Literary Terms Package - Review

This package is a review of the literary terms that you learned in grade 9.  This semester, we will look at how they work and add some new ideas.

Figurative Language

Some of these terms you may have seen when thinking about literary terms, poetry, drama, or fiction, and some might be new to you.  We will explore them throughout the semester as we analyse the mentor texts.  Compare these to the terms in the Literary Terms Review Package.  Which ones are new to you?

Synecdoche

a figure of speech in which a part is made to represent the whole or vice versa.  For example, "Cleveland won by six runs (meaning “Cleveland's baseball team”)."

Personification

The attribution of a personal nature or human characteristics to something nonhuman, or the representation of an abstract quality in human form.  For example, "The pen lay lonely across the journal."

Paradox

A seemingly absurd or self-contradictory statement or proposition that when investigated or explained may prove to be well founded or true. For example, "it was the beginning of the end."

Oxymoron

A figure of speech in which apparently contradictory terms appear in conjunction. "that fashionable rhetorical novelty, the humblebrag, is itself an oxymoron." "the oxymoron forces together two terms which are seemingly incompatible."

Onomatopoeia

The formation of a word from a sound associated with what is named.  For example, cuckoo, buzz, or sizzle.

Metaphor

A figure of speech in which a word or phrase is applied to an object or action to which it is not literally applicable.  A thing regarded as representative or symbolic of something else, especially something abstract.  Substituting what you understand with what you cannot.

Irony

The expression of one's meaning by using language that normally signifies the opposite, typically for humorous or emphatic effect. The opposite of the intended outcome.  

Verbal irony is when a person says one thing but means the opposite.

Situational irony is when the opposite of what is expected happens.

Dramatic irony is when the audience knows something that characters do not.

Idiom

A group of words established by usage as having a meaning not deducible from those of the individual words.  For example, "Raining cats and dogs", or "see the light".

Hyperbole

Exaggerated statements or claims not meant to be taken literally.  For example, "I'm so hungry, I could eat a horse."

Euphemism

A mild or indirect word or expression substituted for one considered to be too harsh or blunt when referring to something unpleasant or embarrassing.  For example, "downsizing" as a euphemism for "cuts".

Assonance

In poetry, the repetition of the sound of a vowel or diphthong in nonrhyming stressed syllables near enough to each other for the echo to be discernible (e.g., penitence, reticence ). For example, "crying time; hop-scotch; great flakes; between trees; and, the kind knight rides by" and "Too cool for school."

Alliteration

The occurrence of the same letter or sound at the beginning of adjacent or closely connected words.  For example, "Busy as a bee, Clary closed her cluttered clothes closet, Polly's prancing pony performed perfectly, Dead as a doornail, Home Sweet Home, Living Life, Out of order, Right as rain, Peter Piper"

Simile

A figure of speech involving the comparison of one thing with another thing of a different kind, used to make a description more emphatic or vivid (e.g., as brave as a lion, crazy like a fox ).  Similes use "like", "as", or "as if".

Allusion

An expression designed to call something to mind without mentioning it explicitly; an indirect or passing reference.  A work of art (literature, myth, art) or history that references another work of art (literature, myth, art) or history.  For example, the Disney film The Lion King and Shakespeare's Hamlet.

Analogy

A comparison between two things, typically for the purpose of explanation or clarification.  For example, ""She's as blind as a bat.", "You have to be as busy as a bee to get good grades in high school.", "Finding that lost dog will be like finding a needle in a haystack.""

Pun

A play on words.  A joke exploiting the different possible meanings of a word or the fact that there are words which sound alike but have different meanings.  For example, "Never trust an atom—they make up everything. I told a chemistry joke—there was no reaction."

Anaphora

The use of a word referring to or replacing a word used earlier in a sentence, to avoid repetition, such as "do" in, "I like it and so do they."  The repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses.  "You're damned if you do and you're damned if you don't."  "So many places, so little time.", "I wish I may; I wish I might."

Tone Words

Identifying tone isn't any more complicated than understanding and knowing what the tone words mean.  Use the following handout to help you to identify the tone of the text you are reading.  Go past page 1.  The subsiquent pages are grouped by tone!  Print out the package and annotate it so that you have the definitions for words that you do not know with you.

Literary Analysis Questions

Use these questions to help you understand how the literary device or literary element is functioning in the text you are reading.

Folk-Fairy Tales Reading Activity

In our Google Classroom, you will find a package of folk-fairy tales.  

The class will be split up into 5 groups.  

Each group is responsible for reading the folk-fairy tale assigned.  

Use the Literary Analysis Questions to help your group give an informal presentation about your tale.

1. Read the story you were assigned.

2. Have a group conversation about what you thought about the story.

3. Split up the questions among the members of your group using the categories.

4. Answer the questions in your notebook.

If you were not put in a group:  

1. Choose a story from the package and read it.

2. Answer 2 questions, from each section, of your choice from the analysis questions package.

3. Answer the questions in your notebook.

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings - Chapter 22

Who was Maya Angelou?

