Thursday, January 20, 2011

Sonnets Are Not That Scary



Sonnets. A bit scary at first, I admit. They have that structure that is so specific! Iambic pentameter can also seem a bit intimidating at first, but by the end of the lesson you guys really got it. I just finished my own sonnet ( my very first one!) and I will share my process with you next week if you want. I can't wait to see what you guys come up with on your own.

For fun, write your name in the comments below and scan them. It would be awesome to have all of 807, 810, and 814. Here is mine:

  /   ˘       /     ˘      /     ˘
David | Weller | Records

It's the opposite of iambic - trochees. They appear in works like the nursery rhyme Peter Peter Pumpkin Eater:



Peter, Peter pumpkin-eater
Had a wife and couldn't keep her.



Or even another work of Shakespeare, MacBeth:



Double, double, toil and trouble;
Fire burn and cauldron bubble.

Many of you may be wondering why Shakespeare decided to write sonnets in the first place, let alone 154 of them. Why not other styles of poetry or more stage plays. Well, I did some research for you all with the hope that it will not only shed some light on the mysterious man himself, but also peak your interest a bit more.

During the 1590s, the Black Death was all over London. As you might guess, this doesn't inspire citizens to rush out to the theater. Playwrights were no longer able to produce their works for the stage. Therefore, Shakespeare looked elsewhere to keep himself busy until the danger subsided and the public renewed its interest in the arts. Sonnets were not only a fashion of the time, but they are also a very natural way of speaking. You probably speak in iambs everyday without even knowing it!

"I do not want to do my work!"

"The subway smells like rotten meat."

"I wanna go see Justin Bieber's movie NOW!"

"I will not eat green eggs and ham."

Not surprisingly, many songs are also written in iambs. I challenge you to find a few.

As to whom Shakespeare was writing his sonnets and why sonnets were invented, that is a discussion for another day. I hope you all will begin to embrace the art and skill of these poems as we delve deeper in the Shakespearean world.

RESOURCES:

http://www.cummingsstudyguides.net/xSonnets.html

http://www.nosweatshakespeare.com/

Below are my slides from the lesson, as promised:






Thursday, January 13, 2011

Salutations Is My Fancy Way of Saying Hello

Yes, that is a Charlotte's Web reference. Five points to Gryffindor. I am excited to work with you this semester in all things ELA and hopefully some things not so ELA.

I hail from Brooklyn, but I am originally from St. Louis - home to the greatest baseball player in the history of the game i.e. Albert Pujols. I am a cinephile (my fancy way of saying that I love movies) and, consequently, addicted to Netflix. After a hard day of work, nothing is more soothing to listen to than Billie Holliday or Blind Willie McTell.

I am already learning a lot about you through your blogs. They are very impressive. I will do my best to participate in your virtual classroom just as much a I will be in your actual classroom. 

Alright, lunch break is over. See you in 103.