Pure Dead Brilliant English

Welcome class of 07-08!

noreply@blogger.com (Ms B) — Tue, 4 Sep 2007 15:19:00 +0100

A big hello to my new Higher class!

This will be a place for you to:

*Share questions and ideas
*Access homework reminders and resources
*Find custom-picked links for your course
*Contact me!

First blog-related task....

Leave a comment (remember, they will all be moderated!) with your first name and initial only, by Monday 10th of September, so I can check you are able to access the blog.

Ms B

Model Answer

noreply@blogger.com (Ms B) — Sun, 26 Nov 2006 20:47:00 GMT

Evening All,

Here (behind the link) is the Glass Menagerie Model Essay, in case you lose the paper copy. Hope it's useful.

Ms B

Choose a play whose main theme is made clear early in the action.
Show how the dramatist introduces the theme and discuss how successfully he or she goes on to develop it.

‘The Glass Menagerie’ by Tennessee Williams is an unusual play for many reasons. For one, it is semi-biographical, which lends an urgency and poignancy to the action. In addition, as the narrator himself suggests, this is a play drawn from memory, and which is not designed to be realistic – events are often shrouded in symbolism and overstated depending on their importance in the narrator Tom’s memory. I will be addressing how the author introduces the theme of ‘the unrelenting power of memory’ and showing how he successfully develops it through the play.

We are made aware of the theme from the start of the play. The opening stage directions of scene one instruct the reader, actor or director that:

‘The scene is memory and is therefore non-realistic. Memory takes a
lot of poetic licence. It omits some details; others are exaggerated,
according to the emotional value of the articles it touches’

This lets us know from the start of the play that we should expect an unconventional experience from ‘The Glass Menagerie’. Memory will clearly be a powerful force in the play, as the author intends that his story be shaped and influenced by it. When we meet Tom, the narrator and alter-ego of the playwright, he further emphasises that is play is a creation from memory – his memory in fact:

“The play is memory.
Being a memory play, it is dimly lighted, it is sentimental,
it is not realistic.
In memory everything seems to happen to music. That explains
the fiddle in the wings.”

We begin to see that, for Tom, memory is something tangible yet fluid, with what we see on stage depending on what Tom remembers as important. Even Tom’s physical appearance is warped by memory at this stage of the play, as he is wearing the uniform of a merchant sailor, when in fact at the start of the actual action Tom is still a humble warehouse worker. This helps the audience to understand that Tom is relating his earlier experiences, which will be at times incongruous and unexpected.

The power of memory is introduced by Tom as he informs us of the nature of the play, but it is intensified through the character of Amanda, Tom’s mother, who at times becomes lost in memories of her childhood. Her constant reminiscences and inability to accept her current reality show how powerful a hold memory can have on a person:

“My callers were gentlemen – all! Among my callers were some of the most prominent young planters of the Mississipi Delta – planters and sons of planters!”

Tom and his sister Laura have been subjected to this speech more times than they care to remember. Memory’s hold on Amanda is clear through the breathless punctuation, indicating the power and significance that these memories have for Amanda. This characterisation of Amanda as a woman trapped in her past is effective in showing how Tom inherited the trait of living in the past from his mother.

Just as her mother seems trapped in a rose-tinted past, Laura too has a rich fantasy life, at the centre of which are her memories of a boy, Jim, she knew from school. In scene two, when Amanda realises that her daughter will never make a businesswoman, she falls back on the idea that Laura should be married, and we are made aware of Laura’s enduring crush on Jim:

“Screen image: Jim as a high-school hero, brandishing a silver cup.”

The images on screen always indicate the key ideas and emotions being expressed in each scene, and this image, and the following image of ‘Blue Roses’ (Jim’s nickname for Laura) show that the memory of Jim is still fresh, perhaps painfully so for the girl. The images intensify the effect of Laura’s memories on the audience, and show that she too is pinned to a point of pleasure in the past. The playwright successfully shows how both of the Wingfield women are in some way trapped by their own memories, and in the following scenes he looks at how Tom’s memories hold sway over him.

The opening of scene three continues to develop the theme of the unrelenting power of memory. Tom, speaking from the fire escape, introduces the scene, narrating the events from his own past. The tone of his speech is that of someone telling a story, convincing us further that this play is drawn from memory:

“It became an obsession. Like some archetype of the universal unconscious, the image of the gentleman caller haunted our small apartment…
[IMAGE:YOUNG MAN AT DOOR WITH FLOWERS.]”

The choice of the word ‘haunted’ suggests that this memory for Tom, perhaps subconsciously, has never died and still troubles him. His memories have the power to affect him, even in his ‘new’ life years later.

In scene five, Tom puts events into context, by referring to the bombing of Guernica in Spain, and Neville Chamberlain’s meeting with Hitler in Berchtesgaden, and juxtaposes the turmoil and change in Europe with the Youth of America’s desire for adventure and escape from the depression through:

“Hot swing music and liquor, dance halls , bars and movies,
and sex that hung in the gloom like chandeliers and flooded the
world with brief, deceptive rainbows.”

I believe that Williams, through Tom, uses his memories of this delirious and expectant era to excuse his later behaviour. If “all the world was waiting for bombardments!”, for release of tension, for escape, then how can Tom be blamed for wishing to be liberated from his suffocating and claustrophobic situation? Tom is using one of the main powers of memory, the ability to revise and make sense of events in the past in order to remove or assuage feelings of guilt, which would otherwise be unbearable.

As the play nears its climax, the sense of memory is mingled with imagination, as the action focuses on Laura and Jim’s encounter, which Tom himself did not witness. This part of the play is not memory, as such, but a reconstruction of events, inspired by both memory and assumptions. The theme is always present, however, as the entire play is woven from the fabric of Tom’s past experiences. Scenes six and seven seem even more stylised and exaggerated in their detail than the rest of the play, as if Williams has tried to make the idea of memory more and more obvious as the play progresses. In stage directions in scene seven Laura’s appearance is explicitly derived from Tom’s memory:

“The dress is coloured and designed by memory…a fragile, unearthly prettiness has come out in Laura: she is like a piece of translucent glass,
touched by light.”

