Provincial Prep
1. Hand in late/missing work.
2. Synthesis Text Assignment 2:
- read both texts
- complete the multiple choice questions for both texts (ensure you write your reason for choosing each answer), hand in M/C answers & reasons with paragraph tomorrow.
3. Synthesis Paragraph (due at the end of tomorrow's class):
- theme statement (about the difficulty of communication) - thesis (identify both authors and both text titles in quotation marks).
- transitions and topic sentences for each paragraph
- 5-8 quotations (introduced, integrated, cited, explained)
- intro (3-4 sentences) - body paragraph(s) (10-15 sentences) - concluding paragraph (3-4 sentences).
English 11(2)
Macbeth
1. Hand in late/missing work, finish film adaptation.
2. Review Acts III to IV. (plot, characterization, lit devices)
3. Tomorrow: Quiz - lit devices in Macbeth (Acts III to V).
- “Tonight we hold a solemn supper, sir/And I’ll request your presence” (III, i, 15-16).
- “We have scorched the snake, not killed it” (III, ii, 15). *What part of the witches' prophecy does this allude to?*
- What literary device is represented in Banquo’s
ghost’s attendance of Macbeth’s banquet? Recall Macbeth’s earlier admonition to
Banquo (“fail not our feast”).
- - What literary device is used in Lennox's conversation with the lord in scene six of Act III? Why does Lennox speak this way?
- - Translate into Modern English Macbeth's aside at the end of Act IV, sc i.
- - What motif is highlighted in Act V, sc i? Which theme(s) does it illuminate?
- - What literary device is utilized in the line "Why should I play the Roman fool and die/On mine own sword" (V, viii, 1-2)? What does it mean?
*****This quiz will be closed book (no play, no notes), ensure you study!****
4. Tomorrow - outline WAQ prompt:
*WAQ Prompt: Who is responsible for the evil that takes place in Macbeth? (Possibilities: Only Macbeth, Fate, Lady Macbeth, the witches, or a combination of these).*12-15 sentences *Theme, thesis* *4-6 quotations* *Due Wednesday, January 21st.*
English 11(4)
The Crucible
1. Hand in late/missing work.
2. Review and analysis of the play.
3. Tomorrow: Quiz, outlines for WAQ.
3B. Quiz questions:
1. Why does Judge Danforth say that he will not accept Mary’s deposition?
Judge Danforth does not want to be proven wrong at this late stage. He has already condemned a
great many people, and he fears the wrath of the town if he were to acknowledge that he had been
wrong. Ultimately, he is most concerned about his own reputation, as he knows he will be discredited
if the girls are shown to be frauds who deceived him.
2. What does Danforth mean when he says, “We burn a hot fire here”? Is that the case?
The fire is a metaphor for burning away the lies to reach the truth: “It melts all concealment.” To
speak of a hot fire is to say that the naked and pure truth will be all that is left after the accused
appears in court. However, it is not the case at all. The court is corrupt, poisoned by fear, desperation,and a desire for vengeance, as well as the leaders’ unwillingness to rely on reason and facts, rather than their own preconceived ideas.
3. How has Hale changed since Act One?
Having played a large part in instigating this crisis and fanning its flames, in Act Three Hale seems
to be trying to defend John Proctor and to reason with the judge. He goes so far as to state that there
is now “a prodigious fear of this court in the country.” His opinions fall on deaf ears, but he has nevertheless begun to see the error of his ways and to recognize that the situation has gotten out of control.There is no safe way to suggest that the justice system has been corrupted without implicating oneself.
4. “A person is either with this court or he must be counted against it, there be no road in between.”
Why might the court feel so threatened? What is the danger of this line of thinking?
This is a position taken by leaders who do not feel secure that their government can withstand any
dissent at all. The judges seem to lack faith in their own court’s ability to enact justice and must
therefore eliminate all opposition to it. Also, if opposition is not eliminated, their authority is challenged and their actions are subject to review; if they have made mistakes, their errors will be known, and they will have to take responsibility for them. The problem is that this thinking leaves no room for individual thought or personal freedom. A society that condemns anyone who does not conform strictly to a single way of thinking encourages repression, which eventually turns to rebellion.
5. Why can’t Mary faint when she is asked to? What does this suggest about the group’s dynamics?
Although Mary Warren is perfectly capable of pretending to faint in the heat of the moment with the
other girls, following their lead, it is different when she is alone and there is no emotional frenzy. In the courtroom, there is the expectation that they will react to witchcraft, and she is simply following the leader. The group gives her strength, making it easy for a shy and insecure girl to do whatever is asked of her. Alone, she does not have the courage. The group dynamic has immense and dangerous power.It diffuses responsibility among many people, so no one girl feels the full weight of her actions.
6. How and why does John withhold his confession?
He refuses to sign it. He has confessed to God, and he feels that should be sufficient: “God knows how black my sins are! It is enough!” He does not want to be used as an example by the court. His signed confession would serve to justify what the court has done. It is a dishonor to his friends who are to hang if he confesses publicly. “I have given you my soul; leave me my name!”
7. What does John Proctor mean when he says to Hale, “You have made your magic now, for now I
do think I see some shred of goodness in John Proctor”?
Hale has been trying to find magic (evidence of witchcraft) from the outset. Indeed, he contributed
to setting much of this madness in motion. John alludes to that when he says that Hale has actually
managed to perform real magic by restoring John Proctor’s sense of honor, which he had not felt since his affair. By hanging, Proctor will help to discredit the witch hunt and discredit the court—thereby regaining his honor as a man.
*WAQ Prompt: What aspects of Puritan society in 1692 enabled the witch trials to take place? What elements transcend time and place and make witch hunts (or the equivalents) a danger in any era?
*12-15 sentences *Theme, thesis* *4-6 quotations* *Due Thursday, January 22nd.*
