Thursday, 19 December 2013
Wednesday, 4 December 2013
Enjambment in My Last Duchess
Enjambment means a line is NOT endstopped in a poem (like we expect them to, as this is how they look)
but instead the line flows on and we are meant to keep reading. However, since our eyes have to move to the next line, we subconsciously put emphasis on the first word of the line - aided by the fact this word will always have a capital letter.
Although this would have made perfect sense if it was written in full on a single line, through the use of enjambment we put emphasis on "That." This means that we get a mental picture of the Duke pointing out the painting he is talking about. Browning could be trying to show the Duke's arrogance and boastfulness as he feels the need to emphasise the importance of the Duke pointing this out. This suggests that he has no remorse for the actions he almost-confesses to later on in the poem.
but instead the line flows on and we are meant to keep reading. However, since our eyes have to move to the next line, we subconsciously put emphasis on the first word of the line - aided by the fact this word will always have a capital letter.
So in the line in My Last Duchess:
"I call /
That piece a wonder,"
Although this would have made perfect sense if it was written in full on a single line, through the use of enjambment we put emphasis on "That." This means that we get a mental picture of the Duke pointing out the painting he is talking about. Browning could be trying to show the Duke's arrogance and boastfulness as he feels the need to emphasise the importance of the Duke pointing this out. This suggests that he has no remorse for the actions he almost-confesses to later on in the poem.
Iambic Pentameter in Othello
What is Iambic Pentameter? A line consisting of 10 syllables: Most of Shakespeare's most famous lines follow this regular rhythm
A BBC Bitesize video explaining the term
Poetry and Prose Shakespeare’s plays are written mainly in poetry (verse) but he does use some prose too (ordinary writing not organised with rhymes or fixed line lengths). The kind of verse form that Shakespeare uses is called ‘blank verse’. This kind of verse is the form of verse that is closest in rhythm to natural speech. This makes it the ideal form to use for dialogue. Blank verse is verse that does not rhyme and which is composed of lines called ‘iambic pentameters’. An iamb is an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable. Five iambs in a row make a line of iambic pentameter (‘pent’ means five in Greek, as in ‘pentagon’ or ‘pentathlon’). This means that each line has 10 syllables, five stressed and five unstressed, as in this line from Romeo and Juliet:“But soft, what light through yonder window breaks?” However, where necessary for his effects, Shakespeare may shorten lines or make them longer in order to express his meaning, or use enjambment (running on) where one line flows on into the next. - See more at: http://revisionworld.co.uk/gcse-revision/english/reading-shakespeare/poetry-and-prose#sthash.Ogj1lhSy.dpuf
Iago at times will descend into common prose, a signal from Shakespeare that he has more in common with the lower classes and may be less than honest!
Othello's language gets more and more ragged as the play goes on - out goes the flowery poetry of the early lines - see his powerful speech to the senate earlier on - and in the run up to Desdemona's death, lines are heavily punctuated to show the fragmentation of the character's mental order.
It starts to resemble more and more Iago's own language.
A BBC Bitesize video explaining the term
Poetry and Prose Shakespeare’s plays are written mainly in poetry (verse) but he does use some prose too (ordinary writing not organised with rhymes or fixed line lengths). The kind of verse form that Shakespeare uses is called ‘blank verse’. This kind of verse is the form of verse that is closest in rhythm to natural speech. This makes it the ideal form to use for dialogue. Blank verse is verse that does not rhyme and which is composed of lines called ‘iambic pentameters’. An iamb is an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable. Five iambs in a row make a line of iambic pentameter (‘pent’ means five in Greek, as in ‘pentagon’ or ‘pentathlon’). This means that each line has 10 syllables, five stressed and five unstressed, as in this line from Romeo and Juliet:“But soft, what light through yonder window breaks?” However, where necessary for his effects, Shakespeare may shorten lines or make them longer in order to express his meaning, or use enjambment (running on) where one line flows on into the next. - See more at: http://revisionworld.co.uk/gcse-revision/english/reading-shakespeare/poetry-and-prose#sthash.Ogj1lhSy.dpuf
Iago at times will descend into common prose, a signal from Shakespeare that he has more in common with the lower classes and may be less than honest!