This description of Laura seems mystical and slightly unreal, like the quality of memory. The reference to light is significant, as this motif, which has surfaced regularly through the play, becomes more and more frequent through the final scenes Each reference to light, from the cutting off of the electricity representing Jim’s impending separation from his family, to the evocative description of the lightning-struck candelabra, seem to reinforce the importance of each event in Tom’s memory. Even the yearbook, over which Laura and Jim reminisce about the ‘good old days’ is symbolically named ‘The Torch’. The many references to light perhaps show that Jim’s visit and its catastrophic ending is the clearest and most important event among Tom’s memories of his family. This assumption is reinforced by the end of the play, as Tom, and indeed Williams, ‘close the book’ on this painful time. Tom continues to be haunted by the memory of his family, and by his sister in particular.

“I was pursued by something. . . . Then all at once my sister touches
my shoulder. I turn around and look into her eyes. Oh, Laura, Laura,
I tried to leave you behind me, but I am more faithful than I intended
to be! I reach for a cigarette, I cross the street, I run into the movies or
a bar, I buy a drink, I speak to the nearest stranger...anything that can
blow your candles out. For nowadays the world is lit by lightning!
Blow out your candles, Laura – and so good-bye…”

These concluding lines of the play leave us with the image of an extinguished light, as Tom once again tried to black out the memory of abandoning his family. The references to light grew more and more frequent towards the end as Tom related the most intense and painful memories, those just before he left home. The blowing out of the candles may show that, at least for a time, Tom has purged his painful memories through reliving them, and can now leave the memory of his past shame and return to his present life.

As a self-confessed memory play, the theme of the power of memory was obvious throughout ‘The Glass Menagerie’. Williams clearly showed how events in the past, whether clear as day or half remembered, (and thus embellished), have the power to influence us throughout our lives, if we allow them to. Tom’s life is tainted by the memory of abandoning his family, and the guilt of following in his wayward father’s footsteps. Through his skilful use of dramatic conventions, including characterisation, staging devices and symbolism, Williams developed the theme of the power of memory throughout the play to the haunting, moving climax, gaining sympathy from the audience for both his own and Tom’s circumstances.

Words: 1570 Times memory/remember etc used: 50 (approx)

Long time no post

noreply@blogger.com (Ms B) — Thu, 23 Nov 2006 12:27:00 GMT

Hey everyone,

It's been a while - I can just about see the tumbleweed rolling over the pages of the blog!

Anyway, we'll be up to date from now on. Here's a quick summary of current work and homework:

28th November - Glass Menagerie 2 Essay due
29th November - Personal Study due

Next focus of work will be the Close Reading NAB, so make sure you bring your close reading jotters next week!

Any questions, there's the email link ----->

Happy Holidays

noreply@blogger.com (Ms B) — Sat, 14 Oct 2006 13:32:00 +0100

Hi Everyone,

I'm writing this at a course on Computing in English, and I've found some really useful sites for close reading and just brushing up on your general English skills. The links are on the bar at the right of the screen. LILT will go over some techniques useful in close reading, ARIES helps you revise general rules for punctuation and spelling, and the Metre page will be really useful when we start looking at poetry.

Hope you all have a great holiday, remember your Glass Menagerie Essay for Wednesday the 25th, and I'll have your personal studies ready to hand back then!

Ms B

Welcome to a new week.

noreply@blogger.com (Ms B) — Tue, 26 Sep 2006 00:03:00 +0100

Hi All,

Hope you had a refreshing September Weekend. Here's the lowdown for the coming week:

Tues: Glass Menagerie - Scene 7 - reading and questions.
Wed: Personal Study
Thurs: Personal Study and (da-da-dah!) Close Reading! Arrrggh! No, really, it's not that bad!

Those who handed in their writing piece will receive it back on Tuesday. Those still to furnish me with the fruits of your creativity had better get it in PDQ.

Close reading tests will be marked as soon as I can, but bear with me as they will take a while. Same thing goes for the Glass Menagerie work for scenes 3-6, so thanking you in advance for your patience.

Happy New Week,

Ms B

Reminders...

noreply@blogger.com (Ms B) — Sat, 16 Sep 2006 19:20:00 +0100

Writing piece is due on Monday 18th September - feel free to email it to me if you prefer.

Monday will be a Close Reading Session

Tuesday is, as always, Glass Menagerie.

Wednesday this week is also Glass Menagerie (I will be out of school)

Thursday will be a Close Reading techniques test. Make sure you hand the test in at the end of the double period. Bring your personal study book to work on this once you have finished your test. (Again, I will be out of school).

Remember the Writing Piece!!!!

Ms B

Homework Sheet 2

noreply@blogger.com (Ms B) — Mon, 11 Sep 2006 12:21:00 +0100

Second close reading sheet...Click below!

Higher Close Reading Homework – Sheet 2

Subordination, Minor Sentences, Parts of Speech, Prepositional Phrases and Punctuation.

Copy into jotters!

Subordination – circle the main clauses and underline the subordinate clauses.

1. When I get home, I will make your dinner.
2. I fell into the puddle.
3. The book is on the table under the newspaper,
4. The bus stops here on a Wednesday but not on a Friday.
5. If you miss the bus, you will have to walk.

Minor Sentences – write out the minor sentences from this paragraph

Help! I’ve fallen into a trap. Again. How could this happen to me? I didn’t deserve this type of treatment. Not me. Someone else-yes. I’ll just have to deal with it and try my best. What next?

Label EVERY word in each sentence with their part of speech.

1. I slept soundly last night, but the wind kept Jane up.
2. The tree grew an enormous peach on the end of its branch.
3. On hearing the news, I ran rapidly to tell the others.

Prepositional Phrases – Move the prepositional phrase in the sentence, and comment on the effect of the change.

1. On the X-Factor, tomorrow, Simon Cowell will get a surprise.
2. I went to the shops without my purse.
3. Between you and I, I don’t really like him.
4. Frankie felt sick looking at the picture.

Punctuation – Say what the punctuation marks in bold are doing in each sentence

1. The dog’s coat wasn’t very warm.
2. Andrew – the boy you met earlier – lives in Glasgow.
3. I had so much to do: make the dinner; pay all the bills feed the dog, the cat and the canary; iron the clothes.
4. In the evening, I shall sit in the back garden.
5. We saw ‘Romeo and Juliet’ last night.
6. It could be wrong, it could be right, it could be neither…
7. I waited for ever - or so it seemed.
8. I can’t meet you tomorrow night: I have a prior appointment.

