8 HONORSDirections for Twelfth

Night Visual SIFT Epigram

Introduction

Today, we will be beginning our final benchmark of the year. It will be worth 10% of your final grade and is due on the day of your final exam (June 5). This benchmark will assess your ability to analyze text.

THESE ARE CALLED EPIGRAMS.

Epigrams can be hard to define because they have a very broad definition. What one person considers an epigram, another may consider an elegy, poem, or perhaps even a song. The most basic definition of an epigram is a brief, clever, and memorable statement. Some of them are formulated with satirical purposes in mind, and others are purposely meant to be confusing.

What is the purpose of creating an epigram?

Clearly, the reasons for using epigrams are plentiful.

They cause the reader or listener to think a bit more about the statement being made.

They are examples of pure humor. They all leave an impression. Many of them, whether through humor or

blatant statements, are making a commentary on some sort of issue, whether it be political, social, religious, or just about day-to-day life.

Even John Green has epigrams…

Mostly, epigrams come from famous lines in famous novels such as Paper Towns.

However, all SIFT epigrams consider theme, tone, symbol, imagery and figurative language embedded within a piece of literature.

SIFT Just like

SIFTing does…

Other Famous Epigramsby authors about life

"Little strokes/Fell great oaks" (Benjamin Franklin).

“So all my best is dressing old words new/Spending again what is already spent/For as the sun is daily new and old/So is my love still telling what is told”(William Shakespeare).

"To see a world in a grain of sand/And a heaven in a wild flower/Hold infinity in the palm of your hand/And eternity in an hour“(William Blake).

Final Project

Create a visual SIFT of Twelfth Night Hmmmm!?*

Guidelines

Using single unrelated passages to represent the most significant theme, tone, S, I, F from anywhere in your group’s scene of Twelfth Night, create a poem with a visual SIFT overlaying it. Your ultimate goal is to reveal what you believe the ultimate theme/epigram of William Shakespeare’s play is.

Guidelines (Continued)

Your entire poem will be visible and take up a majority of the white space on the page; your poem/epigram will then have a visual overlay. The poem should be typed to maximize the message/picture you are creating. Therefore, your poem will be part of the visual, not typed in standard format.

Finally…

On the back of your project, provide your SIFT evidence and annotations in correct format.

S(what it represents): connect to theme

I: connect to theme

F( what kind): connect to theme

T: explain theme

T( what tone): connect to theme

Remember that all annotations connect to theme, and that theme is a message, not plot or a simple subject.

The Lighthouse Epigram

Let’s look at an example together.

Try to determine what the S, I, F, T, T are…

The Lighthouse

SIFT Elements

S: (light) I: “…lighthouse lurking over the cliff

above the raging ocean, standing alone and rigid.”

F: “Light tears through the darkness of his life like a smooth blade.”

T: (ominous) T: Blackness of despair gives birth

to the beauty we would otherwise be too complacent to see…

Your epigram will be assessed on the following:

1. The poem, and the SIFTing process mastery on the back of your epigram(40%)

2. All of the front side of your epigram poem is covered by a unified picture that clearly and creatively represents the following: theme, tone, imagery, symbol, and figurative language. All pictures should collaborate to create a cohesive visual SIFT. This means the pictures must be chosen and drawn to illustrate a unified purpose where all parts belong in the picture and complement the overall epigram. All components of your epigram must connect back to your theme. (40%)

3. Your epigram must be neat, creative, and thoughtfully constructed. In all, your epigram should reflect an overall sense of pride in presentation Poem is readable through visual(10 %).

4. Your oral defense and clarification of your visual SIFT epigram on June 9/10.

Extra Credit

There is one way for you to earn extra credit on this assignment: Add a significant 3-D element to your

epigram that represents one of the SIFT elements and that deepens the meaning of your epigram.

Happy Analyzing and SIFTing!

Remember this is your opportunity to showcase your skills and your individuality and creativity. Embrace your inner ninja, and trust your own instincts.