Maya Angelou (1928-2014) published her memoir I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings in 1969.  According to The Poetry Foundation, Ms. Angelou was, "An acclaimed American poet, storyteller, activist, and autobiographer, Maya Angelou was born Marguerite Johnson in St. Louis, Missouri. Angelou had a broad career as a singer, dancer, actress, composer, and Hollywood’s first female black director, but became most famous as a writer, editor, essayist, playwright, and poet. As a civil rights activist, Angelou worked for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X. She was also an educator and served as the Reynolds professor of American Studies at Wake Forest University. By 1975, wrote Carol E. Neubauer in Southern Women Writers: The New Generation, Angelou was recognized “as a spokesperson for… all people who are committed to raising the moral standards of living in the United States.” She served on two presidential committees, for Gerald Ford in 1975 and for Jimmy Carter in 1977. In 2000, Angelou was awarded the National Medal of Arts by President Bill Clinton. In 2010, she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor in the U.S., by President Barack Obama. Angelou was awarded over 50 honorary degrees before her death."  

Genre

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings is considered a memoir or autobiography, but chapter 22 borrows from other genres such as Gothic fiction, Gothic horror, and the ghost story.  The chapter deals with 11-year-old Maya, her older brother Bailey, their grandmother Momma, their Uncle Willie, and Mr. Taylor.  Set in 1939, Maya and her family live as segregated, racialized people in the southern United States of America.

"The term Gothic fiction refers to a style of writing that is characterized by elements of fear, horror, death, and gloom, as well as romantic elements, such as nature, individuality, and very high emotion. These emotions can include fear and suspense."

Gothic fiction "is characterized by an environment of fear, the threat of supernatural events, and the intrusion of the past upon the present".  

Gothic novels have, "supernatural encounters, remote locations, complicated family histories, ancient manor houses, dark secrets, and mysteries to create an atmosphere of suspense and terror".  

Gothic elements, "include a dark setting, romance. supernatural forces, emotional extremes, anti-hero, female victims, visions and nightmares, madness, gloomy weather, and prophecies and curses."

Literary Terms / Elements / Figurative Language Techniques

For this week's reading, I would like you to focus on Genre, Characterization, Allusion, Personification, Diction, Metaphor, Suspense, Conflict, Simile, Flashback, Hyperbole, Mood, Tone, Atmosphere, Idiom, and Irony.  How do these terms/elements/techniques help support your literary analysis questions?

Assessment

Your in-class assessment will be a formal paragraph.  We will learn about formal paragraphs later this unit.

I will provide quotes, and a question.  You will write a formal paragraph response that is supported by the quotes you choose, and the explanation you give based on the terms / elements / techniques that were covered this week. 1 hour.

Night - Chapters 2-3

Who was Elie Wiesel?

Elie Wiesel (1928-2016) published his memoir Night in 1956.  According to The Nobel Prize Organisation, "Elie Wiesel was born in 1928 in the town of Sighet, now part of Romania. During World War II, he, with his family and other Jews from the area, were deported to the German concentration and extermination camps, where his parents and little sister perished. Wiesel and his two older sisters survived. Liberated from Buchenwald in 1945 by advancing Allied troops, he was taken to Paris where he studied at the Sorbonne and worked as a journalist.

In 1958, he published his first book, La Nuit, a memoir of his experiences in the concentration camps. He has since authored nearly thirty books some of which use these events as their basic material. In his many lectures, Wiesel has concerned himself with the situation of the Jews and other groups who have suffered persecution and death because of their religion, race or national origin. He has been outspoken on the plight of Soviet Jewry, on Ethiopian Jewry and on behalf of the State of Israel today.

Wiesel has made his home in New York City, and is now a United States citizen. He has been a visiting scholar at Yale University, a Distinguished Professor of Judaic Studies at the City College of New York, and since 1976 has been Andrew W. Mellon Professor in the Humanities at Boston University where he teaches “Literature of Memory.” Chairman of the United States Holocaust Memorial Council from 1980 – 1986, Wiesel serves on numerous boards of trustees and advisors."

Genre

Night is considered a memoir, and chapters 2 and 3 give an account of Wiesel's deportation to the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp.  Over 1.1 million men, women and children lost their lives there. Set in 1944, 15-year-old Elie, his father Shlomo, and his mother and sisters were deported to the concentration camps because they were Jewish.

Memoir is defined as, "a historical account or biography written from personal knowledge or special sources."

Literary Terms / Elements / Figurative Language Techniques

For this week's reading, I would like you to focus on Genre, Setting, Atmosphere, Style (sentence length), Metaphor, Diction, Characterization, Motif, Simile, Foreshadow, Conflict, Irony, Allusion, Euphemism, Mood, Anaphora, Analogy, and Oxymoron.  How do these terms/elements/techniques help support your literary analysis questions?

Assessment

Your in-class assessment will be a formal paragraph.  We will focus on transition words and common signal phrases.

I will provide quotes, and a question.  You will write a formal paragraph response that is supported by the quotes you choose, and the explanation you give based on the terms / elements / techniques that were covered this week.  45 minutes.

Indian Horse - Chapters 1-15

Who was Richard Wagamese?

Richard Wagamese (1955 - 2017) published his novel Indian Horse in 2012.  According to The Canadian Encyclopedia, "Richard Wagamese, Anishinaabe (Ojibwe) novelist, journalist, mentor (born 14 October 1955 in northwestern ON; died 10 March 2017 in Kamloops, BC). A well-known Indigenous writer in Canada, Wagamese won several awards including the Canada Council for the Arts Molson Prize (2013) and the Writers’ Trust of Canada’s Matt Cohen Award (2015). His works speak about the historical and contemporary socio-economic issues affecting Indigenous communities in Canada. They also bring attention to issues regarding Indigenous identity, culture and truth and reconciliation. A beloved writer, Wagamese’s works have inspired many Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples and writers alike. . . . His family followed the traditional lifestyle of the Ojibwe people, fishing, hunting and trapping. His first home, as he recalls in his essay “The Path to Healing,” in One Story, One Song (2011), “was a canvas army tent hung from a spruce bough frame.” As a toddler, he lived communally with his parents, siblings, his maternal grandmother, uncles, aunts and cousins.