Close Reading Homework Sheet 1

noreply@blogger.com (Ms B) — Mon, 11 Sep 2006 12:14:00 +0100

Click the link to access the first Close Reading sheet - Sentence Structure

Higher Homework - Clauses and Phrases

A clause is a group of words containing one main verb. If the group of words can stand alone and make sense, then the clause is a main clause. A sentence (usually) contains at least one main clause.

A clause that can’t stand alone and make sense, is called a subordinate clause. It depends on the main clause in order for it to make sense.

Copy these out into your jotter. Circle the main clause and underline the subordinate clause in these sentences. No word will be left out.

Here main clauses are in red, subordinate in blue.

1. I am going to the cinema tomorrow.
2. I went to sleep because I was tired.
3. After I watched the game, I had my dinner.
4. The computer rebooted as I made my tea.
5. I cried for hours and hours until my eyes were red raw.
6. If you don’t do your homework, you will not pass your exams.
7. Although he is a better player than me, I have occasionally beaten him.

Now answer/complete the following in your jotter:

1. Which style of writing can be indicated by the use of subordination? - formal
2. What is the effect of placing the subordinate clause at the beginning of a sentence? - makes it seem particularly formal
3. Write 3 sentences in your jotter:
a) 1 with only a main clause.
b)1 with a main clause followed by a subordinate clause.
c)1 where the subordinate clause comes before the main clause (remember the comma).

Label the parts of speech in these sentences (copy into your jotters.)

1. He lifted the jotter which he opened to a fresh page.

He - Pronoun lifted - verb the - definite article jotter - noun which - relative pronoun Opened - verb to - preposition a - indefinite article fresh - adjective page - noun

2. Amelia smiled sweetly at the handsome man and fluttered her eyelashes.

Amelia - Proper noun smiled - verb sweetly - adverb at - preposition the - definite article handsome - adjective man - noun and - conjunction fluttered - verb her - possessive pronoun eyelashes - plural noun

3. With the bone in his mouth, Rover ran across the road.

With - preposition the - definite article bone - noun in - preposition his - pronoun mouth - noun Rover - proper noun ran - verb across - preposition the - definite article road - noun

A phrase is a group of words that does not contain a verb. When an adjectival phrase comes before the word they describe or modify, we call this ‘pre -modification’. When they come after, we call them ‘post-modification.’ Pre-modification is less formal (as in a tabloid newspaper), whereas post-modification is more formal (as in a quality newspaper.)

Identify if pre or post modification is being used in these examples:
1. Young Celtic Star, Shaun Maloney, writes for us today. pre - tabloid
2. Three-times Miss UK Doris Little collapsed on a plane yesterday. pre - tabloid
3. Tony Blair, Prime Minister of Britain, flew into the USA. post - quality
4. Happy-go-lucky songster Freddie wrote his own material. pre - tabloid
5. Neil Gaiman, world-renowned fantasy author, is signing books in New York. post - quality

Now write two examples of your own – one using pre-modification and one using post –modification.

Weclome class of 2006-7

noreply@blogger.com (Ms B) — Mon, 11 Sep 2006 00:24:00 +0100

I now extend a warm welcome to my Higher Class for the coming year.

On this page, you will find links to resources to help you with Higher English, contact details for me, and frequent updates with regards to homework, NABs and classwork, so try to stop by as often as you can to check you're all up to date.

Coming soon... the first two close reading homework sheets for your own revision purposes (answers will be added in due course).

I hope you find this useful,

Ms B.

Welcome Back

noreply@blogger.com (Ms B) — Mon, 17 Apr 2006 16:53:00 +0100

Time is running out! Discursive/ Personal essays should be with me without fail on the 17th of April.

If you have not submitted personal study notes, remember this NAB is taking place Thursday 19th. If I cannot see your notes in advance, I cannot advise you.

Tomorrow we will work from the 'How to Pass Higher English' books, once we have sorted the homework situation.

See you tomorrow,

Ms B

Holidays? What Holidays?

noreply@blogger.com (Ms B) — Wed, 5 Apr 2006 11:36:00 +0100

Hey All,

I had a resounding No people in my Higher Supported Study class today, so I guess y'all are coming tomorrow (Thursday). Remember, I'm going to look at a new poem with you, so it's pretty important you make it if you can. I will upload all materials to the blog (on the link bar, if I can work out how!) so those of you who can't make it can still do some self study.

Remember that Personal Study NAB takes place on the Thursday we come back, and that the Letter to Daniel essays are due on Tuesday the 17th (thanks to those who have provided these already).

I have hardly any discursive/personal essays in - not good enough! Please email these over the holiday if you possibly can.

Time is of the essence......

Ms B

Working hard on your behalf...

noreply@blogger.com (Ms B) — Wed, 22 Mar 2006 18:39:00 GMT

Good evening all. I hope you all managed to complete the 'Letter to Daniel' activities today. Tomorrow you will be writing really mini essays on it - please don't be put off if some of the ideas seem unfamiliar to you - I'm looking for original and interesting ideas, not a regurgitation of what I've talked about in class.

Today I have been mostly blogging and podcasting. There is a link below to a podcast of me and a colleague reciting part of the balcony scene, complete with cheesy music. Get it on your mp3 players now! If you don't know how, drop me a comment please,

http://www.archive.org/download/Balcony_Scene_Excerpt_1/balcony.mp3

See you Monday - get all outstanding personal study notes in, and remember that writing pieces are due by the end of next week. We are doing a Close Reading NAB on Monday, and if you're not there, we won't have a valuable piece of evidence in case you need to appeal.

Ms B (having lots of geeky fun in Stirling)

This Week

noreply@blogger.com (Ms B) — Fri, 17 Mar 2006 11:24:00 GMT

Monday - Letter to Daniel
Tuesday - Letter to Daniel
Wednesday - Letter to Daniel (can you see the pattern emerging here...?)
Thursday - Letter to Daniel, Discursive/Personal essays.

