Pre-Taming Discussion—On-Line Blog Posting

Either before you leave school this week* or this weekend BEFORE noon on Sunday, please post to the Taming blog on my website in response to the prompt below.   If you’d rather not let others (besides Ms. Spachman) see your response, you may send it to my email address by noon on Sunday.

[*The College and Career Center is your friend.  Pop in there to use their computers for this or schedule a time with me to come in and use our classroom computer.]

Website address:  http://s.spachman.tripod.com/home.htm

Email address: sspach@hotmail.com

YOUR RESPONSE IS DUE BY 12 NOON ON SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 7.

Before we begin discussing The Taming of the Shrew in class, I would like a personal and honest insight into your understanding of the play and the work you had to do over the summer.   Please respond to all of the following in your critical reflection of the work you’ve already done.

1.      In terms of what happens (the storyline) in the play, how much do you feel you understood?  What elements did/do you find confusing about it and why?

2.      Please spend some time talking about which character in the play you had the strongest response to and why.

3.      Thematically speaking, how well do you understand this play?  Can you identify two or more themes (what are they)?  Give your preliminary thoughts about judgment of theme in this play.

4.      The Taming of the Shrew is a play within a play.  Take a moment to discuss the outer play.  Give your thoughts about its function (what is it doing there?).

5.      Discuss two other techniques you saw operating in this play.  What are they?  What are they doing for you as a reader?

6.      Final reflection:  Comment on what you were asked to do for this class over the summer.  How successful do you feel you were in accomplishing this work?  Were there problems you had with the assignment (you didn’t know what to do, instructions were confusing, etc.)?