Lit 12 - Fishbowls! June 15

FINAL ESSAY - would it be a good idea to have a few good themes and try to memorize some handy quotes? Have your magic sheet (syllabus) next to you!

Religion

Beowulf - fate vs. Christianity
-B has to be like a god because there is not just one
-overlaid on top

Sir Gawain
-contrasts to B - society has developed - more civilized - Christianity more prevalent
-Sir G is more humble

Chaucer
-satirized
-Christianity not what it should be
-look at Friar, Pardoner, Summoner and compare to Plowman, Knight, and Parson

Blake - "Tyger"/ "Lamb"

-relationship directly with God (Calvinists) - Milton

- Nature in the Romantic Era seems to take the place of Christianity

Milton - Paradise Lost- how does he influence the authors who come after him? Satan's point of view - sympathizing with him (what does this do?) - people think about issues - questioning beliefs - compares himself to Moses - show how seductive the devil can be (don't succumb!) - "justify the ways of God to men"

"Rime" - son of God/albatross
-Christianity is conflated with Nature

-Blake is religious - but questions whether or not innocence is purity and experience is not - they are part of a spectrum - Socrates quote ("courage temperance, and the rest belong to most evil men: "Or do you fancy that great crimes and unmixed wickedness come from a feeble nature and not rather from a noble nature that has been ruined?")

Problems with Society

Anglo Saxon - Beowulf- bad guy versus good guy - acceptance (Grendel the outsider - alienated - think about sympathy for him or not)
-needed a strong and powerful leader - Beowulf is that
- Sympathy for Grendel - disturbing nature - the colonists - he can stand for groups who have been oppressed (misunderstood)

-Chaucer -

"To the Ladies" - silence from women - then "wife and servant are the same"

Social Class - "Elegy," "Rape of the Lock" - ridiculing and satirizing people of status who just play cardas
-"A Modest Proposal"
- Satire has gone throughout history - to effect change - rather than telling people what's wrong - people come to the conclusion themselves (more effective)

-new social problem - Romantic Era struggling with Nature becoming ruin "Apostrophe" - "man marks the earth with ruin"
"The World is Too Much with Us" - "little we see in Nature that is ours"

-"Not Waving But Drowning" - Stevie Smith (author of "Pretty") - people could have helped but didn't

"Hollow Men" - absence of purpose

-always a popular theme - we are always progressing - if we solve one problem - others arise, new problems arise (it may have been fine to discriminate against poor people - think of when Hamlet kills Polonius "I took you for your better")

-passionate about?

- Industrial Revolution - makes Nature become an issue

"Disembarking" - "I am a word in a foreign language" - people taking the time to notice - could be the most beautiful phrase - but people don't understand - the nuance or the context

"Tyranny is the deliberate removal of nuance" - Albert Maysles

Mortality

- State of being subject to death
- How is it viewed through the ages

Beowulf - death can be honourable and glamorous - burned in an effigy and having a tower

"Dulce et Decorum Est" - full span - Wilfred Owen - poem - not good and honourable to die for one's country (not honorable any more - just dirty)

"Bonny Barbara Allen" - just love

-so many Middle Ages wars - perhaps people didn't want to talk about death - but then again Crusades were far away

-WWI and WWII - English Literature - London is bombed ("The Destructors"

"marriage of true minds" (Sonnet 116) - death does not affect love (big contrast to "Bonny Barbara Allen"

-time and mortality = recurring theme "On His Arriving at the Age of Reaching 23," "When I Have Fears," Sonnet 29 - "When in Disgrace with Fortune and Men's Eyes" - relationship with completing life's work
-death a concept they have to beat

"Because I Could Not Stop for Death" - personified - also in "Death be Not Proud" - making something human makes it less scary

-death can't exist if there is eternity - (think of all the love poems = eternity)

- Why is death such a recurring theme
- Did we become more afraid of death as time went on? (mortality rate = much younger)
- Experiencing death first hand