When he was almost three years old, his parents left him and his three siblings alone in a bush camp for days while they were drinking in a town about 96 km away. Cold and hungry, the children managed to cross a frozen bay to seek shelter in the small railroad town of Minaki, where a provincial policeman spotted them and dropped them off at the Children’s Aid Society. From there, the siblings were taken away in what is known as the Sixties Scoop, a government program in Canada that aggressively “scooped” Indigenous children from their homes and placed them into foster care.

Both of Wagamese’s parents had also been removed from their families at a young age; they were survivors of Canada’s residential school system, which uprooted over 150,000 Indigenous children from their communities and forced them into church-run educational institutions. Wagamese would later write with forgiveness and understanding about the neglect he experienced from his parents as a result of the abuse and trauma they had suffered in the residential school system. This painful legacy would become a reoccurring theme throughout his body of work. 

It was not until some 25 years after he was placed in foster care that Wagamese reunited with members of his birth family. His story closely resembles that of Garnet Raven, one of the narrators of his first novel, Keeper’n Me (1994), which tells the story of Raven’s reintroduction into Ojibwe culture in his 20s: “When I was three I disappeared,” Raven says. “Disappeared into foster homes and never made it back until I was twenty-five.”"

Genre

Indian Horse is a novel with both postmodern and postcolonial elements, and chapters 1-15 outline the early life of Saul Indian Horse.  Elements of Saul's story are borrowed from Wagamese's life, the lives of his parents, and historical events that the First Nations people of Canada face, and continue too.

Postmodern elements in Indian Horse include: Irony, Intertextuality, Fragmentation and Non-Linear Storytelling, Rejection of Grand Narratives, Subjectivity and Truth, Metafiction, and Blurring of Boundaries.  We will look at these ideas after we have read the chapters.

Postcolonial elements Indian Horse include: Colonial Impact, Cultural Erasure, Resistance and Resilience, Critique of Colonial Institutions, and Healing and Reclaiming Identity.  We will look at these ideas after we have read the chapters.

Literary Terms / Elements / Figurative Language Techniques

For this week's reading, I would like you to focus on how Literary Terms and Figurative Language are used to understand theme. 

Assessment

Your in-class assessment will be an opinion paragraph.  We will learn about opinion paragraphs later this unit.

I will provide a prompt (opinion question) and the jot notes you will need.  You will write an opinion paragraph response that supports the side you choose using arguments and ideas/facts which support your opinion. 1 hour.

Indian Horse Additional Resources

The Hate U Give - Chapters 1-2

Who is Angie Thomas?

Angie Thomas (1988 - ) published her novel The Hate U Give in 2017.  According to her website, "Angie Thomas was born and raised in Mississippi, but now calls Atlanta her home. Her award-winning, acclaimed debut novel, The Hate U Give, is a #1 New York Times bestseller and major motion picture. Her second novel, On the Come Up, is a film on Paramount Plus. In 2021, Angie returned to the world of Garden Heights with Concrete Rose, a prequel to The Hate U Give. Her latest work, Nic Blake and the Remarkables: The Manifestor Prophecy, is Angie’s first foray into the fantasy genre."

Genre

The Hate U Give is a postmodern novel set in the present, and chapters 1 and 2 introduce the reader to Starr Carter.  Starr is a 16-year-old "African-American girl from a poor neighbourhood who attends an elite private school in a predominantly white, affluent part of the city".  One night after a house party, Starr and her friend Khalil stopped by the police.  Thomas' novel deals with racism, violence, and was inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement.

Literary Terms / Elements / Figurative Language Techniques

For this week's reading, I would like you to focus on how Literary Terms and Figurative Language are used to understand theme. 

Assessment

Your in-class assessment will be an opinion paragraph.

I will provide a prompt (opinion question).  You will write an opinion paragraph response that supports the side you choose using arguments and ideas/facts which support your opinion. 45 minutes.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower - Selected Letters

Who is Stephen Chbosky?

Stephen Chbosky (1970 - ) published his novel The Perks of Being a Wallflower in 1999.  According to his publisher's website, "Stephen Chbosky wrote and directed the feature film adaptation of his award-winning novel, The Perks of Being a Wallflower. He has worked in film and television, on projects including the film version of the smash-hit musical Rent; the TV show Jericho; and others. He also edited Pieces, a collection of short stories for Pocket Books. A native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Chbosky graduated from the University of Southern California’s Filmic Writing Program. His first film, The Four Corners of Nowhere, premiered at Sundance Film Festival."

Genre

The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a postmodern, epistolary novel set in 1991.  Charlie is a 15-year-old "introverted and observant teenager, through his freshman year of high school in a Pittsburgh suburb. The novel details Charlie's unconventional style of thinking as he navigates between the worlds of adolescence and adulthood, and attempts to deal with poignant questions spurred by his interactions with both his friends and family".  The selected letters introduce the reader to Charlie at the beginning of grade 9.  Subsequent letters are written during the winter and end of his first year of high school.  All of the letters are addressed to "Dear friend".  Chbosky's novel deals with growing up, adolescence, and PTSD.