Othello's language gets more and more ragged as the play goes on - out goes the flowery poetry of the early lines - see his powerful speech to the senate earlier on - and in the run up to Desdemona's death, lines are heavily punctuated to show the fragmentation of the character's mental order.
It starts to resemble more and more Iago's own language.
Wednesday, 20 November 2013
Further notes on My Last Duchess and Porphyria's Lover
http://www.sparknotes.com/poetry/browning/section3.rhtml
Click the link above for Sparknotes' guide to My Last Duchess
http://www.sparknotes.com/poetry/browning/section1.rhtml
Click the link above for Sparknotes' guide to Porphyria’s Lover
Shmoop My Last Duchess
Shmoop Porphyria's Lover
Sunday, 17 November 2013
Iago & Animal Imagery: Essay
"Explore Iago's use of animal imagery throughout the play"
- Focus on Iago talking to Roderigo and Brabantio in Act 1 Scene 1 and when he is talking Roderigo out of drowning at the end of Act 1 Scene 3
- You do not need to take your copy of Othello home if you have internet access: You can Google the play and you'll find a copy you can use online for reference
- OR you can download a copy of no fear Shakespeare's Othello that we were using last term from here
- Focus on the use of carefully selected quotes and detailed explanation of each quote you use - This is what will earn you marks!
Reference websites - not to copy from, but to help you if stuck: Also, I am showing you that I am aware of these sites so stray phrases from their work will be noticed!!
- Animal Imagery in Othello
- Iago's Beast Imagery
- Animal Imagery in Othello - sample from essay
- The use of animal imagery
- Schoolwork helper - Animal imagery
Othello help online:
Sunday, 3 November 2013
Thursday, 17 October 2013
Revision Guide - get the latest version
http://www.2shared.com/document/e1WfzUGL/Mr-Bruff-Revision-Guide3.html
For the latest version of the revision guide I gave out last lesson, go to the link above and click on the smaller "download" box. Any problems, reply back to this post and will sort something out for you.
Exam: November 5th
(Tuesday of the second week back after Half Term)
For the latest version of the revision guide I gave out last lesson, go to the link above and click on the smaller "download" box. Any problems, reply back to this post and will sort something out for you.
Exam: November 5th
(Tuesday of the second week back after Half Term)
Wednesday, 16 October 2013
Thursday, 12 September 2013
Wednesday, 11 September 2013
English Language resits
Tasks to complete between now and November - get thinking! See me if you have any questions.
Wednesday, 17 July 2013
Iago: Is he a Machiavellian villain?
4 character traits of the typical "Machiavellian villain"
1. Secretive
2. Manipulative and cunning
3. Lack of morals
4. Obsessed with goals, willing to do anything to achieve them.
Friday, 12 July 2013
Summer Homework - Iago essay
English: Summer homework Othello essay
TASK: Compare the language that Iago uses when a) with Roderigo and b) alone on stage.
You will need to show your knowledge of the play, its characters and the differences in the kind of things Iago says when alone in his soliloquies and when he speaks with his friend Roderigo. Aim to use PEE paragraphs.
• You must use quotes from the Shakespearean side of our Othello booklets
• This will be a minimum of 1 ½ sides typed, (Calibri or Times New Roman, Font size 12)
• Printed out for when we come back in September or posted on your blog.
• Tips for what you could include will be posted on the blog at http://dhsenglishmrhoward10.blogspot.co.uk/
Othello help online:
TASK: Compare the language that Iago uses when a) with Roderigo and b) alone on stage.
You will need to show your knowledge of the play, its characters and the differences in the kind of things Iago says when alone in his soliloquies and when he speaks with his friend Roderigo. Aim to use PEE paragraphs.
• You must use quotes from the Shakespearean side of our Othello booklets
• This will be a minimum of 1 ½ sides typed, (Calibri or Times New Roman, Font size 12)
• Printed out for when we come back in September or posted on your blog.
