The Worms Return

After reading the highlights of the blog/twitter Macbeth creative project, your homework this evening is to check out all the blogs/twitter account and send me an e-mail with the name of the person with the best blog.

Meanwhile in class, we read "To His Coy Mistress," a favorite from AP Lang. Instead of reading it as an argument (I will be doing that this week with the Langers), we looked at rhyme scheme and meter. Marvell does not mix it up too much -- very consistent for such an ardent speaker -- so we will look at other Carpe Diem poems tomorrow.

We also completed a Multiple Choice passage -- Keats' "Bright" Star.

Don't forget that the first draft of the psycho motif essay is needed for Wednesday's class. We will travel to the Career Center to have a peer edit with all of your classmates. Make sure you have a hard copy ready to go!

Blogging

What turned out as a creative 1 day wrap-up assignment for Macbeth has turned into a creative maelstrom of blogging prowess. Due to David's exemplary witchcraft blog, several students have created blogs through blogger to add to their chosen characters. Actually, we are realizing that this would be an awesome unit assignment for next year's Shakespeare text. This is not a requirement -- you can also complete a presentation through Google or Prezi.

Here is the link to David's blog. http://www.canimakeyouasandwitch.blogspot.com/ Feel free to go there and comment, as your character, of course.

And, here are a few more blogs. Please be school appropriate with your blogs and comments! And, if you are using text or an idea from another source, make sure you cite your original sources! Thank you in advance.

http://www.whydoesnoonebelieveme.blogspot.com/
http://witchesgetstitches3.blogspot.com/
http://www.duncandonutsswagmaster.blogspot.com/
http://gossipbanquo.blogspot.com/
http://ladyliberativemacbeth.blogspot.com/
http://waybetterthanmacbeth.blogspot.com/
http://macduffslife.blogspot.com/
http://betterthanalltheotherwitches.blogspot.com/

For your psychoanalysis motif essay, the first draft is due December 2 and the final draft will be due December 11.

Malcolm, Motifs, Blogs

For our shortened work week, we will be wrapping up Macbeth items in order to prep for your essay assignment (which will officially arrive on Tuesday). Today's agenda featured a second Macbeth box prompt focusing on Malcolm. I will be returning both Macbeth box prompts to you, and next week at some point you will have a timed writing prompt on one of these prompts (writer's choice). Next item of business is working with your motif partner to review and discuss examples and questions from a handout. Do not lose this handout because you will need it for tomorrow's class. Last up, we picked our characters for our blogging experience. The majority of tomorrow's class will focus on writing up your character blogs (minimum of 3), which we will share after break.

By the way, the film will be out next month -- I have no idea if it will open wide here but fingers crossed.

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On a personal note, my fecund fish tank holds only one fish now. I stopped naming the fish when they started multiplying at a rapid rate but have decided to name the last fish. Her name is Mohican. I hope you get the allusion.

King Malcolm

We finished the play! What does that mean? Next week, you will be working with your motif log, the list of examples from the play that you have been keeping these last weeks, to complete assessments regarding the play. If you are behind in your motif examples, take the time this weekend to add to your log.

School Yourself, Egg

To make it spicy today, we started off with drama multiple choice passages. All students taking the multiple choice today had at least 50% of the questions correct, which is the first goal of AP Lit multiple choice tests.

For the rest of the hour, we read the remainder of Act IV, which did not feature much of the main man Macbeth. However, his decisions and behavior did envelop the remaining scenes and the characters struggling with his tyrannical reign. From the the murder of helpless women and "babes" at the Macduff abode to Malcolm and Macduff's "manly" determination to war, Macbeth's fingerprint is all over these characters' demises and vengeful actions.

Fingers crossed that we will finish the play on Friday. Make sure you are keeping up with your motifs -- you will be using these next week when the paper assignment drops.

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Hecate

Brevity is the art of AP Lit Blog today. Hecate box prompt, which will be an option for a timed writing prompt in the future. Quick recap of 3.6. New prophecies of 4.1 leave Macbeth more confident than before. After all, how can someone not be born of a woman or how can a forest move?

We will continue with Act IV tomorrow...

3.2

For today's Macbeth discussion, students created 5 discussion questions for 3.2 and then used these to lead class in the analysis of specific details and overall elements of the play. If you were absent, you will need to give me these 5 questions to make up discussion points.

The Bromance Is Over

Ah, Banquo, you should reconsider your friendship criteria. As we saw with 3.1, Macbeth has sent the two murderers to take care of Banquo and his son to guarantee that his bloodline will cease. As audience members, our sympathy towards Macbeth has plummeted; we now see him as a ruthless, power-grubbing backstabber, sort of like his spouse.

For homework, finish reading Act III. We will spend time analyzing the depletion of Macbeth's character and the aftershocks from Banquo's impending death.

Class MC/2.3

Class MC was an experience --- one in which we all remembered the difficulty of constructing multiple choice questions and options.

For 2.3, we completed a class close read of Macduff and the Porter's tete-a-tete regarding, uh, sleep, Lennox's big speech regarding natural abominations, Macbeth's shock and surprise at his house guest's murder and subsequent killing of the blood-speckled guards, Lady Macbeth's sudden fainting spell, and the two heirs' escape to England and Ireland for safety.

At the end of the hour, you worked in groups to analyze 2.4, which we will discuss on Friday. We will be moving into Act 3.

Daily Picture...

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Mrs. & Mr.

First, we completed the Macbeth vocabulary quiz -- a combination of unit 5 words with reference to the plot and analysis of Macbeth.

