’ve heard before? How were they originally used in Romeo and Juliet? Who said them and to whom? When were they said and what do they mean? Do they still mean the same thing today? As you blog this week, think about some of these questions and reflect on what you've learned. Write about any one or all of these questions...and, as always, partake in conversations with other bloggers and share your opinions and ideas. Happy blogging!

Remember, tomorrow we are conferencing the first draft of your free verse poetry. Choose a free verse poem from your writer's notebook. It can be one that we've worked on in class this week, or it can be one that you composed on your own. Good luck! Shakespeare has nothing on us.

What's In A Name?

You will notice as Act II begins, that it is just like Act I: the chorus comes out and tells the audience about Act II. It is a sonnet, and it sums up the story as it unfolds in Act II. Scene one is very brief, and it serves the purpose of letting the audience know that Romeo's friends don't know about Juliet. They think he still wants to be left alone to mope around alone about Rosaline. Scene two is such an accident...or are there accidents in this play?

Romeo seems to be drawn to the area where Juliet's balcony is, only he doesn't know where her room would be since he's a Montague and this is all strange to him. He is just lingering around, thinking about Juliet, and he isn't ready to go home yet since he is so love struck by her since the party. So... he's just hanging around, and he happens to hear her above, talking about HIM! So...what would you do if you accidently heard someone talking about you, and they didn't know that you were nearby listening? Would you speak up, or would you keep on listening? What does Romeo do? You're right if you are thinking that curiosity must get the best of him. He must hear what she says, and that is, of course, those famous lines about his name. As he is eavesdropping, he realizes that she is talking about him, and he can't contain himself any longer, so he speaks up.

The night lingers on, and they stay up talking out on the balcony, long enough to promise their eternal love to each other. Romeo says he'll make the wedding arrangements, and that's that. Hard to imagine, isn't it? We'll read these lines tomorrow and identify the imagery. These truly are beautiful lines, even if you don't believe in love at first sight! We will also warm up by writing our own free verse poetry through a fun "poetry pattern" free write.

Adieu!

"For I Ne'er Saw True Beauty Til This Night"

How can Romeo help himself when sees a true beauty like this? Although Romeo may go to the Capulet ball to prove that Rosaline is by far the most beautiful woman in Verona, one look at Juliet, and he forgets all about his former love. Seeing Katie dressed as Juliet might help you understand this further.







Today's classroom rendition of So You Think You Can Dance was a joy; you caught on quickly to the Renaissance dance. Just like when Lord Capulet tells all the shy ladies "She who makes dainty must have corns," most of us had healthy feet! Katie is only sorry she wasn't invited so that the show could have been called Dancing with the Stars. She's been practicing up!




Tomorrow you will have a chance to retest your vocabulary from last week's quiz. This is not mandatory, but some of you may wish to have a chance to average in a higher grade along with last week's! The next reading from the play is Act II, scenes one and two, which includes the famous balcony scene. Please read over this, and look over the study questions and footnotes before class on Wednesday.






After the quiz at the beginning of class tomorrow, we'll take some time to review Act I on both the Baz Luhrman film (Leonardo DiCaprio) and the Franco Zeffirelli film as well. Our focus will be interpretation of the text and the visual images included on each film.




Some things you may consider as you critique the film today:

• How are visual images used? (i.e. water...what else?) What kind of impact do images have on the message of the film or the mood of the scene?
• What were the costumes worn at the Capulet ball, and how did they help (or not) illustrate the character?
• How did Luhrman's (the director) set, scenery, and props add to the message of Act I, scene 5? (For example, Mercutio's use of the heart shaped pill.) Was this effective?
• How do you think Shakespeare would have felt about this film version so far?

Remember when you post to the blog, that everything must be framed in decency!

As you are reading, don't forget to make note of lines you are interested in for your Photo Story. We may be ready to work on them in class on Friday.

Happy reading! Adieu!

Do You Believe In Love At First Sight?

So...we're ready for the party, and the two young lovers finally meet. What happened to Romeo's tears for Rosaline? Wasn't it just that same morning (in fact, even earlier that evening) that he was moping around, spouting love sick oxymorons? What is it that Romeo looks for in a woman? He sure is swayed by beauty. "Oh, she doth teach the torches to burn bright!" is not a line about Rosaline, but rather he is referring to Juliet. It seems that Benvolio's advice worked!



By the way, what happened to the young girl (Juliet) who earlier that same evening said that she had never before thought of love? This doesn't seem like that same young girl, but rather a more witty, mature young woman. Of course, this is ironic because neither one of them really wanted to go to the party in the first place. Romeo went to see Rosaline, and Juliet went to view Paris. Again, we learn more about Lord Capulet as he tells his nephew Tybalt to calm down and not to cause a scene over Romeo when he recognizes him by his voice. We also learn more about Tybalt who claims that his anger will not go away but only grow and get worse.