• Tips for what you could include will be posted on the blog at http://dhsenglishmrhoward10.blogspot.co.uk/
- Leave a comment if you have any questions and I will get back to you
- • http://www.shmoop.com/othello/iago.html
- • http://www.sparknotes.com/shakespeare/othello/
- • http://www.s-cool.co.uk/category/subjects/a-level/english-literature/othello
Tuesday, 9 July 2013
Lesson 10 - Act 4 Scene 1
New character alert! In Act 3 Scene 4, we meet Bianca - Cassio's lover but also a Cypriot prostitute who has been "keeping him company" while he has been on the island. In Act 4 Scene 1, in a classic misunderstanding ploy, Iago orchestrates it so that Cassio talks about Bianca in less than flattering terms but Othello, listening in secret, hears all the debauchery coming out of Cassio's mouth about "her" and he assumes it is Desdemona he is bragging about - this is just about all the proof Othello needs!
Friday, 5 July 2013
Lesson 9 - Act 3 Scene 3 continued
Carrying on from yesterday with some more notes on the start of A3 S3 (following fire alarm disruption) and we will be aiming to finish this pivotal scene.
Note the change that Iago has caused in Othello: He insists he is not jealous earlier in the scene and demands "ocular proof" (seeing physical evidence) before believeing Desdemona has been unfaithful - yet by the end he is ranting and already planning to murder the "fair devil"
Some 250 lines later...
Thursday, 4 July 2013
Wednesday, 3 July 2013
Lesson 7 - Act 2 Scene 3 (Part 2)
Here are some short notes from the second part of A2 S3 - Cassio admitting he is not a big drinker and gets drunk very easily so he tends to shy away ... This would be a problem for Iago's scheming plans so he starts drinking songs, encouraging Cassio to join in the revelling - before long Cassio is wasted, just as Iago wanted!
Friday, 28 June 2013
Tuesday, 11 June 2013
Friday, 7 June 2013
Shakespeare vs South Park
Can Shakespeare compete with South Park on the sick and twisted scale? Well, Season 5 Episode 1: Scott Tenorman Must Die is an excellent example of Shakespeare's work being adapted for today's audience - Cartman shows many Iago-esque traits during this episode: Carefully orchestrating the revenge plot to its horrific ending - with one of the most shocking and memorable TV moments in recent history! But is the ending original? Hardly - the "reveal" at the end bears more than a passing resemblance to Titus Andronicus. (Though substitute Cartman's chilli to pie...)
Link below to view the episode: Though it will not let you watch in school :-)
http://www.southparkstudios.com/full-episodes/s05e01-scott-tenorman-must-die
Thursday, 6 June 2013
Wednesday, 5 June 2013
Saturday, 1 June 2013
Wednesday, 17 April 2013
Links for revision guides
Here are the two revision guides I recommended in class. The first is £9.99 and the second is £6.99 both on Amazon. Click the pics to go to the Amazon pages.
If you are buying any of these textbooks from anywhere, make sure they are for the AQA HIGHER paper and not the Foundation paper.
If you are buying any of these textbooks from anywhere, make sure they are for the AQA HIGHER paper and not the Foundation paper.
Tuesday, 26 March 2013
Discussion task
PowerPoint for Discussion Task:
Your group will be marked out of 15 (same as presentation and drama task)
Your group will be marked out of 15 (same as presentation and drama task)
Thursday, 21 March 2013
Friday, 1 March 2013
Wednesday, 27 February 2013
Prank call goes horribly wrong - Text 2 for Assessment
Text 2 for Spoken Language Study assessment - March 2013
Tuesday, 19 February 2013
Tuesday, 8 January 2013
Your mindmaps on setting in OMAM
As promised...
What mark would you give the following practice essay on setting?
In the novel Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, setting plays a crucial role in the advancement of the plot. It helps the reader get a feel for the mood and tone. Steinbeck use of words describes setting in a way never before seen, it is complex and yet easy to understand. The novel Of Mice and Men shows Steinbeck's use of words brilliantly, the novel has four major settings the clearing by the pond, the bunkhouse, Crook's room, and the barn. Each setting has its own very important addition to the books vividness. Setting is one of the most significant and critical elements in the book.