Return of the Blog

noreply@blogger.com (Ms B) — Wed, 15 Feb 2006 00:22:00 GMT

Hey guys,

Hope you've had a refreshing break. It's been a while since I last updated this, but I feel it's time we re-opened lines of communication! As a starter, I'll give you a list of important things to think about and plan for in the near future:
* mock-prelim on Thurs 16th - make sure you know your quotes!
* Friday 17th - see me for feedback on your essays (before school, break, lunch or periods 5 and 6).
* Actual prelim on Monday 20th
* Personal Study NAB in early March
* Start Writing Unit in late February
* Start prose text(s) in late February

As always, remember to comment or email with questions, suggestions etc. One thing that I think is needed is a model essay on 'Blackberry Picking', as a few people became lost on the homework essay, so that'll be available on the blog after the prelim.

Finally, all those with personal study notes and Blackberry Picking essays outstanding should get them in by the 27th (and that's a generous deadline - anyone not meeting it will find themself facing a higher power!)

Enjoy your last day off,

Ms B ;-)

Reminders and usual gubbins

noreply@blogger.com (Ms B) — Wed, 18 Jan 2006 23:16:00 GMT

Hi All,

Just a reminder that I'm not in class tomorrow (19/01) and you will be working on Blackberry Picking in my absence. Please leave the work you do on my desk for me to look over.

If you still have homework to submit, please do so by close of business on Friday, or you will be seriously disadvantaged as far as preparing your PS notes goes.

Next week's draft schedule is:

Monday - Blackberry Picking - further discussion, essay practice.
Tuesday - As Monday.
Wednesday - Bring Romeo and Juliet and both of your poems - we will be learning our quotes!
Thursday - Continued from Wednesday, plus PS notes are due to me. I also have tentative plans for the Close Reading resit to happen this day, so be prepared if this applies to you.

Have a fun and productive weekend,

Ms B

noreply@blogger.com (Ms B) — Wed, 11 Jan 2006 00:07:00 GMT

Evening all,

I've been a bit concerned by the lack of depth in the analysis I'm seeing in the Glasgow Sonnet essays, so I thought I'd have a go at modelling what I'm looking for. Well, kinda...

What you will find, when you press 'read more', are four worked examples of analysis of different techniques from the poem. Now, I'm not one to call a spade a spade when I could call it a manual digging implement, so they're a bit over-wordy, but you'll get the idea I hope ;-)

If nothing else, you can have a laugh at them!

nighty night,

Ms B

Example Analysis – dealing with poverty/ unpleasantness/ unhappiness

“Kettle Whimpers” – Personification/ Sound Effects

A kettle usually whistles, as strong, bright and happy sound. The fact that this one ‘whimpers’ reflects the poverty and unhappiness of the family’s situation. A whimper is an understated, almost furtive sound, which indicates pain and fear. This personification of the kettle mirrors the family’s emotional pain, caused by the deprivation in which they live, and the fear of falling further into destitution. In a literal sense, the fact that the kettle can only muster a ‘whimper’ may suggest that the stove is unreliable (reinforced by the phrase ‘crazy hob’) and old, and that the family’s poverty means that they are unable to replace this most essential of household appliances.

“Play Fortresses/ of brick and bric-a-brac” – Enjambment

At the end of line three, the poet introduces the image of ‘play-fortresses’. Taken on its own, this image is a pleasant one, as it suggests children playing, using their imagination and building ‘forts’ and ‘dens’ in which to have fun. The way the writer has positioned this phrase at the end of the line forces us to pause momentarily in our reading and consider this positive concept. However, the poet’s use of enjambment quickly leads to disillusion, as we learn that these ‘fortresses’ are made of ‘brick and bric-a-brac’, suggesting dangerous and dirty materials. This shows that all the children can play with, essentially, is rubbish, as their families cannot afford to provide them with toys, or even a clean area in which to play. The fact that the enjambment caused us to expect a positive development, but then let us down, makes the image of the children playing in rubble all the more depressing.

“Black block condemned to stand, not crash” – Sound effects/ paradox/ word choice

The poet creates a haunting image of the building itself with the line “Black block condemned to stand, not crash.” The phrase ‘black block’ seems ominous, suggesting an imposing, emotionless monolith, a place with no soul and no hope of escape. The sound effects used in this phrase add to this effect, as the harsh consonants are unforgiving, jarring and powerful, demanding attention. The end of the sentence - ‘crash’- continues this effect with the use of powerful onomatopoeia, a word the reader cannot help but be affected by. The phrase ‘condemned to stand not crash’ is charged with meaning. The phrase ‘condemned’ conventionally means that a building is earmarked for demolition, suggesting a place without hope. However, this building is condemned to stand. It is so devoid of hope, so full of despair, that the worst thing that could happen would be that it remains standing. The impression created is that demolition would be welcome and merciful, but that this building’s ‘punishment’ is its continued existence. The idea of punishment is appropriate, as the word condemned also has connotations of a prisoner sentenced to death. This building is both the prison and the prisoner. Its inhabitants are trapped, ‘condemned’ to live in poverty and squalor, and the building itself, personified by the poet, is ‘condemned’ to continue its miserable, suffocating existence.

“Letting his coughs fall/ thinly into an air to poor to rob” – imagery

Enjambment is used by the poet to draw our attention to the word ‘fall’. The purpose of this is to allow us pause to consider the connotations of the word. Falling suggests losing control, just as the man has lost control of his destiny. The idea of a ‘fall from grace’ is also appropriate, as the family have reached rock bottom, and are now at the nadir of society. The writer’s use of enjambment also emphasises the word ‘thinly’, which clearly suggests poverty, as the family would not be able to adequately feed themselves and care for their health. The final phrase – ‘an air too poor to rob’ – is an effective ending to the poem, as it neatly sums up the abject poverty in which the family live. Even the air is poor, suggesting that even something as fundamental to life as the air we breathe is compromised by the family’s pitiable situation. Morgan also leaves us with the implicit idea that, like the air, the family have nothing of worth to steal: not even thieves – the scum of society – would venture into the oppressive and shunned ‘black block’.

Forward Thinking

noreply@blogger.com (Ms B) — Tue, 10 Jan 2006 18:02:00 GMT

Here's a work plan for the rest of week, and a homework reminder:

Wednesday: Picking our next poem, starting analysis of it.
Thursday: Close reading practice.
Monday: Close reading NAB

Homework

Wednesday 18th - second draft of Personal Study due
Thursday 26th - Personal Study notes due in.