Literary Terms / Elements / Figurative Language Techniques

For this week's reading, I would like you to focus on how Literary Terms and Figurative Language are used to understand theme and symbol. 

Assessment

Your in-class assessment will be a descriptive paragraph.

On one side of a page: I would like you to compose a playlist of 6 songs that are based on your grade 9 year.  On that same side, brainstorm why those 6 songs were important to you.  Do not brainstorm in completed sentences or use both sides of the page—pages like that will not be allowed into the demand write.  Do this at home.  

You will bring that page into that demand write period.  You will write a descriptive paragraph that answers the prompt provided. 1 hour.

This demand write gives you a chance to creatively explain your own beliefs, values and experiences.  Respect yourself, the class, the other students in the class, and the freedom of expression you've been given.  

Hatred, bullying, fear mongering, racism, xenophobia, misogyny, or any contravention of the DPCDSB Catholic Code of Conduct (respect and treat others fairly, regardless of citizenship, race, place of origin, ethnic origin, colour, ancestry, disability, age, creed, sex/pregnancy, family status, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression) will not be tolerated.  

A Wizard of Earthsea - Chapter 5

Who was Ursula K. Le Guin?

Ursula K. Le Guin (1929-2018) published her novel A Wizard of Earthsea in 1968.  According to her website, Le Guin "was a celebrated author whose body of work includes 23 novels, 12 volumes of short stories, 11 volumes of poetry, 13 children’s books, five essay collections, and four works of translation. The breadth and imagination of her work earned her six Nebula Awards, seven Hugo Awards, and SFWA’s Grand Master, along with the PEN/Malamud and many other awards. In 2014 she was awarded the National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters, and in 2016 joined the short list of authors to be published in their lifetimes by the Library of America."

Genre

A Wizard of Earthsea is a fantasy novel. It is regarded as one of the fundamental fantasy novels alongside J.R.R. Tolkien's works (The Hobbit and The Lord of The Rings) that have gone on to inspire countless novels, games, comics, films, television series and video games.  

The novel is the first in the Earthsea cycle—6 novels and several stories that all take place in the archipelago, Earthsea.  Duny (nicknamed "Sparrowhawk" by the children) is a young, weak, motherless boy, living in a tiny village on the edge of the archipelago.  Because he unleashed great magic at a young age, Duny is noticed by a wizard, becoming his apprentice (renamed "Ged").  Ged's journey to become a wizard becomes further complicated when his pride causes him to unleash a shadow that hunts him for the power he possesses.  In the world of Earthsea, to know a "true name" is to be able to control it. 

The novel is often, "described as a bildungsroman, or coming-of-age story, as it explores Ged's process of learning to cope with power and come to terms with death. The novel also carries Taoist themes about a fundamental balance in the universe of Earthsea, which wizards are supposed to maintain, closely tied to the idea that language and names have power to affect the material world and alter this balance. The structure of the story is similar to that of a traditional epic, although critics have also described it as subverting this genre in many ways, such as by making the protagonist dark-skinned in contrast to more typical white-skinned heroes."

Literary Terms / Elements / Figurative Language Techniques

For this week's reading, I would like you to focus on using Cornell notes to annotate both Literary Terms and Figurative Language examples from A Wizard of Earthsea—Chapter 5 in your notebook as you read independently. 

Assessment

Your in-class assessment will be a test.  The K, T, and A sections will have questions about your reading.  The C section will allow you to demonstrate your thesis statement writing.

Different Seasons "The Body" - Chapters 1-4 & 16-17

Who is Stephen King?

Stephen King (1947 - ) is considered the master of the horror novel, novella, and short story.  Many of his works have been turned into films and television series.  According to his website, "Stephen King was born in Portland, Maine in 1947 [. . .] began teaching high school English classes [. . . ] [w]riting in the evenings and on the weekends, he continued to produce short stories and to work on novels. In the spring of 1973, [the publication of his first novel] provid[ed] him the means to leave teaching and write full-time. He has since published over 50 books and has become one of the world's most successful writers. King is the recipient of the 2003 National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished Contribution to the American Letters and the 2014 National Medal of Arts.  King, "has also explored other genres, among them suspense, crime, science-fiction, fantasy and mystery.  Though known primarily for his novels, he has written approximately 200 short stories, most of which have been published in collections."

Genre

"The Body" is a novella that makes up one of the four parts of the collection Different Seasons.  It was later adapted into one of the timeless films of the 1980s, Stand By Me.  The novella is a coming-of-age story where Gordie, Chris, Teddy, and Vern, go on an adventure seeking fame—through the hunt of a body. Set in rural Maine in the 1960, the boys deal with their home lives, nature, transitioning into adulthood, and a gang of older teens.

Literary Terms / Elements / Figurative Language Techniques

For this week's reading, I would like you to focus on how tone is created using sensory imagery. 

Assessment

Your in-class assessment will be an opinion essay.

Lord of the Flies - Chapters 1-2

Who is William Golding?

