Pre-Taming Discussion On-Line Blog Posting
THIS IS DUE BY NOON ON SUNDAY, SEPT. 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.)?

Ack... I keep forgetting...
There is a line missing in your copy of the play. If you turn to page 95 at the bottom of the page, Petruchio says: "I say it is the moon."

Right after that Kate has a response. Please write in your books the missing line at the bottom of that page (95). Kate's response is:

"I know it is the moon."


Sorry about not telling you sooner!

Quick question...
At the end of last year when you all were talking about ways to remember techniques in Ms. Levine's class, you came up with a mnemonic device where the letters stood for different kinds of techniques or literary aspects you should pay attention to in a text. Can anyone tell me what that mnemonic device was and what each letter stands for?

(Example of a mnemonic device: In music to help students remember the order of notes in the treble and bass clefs, teachers often give mnemoic devices like "FACE" and "Every Good Boy Does Fine." The capital letters stand for the order of the notes in the treble clef.)

The end and the begining are near...
So the end of summer is upon us and the beginning of school rises to cast a doomfilled shadow upon us....

Oh wait, I'm a teacher... let me try a different simile.

So the end of summer is upon us and the beginning of school rises like a jet of spray out of the fountain that is the inspiration and the joy of learning....

Better? :)

By now, I'm hoping you have all finished or are nearing the finish of the play. What I'd like for you to do, if you decide to respond to this posting, is to synthesize your thoughts about one or more of the following:

1. What is your reaction to Kate's final speech at the end of the play? Talk about your reaction on the emotional level (Were you mad? Sad? Happy? etc.) and why you had that reaction AND talk about your reaction on the intellectual level (Does it fit with the play? With Kate as a character?) and discuss your thoughs about that.

2. One of the first items we'll be discussing are THEMES in this play. Post a list of 3 or more themes you see operating in this play and make a short argument about which ONE of those themes seems most dominant/important.

3. Have you thought about techniques? What have you noticed? Take a moment to list and talk about 3 or 4 of the techniques you've noticed in the play. As you talk about them, make sure to explain why you noticed that "technique" and whether you've "solved" why it's in the play or what questions you have about it.


By the way: YES, you're getting credit for posting to this blog! Don't forget to get in a posting before August ends!

See you all soon!

Thoughts about characters in Taming...
July is fast drawing to a close.... beware, beware.

Here's another posting for you to respond to:


As you've been reading _Taming_, you've been asked to pay particular attention to the characters. Now is your chance to report on some of your conclusions. What conclusions have you drawn about Kate? About Petruchio? Sum up your understanding of these characters and back yourself up with "proof" from the text. For example, if you conclude that Petruchio is a buffoon, present a text-based argument to defend that position.

Another option for this posting is to read what your classmates have to say about Kate and Petruchio and respond to their arguments. If you AGREE with a particular classmate, you must offer additional "proof" to further your/their argument. However, if you totally DISAGREE with a classmate, you can either offer your own "proof" for your opinion or deconstruct (take apart) their proof/argument. The third option is to refine a classmate's argument. Perhaps you basically agree with what they have to say, but you have a more specific take on it. Again, make sure to include textual proof.

Questions? Email me: sspach@hotmail.com

EXTENDED ESSAY!!!
A relay message from Mr. McGinn:

If you're doing Extended Essay, EMAIL HIM.

His address is: dmcginn@stanfordalumni.org

:)

Anticipation Guide Posting
Feel free to respond to one or two of the anticipation guide statements from Assignment #1 on the blog for your first posting. (Or respond to your classmates' comments when they post.) More entries for response will be posted starting mid-July.

To post a comment, click on "comments" below this entry. (This will also show you comments your classmates have written.) At the bottom of this new page, there will be a "Post a Comment" link for you to click on.

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Read the statements listed below. Certain statements ask you to complete them with your opinion. Other statements merely ask you to agree or disagree with them. After indicating your opinion, take a few moments to jot down some of the reasons behind your opinion for each statement.


1. Every good marriage should be founded on _______________________________.


2. Gender roles should / should not be important in a marriage.


3. Totally agreeing with your spouse means you are submissive to your spouse.

Agree ___________ Disagree ____________


4. A woman who doesn't make her own choices is a fool: Agree ______ Disagree ______



5. Manipulating someone is always an evil endeavor: Agree ______ Disagree ______



6. Any kind of attention is better than no attention at all: Agree ______ Disagree ______