Monday, June 5th:
Final over Romeo and
Juliet today!
There are a few typos on the test
On page 5, question # 47, letter B should read:
b. He accidentally impales himself on Mercutio’s sword
On page 5, question #50, letter C should read:
c. to hide Romeo until dark, for him to stay with Juliet for
the night, and then leave before dawn for Mantua.
On page 5, question #51, letters B and C should read:
b. Lord Capulet offers Juliet’s hand in marriage to Paris on
Thursday
c. Lord Capulet offers Juliet’s hand in marriage to Paris on
Wednesday
On page 6, questions 59, the question should read:
Why doesn’t Brother John carry the letter explaining the
Friar’s plan to Romeo in Mantua?
Today you will be given a rubric for the Romeo and Juliet
essay. The due date for the essay has been changed to Wednesday, June 7th
at 4 p.m.
You must turn it into turnitin.com
English9
13628756
Choose ONE of the following topics and write a well-organized and well-crafted five
paragraph essay.
1.
Is Mercutio a foil to Romeo? A foil is a character whose personality or traits
are the opposite of those of the the lead character; these differences point
out and highlight the personality of the lead character. You should find
quotations and examples from the play to support your thesis. You may want to
use your Act 2 vocabulary packet to help you on this one.
2.
Examine Shakespeare’s use of light and dark in literary tropes to illustrate
Romeo’s mood in the play. For example, in the beginning of the play Romeo
frequently refers to darkness and heaviness; it is when he meets Juliet that he
begins to speak of lightness (“It is with love’s light wings did I o’er perch
these walls...”) You must find examples to support your thesis.
3.
Examine Shakespeare’s use of irony to enhance the suspense in the play. One
might examine the dramatic irony in Act 4, Scene 2 in which Juliet’s mother
informs her of her impending marriage to Paris. There are many examples of
situational and dramatic irony, as well as some verbal irony, in ROMEO and
JULIET. Give at least three examples of irony (one of each: situational,
verbal, and dramatic) in the play.
4.
Examine the role of women in the play: Juliet, the Nurse and Lady Capulet. Show
how each responds to the crisis in her life: Juliet’s forced marriage to Paris;
Lord Capulet’s abuse of the Nurse and Lady Capulet, and Juliet’s estrangement
from the Nurse. You might also wish to consider Lady Capulet's life; in all
probability she too was forced into an arranged marriage at the same age as
Juliet. Notice in Act 4 Lady Capulet's response to Lord Capulet's sudden
decision to change the wedding date. How much resistance does she offer? Does
Lord Capulet even consider her objections? Consider too that this scene follows
hard upon Act 4, Scene 2 in which Lord Capulet reacts violently to Juliet's
refusal to bend to his will. Consider the Nurse's hard, realistic advice to
Juliet. Did her life experiences teach her to be pragmatic and realistic?
5.
Discuss the theme of the play, ROMEO and JULIET. Find examples to support what
you believe is the theme of the play.
6.
Throughout the play Romeo makes frequent references to the stars and to the prophetic
power of dreams. However, is it the stars and dreams that lead to Romeo's and
Juliet's deaths or is it just poor, rash judgment on his part that leads to
tragedy? Be sure to use examples from the play to support your thesis.
7.
Analyzing the text, find examples in which the characters' poor decisions lead
to the tragedy. What better decisions could Lord and Lady Capulet, the
Montagues, the Friar, the Nurse, Mercutio, Tybalt, and of course, Romeo and
Juliet have made that would have averted tragedy? You might want to use your
"consequences" paper to help you on this.
8.
Compare and contrast Romeo and Juliet. How are they similar and how are they
dissimilar?
9.
Compare and contrast any two characters in the play. How is Benvolio a foil to
Mercutio? Or how is Tybalt a foil to Mercutio? Or how is the Apothecary a foil
to the Friar?
10.
Discuss Shakespeare's use of literary language to enhance meaning in the play.
Some of the literary language you may wish to consider are: personification,
metaphor, simile, allusion, imagery, apostrophe and ironic devices. How does he
use these devices to: reveal character or to enhance suspense or to reveal
theme or to forward the plot.
