Othello powerpoint

Othello powerpoint

Othello writing assignment

Othello Essay Assignment

Directions: Choose one of the essay topics below and write a well-developed essay that incorporates support from the text. Use basic essay format (introduction with thesis(claim) statement, body paragraphs with topic sentences, conclusion).

Paper parameters:

• 2-4 pages (500 word minimum)
• Times New Roman
• 12 point font
• Double space
• Parenthetical citations (MLA format)

SUPPORT FROM THE TEXT: In your body paragraphs, you must include at least ONE QUOTE from the text that illustrates the point you are making in that paragraph. After each quote, you should explain how it supports the point you are making. A paragraph should never end with a quote. Failure to include the quotes from the text will result in a maximum of half credit for the assignment (25 points out of 50). 

We will spend the next few days in class working on the writing process: prewriting, drafting, editing and revising, and publishing.

DEADLINES:

Prewrite due: ______________________________________ (by the end of class)

Draft due: _________________________________________ (beginning of class)

Editing and Revising day: ____________________________

Final paper due:______________________________(beginning of class)

Essay Topics:

1.

Othello is the only black character in Shakespeare. Throughout the play, there are several references to black and white as contrasts: “Black ram and white ewe” (Act I, scene 1); “Your son-in-law is far more fair than black” (Act I, scene 3); “Her name … is now begrimed and black/As mine own face” (Act III, scene 3). Although they are not always in reference to race, analyze whether or not each of these lines are derogatory to Othello.

2.

In Othello, we see the kind of jealousy that is envy of what others have, and the kind that is fear of losing what we have. Write a comparison/contrast essay in which you analyze these themes. Cite specific examples of characters and events in the play that show both themes.

3.

Iago is a clear example of the idea that the difference between reputation and honor is the difference between appearance and reality. He has a good reputation but no true honor. Analyze three examples of how Iago tries to appear one way when in reality he is hiding the truth. Ultimately, what does this say about his honor?

4.

The handkerchief is an important symbol in the play. Analyze the handkerchief in terms of its importance to Othello, Desdemona, and Iago.

5.

In a Shakespearean tragedy, characters die who do not deserve their unfortunate fates. Choose three characters who die innocently and analyze how each one’s blindness to the truth leads to his or her death.

Othello Essay Rubric:

Criterion Exceeds Expectations Meets Expectations Below Expectations Content (10 points) Specific, illustrative development of ideas throughout essay that thoroughly analyze the topic Some ideas are developed throughout the essay; evident attempt at analysis but lacking detail Little evidence of development of ideas; lack of thorough analysis of the topic Textual Support (15 points) Specific, illustrative quotes from the text that enhance and support the writer’s points; all quotes are explained and thoroughly analyzed General quotes from the text are included; evidence of attempted analysis; lack of thorough support Few or no quotes are included or quotes do not support the writer’s points; little or noexplanation or analysis of quotes Focus (5 points) All details are relevant to the essay topic and thoroughly support/ explain the writer’s points Most details are relevant to essay topic and generally support/ explain the writer’s points Many details are not relevant to the essay topic; off topic details detract from the writer’s points Organization (10 points) Paragraphs are logically organized; distinct introduction, thesis statement, and conclusion; details within paragraphs flow smoothly Errors in logical organization of paragraphs and/or details within paragraphs; some evidence of paragraph breaks and essay format Significant errors in logical organization of paragraphs and/or details within paragraphs; lack of paragraph breaks and essay format Conventions of Language (grammar) & Writing Style (10 points) Evident control of grammar, mechanics, spelling, usage, and sentence formation;descriptive, illustrative vocabulary and word choice Sufficient control of grammar, mechanics, spelling, usage, and sentence formation;ordinary word choice and vocabulary Minimal control of grammar, mechanics, spelling, usage, and sentence formation;poorly used vocabulary and word choice

Monday, November 25th

Upcoming events:

• Tuesday, grammar/punctuation assessment #2 (lower grade gets dropped.  Grammar folders can go home for studying)
• Wednesday, Antigone test. 
• After Thanksgiving, we begin Othello.

Do now:

• Open up your SAT packets to our next 2 questions and begin.

Agenda:

• SAT questions
• Punctuation practice (page 37)

Monday, November 18th

Do now:

• Answer SAT questions of the day: 54 & 55
• Take out your Antigone homework for a HW check

Agenda:

• Review questions 54 & 55
• Check and review Antigone HW questions
• Continue reading Antigone

Homework:

• Finish Antigone and answer all questions in your packet by Thursday, November 21st.