Have Fun!

Ms B

Ho Ho Homework

noreply@blogger.com (Ms B) — Fri, 30 Dec 2005 17:39:00 GMT

Merry Christmas!

Hope you all had a lovely time, and you've all made your new year's resolutions! I thought I'd better post the homework for the 9th in case some people didn't get it - it's a second mini essay on Glasgow sonnet. As always, feel free to email me with any concerns, or even if you want me to check over unfinished work.

See you soon!

Ms B

Answers to questions on poetry should address relevantly the central concern(s)/theme(s) of the text(s) and be supported by reference to appropriate poetic techniques such as: imagery, verse form, structure, mood, tone, sound, rhythm, rhyme, characterisation, contrast, setting, symbolism, word choice . . .

Your second mini-essay question on ‘Glasgow Sonnet – i’ is as follows:
Choose a poem which is written in a specific poetic form (e.g. sonnet).
Show how the particular form helped your appreciation of the ideas and/or feelings which the poem explores.

The essays should be between 700and 1000 words.
They are due in on Monday 9th January

You should include reference to the following in your essay:
What a sonnet is traditionally about, and why it is effective that this poem is different,
The rhyme scheme, and how it helped you understand the ideas of the poem (hint-think enjambment!)
The ideas in the poem which are the opposite of what you would find in a traditional sonnet, and why that is effective (think word choice, imagery – even sound effects!)
700 – 1000 words please!

Belated Homework Update

noreply@blogger.com (Ms B) — Sun, 11 Dec 2005 22:19:00 GMT

Your first mini-essay question on ‘Glasgow Sonnet – i’ is as follows:
Choose a poem which explore one of the following: poverty, despair, loneliness.
Show how the poet explores the theme, and discuss to what extent your appreciation of the theme was deepened by the poet’s treatment.

The essays should be between 600 and 900 words.
They are due in on Monday12th December.

You should include reference to the following in your essay:
Tone, enjambment, juxtaposition/contrast personification and sound effects.
Remember frequently refer to your chosen theme – use the word itself or various synonyms.
Remember, the essay deals with your appreciation of the poem, so make frequent reference to its effect on you!

noreply@blogger.com (Ms B) — Thu, 8 Dec 2005 22:21:00 GMT

Hey Guys,

This is a bit of a folly, but it may be useful for the auditory learners among you. The link will take you to a recording of, erm, some English teacher, reading Glasgow Sonnet (i)!

Let me know if it works and if you think it's useful,

Ms B

http://www.geocities.com/bigfluffyantlers/glasgowsonnet.wav

Tentative Plan for the Week

noreply@blogger.com (Ms B) — Sun, 4 Dec 2005 20:55:00 GMT

Hey all,

Plan for this week (subject to change...)

Monday - Finish annotating 'Glasgow Sonnet - i', then close reading skills work.
Tuesday - Work on Glasgow Sonnet - Homework will be set for next week.
Wednesday - Close reading skills
Thursday - Practice NAB (I'm out of school)

That's all - although if you haven't handed in your personal study 1st draft, it must be with me tomorrow at the latest.

Ms B

"Don't you, forget about me....lalalala..."

noreply@blogger.com (Ms B) — Thu, 24 Nov 2005 15:33:00 GMT

The Breakfast Club

On Monday the 28th of November, we will be having a Breakfast Morning, to coincide with our last Personal Study day, so:

a) Bring your personal study stuff

and

b) Bring various breakfasty acoutrements that *don't* have to be cooked.

Thanks,

Ms B

P.S. - Does anyone get the joke in the title, or am I showing my age?

Week to come...

noreply@blogger.com (Ms B) — Sun, 20 Nov 2005 13:59:00 GMT

Here's the plan for week beginning 21/11/05 -

Monday - Revising some techniques
Timed Essay (1 hour, Romeo and Juliet, unseen question, open book)

Tuesday - Continue making questions for 'Concorde' Passage

Wednesday - Swap and try 'Concorde' questions

Thursday - Personal Study Day *reminder - PS homework is due 31st November - Wednesday*

See y'all tomorrow

Notes - Loooooooong post!

noreply@blogger.com (Ms B) — Sun, 20 Nov 2005 13:53:00 GMT

Hey Guys,

Here are the notes you created in your groups - a printed version to follow a.s.a.p.

The printed notes will be clearer with bold/italic to show divisions between topics (too time consuming to do it here...sorry!)

Ms B

Quote Bank for Romeo and Juliet – Compiled by Ms B’s Higher Class
(edited a bit by Ms B!)

Romeo before he meets Juliet-as seen by the reader and by other characters

Benvolio-"so early walking did I see your son ; towards him I made, but he was ware of me, and stole the covert of the wood"
This quote shows that Romeo was wallowing in his sorrows, and he did not want to be disturbed.

Benvolio- "See where he comes. So please you step aside, I’ll know his grievance or be much denied."
This quote shows that Romeo's misery is worrying other characters i.e. Benvolio and his parents.

(all Act 1 Sc 1)Benvolio - "it was. What sadness lengthens Romeo's hours."
This quote shows that Benvolio was worried about Romeo. It is closely linked with the previous quote.

Benvolio- "alas that love, so gentle in his view, should be so tyrannous and rough in proof!"
This quote shows that Romeo has been unlucky in love.

Benvolio - "Tell me in sadness, who is that you love?"
This quote shows that Romeo’s love before he met Juliet was sad and unsatisfying.

Benvolio - "But in that crystal scales let there be weigh'd our lady's love against some other maid that I will show you shining at this feast, and she shall scant show well that now seems best."
This quote shows that Benvolio is trying to get Romeo out of his rut; he is trying to take Romeo’s mind off of Rosaline and onto someone else.
Benvolio - At this same ancient feast of Capulet'sSups the fair Rosaline whom thou so lovest,With all the admired beauties of Verona:Go thither; and, with untainted eye,Compare her face with some that I shall show,And I will make thee think thy swan a crow. As above – Benvolio trying to take Romeo’s mind off Rosaline. – Act 1 Sc 2
Romeo after he meets Juliet- as seen by the reader and by other characters

Romeo is an extremely romantic character and his emotions are the most important thing to him! When he sees Juliet for he first time it is `love at first sight' and his simple and sincere language reflects this.

Act1 Sc5
Romeo: "What lady's that which doth enrich the hand of yonder knight?"…
continued…..
“Did my heart love till now? forswear it, sight!For I ne'er saw true beauty till this night.”
Romeo’s reaction when he first sees Juliet

Romeo: "If I profane with my unworthiest hand
This holy shrine, the gentle sin is this,
My lips, two blushing pilgrims, ready stand
to smooth that rough touch with a tender kiss."
This shows Romeo’s purity of his love for Juliet as the language is no longer flowery like it was with Rosaline.He is sure of his feelings.

Act 2 Sc 2
All Romeo….

But, soft! what light through yonder window breaks?It is the east, and Juliet is the sun.Arise, fair sun, and kill the envious moon, - Idolising Juliet. She is better than Rosaline (the chaste moon)

O, that I were a glove upon that hand,That I might touch that cheek! – Shows his longing, his true feelings for Juliet.

I have night's cloak to hide me from their sight;And but thou love me, let them find me here:My life were better ended by their hate,Than death prorogued, wanting of thy love. – He would rather die than live without her love.

Act2 Sc3
Friar Lawrence: "Holy Saint Frances, what a change is here!
Is Rosaline, that thou didst love so dear,
So soon forsaken? Young men's love then lies
Not truly in their hearts, but in their eyes."
Even Friar Lawrence notices the change of heart Romeo has when he meets Juliet.

Act3 Sc1
Before Romeo met Juliet Tybalt was his enemy and he would’ve hurt him at any chance he had! After he marries Juliet he refuses to even fight him:
Romeo: "Tybalt, the reason I have to love thee
Doth much excuse the appertaining rage
To such a greeting. Villain am I none;
Therefore farewell, I see thou knowest me not."

Romeo is so deeply in love with Juliet that he would do anything to be with her. When he hears that she is dead a part of him dies too therefore he feels he has nothing left to live for and decides to take his own life:
Romeo: "Here’s to my love! O true apothecary!
Thy drugs are quick. Thus with a kiss I die."
This shows just how fatal love can be.
From when Romeo first sees Juliet his love has changed from being 'love at first sight' to 'mad, all consuming love' as he is willing to kill himself for her.

Juliet – as seen by the reader and other characters.

Scene 3 Act 1
Lady Capulet - "Nurse, where's my daughter? Call her forth to me."
Nurse - "Now by my maidenhead at twelve year gives strength
I bade her come. What, lamb! What, ladybird!
God forbid, where's this girl? What, Juliet?"
Lady C - ""This is the matter. Nurse, give leave a while,
We must talk in secret. Nurse come back again"
Nurse - "Were not I thine only nurse,
I would say thou hadst suck'd wisdom from thy teat."
These quotes suggest the nurse has been more of a mother than Lady Capulet. The nurse breast fed Juliet, can communicate better, which both show a sense of bonding. The fact that Lady C. asks the nurse to leave and then immediately calls her back shows that she is insecure about talking to her daughter and that the nurse is more confident in talking to Juliet showing that she is more of a mother.

Juliet - "I'll look to like, if looking liking move;
But no more deep will I endart mine eye
Than your consent gives strength to make it fly"
This shows that Juliet is obedient and is only looking at Paris to keep her mother' happy. She has no strong feelings either way.

Romeo - "did my heart love til now? forswear it, sight!
For I ne'er saw true beauty til his night."
Here Romeo doubts his love for Rosaline. His love for her doesn't even compare to his love for Juliet. – Act 1 Sc 5
Romeo - "Alas that love, whose view is muffled still"
This quote just shows he said he loved Rosaline. The love is fake as a crush brought them together rather than fate.

Romeo - "A right good mark-man! and she's fair I love."
"Well, in that hit you miss: she'll not be hit with cupids arrow."
Romeo’s love for Rosaline is physical, and one way. Rosaline doesn’t respond to his love, whereas Juliet does. Hence Romeo’s love for her is but a mere crush. – Act 1 Sc 1
Juliet - O Romeo, Romeo! wherefore art thou Romeo?Deny thy father and refuse thy name;Or, if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love,And I'll no longer be a Capulet……O, be some other name!What's in a name? that which we call a roseBy any other name would smell as sweet; Shows that she has fallen in love. She has matured. She is willing to give up one of her most important possessions, her name, in order to have her true love. – Act 2 Sc 2
Juliet - If, in thy wisdom, thou canst give no help,Do thou but call my resolution wise,And with this knife I'll help it presently Strength of will – she would rather kill herself than live without her love. – Ac4 4, Sc 3
Juliet: O churl! drunk all, and left no friendly dropTo help me after? I will kiss thy lips;Haply some poison yet doth hang on them, ] ….. Yea, noise? then I'll be brief. O happy dagger! Snatching ROMEO's dagger This is thy sheath; Stabs herself there rust, and let me die. These quotes prove the depth of her love for Romeo, that she is happy to kill herself rather than live without him. – Act 5, Sc 3
Quotes showing different types of conflict!

"From ancient grudge break to new mutiny,
Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean."
- This is from the prologue, it is the first sign of conflict. The "ancient grudge" is the one between the Capulet's and the Montagues, we are never told what the grudge is actually over.

"I will bite my thumb at them ,which is disgrace to them if they bear it."
- This quote is from act 1 scene 1. Sampson seems to be trying to provoke conflict between he and the men of the Montague family. Biting your thumb at someone in these days was an insult.

TYBALT - This, by his voice, should be a Montague.Fetch me my rapier, boy. What dares the slaveCome hither, cover'd with an antic face,To fleer and scorn at our solemnity?Now, by the stock and honour of my kin,To strike him dead, I hold it not a sin.
CAPULET - Why, how now, kinsman! wherefore storm you so?
TYBALT - Uncle, this is a Montague, our foe,A villain that is hither come in spite,To scorn at our solemnity this night. - From act 1 sc 5, shows that the younger generation (i.e. Tybalt) are continuing the feud with no loss of intensity from the older generation.
"What, drawn and talk of peace? I hate the word, as I hate hell, all Montagues, and thee. Have at thee, coward."
- This is also from act 1 scene 1. This is Tybalt and Benvolio preparing to fight. This is also an example of the hate that the Capulet's and the Montagues have for each other.

