Monday, 11/18/13: Antigone to Midsummer

* Open

• Grammar: punctuate (all one sentence)
• "Now fair Hippolyta our nuptial hour
  Draws on apace four happy days bring in
  Another moon but O methinks how slow
  This old moon wanes" (1.1.1-4)

* Work on Journal 6

* Essay Choice (Schwager)

• #1 Compare the characterization (focus on the detectives) and atmosphere of "The Eternity Ring" (Foyle's War) and either "The Adventure of the Speckled Band" or "The Blue Cross." 
  
  #2 Coming-of-age: Compare a coming-of-age experience of your own with that of any single protagonist in our recent reading.  You must include at least one other key term from our story unit as you compare the experiences (irony, plot, atmosphere).  

• Irony: make sure you treat this in detail in at least one paragraph of your essay (consider a structure that moves from innocence to experience to wisdom)
• Plot: make sure you treat the key points of a plot line (exposition, inciting incident, rising action, climax, falling action, conclusion)  

• #3 Compare-Contrast: Compare and contrast two of the recent coming-of-age stories you've read, focusing on at least one of the literary elements from our story unit: plot and its elements, irony, atmosphere and tone, or symbolism.

*  Let's apply what we've learned:

• What happens when government law conflicts with religious law or moral law?  Consider specific modern situations. 
• When is civil disobedience the right course of action?

* Transitioning to Midsummer: Have your actions (or inaction) ever been radically misunderstood?  Have you ever had to bear a penalty unjustly?  Antigone's actions were interpreted by Creon as boastful and contemptuous ("Here she again displays her proud contempt—/having done the act, she now boasts of it" lines 546-547).  In A Midsummer Night's Dream, a father (Egeus) overreacts to his daughter's (Hermia's) disagreement with him over two suiting men.  Hermia acts less honorably than Antigone, but Hermia, too, is at odds with a fickle authority.  Let's discuss this a bit.  

* Extra Credit: If you saw the school play, see your teacher; you will receive a little bit of extra credit.  For anyone who could not see the play, you may get extra credit if you produce any artistic response to our play between now and when we finish A Midsummer Night's Dream (that gives you about three weeks).  Please tie your artistic work into a specific line or lines from the play that inspire you (you could use the quote as a title for your painting if you do not want it on the visual surface).  Here are some ideas:

• Painting
• Comic
• Movie trailer
• Song performed in class
• Recast a scene to perform in class

HW: Finish Journal 6