"Ode to a Nightingale" - experienced his brother dying - death is also imminent - personal experience of death = different treatment

- Religion - people more scared if they are not religious (?)
- Beowulf - people are proud to die
- Milton doesn't have a comforting view of the after life (but of course we are not supposed to be seduced by Satan = point of Paradise Lost)
- Beowulf - needs-based society
- Christianity developed as society became more civilized
- Beowulf - death has a purpose
- Attraction towards death

"Rime" - burden of death - killing the albatross (worse = Life in Death - seeing all the crew mates living)

-burden of life "Ode to a Nightingale" - "youth grows specter thin and dies"
- "Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night" - fight! - good, wise, grave, wild (resist it!)
- Avoid death, death is pretty great, avoid death again (Sam's death circle)

"Elegy" -

Eng. 11 - June 15

Read and understand: "My Father Knew," "My Papa's Waltz," "The Attitude," and "The Man Who Found his Son Has Become a Thief"

English 9 - June 13

Make sure you read and think about the following poems:

A] "Negro Mother" - Harnoor, Ana, April S, Joel, Alliyah
B] "Democracy" - Natalia, Abby, Miranda, Alivia
C]"I Still Hear the Bell Ringing" - Quinn, Jack, Matin, Justin
D]"The Road Not Taken" - Scott, Sana, April K, John
E]"Bored" - TP, Zered, Pascale, Adrianna
F]"Notes on a Commercial Theatre" - Amber, Jansen, Vanessa, Kylie

Last Days of Lit

Fri. 9 - "Thrush," "Pretty," final fishbowl topics, student choice award topics

Mon. 12 - "Disembarking," "Gentle"
Tues. 13 - Review of "Dulce," "Because," "Hollow," "Second Coming"
Wed. 14 - Finish Review
Thurs. 15 - Fishbowl
Fri. 16 - Games and Relays (Hugely Important Class) - Big Review

Tue. June 20 - 8:30 class Awards and Review!
Wed. June 21 - Exam at 1:00 Room D206

Lit 12 - June 7

"Darkling Thrush," "Pretty," "Disembarking at Quebec" - last three new poems - Thurs. 8

Review of "Because," "Dulce et Decorum Est," "Do Not go Gentle into that Good Night," "Hollow Men," "Second Coming"

Lit Exam

Lit 12 - Studying for Final (Breakdown of Marks)

Breakdown of Final Exam:

20 marks - identifying 4 quotes - explaining significance in the context of whole work
15 marks - discussing literary techniques of quotes
10 marks - mini essay of specific time period
10 marks - mini - essay question of large topic
15 marks - sight reading poem
30 marks - full essay discussing whole course with a focus on three literary works

100 marks (20% of grade)

Final Exams - Eng. 9 & 11

Final Exam:

editing - find the mistake in the sentences - study your editing sheets and your sentence corrections - class feedback for writing, punctuation notes.

poetry - review poetic devices - make sure you understand page 4 of the poetry package - practice by going over poems we didn't study in the package - be familiar with all poetic devices

prose - review elements of short fiction (7 sets of notes)

writing - go over your essays, essay notes, essay package and writing improvements - make a note of my individual advice

get a good night's sleep and eat a healthy breakfast and/or lunch

Eng. 9 - June 5

IV and V questions: Tues. June 6

AMSND TEST: Friday, June 9

AMSND Project: Mon. June 12

Lit 12 - June 5

VICTORIAN NOTES

Prepare "My Last Duchess" for Tues. 7

Ivan, Laraib, Emma B, Sam, Kaitlin and Stefanie - permission forms for BARD!

Eng. 9 - June 2

Complete questions for IV

AMSND PROJECT: Mon. June 12

Morality, Ambition, Faith - Eng. 11 block 1

THE PURPOSE OF A LITERARY ESSAY: Looking at the text as a work of art, demonstrating clear critical judgment and explaining to the reader of your essay how the enjoyment of the text is assisted by literary devices, linguistic effects and psychological insights; showing how the text relates to the time when it was written and how it extends to our society now.

“All it takes for evil to succeed is for a few good men to do nothing...”
― Edmund Burke


Make sure you have a quote sheet ready with Act, scene and line #
Look at Writing Improvements
Look at past feedback for essays
Go over essay package – what is the purpose of a literary essay
What does this play show us about this theme and human nature?
This play shows us about betrayal, morality and fate



MORALITY

• The more the Thane commits evil acts, the easier it becomes
• What goes around comes around
• Everyone who commits some sort of action towards the downfall of the Thane commits an immoral act – darkness, nighttime – ever character is seen in a negative way
• Innocent victims
• People’s view of morality can change
• “I’m afraid to think of what I have done, look at it again, I dare not” (II ii)
• “These deeds must not be looked on… or else it would make us mad” (II ii
• Lady’s morality
• If the Lady does not provoke the Thane, nothing would happen
• But Thane does think about it (“The Prince of Cumberland!” I iv)
• [does morality change? Is it fluid?]
• When does the Thane start to lose his morality?
• When does the Thane’s drive stop being the Lady’s influence and become his own greed?
• [Remember sheet on external and internal forces – who decides someone’s fate?]
• III iv, the Thane says he’s a man – thinks he’s invincible at this point – doesn’t tell his wife – “be innocent of the knowledge, dearest chuck” (III ii 44)
• Malcolm and Donalbain fleeing to England and Ireland – are they traitors? Why do they run away – they are fearful of their lives
• Running away from their father’s murder – not patriotic?
• [pay close attention to the Thane’s soliloquy in I vii – he discusses his own morality]
• Ambition destroys his morality
• Actions lead the Thane to lose his morality
• [can look at each characters’ morality]
• II ii “My hands are of my colour, but I fain to wear a heart so white” (Lady)
• The more the Thane does it, the easier it gets [think of your own lives – do bad things become easier after the first time?]
• The Thane immediately regrets killing Duncan – but “what’s done cannot be undone”
• Overthrows morality as soon as he kills Duncan
• “I’m in blood stepped in so far already” (III iv) – believes he can’t go back and must go forward
• Consequences for sins
• What happens to the Thane is a tragedy
• Thane’s rise to power and his fall
• Morals change a lot through the play


AMBITION

• Ambition that the Thane and Lady have clouds their judgment and makes them take risks
• [how much ambition is too much ambition?]
• [“art not without ambition, but without the illness to attend it” (I v)]
• Thane has a false sense of security – his goals are easily influenced by others
• Is the Lady more ambitious?
• At the beginning the Lady takes the lead – but this quickly changes
• The Lady asks for reinforcements for her courage I v
• Lady lusts for power [what happens after the Thane becomes king? III ii)
• Banquo acted with rules and boundaries
• Thane and Lady threw away their faith – we see early on that the Thane has morals, but even in I iii the Thane says “Stay, you imperfect speakers, tell me more”
• Does Banquo do enough to try to hold the Thane’s ambition – he only said that he thought they might not be speaking the truth [is he his brother’s keeper?]
• [how does ambition relate to morality]
• People have desires – seems like people seize temptations – sometimes it doesn’t matter how others are going to be affected
• Humans are typically greedy – but some play by the rules
• Some people work for it others don’t care how people are affected
• Banquo also had a prophesy, but doesn’t act on it
• Banquo knows the Thane killed Duncan “I fear thou play’dst most foully for it” (III i)
• He does say “may they not be my oracles as well” (III i)
• Banquo does not go back to the witches
• Lady Macduff – thinks her husband doesn’t love her or their family – Macduff has ambition to save Scotland from a tyrant – but Lady Macduff doesn’t know this about her husband
• [can compare other people’s ambition or absence of it]
• Thane ends up with little care about life except he does say “life’s but a shadow, a poor player that struts and frets his hour upon the stage” (V iii)




FAITH

• Knowing that something is going to happen – but people don’t know how
• The Thane decides himself what’s going to happen (internally motivated)
• If the Thane didn’t do anything – would he become the king any way? [ the prophesy does not state when he will be king]
• The Thane starts off having faith in the prophesy – but then he thinks he can change it by killing Banquo and Fleance
• He also doesn’t believe the second set of prophesies – look at IV i and how he questions them
• [later he says “I bear a charmed life” (V vii)]
• He doesn’t immediately believe the first set of prophesies, but then Ross comes to tell the Thane that he is the Thane of Cawdor “can the devil speak the truth?” (I iii)
• Faith in the sense of religion – many references to Heaven and Hell (see I vii) – the Thane realizes that his soul is corrupted
• As soon as the first part of the prophesy comes true – that he becomes the Thane of Cawdor – it becomes a self-fulfilling prophesy
• He thinks about what his fate is
• When does the Thane accept his fate and when does he try to fight it?
• Loses his morality when he decides to kill the king – does not gain his faith back
• When Malcolm is proclaimed Prince of Cumberland – Thane could have lost faith in prophesy, but he says he has to “o’erleap” (I iv) in order to make it come true
• When he kills Young Siward (V vii) he says “Thou wast born of woman” – becomes very convinced in the prophesy
• Sees the woods moving and “begin[s] to doubt the equivocation of the devils that lie like the truth” (V v)
• Lady’s sleepwalking scene – subconscious
• Both Lady and Thane have guilty consciences [therefore, their faith is still intact somewhat]
• faith in the Lady – what about the Lady’s faith in her husband
• the army loses faith in the Thane: “now does he feel his title hang loose about him like a giant’s robe upon a dwarfish thief” “they move only in command, nothing in love” (V ii)

Lit 12 - June 2

ROMANTIC ESSAYS: Mon. June 5

Have your QQ for "Dover Beach" and "Ulysses" completed"

VICTORIAN NOTES for Tues., June 6

Eng. 11 - block 2 - BETRAYAL, MORALITY, FATE

Betrayal, Morality, Fate

THE PURPOSE OF A LITERARY ESSAY: Looking at the text as a work of art, demonstrating clear critical judgment and explaining to the reader of your essay how the enjoyment of the text is assisted by literary devices, linguistic effects and psychological insights; showing how the text relates to the time when it was written and how it extends to our society now.


Make sure you have a quote sheet ready with Act, scene and line #
Look at Writing Improvements
Look at past feedback for essays
Go over essay package – what is the purpose of a literary essay
What does this play show us about this theme and human nature?
This play shows us about betrayal, morality and fate

BETRAYAL
• Most people die in this play because of some kind of betrayal
• Thane betrays Scotland, himself, Duncan, Banquo, himself, wife
• Starts the play with betrayal: Macdonwald
• Macduff betrays Scotland officially and Thane and family, but for the greater good
• “ring the alarum bell, treason and betrayal” (II iii)
• “fair is foul and foul is fair” – witches’ prophecies look fair, but end up foul
• Thane’s soliloquy in I vii – all the reasons why he should not kill the king
• Treason is worse since Duncan stays in Thane’s house, also kinsmen
• “our fears in Banquo stick deep” – when Thane talks to the murderers III i
• [does the Lady betray her husband?]
• Macduff betrays the king for Scotland itself
• Does the Lady betray her femininity? [think of Queen Elizabeth I]
• Witches’ prophesy – how complicit are they in all the actions for betrayal?
• Dagger symbolizes betrayal – not a lot of symbolism
• Does anyone get away with betrayal?
• [how does this theme connect to our world? – politics? Personal?]
• Lady betrays herself when sleepwalking “she has told what she should not” (V i)
• Birds of prey are highlighted – falcons, hawks and owls (“I heard an owl screech” II ii)
• Does every person get their come-uppance?
• Whistle blowing in our society is like a betrayal
• Hecate blames the witches for betraying her
• Remember – this is not just a list of examples of betrayal – you are showing the nature of betrayal and the effects
• Macduff put other people before himself (sacrificed his family)
• Duncan rewarded people for doing good (set him up for betrayal) –does this mean people who do good things get betrayed?
• Betrayal begets betrayal
• Paranoia leads to betrayal – must do something