The setting the reader first encounters in the novel is the clearing by the pond. This is one of the most important locations in the entire novel. "I want you to come right here and hide in the brush" (15). The quote shows how important the clearing it, it will be the place where they meet when one is in trouble. "The deep green pool of the Salinas River was still in the late afternoon. Already the sun had left the valley to go climbing up the slopes of the Gabilan mountains, and the hilltops were rosy in the sun." (99). This sets a somber mood to the last chapter, it gives us a feel of quietness, sadness. Setting plays the main mood setter, it gets us ready for the death of Lennie.
The bunkhouse is where all the men live, where they sleep, where they entertain themselves. "And these selves were loaded with talcum powder, razors and those Western magazines ranch men love to read and scoff at and secretly believe." (17). This quote shows the reader that the men who work at the ranch are all lonely they need magazines to get comfort in. "Inside, the walls were whitewashed and the floor unpainted." (17). This reveals the plainness of the lives of the workers at the ranch, they live in plain white walls and floors. Setting shows us the life of the characters it provides a view of what they have to live with.
Crook's room is the part where we learn the inner lives of Crooks, Lennie, Curley' Wife, Candy. "There were battered magazines and a few dirty books on the special self over his bunk. A pair of large gold-rimmed spectacles hung from a nail on the wall above his bed." (67). The setting in this part of the novel sheds light on the life of Crooks, it shows that he is a man of learning with the magazines and books in his room. "And scattered about the floor were a number of personal possessions; for, being alone, Crooks could leave his things about..." (66). This quote that describes his room is more then that, it tells us that Crooks is a lonely he has to live alone. This gives us more insight on the life of Crooks.
Setting plays the main role as the tone and mood setter all novels, but it can be felt strongly in the novel Of Mice and Men. The four major settings of the novel gets the reader into the novel, the reader can imagine how everything is how the characters must feel. Without the vivid descriptions Steinbeck provides the book wouldn't be as great as it is. Setting plays the main critical element in fussing the plot together.
What mark would you give the following practice essay on setting?
In the novel Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, setting plays a crucial role in the advancement of the plot. It helps the reader get a feel for the mood and tone. Steinbeck use of words describes setting in a way never before seen, it is complex and yet easy to understand. The novel Of Mice and Men shows Steinbeck's use of words brilliantly, the novel has four major settings the clearing by the pond, the bunkhouse, Crook's room, and the barn. Each setting has its own very important addition to the books vividness. Setting is one of the most significant and critical elements in the book.
The setting the reader first encounters in the novel is the clearing by the pond. This is one of the most important locations in the entire novel. "I want you to come right here and hide in the brush" (15). The quote shows how important the clearing it, it will be the place where they meet when one is in trouble. "The deep green pool of the Salinas River was still in the late afternoon. Already the sun had left the valley to go climbing up the slopes of the Gabilan mountains, and the hilltops were rosy in the sun." (99). This sets a somber mood to the last chapter, it gives us a feel of quietness, sadness. Setting plays the main mood setter, it gets us ready for the death of Lennie.
The bunkhouse is where all the men live, where they sleep, where they entertain themselves. "And these selves were loaded with talcum powder, razors and those Western magazines ranch men love to read and scoff at and secretly believe." (17). This quote shows the reader that the men who work at the ranch are all lonely they need magazines to get comfort in. "Inside, the walls were whitewashed and the floor unpainted." (17). This reveals the plainness of the lives of the workers at the ranch, they live in plain white walls and floors. Setting shows us the life of the characters it provides a view of what they have to live with.
Crook's room is the part where we learn the inner lives of Crooks, Lennie, Curley' Wife, Candy. "There were battered magazines and a few dirty books on the special self over his bunk. A pair of large gold-rimmed spectacles hung from a nail on the wall above his bed." (67). The setting in this part of the novel sheds light on the life of Crooks, it shows that he is a man of learning with the magazines and books in his room. "And scattered about the floor were a number of personal possessions; for, being alone, Crooks could leave his things about..." (66). This quote that describes his room is more then that, it tells us that Crooks is a lonely he has to live alone. This gives us more insight on the life of Crooks.
Setting plays the main role as the tone and mood setter all novels, but it can be felt strongly in the novel Of Mice and Men. The four major settings of the novel gets the reader into the novel, the reader can imagine how everything is how the characters must feel. Without the vivid descriptions Steinbeck provides the book wouldn't be as great as it is. Setting plays the main critical element in fussing the plot together.
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