William Golding (1911-1993) is one of the most influential English authors of the last century.  His first novel, Lord of the Flies became an instant classic.  According to his website, Golding was, "awarded the prestigious Nobel Prize in Literature in 1983, the coveted Booker Prize in 1980, and the James Tait Black Memorial Prize in 1979 [his] . . .  writing[s] continue to touch every country in the world and is today read in more than 35 languages. He was knighted by the Queen in 1988, and his ‘you-must-have-read-this’ classic novel Lord of the Flies is a global phenomenon."  In "2008, The Times ranked Golding third on its list of "The 50 greatest British writers since 1945."

Genre

Lord of the Flies is a modern dystopian novel published in 1954. According to Nicola Presley, "Golding got the idea for the plot from The Coral Island, a children's adventure novel with a focus on Christianity and the supposed civilising influence of British colonialism. Golding thought that the book was unrealistic, and asked his wife if it would be a good idea if he "wrote a book about children on an island, children who behave in the way children really would behave?"  In a typical Robinsonade  (desert island or castaway) novel, "the protagonist is suddenly separated from civilization, usually by being shipwrecked or marooned on a secluded and uninhabited island, and must improvise the means of their survival from the limited resources at hand."  But, unlike Coral Island, the boys in Lord of the Flies encounter not an external evil, but an internal one.

Literary Terms / Elements / Figurative Language Techniques

For this week's reading, I would like you to focus on using Cornell notes to annotate both Literary Terms and Figurative Language examples from Lord of the Flies—Chapters 1 and 2 in your notebook as you read independently. 

Assessments

This unit has two assessments.

Your in-class assessment will be a test.  The K, T, and A sections will have questions about your reading.  The C section will allow you to demonstrate your thesis statement writing.

Your second in-class assessment will be a small group presentation.

The Old Man and the Sea - Pages 2-23

Who was Ernest Hemingway?

Ernest Hemingway (1899-1961) was an American novelist, short-story writer and journalist.  Acording to Wikipedia, Hemingway is, "known for an economical, understated style that influenced later 20th-century writers, he has been romanticized for his adventurous lifestyle and outspoken, blunt public image. Some of his seven novels, six short-story collections and two non-fiction works have become classics of American literature, and he was awarded the 1954 Nobel Prize in Literature."

Genre

The Old Man and the Sea is a modern 1952 novella by the American author Ernest Hemingway. "It is the last major fictional work Hemingway published during his lifetime. It tells the story of Santiago, an ageing Cuban fisherman, and his long struggle to catch a giant marlin.  In 1953, it received the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, and it was the only work explicitly mentioned when Hemingway was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1954."  The novel is celebrated as a modern classic because of its themes, imagery, style and symbolism.

Literary Terms / Elements / Figurative Language Techniques

For this week's reading, I would like you to focus on using Cornell notes to annotate both Literary Terms and Figurative Language examples from The Old Man and the Sea—Pages 2-23 in your notebook as you read independently. 

Assessment

Your in-class assessment will be a test.  The K, and T sections will have questions about your readings.  The C and A sections will be about the grammar points we cover.

Drama - The Taming of The Shrew

The Taming of the Shrew is an early comedic play written by William Shakespeare between 1590-1592.  

Enjoying the Play

Try having the play next to you while you listen or watch the play. 

On the left you can see that I'm using the Folger edition of the play, so that I can copy and paste the lines I might want to remember.  If you hover over the line, you will get the act, scene and line number.  I usually will open the ENTIRE PLAY from Folger.

On the right hand side of my screen you'll see the Digital Theatre+ version of the play.  I can jump to any act, key scene or speech that I want to.

Reading / Viewing Schedule

We are going to read the play together.  I will go over the passages I find interesting, regardless if they were brought up in class by students.  We will begin by watching it as a class.  You can watch and rewatch the play on your own.  The URL, user name and password for Digital Theatre+ are all in our Google Classroom.

There are 2 ways for you to prepare for class:

1. Preread the Reading Questions and as the play unfolds, stop and jot down your answer.

2. Don't preread the Reading Questions, watch the play while skimming the lines (see picture below). When 30 minutes are up, answer the questions in sequential order.

If you cannot answer the Reading Questions, then it might be a good idea to:

1. Stop.

2. Start reading and watching the act again.

3. Changes the questions.  Use the generic Drama: The Art of Analysis questions to help you understand the play.

4. If you can't answer these questions, you should go back and start again with the previous act.  It may be that you have not understood the beginning of the play.

Timestamps for the Stratford Festival's The Taming of The Shrew on Digital Theatre+

Prologue 14:35

Act 1 25:56

Act 2 24:56

Act 3 20:15

Act 4 40:12

Act 5 23:15

Drama: The Art of Analysis 

Use these questions when you finish reading or watching a scene in drama.  

In assessing the dramatic importance or function of any scene or speech, ask yourself the following questions: (Note, no single dramatic sequence will fulfill all of these functions, of course.  You must decide upon the most important functions served by a speech or scene - or part of a scene).  Watch carefully for how these functions are fulfilled.

