Hamlet Reading Schedule

Day 1     1.1
Day 2     1.2 - 1.3
Day 3     1.4 - 2.1
Day 4     2.2
Day 5     3.1 - 3.2
Day 6     3.3 - 3.4
Day 7     4.1 - 4.7
Day 8     5.1 - 5.2
Day 9     "Hamlet: A Modern
                Perspective"


Reminder: Your first Lit Device Assignment for Act 1 is not due until next week. You should, however, be keeping up on the Scene Themes.

Hamlet Assignments

The following are your two play-long assignments for Hamlet. Keep all entries together, organized, and shared with me. Name the document “Hamlet: Themes and Devices".

Scene Themes and Tone

Each of the scenes in Hamlet, generally speaking, has a kind of thematic concern that emerges through the action and dialogue along with an overall tone that reinforces the thematic concept. This part of the assignment is to simply make a list of each scene’s theme and tone along with a quick list of plot elements that demonstrate them.

1.1

theme: uncertainty

tone: mysterious, apprehensive, tense

events: setting is at night, outside; characters are on watch (opening words of play “Who’s there?); the appearance of ghost (what is it? what does it want? what should we do? what does this mean?);  why the preparations for war; tell Hamlet?

Literary Devices and Techniques in Shakespeare’s Hamlet

Literary devices are what puts the art in literature. Each has a specific function and adds meaning and depth to a text. One of our goals with Hamlet is to gain experience identifying these techniques as they appear in a text and then appreciating how they enhance meaning of that particular passage, but also contribute to larger ideas of the text as a whole. (This is essentially D>E, right?)

Step 1: Learn the meaning of the following terms and begin to identify them in the text as we read.

•Alliteration  •Allegory •Allusion  •Ambiguity  •Anaphora   •Anastrophe  •Analogy •Anecdote •Antihero •Aphorism  •Apostrophe  •Aside  •Assonance  •Antithesis •Asyndeton  •Cacophony •(Metaphysical) Conceit  •Connotation  •Caesura •Colloquialism •Consonance  •Chiasmus •Denotation • Deus Ex Machina  • Dialect  •Double Entendre  •Enjambment  •Epanalesis • Epigraph •Euphemism •Euphony  •Flashback  •Form  •Hyperbole  •Foreshadowing •Imagery •(Situational) Irony  •(Verbal) Irony  •(Dramatic) Irony  •Juxtaposition  •Litotes •Meiosis •Metaphor •(Extended) Metaphor •(Implied) Metaphor •(Mixed) Metaphor •Metonymy •Malapropism  •Mood  •Motif  •Onomatopoeia •Oxymoron •Paradox •Paralipsis •Parallel Structure •Parody •Periphrasis •Personification •Polysyndeton •Pun •Rhyme •Sarcasm •Simile •Soliloquy •Stream of Consciousness •Symbol  •Synecdoche •Synesthesia •Tone •Tragic Flaw  •Understatement  •Zeugma

Step 2: For each act of Hamlet, choose one device and create a literary device analysis assignment. Follow the format of the example below precisely.

Literary Device Glossary Act One: Alliteration in Hamlet

Alliteration is the use of repeated sounds (usually consonants) at the beginning of words for various poetic effects. When used properly, alliteration places special emphasis on words essential to the meaning of the poem or passage or creates sound effects resonant with the ideas or events of the text.

Example: “A little more than kin and less than kind.” (1.2.67)

Description and Effect: Hamlet’s first words, as an aside in response to Claudius, are this alliterative line which repeats the ‘l’ sound in “little” and ‘less” and the ‘k’ in the words “kin” and “kind”. “Kin” and “kind” are worthy of the emphasis the alliteration imbues, as his mother’s “o’er hasty” marriage to his father’s murderer Claudius is the initial conflict and impetus for the plot (2.2.60). “Kin” and “kind” are juxtaposed with their descriptors “more” and “less” to suggest that Hamlet resents the marriage and his new position within his restructured family. He and Claudius are now “more than kin” in that his uncle is now his father – that is, twice related; further, the line, taken with a bit of sarcasm on the word “little”, suggests Hamlet’s lack of love and respect for Claudius who he values at “little more than kin.” The second half of the sentence, “less than kind”, reiterates his distaste for Claudius. Shakespeare surely intended “kind” to be also read as “natural”; in other words, the marriage of Claudius and his mother is unnatural, even “incestuous” (1.2.162). Further, Hamlet may be implying that Claudius is of a less worthy stock than he or his Father, as in “less than” their “kind”. That Hamlet’s opening line is phonetic wordplay rich with multiple connotations fits well with his wit and his inscrutability. The less obviously alliterated measuring words “little” and “less”, spoken as an aside rather than a direct verbal confrontation, underscore Hamlet’s “measured” thinking, his introspective nature and lack of commitment to decisive action that will haunt and torment him as his tragic flaw throughout the play.

Notice:

The first part is a formal definition in complete sentences. As a resource for definitions of the terms, use a literary glossary, not a standard dictionary; paraphrase definitions.

The second part is a quote of the passage that contains an example of the device you have defined; include an MLA citation.

The third part is the analysis. The analysis clarifies the use of the device in the quotation, provides basic context of the situation, discusses, in depth, the contributions the device makes to the meaning of the passage (D>E), and attempts to connect the device and its meaning to large issues such as character or plot development and thematic ideas.

Hey DingBat!

Are you still reading this?

What is the significance of that little life detail?
...

You left your Psychology text in my room.

Acquainted with the Night

Acquainted with the Night (1928)

Robert Frost

I have been one acquainted with the night.

I have walked out in rain -- and back in rain.

I have outwalked the furthest city light.

I have looked down the saddest city lane.

I have passed by the watchman on his beat 5

And dropped my eyes, unwilling to explain.

I have stood still and stopped the sound of feet

When far away an interrupted cry

Came over houses from another street,

But not to call me back or say good-bye; 10

And further still at an unearthly height

One luminary clock against the sky

Proclaimed the time was neither wrong nor right.

I have been one acquainted with the night.

1. How many stanzas does this poem contain?
2. What do the numbers to the right of poem delineate?
3. Who is the speaker of this poem?
4. What, in the most literal sense, does the speaker talk about in the poem?
5. Give an example from the poem that illustrates each of the following literary term and concepts:
1. a word possessing connotative significance
2. an image
3. a metaphor (extra credit)
4. a repetition
6. When considering the opening stanza, what words or phrases seem most worth commenting upon?
7. What is suggested by the speaker’s claim that he has “outwalked the furthest city light” (3)?
8. What do you think a “watchman” is? How does the speaker react to him? Why?
9. Describe what happens in lines 7-10. What does this suggest about the speaker?
10. What is the “luminary clock” (13)? What does it do and what does that mean?
11. Overall, what mood is created by the series of images that largely comprise this poem? Suggest at least three adjectives.
12. Is there anything about what the speaker says that suggests his tone is different than this mood? Explain.
13. What does this poem do? What is this poem about?
14. What is the affect of the speaker repeating the first and last lines?
15. Write an analytic paragraph dealing with a basic interpretation of this poem.

Turn It In

I want to try grading papers on Turn It In. And anyway, you guys are jamming my Gmail Inbox something fierce, so I gotta figure something else out. I am not sure I will continue to use Turn It In regularly, but I do want to try it. Please get your account active by the beginning of next week.

Here is how you enroll in your class:

Period     Class ID
AP 1       8799292
AP 2       8799315
AP 3       8799322
AP 5       8799326

Password: verse

Notice from the Powers That Be

For the 2014-15 school year the AP test fee structure will be: 

Free/Reduced Lunch Students = Free AP test

Full Pay Lunch Students = $20 per test

Your Evolving Poem Close Reading Guide

Close Reading Steps, So Far, For Analysis When Reading Poems:

A Recommended, But Not Required, Order of Intellectual and Emotional Processing

1. Read the title.
2. Pause.
3. Allow associations to roll. Let them hang around, but commit to none.
4. What emotional or intellectual connotations might fit with this title? Keep them in mind.
5. Ask yourself: What is this poem going to be about? Literally.
6. Read the poem. Denotation is essential here.
7. Wait...what? 
8. Don't start spazzing out.
9. Ask: How, does the speaker feel about it all? That is, what is the speaker’s general tone about he or she has said? Positive or negative is a good start, but then get more precise, if possible.
10. Ask further: Why did this person bother to write this poem? What (subject, issue) are they trying to say something about?
11. Oh, its a poem about ____________. (I) Alternatively, I still have no idea what this poem is about. Either way, proceed to step #12. If you think you know, it will need to be tested; if you think you don't know, it will need to discovered.
12. Draw a picture of the poem, with a suggestion of chronological order of events...like a film or  comic book sequence. This will help you to…
13. Order and comprehend the literal events, images, details, etc. of the poem.
14. Remind yourself of and summarize in your mind the basic situation. (S) This need not include the climax, conclusion, or resolution.
15. Go to the first detail (D) of the poem that seems like it might be worth explaining something big or even fairly obvious about. This might be an image, an interesting word choice, a particular selection of detail, etc.
16. Realize the significance of that detail. What intellectual or emotional idea or impact does it convey or suggest? Jot down an E right there on the page next to that line, in your drawing, or wherever you take notes.
17. Go to next D of note. What does it suggest? How does it “fit” with the previous D>E? (This is what is known as context!)
18. PAY SPECIAL ATTENTION TO THE SIMILARITY OR CONTRAST BETWEEN THESE D. How do they fit together and what does that mean? What are their differences and what do those contrasts highlight or suggest?
19. Repeat #17-#18 for the rest of poem.
20. Return to step #9. What message about the subject is being suggested?
21. Ask yourself: What D>E specifically backs up my interpretation?
22. What does this poem “do”? Find the right verb. This plus a subject and a suggestion of direction becomes your I.
23. Begin to write analysis.
24. I have suggested beginning with I (#11) or S (#14). This is certainly not necessary, but it allows you to build the rest of the paragraph on the foundation of an idea or a situation. Even if you are lost on I, you should always be able to get S.
25. Remember the Mad Hatter: Proceed chronologically (usually) through poem as your write D>E’s, selecting those D that illustrate the I and/or S you are analyzing.
26. CONTRASTS AND REPETITIONS!!!!!!
27. As you approach the end of your paragraph, the Es should be getting longer and more totalizing....almost like it is flowing into your AC.
28. Work, feel, think, and play towards an AC: What is said, more completely, about the I you have introduced? Think big picture concepts, simple emotional expressions, or observations about society and humanity. Remember, ambiguity, even contradiction or paradox, are often part of this meaning.

Mad Hatter Say:

"Start at the beginning, and when you get to the end, stop."

Imagery at Work

Bob Dylan-A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall (1964)

Basic D, Basic E

Keep It Simple

Choose one notable detail.
Write a simple sentence that contains that detail.
Be sure this sentence gets right to the point.
Don't say "the speaker says" or any of that kind of stuff.
Get to the real issue, the actual descriptions.
Put quotation marks around that detail.

Explain that notable detail
in a simple sentence that does nothing else but explain that detail.
Do not connect it to anything else besides that one detail (yet).
We are just practicing.
One D, One E.
.....

For example:

D: The trees in the widow's yard are full of "masses of flowers".


(This is just a sentence that gets right to the point, flows nicely, has no extra 'the speaker says' phrases, and quotes a specific detail.)

E: This imagery suggests the renewal of life that comes with Spring.


(This is just a simple sentence that attempts to explain the significance of the "masses of flowers"; it does not try to get to fancy, focuses its explanation on just that single detail, does not try to connect to larger ideas of the poem. It is just a clean and simple explanation of a detail.)

Again:

D: Because of her tremendous "grief", the widow is unable to experience the "joy" of the season's promise of growth and natural beauty.
E: The loss of her husband seems an overwhelming sorrow too painful to overcome.

Other points to include in your homework of the poems

Idea Sentence:
Who or what is the subject? What is being said about them or it? What does this poem "do"? (Supply best fitting verb.) Introduce idea.....then build towards a more complete AC of the idea introduced in I.

Situation: What is the basic setting? How does it begin? Who is talking? To who? How is the poem structured as a whole?

Analytic Conclusion: Based on a series of D>E that comprises the bulk of the analysis, what can be more completely expressed about the subject from I? What larger implications might come come into play?