Rubric for Essay
To receive an “A”, you must do the following:
The essay:
·
is 1.5 spaced
·
has, as a minimum, a 500 word count
(approximately two pages)
·
has
paragraphs that are no more than half a page in length
·
is factually accurate
·
has a thesis statement, which gives a
framework and a guide to the essay
·
has quotations from the text to support the
writer’s position
·
has 5% or fewer grammatical errors such as:
sentence fragments, fused sentences, and/or comma splices, and correct use of
commas, semi-colons, and capitalization
The heading:
·
Has a title
·
The student’s name, date, and period are on
the upper left side of the first page
The introductory paragraph has:
·
A thesis statement (what the essay is about
and the position of the writer)
·
The title of the play and the full name of the
author
·
A “grabber” that catches the interest of the
reader
·
One sentence per main idea that will be
discussed later on in the essay
·
A transitional sentence that provides a bridge
to the next paragraph
|
The body paragraphs (paragraphs 2, 3, 4, etc.):
·
Should be no more than half a page in length
·
Should have a mini-topic sentence which helps
the reader understand what the paragraph is about
·
Must refer to the text to support the points
the writer is making
·
For every point the writer is making, the
writer must provide proof from the text to support her point
·
Must have a short quotation and/or a
paraphrase of the text to support the point the writer is making
·
Should have a transitional sentence that acts
as a bridge to the next paragraph
|
The Conclusion:
·
There should be no new material in the last
paragraph
·
There should be a brief summing up of the main
points – one sentence per main idea
·
A final point that sums up the writer’s
conclusion
|
A “B” paper does the following:
Does much of the same things the “A” paper has, but may
lack the following:
·
does not follow the 1.5 spacing
·
may not have the 500 word minimum but has, at
least, 450 words
·
may not have one sentence per main idea in the
introductory paragraph
·
may not have a grabber sentence in the
introductory paragraph
·
the paragraphs may be too long (a full page)
or too short.
·
may have 10% grammatical errors such as:
sentence fragments, fused sentences, comma splices, and incorrect use of commas
and capitalizations which may interfere with the reader’s understanding of
the paper
·
does not support all the points by references
to the text: direct quotations and/or paraphrasing lines from the literary
piece.
·
May not have all the main ideas from the essay
in the concluding paragraph and/or may have a weak final thought.
|
A “C” paper does the following:
·
May have less than 400 words
·
May not have a strong and clear thesis
statement
·
May have more than 10% grammatical errors such
as: sentence fragments, fused sentences, comma splices, and incorrect use of
commas and capitalizations, which may interfere with the reader’s
understanding of the paper.
·
May use pronouns such as “I” or “you” and
includes sentences such as “My paper is going to be about” or “I am going to
tell you….”
·
May have many typos, misspellings, and
factually incorrect information which would suggest a poorly planned out and
hastily written paper
·
May lack quotations and/or paraphrases to
support the writer’s point
·
Poor organization which does not follow the
format (see the organization for the “A” paper)
|
A “D” or “F” paper does the following:
·
May have less 300 words
·
No clear strong and clear thesis statement
·
No grabber sentence to attract the reader’s
interest
·
Does not have one sentence per main idea in
the introductory paragraph
·
May use pronouns such as “I” or “you” and
include sentences such as “My paper is going to be about” or “I am going to
tell you….”
·
More than 20% grammatical errors, which
interferes with the reader’s understanding of the paper.
·
Has many typos, misspellings, and factually
incorrect information, which would suggest not a great deal of time was spent
on the paper.
·
Lack of clear organization
·
Little to no references to the text, nor
quotations, nor paraphrases from the text
·
No conclusion or a conclusion that does not
include the main ideas of the paper
|
Wednesday, June 7th:
Make-up final for Romeo
and Juliet
Work on the culminating essay for Romeo and Juliet
May raise grade on the Romeo
and Juliet essay by writing the questions and the correct answers on a
separate sheet of paper and turning it in with the original test.
Watch the 1996 Boz Luhrman Romeo + Juliet film.
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