"Romeo, the love I bear thee can afford no better term than this: thou art a villain"
-This shows how deep-seated Tybalt’s hatred for Romeo is, he cannot think of a nice word to call him than ‘villain’. Romeo goes on to try to persuade Tybalt not to fight, but the conflict is so old and entrenched that nothing can prevent the fray. – Act 3 Sc 1

Hang thee, young baggage! disobedient wretch!I tell thee what: get thee to church o' Thursday,Or never after look me in the face:Speak not, reply not, do not answer me;My fingers itch. Wife, we scarce thought us blestThat God had lent us but this only child;But now I see this one is one too much,And that we have a curse in having her:Out on her, hilding!
- From Act 3, Sc 5, this shows conflict within the Capulet family. Capulet is incensed by Juliet’s disobedience in refusing to marry Paris.

Quotes Showing Different Types of Love

Romeo's Love For Rosaline...

"Out of her favour where I am in love"(page 10,act 1 scene 1)
Romeo is moping, depressed because his love is not returned.

"Tut ,I have lost myself,I am not here
This is not Romeo he's some other where" (pg 11,act 1 scene 1)
He is not feeling like himself.

“Here's much to do with hate, but more with love.Why, then, O brawling love! O loving hate!O any thing, of nothing first create!O heavy lightness! serious vanity!Mis-shapen chaos of well-seeming forms!Feather of lead, bright smoke, cold fire,sick health!Still-waking sleep, that is not what it is!This love feel I, that feel no love in this.” (Act 1 Sc1)
Romeo’s love for Rosaline is confusing him, hence the use of oxymoron. He also uses over-poetic language, because his love is ‘idealistic’, not heartfelt.

Capulet’s Love For Juliet...

"she's the hopeful lady of my earth.
But woo her, gentle Paris, get her heart" (act 1 scene 2, pg 13)
Here Capulet seems a loving father, protecting the welfare of his only surviving child.

Romeo's Love For Juliet...

"O she doth teach the torches to burn bright! It seems she hangs upon the cheek of night as a jewel in an Ethiops ear." (act 1,scene 5, pg 27)
Light imagery – he sees Juliet as heavenly, is dazzled by her beauty.

Did my heart love till now? forswear it, sight!For I ne'er saw true beauty till this night. – (act 1 Sc 5)
Immediately on seeing Juliet, thoughts of Rosaline are banished, and he knows that this is ‘true’ love.

But, soft! what light through yonder window breaks?It is the east, and Juliet is the sun….
Two of the fairest stars in all the heaven,Having some business, do entreat her eyesTo twinkle in their spheres till they return….
The brightness of her cheek would shame those stars,As daylight doth a lamp; - (all Act 2 Sc 2)
Light imagery continues the idea of Juliet being something heavenly.

I have night's cloak to hide me from their sight;And but thou love me, let them find me here:My life were better ended by their hate,Than death prorogued, wanting of thy love. – (act 2 sc 3)
Romeo would rather die than live without his love.

Come, bitter conduct, come, unsavoury guide!Thou desperate pilot, now at once run onThe dashing rocks thy sea-sick weary bark!Here's to my love!
Drinks
O true apothecary! – (act 5, Sc 3)
Romeo’s final sacrifice for his love.

Juliet's Love For Romeo...

"My only love sprung from my only hate!
Too early seen unknown, and known too late" (act 1 scene 5 ,pg 31)
First realisation of the fact that Romeo is a Montague – she has already given her heart to Romeo, and is helpless to do anything about it.

O Romeo, Romeo! wherefore art thou Romeo?Deny thy father and refuse thy name;Or, if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love,And I'll no longer be a Capulet. (act 2 sc 2)
Wishing that Romeo could rescind his name, the only thing keeping them together, and vowing to do the same if necessary.

But to be frank, and give it thee again.And yet I wish but for the thing I have:My bounty is as boundless as the sea,My love as deep; the more I give to thee,The more I have, for both are infinite. (act 2 Sc 2)
The depth and strength of Juliet’s love

Romeo's Love For Mercutio And Juliet...

"This gentleman, the prince's near ally,
My very friend, hath got his mortal hurt
In my behalf; my reputation stain'd
With Tybalt’s slander-Tybalt, that hour
Hath been my cousin. O sweet Juliet,
Thy beauty hath made me effeminate,
And my temper soften'd valour's steel! (act 3 scene 1, pg 63)
Torn between two loves – friendship and his wife. He feels that one type of love has made his betray the other.

Bawdy/ Superficial Love
True; and therefore women, being the weaker vessels,are ever thrust to the wall: therefore I will pushMontague's men from the wall, and thrust his maidsto the wall. – (act 1 sc 1)
Sampson shows his contempt for the Montagues by threatening sexual violence on the Montague women.

A man, young lady! lady, such a manAs all the world–why, he's a man of wax…….
No less! nay, bigger; women grow by men…….
Go, girl, seek happy nights to happy days. (all act 1 Sc 3)
The nurse shows she is impressed by a handsome face, and makes references to pregnancy and sex.

This cannot anger him: 'twould anger himTo raise a spirit in his mistress' circleOf some strange nature, letting it there standTill she had laid it and conjured it down;That were some spite: my invocationIs fair and honest, and in his mistress' nameI conjure only but to raise up him. (act 2 Sc 1)
Mercutio using double-entendre, speaking if magic but also of sex

Quotes showing how fate affects people, or how people tempt fate.

Prologue (line 6):

"A pair of star-cross'd lovers take their life;"
The first instance of fate in the play. Its informing the audience that the theme of fate is very predominant.

Act 1 Scene 5 (line 118):
(Romeo): "My life is my foe's debt."
Clear foreshadowing of what is to come.

Act 1 Scene 5 (line 134):
"My grave is lke to be my wedding bed."
Again clear foreshadowing, she does dies soon after her weeding.

Act 2 Scene 2 (line 77 & 78):
"My life were better ended by their hate,
Than death prorogued, wanting of thy love."
They wouldn't have died without the hate between their families, but inn the end it was their love that killed them. This quote clearly shows this.

