World of Shakespeare:

Today in class:

We broke into small groups and had polite intellectual discussion on your sonnet. I hope that this time allowed you to gain an outside opinion on what the piece is about.

After lunch, we went to the computer lab to research your sonnet.

Recommended reading: The Art of Shakespeare's Sonnet, by Helen Vendler. Most libraries should have a copy of this.

Sonnet Papers are due Tuesday.

Brit Lit:

Today in class we listened to the Iron Maiden song, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner."

We took another look at alliteration, and I asked you to find 10 examples in the original poem. For each, I asked to to define how the use of alliteration added to the feeling or complexity of the line of verse.

Reminder, Please pick one of the 3 writing assignments on Pg. 770. These are due this Tuesday.


Have a great weekend!

Rock on....

Hear the rime of the Ancient MarinerSee his eyes as he stops one of threeMesmerises one of the wedding guestsStay here and listen to the nightmaresof the sea.And the music plays on, as the bride passes byCaught by his spell andthe Mariner tells his tale.Driven south to the land of the snow and iceTo a place where nobody's beenThrough the snow fog flies on the albatrossHailed in God's name,hoping good luck it brings.And the ship sails on, back to the northThrough the fog and ice andthe albatross follows onThe mariner kills the bird of good omenHis shipmates cry against what he's doneBut when the fog clears, they justify himAnd make themselves part of the crime.Sailing on and on and North across the seaSailing on and on and North 'til all is calm.The albatross begins with its vengeanceA terrible curse a thirst has begunHis shipmates blame the bad luck on the MarinerAbout his neck, the dead bird is hung.And the curse goes on and on and on at sea,And the thirst goes on and on for them and me."Day after day, day after day,we stuck nor breath nor motionAs idle as a painted ship upon a painted oceanWater, water everywhere andall the boards did shrinkWater, water everywhere nor any drop to drink."There, calls the Mariner,there comes a ship over the lineBut how can she sail with no windin her sails and no tide.See...onward she comesOnward she nears, out of the sunSee...she has no crewShe has no life, wait but there's twoDeath and she life in Death,they throw their dice for the crewShe wins the Mariner and he belongs to her now.Then...crew one by oneThey drop down dead, two hundred menShe...She, Life in Death,She lets him live, her chosen one."One after one by the star dogged moon,too quick for groan or sigheach turned his face with a ghastly pang,and cursed me with his eyefour times fifty living men(and I heard nor sigh nor groan),with heavy thump, a lifeless lump,they dropped down one by one."The curse it lives on in their eyesThe Mariner he wished he'd dieAlong with the sea creatresBut they lived on, so did he.And by the light of the moonHe prays for their beauty not doomWith heart he blesses themGod's creatures all of them tooThen the spell starts to breakThe albatross falls from his neckSinks down like lead into the seaThen down in falls comes the rain.Hear the groans of the long dead seamenSee them stir and they start to riseBodies lifted by good spiritsNone of them speakand they're lifeless in their eyes.And revenge is still sought, penance starts againCast into a trance and the nightmare carries on.Now the curse is finally liftedAnd the Mariner sights his homeSpirits go from the long dead bodiesForm their own light andthe Mariner's left alone.And then a boat came sailing towards himIt was a joy he could not believeThe pilots boat, his son and the hermit.Penance of life will fall onto Him.And the ship sinks like lead into the seaAnd the hermit shrieves the Mariner of his sins.The Mariner's bound to tell of his storyTo tell his tale wherever he goesTo teach God's word by his own exampleThat we must love all things that God made.And the wedding guest's a sad and wiser manAnd the tale goes on and on and on

World of Shakespeare:

Today in class we looked at your favorite sonnet. For Dec 22., please write a 3-5 page paper analysing form and meaning in your sonnet. We will be taking the next few classes to begin this together.

Brit Lit:

Today in class we discussed the Romantic Period. I gave notes on the time period, and reviewed your reading assignment last night. We had a quiz on pgs. 632-646.

Tonight, please read The Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner in your Anthology textbooks.

I also assigned a small paper assignment due next Tusday December 22: Choosde one of the 3 assignments on pg 770 in your anthologies.

World of Shakespeare:

Today we took notes on his sonnet construction.

HW: Please write an original sonnet that follows the rules defined in class today.

Brit Lit:

Today in class I gave notes on a Shakespearean Sonnet. We read and discussed # 116, 53, 148, 115. I asked you each to diagram your favorite one of the bunch.

HW:
Please write an original sonnet that follows the same rules that we discussed in class today:
1. iambic pentameter
2. 10 syllables per line
3. 14 line poem
4. Follows the end rhyme pattern of: ab,ab,cd,cd,ef,ef,gg
5. Last two lines give it power. End in greatness- as always....

Word O' the Week:

Gynarchy: (Jin-ar-ke) Noun Government by women.