                                               

Friday, November 15

Homework: Answer the questions for scene 1, Antigone.

Thursday, 11/14

Do now:
SAT question 52

Agenda:
SAT Question 52
Begin Antigone

Homework:
Answer questions 1-5 in your Antigone packet (the one with the character chart on the front.)

Antigone powerpoint

If you would like to review the Antigone powerpoint or missed any classes, click on the link, below.

Antigone ppt

Thanks to Gavin for loading the presentation.

Friday, November 8th

Do Now:

• Take out notebook paper or open up a document on you laptop.
• Consider your prior knowledge of Ancient Greece.
• Prepare to take important notes on Ancient Greece and Antigone.

Agenda:

• Background presentation on Ancient Greece and Antigone.
• Background information will be covered on your Antigone test.

Homework:

• No homework. 

Tuesday, November 5th

Background video

Introduction to Greek Mythology

The stories of the Greek myths are all that remain of an ancient religion. The gods and goddesses of stories represent the metaphors that the ancient Greeks used to make sense of the world around them and of life in general. Those metaphors provided inspiration for a wealth of literature. Since the ancient Greeks began telling these stories in a pre-literate era (before they had writing), at first the stories were passed down from generation to generation in an oral tradition. Once poets and dramatists began writing the stories down, they preserved them for future generations. What they preserved, is the story as they told it. So we must look at the stories as both religion and literature at the same time.

Sophocles

Information about Sophocles’ life is at best sketchy and incomplete, but some important details survive. Most of what scholars know about the playwright comes from two sources: the Suda Lexicon, a tenth-century Greek dictionary, and the anonymous Sophocles: His Life and Works, an undated manuscript found in the thirteenth century.

Early Years

Sophocles was born about 496 B.C. at Colonus, a village just outside Athens, Greece. His father, Sophillus, was a wealthy weapons-maker and a leading citizen. Both birth and wealth, then, set Sophocles apart as someone likely to play an important role in Athenian society.

Education

Like other Greek boys from wealthy families, Sophocles studied poetry, music, dancing, and gymnastics—subjects regarded as the basis of a well-rounded education for a citizen. His early schooling prepared him to serve as a leader in all aspects of public life, including the military, foreign policy, and the arts.

The young Sophocles showed great skill at music and dancing. In fact, at age 15, he won the great honor of leading the boys’ chorus in the victory paean (joyful song) celebrating the Athenian naval victory over the Persians at the battle of Salamis. This achievement foreshadowed the leadership role Sophocles would have in society, both as an active member of the government and as an influence on Greek arts.

Sophocles lived during the Classical Period (500 to 400 B.C.), a time of transition for Greece, when political and cultural events were changing and shaping Athenian culture. As a dramatist, Sophocles played an important part in this creation of a civilization, which included looking backward to ancient traditions and the first epic poetry of Greece, written by Homer. His great Greek epics The Odyssey and The Iliad profoundly influenced Sophocles. An anonymous biographer of the time called him “the pupil of Homer”—suggesting that Sophocles’ great power came to him from the greatest of Greek poets.

Sophocles probably also studied under the Greek playwright Aeschylus. If so, then Sophocles’ first dramatic success had a very personal significance. In 468 B.C., his play Triptolemus took first prize for tragedy, while Aeschylus’ play came in second.

Public Service

Over many years, Sophocles actively participated in Athenian political and cultural life, often in positions of great responsibility. Besides his contributions as playwright, Sophocles served as a diplomat, general, and even a priest of Alscepius, a minor god of healing. While some of his public service may seem beyond his professional experience as a dramatist, Athenian democracy nevertheless demanded that its citizens take part in all aspects of government.

In 443 B.C., the great Athenian leader Pericles chose Sophocles to be treasurer of the Delian Confederation. As Hellenotamias—his official title—Sophocles collected taxes from the states under the control of Athens. In effect, he represented the power of the entire Athenian empire in his office, and the funds he collected bolstered Athenian glory at home and around the Mediterranean.

In 440 B.C., Sophocles served as a general in the siege of Samos, an island that challenged the authority of Athens. He may have served another term as a general in either 426 B.C. or 415 B.C., and he later took part in a special commission to investigate the Athenian military defeat in Sicily in 413 B.C. During the crucial Peloponnesian War, Sophocles conducted negotiations with Athenian allies.

Despite all his public service, though, Sophocles remained first and last a dramatist. His death in 406 B.C. inspired a national cult that worshipped him as a cultural hero at a shrine dedicated to his memory.

                             Antigone Character chart: