Bell Ringer 10/30

Please get ready for your Death of a Salesman watching quiz. 5 questions

Formatted like our reading quizzes

Death of a Salesman WQ

1. Why didn’t Willy make it to New England?

2. Where does Biff invite Happy to go?

3. Based on his description of how he’s treated in New England, how does Willy see himself?

4. What bad news does Bernard deliver to Willy during the flashback?

5. What present does Willy give the Woman?

After the Quiz

Please get out your responses to the “Tragedy and the Common Man” questions so that I can check them. What is Arthur Miller’s definition of Tragedy?

Boil it down to one or two sentences.

What are the characteristics of a Tragic Hero?

What is the Tragic Hero’s Tragic Flaw?

Periods 1 & 4

After the Quiz

Please get out your Foil notes and activity. Who could we pair together as foils?

Predict what comparisons we could make.

Periods 2, 3, 7, & 9

After the Quiz

Please get out your Irony Examples so that we can discuss them and hand them in. Situational Irony

Dramatic Irony

Verbal Irony

Period 3

English III

EQ: How did Arthur Miller’s point of view and purpose shape the content and style of Death of a Salesman?

Agenda

Bell Ringer/Discussion

EQ/Agenda

Irony (definitions and examples)

Foils (definitions and activity)

Tragedy Guided Notes Pds. 1 & 4: Tragedy and the Common Man

“Tragedy and the Common Man” Notes

Irony

Situational: an event occurs that contradicts the expectations of the characters, of the reader, or of the audience.

Dramatic: there is a contradiction between what a character thinks and what the reader or audience knows.

Verbal: a word or a phrase is used to suggest the opposite of its usual meaning.

Irony Activity

Come up with an example for each type of irony: Dramatic, Verbal, Situational

Use these characters and situation in your examples: Sarah – 16 year old girl

Allen – 16 year old boy

Sarah and Allen are taking a road trip in a beat up old car.

You do not have to write a whole story, just short parts of a story that illustrate the examples. Situational: Give character expectation and show them getting

something opposite

Dramatic: We as the reader should know something that the characters don’t know

Verbal: the character must say something (use dialogue) but mean the opposite

Foils

Foil – a character who contrasts with another character (usually the protagonist) in order to highlight particular qualities of the other character.

A foil usually either differs drastically or is extremely similar but with a key difference setting them apart. Example: Dumbledore vs. Voldemort

Foil Activity

Take a look at our character map. Who could we pair together as foils?

Think in terms of categories:

Bosses

Fathers

Sons

Etc.

Predict what comparisons we could make.

Tragedy A serious play in which the chief figures, by some peculiarity

of character, pass through a series of misfortunes leading to a final, devastating catastrophe. Usually these characters are of the noble class (kings, queens, dukes, etc.)

There are many different kinds and theories of tragedy, starting with the Greeks and Aristotle's definition in The Poetics, "the imitation of an action that is serious and also, as having

magnitude, complete in itself...with incidents arousing pity and fear, wherewith to accomplish its catharsis of such emotions."

In the Middle Ages, tragedy merely depicted a decline from happiness to misery because of some flaw or error of judgment.

Tragedy

The basic difference between tragedy and comedy and the epic is the "tragic pleasure of pity and fear" the audience feels while watching a tragedy. In order for the tragic hero to arouse these feelings in the

audience, he cannot be either all good or all evil but must be someone the audience can identify with (like a round character).

However, if he is superior in some way(s), the tragic feeling is intensified.

Tragedy

His disastrous end results from a mistaken action, which in turn arises from a tragic flaw or from a tragic error in judgment. Often the tragic flaw is hubris, an excessive pride

that causes the hero to ignore a divine warning or to break a moral law.

It has been suggested that because the tragic hero's suffering is greater than his offense, the audience feels pity; because the audience members perceive that they could behave similarly, they feel pity.

Tragedy A tragedy is divided into five acts.

The first act – introduces the characters in a state of happiness, or at the height of their power, influence, or fame

The second act – typically introduces a problem or dilemma

The third act – problem reaches a point of crisis in the third act, but which can still be successfully averted

the fourth act – the main characters fail to avert or avoid the impending crisis or catastrophe, and the disaster occurs

The fifth act – traditionally reveals the grim consequences of that failure or disaster

Tragedy and the Common Man

As you read, please answer the following questions: What is Arthur Miller’s definition of Tragedy?

Boil it down to one or two sentences.

What are the characteristics of a Tragic Hero?

What is the Tragic Hero’s Tragic Flaw?

Tragedy & the Common Man

According to Arthur Miller: Tragedy is universal.

Tragedy is about people’s search to see themselves correctly and to take their desired place in society.

Conflict begins when someone tries to take away a character’s dignity

Tragedy & the Common Man

Tragic feeling occurs when: Character challenges the accepted and realizes the world is

never stable

We feel the character’s fear of being torn away from his or her rightful place and previous self-image

Characters are ready to lay down their lives for their sense of personal dignity.

Tragedy & the Common Man

Tragic Flaw Not necessarily a weakness

Unwillingness to accept indignity without active retaliation

Character becomes noble as the stable world he or she has known is torn apart

Must be willing to lay down his or her life

Tragedy & the Common Man

The lesson of tragedy: the environment, not the hero, is evil.

Tragedy isn’t about sadness. It should “reinforce the brightest opinions of humanity.” There should always be a possibility of success.

Tragic feeling won’t happen if the author fears to question everything Anything that holds people back or down should be

examined

Bell Ringer 10/30

Please get out your stories from yesterday that start with, “She touched the little box in her pocket and smiled.” What was your story about?

Get ready to explain it to the class.

Creative Writing

EQ: How can we engage and orient the reader when writing short stories?

Agenda Bell Ringer/Discussion – Yesterday’s Prompt

Agenda/EQ

Shape and Structure Notes

Shape and Structure

All stories and novels have a shape Be aware of what you’re using; be aware of whether it is

workable.

Avoid these shapes: The Blob: shapeless, going nowhere with no defined plot or

resolution

The Tree: too many characters and too many things happening

Shape and Structure

Good Story Shapes The Wave Shape: this goes on and on like a wave

tumbling over rocks with interlocking loops. It has rhythm and style especially if the ending is good.

The Juggling Shape: the juggler keeps the balls of action, character and dialogue moving in the air. Occasionally he deftly throws in flashback as an extra ball.

The Onion Shape: peeling off the layers until you reach the heart of the story. This also works in reverse, starting from the inside and exploring outwards.

Shape and Structure

The Chinese Box or Russian Dolls shape: similar to the onion. You open a box that’s inside a box and inside is another box and so on. Also works in reverse.

The Trumpet Shape: this is a story of tension, two tight lines that suddenly explode outwards. The classic shape for a short-short, one that gives your story the greatest chance of success.

Keeping to a shape will help you keep to the right length

Keep the objective shape firmly in mind while your imagination roves freely.

Yesterday’s Prompt

Take a look at the story you wrote yesterday: Does it have a shape?

If it doesn’t, what shape could you use if you revised it?