About Character

1. Does it introduce a character? (directly or indirectly)

2. Does it reveal something about someone's character?

3. Does it show characters in conflict?

4. Does it reveal a particular relationship between characters?

5. Does it explain the motivation of a character?

6. Does it create sympathy for a character?

About Plot

1. Does it move the plot forward?

2. Does it foreshadow a future event?

3. Does it create suspense or excitement?

4. Does it provide background information?

5. Does it provide comic relief?

6. Does it create humour?

7. Does it lay the foundation for the plot?

About Setting

1. Does it reveal the setting?

2. Does it offer a contrast to the previous (or following) setting?

Other

1. Does it engage the audience's interest?

2. Does it create atmosphere or mood?

3. Does it have anything to do with the theme?

4. Does it serve to indicate the passage of time?

Some Dramatic Effects of a Scene in a Play

A scene in any play will aim at one or more of the effects in this list:

1. A scene may reveal character, or it may show development of a character.

2. It may give background information about events occurring before the actions of the play.

3. It may present a dramatic contrast in character or mood.

4. It may give information about events occurring offstage which cannot be shown onstage.

5. It may develop pathos.

6. It may foreshadow coming events.

7. It may advance the plot.

8. It may create suspense.

9. It may establish relationships between characters, or it may show these relationships changing.

10. It may afford a relief of tension.

11. It may direct the audience's sympathies toward a certain character.

Elements of Comedy

In the first folio, the plays were grouped into history, comedy and tragedy.  Romance / Tragicomedy were later divisions.

For Elizabethan audiences, comedy implies a happy ending - usually marriage and the villain is punished.

Normal - to Chaos (misunderstanding and reversal) - to Normal

Elements of Comedy in The Taming of the Shrew

If you've been taking notes, you'll find that in The Taming of the Shrew, Shakespeare uses the following comedic elements:

• Irony 

• Puns

• Chaos (order-chaos-order)

• Physical Comedy

• Vulgarity (Vulgar)

• Sexual Innuendo (or Innuendo)

• Disguise / Impersonation

• The Fool (What is the role of the character that no one listens to? Do we listen when they tell the truth?)

• Satire

General Elements of Comedy

• A greater emphasis on situations than characters - you laugh even when it's terrible

• A struggle of young lovers to overcome difficulty, often presented by elders

• Separation and re-unification

• Deception among characters (especially mistaken identity)

• A clever servant

• Family disputes

• Happy endings

• Use of all styles of comedy:

  • slapstick

  • puns

  • dry humour

  • earthy humour

  • witty banter

  • practical jokes

Problem Plays

• complex and ambiguous tone

• tone shifts violently between dark, psychological drama and more straightforward comic material

• plays cannot be easily assigned to the traditional categories of tragedy or comedy

Tragicomedy - Romance

• blends tragedy and comedy forms

• serious plays with a happy ending

• high and low characters mixed together

If you're still interested...

Here are some notes on Tragedy and Aristotle phases of tragedy.  Maybe you just want to jump to the essence of tragedy or a definition of the tragic hero?

The Taming of The Shrew - Reading Questions Activity

Answer the following questions in sentence form in your notebook.  Typed answers will not be accepted. Use quotes from the play to support your answers. 

Introduction

1. What trick is played upon Christopher Sly? Why?

2. Why is The Taming of the Shrew considered a play within a play?

Act 1, Scene 1

1. Why has Lucentio come to Padua?

2. Of what is Baptista resolved concerning the marriage of his two daughters?

3. What is Katherine's reputation? Bianca's?

4. What is Hortensio's plan to more quickly be able to win and marry Bianca?

5. What is Tranio's plan for Lucentio? What metamorphosis does this involve?

Act 1, Scene 2

1. What is Petruchio's motive in coming to Padua?

2. How are Katherine's and Bianca's reputations further clarified? What words/phrases are used to describe both women throughout the scene?

3. What does Petruchio's monologue (1.2.201-213) reveal about him?

4. What is the suitors' (Gremio and Hortensio) reaction to Lucentio joining them as rivals to Bianca?

5. What specific images are used to describe the wooing of Katherine?

6. At the end of Act 1, why are Bianca's suitors friendly with one another and indebted to Petruchio?

7. What role do the servants play?

Act 2

1. What information does Katherine hope to gain by tying Bianca's hands and questioning her?

2. What type of language does Petruchio use to describe Katherine during his discussion with Baptista? (2.1.45-71) What does this tell us about his character?

3. What names do Hortensia and Lucentio assume? What roles will they play?

4. What character does Tranio assume? How does Baptista react to him? Please quote from the text.

5. Summarize the content of Petruchio and Baptista's conversation (2.1.121-146).

6. How is Hortensia injured?

7. When Katherine and Petruchio meet, how do they get along? Particularly, what is the pervading attitude in act 2 scene 1, lines: 175-190, 190-202, and in Petruchio's lines 200-293.

8. What does Petruchio claim about his and Katherine's interaction? How does Baptista react?

9. At the end of Act II what are Tranio, Gremio, and Baptista discussing? What decision is made? What must Tranio do in light of this decision?

Act 3, Scene 1 

1. What is Bianca's response to Lucentio's (Cambio's) and Hortensio's (Litlo's) argument over  who will tutor Bianca first? (lines 16-22) What does this reveal about her character?

2. What is Lucentio's translation of his lesson? (lines 31-36) What is Bianca's translation of the  same passage? (lines 40-43)

3. What message to Bianca does Hortensio (Litio) encode in the gamut (scales)? What is her response? (lines 71-78)

4. Contrast Hortensio's statement in line 76 with his statement in lines 89-90. What does this  reveal about his character?

Act 3, Scene 2 

1. Why does Kate weep (line 26)? What aspect of her character does this reveal?

2. How is Petruchio dressed for his wedding (lines 43-64)? Give at least 4 specific  details. What is the reaction of Baptista? 

