Hamlet Act 1 Paper Assignment & Requirements

Your final draft of the following four paper options (see four posts below) will be due in class on December 1st. If you do not turn your paper in on time and complete, you will be forced to stay after school to finish until complete. Please plan accordingly--you have more than a week to complete this paper & it is a major grade for 2nd quarter.

In order to facilitate your ability to turn your paper in on time, I will have writing workshops scheduled for class time on Tuesday November 24th & Monday November 30th. It is your responsibility to make sure you can make use of this time.

Also, as you all know, I get to school early and leave late. You are also free to use the computers in my room any period except for period 3 (as long as you schedule with me ahead of time.)

Format Requirements:

Type the following in the upper left (not in the header) of the first page:
Your Name
My Name (Please spell it correctly.)
English 12 CP, Period _
Due Date

Page Setup:

• 1 inch margins
• Insert page numbers, top right. Click box to not show number on first page. Add your last name to header with page number and align right.
• Center title on first page.

Format:

• Times New Roman, 12 pt. font, align left, double-spaced.
• Staple rough drafts to back.
• Staple Scoring Guide to front. No scoring guide = no comments. Click here to find Scoring guide.
  

I will not accept papers until / unless all the above requirements are met.

Option 1: Hamlet's view of women

You have until Monday 12.2.09 to complete this assignment. It is to be typed in 12pt font, Times New Roman, and 2bl spaced.

It is worth 100 points and will be graded with the APE Rubric.

Objective: Develop your own thesis based on the following prompt:

• How would you characterize Hamlet's view of women in Act 1? Explain why. Then explain how this characterization illuminates theme.

Hint: In order to develop characterization thoroughly, make sure you include specific textual evidence and explain how this textual evidence influences your perception of his character. Then explain how this could relate to theme. If you do this well, every paragraph should address these concerns.

You should make sure to develop a sophisticated thesis. It should be about 1,000 words (use your best judgment in either direction--this is a recommendation, not a requirement. It should be as long as it takes to develop your thesis.)

Option 2: Ophelia's characterization

You have until Monday 12.2.09 to complete this assignment. It is to be typed in 12pt font, Times New Roman, and 2bl spaced.

It is worth 100 points and will be graded with the APE Rubric.

Objective: Develop your own thesis based on the following prompt:

• How would you characterize Ophelia in Act 1? Explain why. Then explain how this characterization illuminates theme.

Hint: In order to develop characterization thoroughly, make sure you include specific textual evidence and explain how this textual evidence influences your perception of her character. Then explain how this could relate to theme. If you do this well, every paragraph should address these concerns.

You should make sure to develop a sophisticated thesis. It should be about 1,000 words (use your best judgment in either direction--this is a recommendation, not a requirement. It should be as long as it takes to develop your thesis.)

Option 3: video critique of Act 1 Scene 3

Michael Almereyda's Hamlet (2000) with Julia Stiles, Liev Schreiber & Bill Murray.

You have until Monday 12.2.09 to complete this assignment. It is to be typed in 12pt font, Times New Roman, and 2bl spaced.

It is worth 100 points and will be graded with the APE Rubric.

Objective: Watch the performance above of a potion of Act 1 Scene 3 and critique the director's interpretation of the scene.

Your critique of the video must be based on your knowledge and understanding of the passage, so you must provide textual evidence from Hamlet as well as provide descriptions of the video. I can't watch the video and read your post at the same time, so you need to make me see what you see with your words. It will also help you to take notes on the video while you watch it. Pay attention to what you captures your attention. Notice what you notice! (Hint: Watch the video more than once.)

Pay attention to:

• delivery of the lines
• imagery the setting / scenery
• the portrayal of the actor (characterization)
• lighting & camera effects
• sound effects or music
• etc--the list could keep going

You should make sure to develop a sophisticated thesis. It should be about 1,000 words (use your best judgment in either direction--this is a recommendation, not a requirement. It should be as long as it takes to develop your thesis.)

Option 4: Video critique of Hamlet's Act 1 Scene 2 soliloquy

Laurence Olivier as Hamlet


Kenneth Branagh as Hamlet

You have until Monday 12.2.09 to complete this assignment. It is to be typed in 12pt font, Times New Roman, and 2bl spaced.

It is worth 100 points and will be graded with the APE Rubric.

Objective: Watch the two performances above of Hamlet's first soliloquy from Act 1 Scene 2 and choose which version is the best interpretation of the lines.

Your critique of the video must be based on your knowledge and understanding of the passage, so you must provide textual evidence from Hamlet as well as provide descriptions of the video. I can't watch the video and read your post at the same time, so you need to make me see what you see with your words. It will also help you to take notes on the video while you watch it. Pay attention to what you captures your attention. Notice what you notice! (Hint: Watch the video more than once.)

Pay attention to:

• delivery of the lines
• imagery the setting / scenery
• the portrayal of the actor (characterization)
• lighting & camera effects
• sound effects or music
• etc--the list could keep going

You should make sure to develop a sophisticated thesis. It should be about 1,000 words (use your best judgment in either direction--this is a recommendation, not a requirement. It should be as long as it takes to develop your thesis.)

Independent Reading Project: 1st person narratives

My biggest goal this year (since it is your senior year) is to transition you to life beyond high school--in other words, to make myself unnecessary in your life (in less than ten months.) So, I must hand over much of the responsibility of the class to you. In addition to what we study as "whole class texts," you will also be reading books in literature circles as well as independently this year. Our first "unit" (obviously with the college essay in mind) will cover 1st person narratives (fiction or non-fiction). As you choose a book, you may also want to start to consider what "topic" you are interested in, because we will develop reading plans for ourselves after this first memoir.Here's a short list of suggestions, but it is up to you to do the research on the books and make sure they fit your criteria. My criteria is that they should be at least 150 pages long (we can fill in the gaps with supplements if need be.)

Memoirs:
Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi
Chasing Ghosts by Paul Rieckhoff
Chronicles by Bob Dylan
Lipstick Jihad by Azadeh Moaveni
Kafir Boy by Mark Mathabane
Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson
Dead Man Walking by Sister Helen Prejean
Gray's Anatomy by Spalding Gray (or anything by Spalding Gray)
Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim by David Sedaris (or anything by David Sedaris)
When I Was Cool by Sam Kashner
The Autobiography of Malcolm X (as told to Alex Haley)

And some other first person narratives (fiction):
Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest Gaines
On the Road by Jack Kerouac (or any number of his novels)
Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden
Snow Country by Yasunari Kawabata
The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan
Nadja by Andre Breton
Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut
Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison
Native Son by Richard Wright
A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess

You will need a copy of the book you choose on Friday, November 20th in class. Please plan accordingly.

Passage Expolication assignment on Pico Iyer's "In Praise of the Humble Comma"

Here's the assignment.

Here's the Rubric.