MORALITY

- The Thane’s morals change throughout the play – they are not gone since he can’t sleep and he feels guilty look at I vii for reasons why he doesn’t want to kill the king
- the Lady seems to switch places with the Thane – she starts off calling on darkness and ends up debilitated by guilt (the blood)
- positive characters? – the Thane is first presented as brave and courageous in battle
- Banquo seems very positive but then wonders “may they not be my oracles as well” (III i)
- corruption seeps in causes betrayal
- we are presented with a dismal view of human nature (anyone moral? Malcolm?)
- the Lady asks to “stop up the access and passage to remorse” (I v) – asking to be cruel “fill me from crown to toe top full of direst cruelty” (I v) – doesn’t start off cruel – asks for it
- Thane killing guards?
- is morality important? (The Thane talks about (I vii) morality and how it will be ruined by killing)
- is it right to kill a man – people celebrate the Thane when he “unseam[s] [him] from nave to chaps” I iii, and Scotland executes Macdonwald – what is the difference?
- Lady is a trigger?
- the witches don’t say anything about murdering, but the Thane thinks about it right away when Malcolm is named Prince of Cumberland
- witches represent temptation
- subthemes: greed, temptation, guilt, corruption, deception,
- does the Thane have bad morality? Could any of us do something wrong given the circumstances?
- who is perfect?
- characters who are considered to be good do bad things – “the ends justifies the means” Machiavelli
- Lady doesn’t kill anyone, but she does shame her husband into killing – she also kills herself which is a mortal sin
- Macduff deserts his family (noble or not?)
- hierarchy of values – the Thane puts his manhood first (motivation?)
- the Thane has less and less reason to kill progressively – also hires murderers which is morally bankrupt
- “of all men else I have avoided thee” (V vii) – talks about how he doesn’t want to kill Macduff
-no one is completely good or evil

FATE

• Thane’s fate – is it to become a traitor? The witches don’t tell him how to get there – he could have become king at a later time
• VOLITION
• Thane becomes impatient as soon as he sees Malcolm crowned as Prince “the Prince of Cumberland! That is a step I must overcome or else o’erleap” (I iv)
• Suddenly the Thane thinks the prophesy might come true
• [how does fate work in our lives?]
• Sub themes: expectations, responsibility
• “is this a dagger which I see before me?” (II i) – does he blame the dagger?
• How much responsibility does the Thane take for killing?
• He doesn’t want to admit he’s in control
• Believes in the witches
• Whom do WE believe in? Do we give other people responsibility for our actions? Remember the external or internal pressures
• Many people today would like to give responsibility to others – they think “this is going to happen” and don’t do anything to change
• People believe in inevitability
• The Thane believes the prophesies to be true – except he doesn’t think Fleance should become king – tries to kill him – also when he gets the next three prophecies – he questions them all – look at IV i
• Fate could cause the Thane’s death – the second time he is tricked
• Becomes over-confident – (hubris) he says “I bear a charmed life” (V vii?)
• “Thou wast born of woman” (V vii)
• [What does it mean that Fleance doesn’t become king? Isn’t Shakespeare showing us that perhaps fate isn’t to be trusted?]
• Why does the Thane stay in Dusinane? Pride?
• Puts too much faith in the prophecies
• The Thane believes only what he wants to believe
• Do the witches manipulate the Thane? Look at their chant in I iii
• How much are we personally manipulated?