What essential human truths can you take away from Hamlet? Through the writing of your essay, I hope you have considered how the Bard's influence on society could be so prominent, even 400 years after his death. Share your thoughts on the validity of Hamlet's themes, morals, and messages.
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Look back through your multiple choice practice for the AP exam and post some literary terms and concepts you are unfamiliar with or which you could use more practice with. After break, we will focus on whatever you all post, so please comment and give us a comprehensive list. The AP exam is less than two months away!
Now is the time to get talking about Hamlet and The Lion King. What connections did you notice between the play and the film? What obvious differences are there, and for what reasons did Disney alter the plot, characters, themes, and etc.? Share thoughts you had as you watched and things you never noticed before reading Hamlet. Use this conversation to help inform your essay response.
Tell us your initial reactions to your final quarter book. What is the story about? Are you enjoying your reading thus far? Explain.
What do you think the truth is about Ophelia's death? Was it an accident, suicide, or something more sinister?
Though Hamlet vows he will heed the words of the ghost and take revenge on the one who killed his father, he has yet to act. Revenge seems to be on the horizon, so why is Hamlet waiting so long to enact it? Consider also which characters serve as foils to Hamlet's inaction. Who is actually taking steps to do something?
We didn't get a chance to discuss this in class, so why don't you talk to one another about poetic devices that make this poem work? Consider the abundance of sound devices and meter/rhythm and rhyme choices which make the poem so pretty!
What difficulties do you feel you have when completing timed writing prompts? What strategies seem to work for you? What questions do you have? What advice can you share? Talk to each other about this difficult component of the AP exam.
How does Elizabeth Barrett Browning critique society and ask for reform in this poem? Which poetic devices are particularly effective in submitting her message?
So, I just read a book this weekend called The Reader. While I don't think it is on the AP recommended reading list, I would recommend it to you all, as it provides an interesting look at the post-WWII generation of people in Germany. The novel explores the idea that moving on from horror and tragedy is difficult and filled with blame and regret, which is unexpected because the novel begins with the romantic affair of a 15-year old school boy and a 30-something train conductor. Despite the scandal factor, it made me consider how very complex moving on from the Holocaust was for the German people, how complex good and evil can be, and how the past is always going to be a part of individual futures. Yep, my reading got real deep.
Anyway, that is the current state of my independent reading, and now I want to know how your novels are reading? Good? Intriguing? Frustrating? Boring? What are you reading? Where are you at in the story? Do you like the book so far? Have you been able to think deeply about it, reading for themes, allegories, symbolism, and etc? |
Welcome!This blog is an extension of the AP Lit & Comp classroom. Remember to keep an open mind as you read the comments of others and to use this as an opportunity to continue conversation about the literature we read in class. Happy blogging! Archives
March 2015
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