3. How does Petruchio respond when asked to change his clothes? (lines 112-123)

4. What do you learn of Lucentio's plan to marry Bianca in lines 128-148?

5. What does Gremio call Petruchio in line 155? Why is this ironic?

6. How does Petruchio behave during the wedding ceremony? (lines 158-183)

7. How does Petruchio leave the wedding feast? What reason does he give in line 229?

Act 4, Scene 1

1. What images do Grumio and Curtis use in their banter? Why are these images chosen?

2. According to Grumio in lines 21-24, what has changed?

3. What has happened to Kate on her way to Petruchio's house? How did Petruchio respond? (lines 68-80)

4. How does Petruchio treat the servants? What is Kate's reaction?

5. Which of Petruchio's insults to the servants is your favorite?

6. According to his soliloquy, what is Petruchos' plan?

Act 4, Scene 2

1. Summarize Tranio and Hortensio's conversation concerning Bianca. What do they both decide? What is ironic about this?

2. What are Hortensio's plans for marriage? (lines 37-39)

3. What role does the Pendant play in Tranio's plot? How does Tranio get him to play along?

Act 4, Scene 3

1. What does Kate's opening monologue reveal about her condition?

2. What must Kate do before Petruchio will feed her? (lines 38-47)

3. What does Petruchio think of the hat? the dress?

4. What does Petruchio tell Hortensio to do in line 162? What does this imply about Petruchio's behaviour?

Act 4, Scene 4

1. How did Tranio distract Baptista for the evening?

2. What does Biondello tell Lucentio (Cambio) to do while Baptista feasts with Tranio?

Act 4, Scene 5

1. Why does Hortensio say "the field is won" in line 23? Who has won and how?

2. What game to Petruchio and Kate play with Vincentio?

Act 5, Scene 1

1. What's ironic about Vincentio's arrival at Lucentio's house?

2. What does Vincentio think has happened to his son?

3. Why do Lucentio and Bianca ask pardon of their fathers in lines 109-111?

4. How do the fathers react to the news of Bianca and Lucentio's wedding?

5. What do Petruchio and Kate do at the end of the scene?

Act 5, Scene 2

1. What offensive does the widow make to Kate? What does Petruchio tell Kate to do?

2. What is Bianca doing during the banter? (lines 42-43)

3. Describe the bet? What does the majority expect will be the outcome? What is the outcome?

4. What is the message of Kate's final monologue? Do you think she is sincere? Has she been  tamed or is she only acting?

The Taming of the Shrew - Character Guide

The Stratford Festival's 2016 The Taming of the Shrew starring Ben Carlson and Deborah Hay.  Directed by Chris Abraham. Written by William Shakespeare.

Themes

Battle-of-the-sexes

Gender

Misogyny

Obedience

Money

Marriage

Disguise

Quotes to Remember

The Taming of the Shrew: Video Dating Profile Assignment

All of the characters in The Taming of the Shrew seem available for marriage. No spouses are introduced or spoken about by any of our primary or secondary characters.

For this task, you will create a video dating profile for one of the characters in The Taming of the Shrew. The purpose of this task is to show your understanding of one of the characters we have met so far in the play (until the end of Act 2 or Act 3 (your choice)). 

You can either keep your character in The Taming of the Shrew’s original (Elizabethan) time period, or you can choose to modernize your character. Videos should be between 3-5 minutes in length.

You can select from the following characters:

• Baptista

• Katherina

• Bianca

• Lucentio

• Hortensio

• Gremio

• Tranio

• Biondello

• Petruchio

• Grumio

• Christopher Sly

In your video, you must include the following:

1. The character’s hometown

2. A quotation from the text that represents the personality of your chosen character

3. Describe how the character views their own personality

4. Describe what you believe the character is looking for in a relationship

5. Describe the character’s hobbies and interests

6. Describe the character’s dealbreakers

In addition, include five of the following:

• Is your character close to their family?

• What is your character’s favourite movie, TV show, or book?

• How does your character spend their weekends?

• Does your character have any hidden talents?

• What’s something your character loves that other people hate?

• How would their friends describe them?

• What does your character hope to accomplish in the next five years?

• What is your character’s profession?

• Who is your character’s role model?

• What does the perfect date look like for your character?

• If your character could travel anywhere in the world, where would it be and why?

• What is your character’s most embarrassing moment?

Submission Requirements:

• Use your student WeVideo account to make your video.

• WeVideo was set up to authenticate DPCDSB users by clicking the Google Button (Go to WeVideo, top right corner: WeVideo Sign In, Click the Google Button. DO NOT SIGN IN ANY OTHER WAY)

• Tutorials for WeVideo

• You will upload your video to our Google Classroom. I will not accept a link.

• See the course calendar for the due date.

Formal Essay: The Taming of the Shrew

William Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew is an Elizabethan play that offers many ideas about love along with other themes.  Write an original 5 part formal essay in MLA format which proves that The Taming of the Shrew is a comedy.

Your essay will be written in class during 5 periods.  Please see our calendar for the writing periods and the due date. See rubric below.

Writing Plan

Day 1 - Brainstorm and Write your thesis.  Write into paragraph

Day 2 - Write a draft of body 1 and body 2

Day 3 - Write a draft of body 3 and conclusion

Day 4 - Edit

Day 5 - Finish your editing and submit

Considerations

You cannot bring any written materials to class during the writing periods.  