Act 3 Scene 5 (lines 55 & 56):
"Methinks I see thee now, thou art so low,
As one dead in the bottom of a tomb."
Once again clear foreshadowing of what is to come. The next time Juliet sees Romeo he is indeed dead in a tomb.

Act 5 Scene 3 (line 111):

"And shake the yoke of inauspicious stars."
This quotation shows Romeo feels he has beaten fate and is free from its hold over his life, however the audience knows that this is untrue because he has played right into fates hands.

The background characters 1- the Nurse, Mercutio, Tybalt and the Capulets.

Nurse
Mother Figure to Juliet - Has raised her since she was a baby.
"...Thou wast the prettiest babe I e'er I nursed/And I might live to see thee married once, I have my wish" (1,3,61)

"An honour! were not I thine only nurse/I would say thou suck'd wisdom from thy teat." (1,3,68)

These show how the nurse cares for Juliet, having been there for her throughout her whole life. She is like a mother as she wishes to see Juliet married, as most mothers do, as it is one of the most important things to happen in someone's life.

Ideas on Love
"...Thou wilt fall backwards when thou hast more wit..." (1,3,43)

"Go, girl, seek happy nights to happy days" (1,4,106)

She talks of physical love rather than meaningful on both occasions.

Mercutio
As a Person
His name reflects his mercurial nature. He is noisy and rude, his language being full of jokes and puns.

Ideas on Love
"If love be rough with you, be rough with love:/Prick love for pricking, and you beat love down..." – Act 1 Sc 4

Mercutio's view on love is also physical. He often makes sexual references and doesn't seem to care about the emotions and feelings concerned with love.

He mocks Romeo's romantic views;

"Alas, poor Romeo, he is already dear, stabbed with a white wench's black eye, run through” – Act 2 Sc 4

Tybalt
As a Person

"What, drawn and talk of peace? I hate the word/As I hate hell, all Montagues, and thee./Have at thee coward." (1,1,64)

He appears to be an aggressive character and holds an old grudge against the Montagues. He shows a deep hatred for the family, as seen at the beginning of the play, when he warns Benvolio that he will attack.

Quotes on background characters - 2 (Friar Lawrence, The Prince)
Friar Lawrence - Friar Lawrence is one of the characters central to the outcome of the play.

Act 2 scene 3
"With baleful weeds and precious-juiced flowers." - baleful means harmful or poisonous so this is foreshadowing the end of the play.

Act 2 scene 3
"Be plain, good son, and homely in thy drift, riddling confession finds but riddling shrift". - This shows that the friar has a calming effect on Romeo.

Act 2 Scene 6
"So smile the heavens upon this holy act, that after-hours with sorrow chide us not". - This shows that the friar thinks marrying Romeo and Juliet will end the bitter ongoing feud between the two of their families.

Act 3 Scene 3
"Thou art wedded to calamity". - this implies that the Friar thinks the marriage will be a disaster, and that Romeo is always unlucky.

Act 4 Scene 1
"Then it is likely thou wilt undertake a thing like death to chide away this shame". - This means that she'd be willing to kill herself to rid her of the shame of marrying Paris.

Act 5 scene 3
"I dare no longer stay". This occurs when the watch are coming and both Romeo and Paris are lying dead. Furthermore the Friar does not want to stick around as he could be held responsible for the deaths – shows he lacks strength of character.

"Her nurse is privy". He turns the nurse in for her knowledge of what has gone on.

On the contrary to the courage demonstrated by Friar Lawrence when he married Romeo and Juliet, he shows himself to be a bit of a coward when he leaves Juliet in the tomb and when he tells everyone of the nurse's part in his wrongdoings.

The Prince
Act 3 Scene 1

"And for that offence immediately we do exile him hence". This shows a harsh lenience as although he could have executed Romeo he exiled him and now he has to live without Juliet and with his sin, although in the end the exiling of Romeo killed them anyway.

Act 5 Scene 3

"All are punish'd ". - This sums up the feelings of all of the characters at the end of the play and shows that nobody has positive feelings at the end of the play and that this is their punishment.

A fresh perspective... R+J in txt spk

noreply@blogger.com (Ms B) — Sat, 5 Nov 2005 14:00:00 GMT

Chocolatey type treat for the first person to identify the accurate act and scene numbers....act 8 indeed!

--------------------- Act 1 -----------------------
Login:
Romeo : R u awake? Want 2 chat?
Juliet: O Rom. Where4 art thou?
Romeo: Outside yr window.
Juliet: Stalker!
Romeo: Had 2 come. feeling jiggy.
Juliet: B careful. My family h8 u.
Romeo: Tell me about it. What about u?
Juliet: I'm up for marriage if u are..Is that a bit forward?
Romeo: No. Yes. No. Oh, doesn't matter, 2moro at 9?
Juliet: Luv U xxxx
Romeo: CU then xxxx

--------------------- Act 2 -----------------------
Friar: Do u?
Juliet: I doRomeo: I do

--------------------- Act 3 -----------------------
Juliet: Come bck 2 bed. It's the nightingale not the lark.
Romeo: OK
Juliet: !!! I ws wrong !!!. It's the lark. U gotta go. Or die.
Romeo: Damn. I shouldn’t hv wasted Tybalt & gt banished.
Juliet: When CU again?
Romeo: Soon. Promise. Dry sorrow drinks our blood. Adieu.
Juliet: Miss u big time.

--------------------- Act 4 -----------------------
Nurse: Yr mum says u have 2 marry Paris!!
Juliet: No way. Yuk yuk yuk. Anyway, am married 2 Rom

--------------------- Act 5 -----------------------
Friar: Really? O no. U wl have 2 take potion that makes u look dead.
Juliet: Gr8.

--------------------- Act 6 -----------------------
Romeo: J-why r u not returning my texts?
Romeo: RUOK? Am abroad but phone still works.
Romeo: TEXT ME!
Batty: Bad news. J dead. Sorry m8.

--------------------- Act 7 -----------------------
Romeo: J-wish u wr able 2 read this...am now poisoning & and climbing in yr grave.
LUV U Ju xxxx

--------------------- Act 8 -----------------------
Juliet: R-got yr text! Am alive! Ws faking it! Where RU? Oh...
Friar: V bad situation.
Juliet: Nightmare. LUVU2. Always. Dagger. Ow!!!

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