Second, we broke into 2 groups to analyze the differences between Mrs. Macbeth (she was the first to speak in the scene) and Mr. Macbeth (he was the last to speak in the scene). While the bickering couple react differently to killing a beloved king -- and house guest for that matter -- they both show signs of guilt (father reminders, blood, amen, sleep) in differing matters. The parallel between their reaction to blood on the hands (literal and figurative) sets up their behavior in later scenes.

Tomorrow, we will have multiple choice, the rest of Act II, and a few other items relating to AP Lit.

I almost forgot my daily Fassbender picture...Wait until next semester when we get to Wuthering Heights and my daily Heathcliff/Ralph Fiennes photographs.

http://www.michaelfassbender.org/michael-fassbender-jane-eyre-2011.jpg

Bromances & Daggers, Or Macbeth 2.1

After our last vocabulary word of Unit 5, we reviewed for your vocab/Macbeth quiz tomorrow. I highly suggest you review the words and what you know of Macbeth so far.

Meanwhile, we began our look into Act II and how character prophecies have festered into nightmares and homicidal actions. First up, the bromance of Macbeth and Banquo, which highlights the past Macbeth and his connections to his moral center. While both men are loyal to one another, they also have a tendency to dream of witches and disturb their moral sleep. Yes, I just tied that into one of our motifs. Once Banquo has left his buddy, Macbeth needs to chat and the only available ear belongs to himself! Using that symbolic dagger, Macbeth whips up his courage to kill poor Duncan -- even if he cannot predict Duncan's eventual path to heaven or hell. When Macbeth has decided his fate, he begins to rhyme again, a feature missing from the soliloquy's questioning commencement.

As for tomorrow's reading, we will look towards Lady Macbeth and her role in this plot.

Daily Michael Fassbender photo -- I thought his bromance with James McAvoy & Hugh Jackman would fit in with today's reading.


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The Macbeths

Today's words are flippant (no gestures please) and incongruous (which actually could work with flippant in a sentence).

Meanwhile, you had a verbal analysis today on 1.6 & 1.7. Impressive participants used direct evidence from the text, focused on poetical elements (alliteration, iambic pentameter), incorporated motifs and conflicts, and inserted psychoanalytical terms (go Chilton with her superego, id, and feminine gender symbolism).

At the end of class, you worked with a partner to create multiple choice questions for Macbeth. If you did not finish all ten, each partner should complete the activity on his or her own.

For Monday, read all of Act II and be prepared for more multiple choice and more analysis. Keep focusing on those minute details in the text!

In case you would like to enter your bunny in the Real Trix Rabbit competition: http://realtrixrabbit.com/. I hope you will not try to compete against my Monty.

While this Daily Michael Fassbender picture is not from Macbeth, I like to imagine this moment from 1.7 when Macbeth considers the murderous plan against the beloved house guest Duncan.

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Lady Macbeth in Charge

Our word of the day: plethora! And, we had a plethora of witches, kings (present and future), motifs, and paradoxes!

In the meanwhile, we spent some quality time with the three Weird Sisters, who have a few prophecies for Macbeth, the susceptible one, and Banquo, the hesitant one. As discussed in class, we find Macbeth's diction quite reminiscent of the witches' paradoxical commentary.

Next, we were off to King Duncan, our the "chill" king as described by AP Lit today. As noted, Duncan seems on the just side of kings, and it is a real shame that he named his son (duh) as heir and not Macbeth. Hence, Macbeth is starting to go to the "dark" side away from the "light" of Duncan and loyalty to the crown. In my opinion, the only fault of Duncan is that he invites himself to people's houses without any forewarning. Does that deserve Lady Macbeth's reaction in 1.5?

Speaking of our Lady, we have found that she is the one wearing the pants in the family, especially as she calls on the dark forces to "unsex" her and rid her of her motherly milk. After all, her husband is associated with the "milk of human kindness" so he can play the dutiful daughter/mother/caregiver figure for her.

For tomorrow's class, you should read 1.6 and 1.7. You will have an individual analysis regarding this section, and Lady Macbeth has some work to do to become queen.

Here is Marion Cotillard as Lady Macbeth. Any one else see Princess Leia as hair inspiration?

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Daily excuse for Michael Fassbender picture-- if Macbeth were in modern clothing. Perhaps he is just in "borrowed robes"?

http://moviehole.net/img/michael-fassbender1.jpg

Daddy & Duncan

Word of the Day: Foist (not the ever-reviled word "moist").

In order to start our psychoanalysis, we read "Daddy" by Sylvia Plath. As I hoped, you brought up the ideas of projection through her father and husband doppelganger relationships, fears of intimacy causing anxiety, and objet petit a in the form of her father. In addition, we had a smattering of analogies connecting the father to power (boot, Nazi, devil) and the speaker, the daughter, the submissive foot.

Next up, 1.2 of Macbeth and the introduction of our first king (yes, there will be more), Duncan. While he is the title of the play, Macbeth has yet to make an appearance -- although, we sure have heard a lot about his patriotic violence in fighting the traitors and Norwegian. The witches want to talk with Macbeth; King Duncan wants to talk to Macbeth. Hmmm...

And, now I have an excuse to post a picture of Michael Fassbender every day! Since we do not see Macbeth take down Macdonwald, let's just use this imagery to have an idea of Macbeth's commitment to protecting the Scottish crown and Duncan's power...for now.

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Tomorrow, the witches will be back -- cue the cackles -- and they chat with Macbeth! Will he be repulsed by their supernatural ways or be enthralled by their prophecies?

Happy Post Halloween! Here is Monty hanging out with Ihmotep, my Keats-loving better half.