I will provide a physical copy of the play, paper, and store your essay as you plan and write it.

You may bring in a copy of the following documents to class: Transition Words, Common Signal Phrases, Spider Map Planner (BLANK), Essay Planner Checklist (BLANK) & Formal 5 Part Essay Planner (BLANK), Common Writing Errors.  Please print them in the school Library for free. Copies of these documents are in the Google Classroom to help you print from the library.

Poetry Unit

How to Read Poetry

Reading poetry isn't hard.  Run through this process before you try your way.

1. Read the poem.

2. Read the poem, again.

3. Grab a sheet of paper and a pencil.  Read the poem and write down all the words you can't define.

4. Look up the definitions of those words and write them down.

5. Read the poem, when you come across those words, read the definitions.

6. Take a break.

7. Welcome back, now read the poem OUT LOUD. Yes, out loud.  From here on down, you need to read OUT LOUD.

8. Is there a theme you can identify?  Write down a word or two.  If you can't right now, that's OK.  Look at this note on discovering theme.

9. Read the title.

10. Now, is there a theme you can identify?  Write down a word or two.  If you can't right now, that's OK.  Look at this note on discovering theme.

11. Who is the speaker / persona / voice?

12. Can you identify the tone? Need some tone words to help you out?  Jot down the tone words that fit. 

13. Can you identify an image, or images?  Write them down.

14. Can you identify any sensory imagery?  Write them down.

15. Identify any similes or metaphors.  Write them down.

16. Look at the structure of the poem.  Is it divided into sections?  Compare the sections.

17. Read out loud. Tap your pencil. Feel the rhythm.  See the YouTube video below.

18. Word choices.  Why does the poet choose their words?  Do certain words stick out? I don't mean words that stick out because you didn't understand them.  See step 4.

19. Rhyme. Can you hear it happen? Where does it happen? At the end of a line? In the middle of a line?

ART WARS

About - What is this poem about?

Repeated Words - How does the use of repeated words affect the poem’s meaning?

Tone - What is the tone of the poem? How do you know?

Words - What effect do the words have on the meaning?

Alliteration - What examples of alliteration ( Or any other poetic device you see ) are there? What’s the effect? 

Rhythm & Rhyme - How are rhythm and  rhyme used? What’s the effect?

Structure - How does the structure of the poem affect the meaning?

Reading Poetry for Meaning, Together

Let's find some poems in the Senior Anthology at Poetry in Voice.  I'll follow the steps of How to Read Poetry.  You're going to help me understand the poem. 

A Glossary of Poetic (Literary) Terms

This document comes from a handout from English 110.  I tried to reproduce it as faithfully as I could.  It was littered with underlines, which just don't work on the internet. It's older than you are.

Form

The form of a poem is its visual look. It consists of stanzas (the poetic equivalent of paragraphs), lines, and shapes (sometimes, the shape of a poem will resemble the shape of the object or action it describes).

Structure

the division of a poem in to parts which constitute beginning, middle and end.

Types

poems have assumed a number of identifiable types over time.  The most common types include the sonnet, the lyric, the narrative, the elegy, the dramatic dialogue, and the dramatic monologue.

Image

in any literary text, an object that can be experienced or perceived by one of the five senses -- taste, touch, smell, sound and especially sight.

ex. The sailboats drifted on the calm seas, hardly touched by the faint spring breezes. (sailboats, seas, and spring are visual images, the breezes here represent an image of touch)

Symbol

in any text, and in everyday life, the word, person place or object that represents more that itself

e.x The $ is a symbol of money; the rose is a symbol of love; the flag is the symbol of a nation.

Sound Devices

patterns of deliberate repetitions in a text are usually evidence of the writer's use of sound effects.  These effects are often intended to emphasize meaning or feeling, and most often they play a large part in establishing the tone of the speaker (i.e., the speaker's attitude towards the subject matter or the audience).  Readers can expect to find the following sorts of sound effects in texts:

rhyme (identical sounds at the ends of lines)

rhythm (repetitions of numbers of beats in adjacent lines

alliteration (repetition of consonant sounds in lines

assonance (repetition of vowel sounds in lines)

euphony (combinations of pleasant sounds in a group of lines)

cacophony (repetition of harsh and unpleasant sounds in a group of lines)

onomatopoeia (the use of a word that sounds just like the sound it represents)

Metaphor

an unusual and subtle comparison of unlikely objects

e.x. She was a volcano waiting to explode. (volcano is a metaphor for this woman)

Simile

an unusual and direct comparison containing the words "like", "as", or "as if"

ex. She looks like a volcano waiting to explode. (volcano is a simile for this woman)

Personification

the poet's attribution of human qualities to a non-human creature or inanimate object

ex. Time crept in the shadows like a thief in the night. (the poet makes time seem to be a person up to no good)

Paradox

the writer's presentation of a statement which seems illogical and contradictory at first, but which proves true in the context of the entire text

ex. She was cruel in her kindness: she helped her brother, but she refused to tell him that she was proud of him.

Oxymoron

the appearance of two absolutely opposite words side by side as if they belong together

ex. loving hate; freezing heat; silent sound; burning cold.

Irony

the gap between what is said and what is actually meant

ex. In Shakespeare's play Othello, Othello expresses his love for his wife Desdemona even as he is strangling her. (there is irony in his words)