Important Reminders about Hamlet End-of-Unit Work

Very important note #1:
Several students have not shared thread discussion preparation responses with me. (Click here for directions.) This end of unit activity is culmination of a lot of work on your threads and, therefore, counts toward the "end of unit assessment" part of your grade (70%). Not turning in these notes will have a significant impact on your grade.

Very important note #2:
By now you should be familiar with the Director Hamlet assignment due Friday, December 20 which is a week from today. (Click here and then scroll to number 4.) You should have a plan about how you are going to complete all of the components over the next seven nights. By next Tuesday (which is the next chance we'll have to talk in class because of the in-class essay on Monday) you should have finished about half of the project. Be prepared to share your progress. Email me with any questions you have as you work on this project between now and Tuesday.

Very important note #3
Don't forget to bring* the prompt and annotated passage with you to class on Monday. I will not read essays that are not accompanied by annotated passages. 

*(in shared electronic form or in paper form)

Very important note #3b
When planning your essay consider...
* an engaging opening with a big, thematic idea that leads into the thesis (like the one you created for your Jamaica Kincaid essay)
* a bold, daring, insightful thesis that addresses the prompt (strategies and theme).

* How will you organize your paragraphs? By strategy? By section of the passage? By character within the passage? (This was an interesting idea in C-block.) Other?
* How will you weave in supporting quotations? (Remember to cite act, line, and scene. Remember to use a slash for line breaks.)

* if time permits, end by returning anew to your bold, daring, insightful thesis. Then, help the reader understand why the thesis matters: this is often accomplished by returning to the opening big, thematic idea. 

a possibly important note #3c
If you're struggling with strategies (or techniques), here is a list (posted on last year's blog) of figures of speech in Hamlet. Each is defined and accompanied by at least one example from Hamlet.  Strategies (or techniques) can also be found in the Hamlet Review sheet.

If you're interested in learning a bit more about syntax-related strategies click here and scroll down. You'll find a note about periodic sentences and "balanced" (or parallel) sentences (including antithesis). I mention this because one of you asked about the parallel structure in Polonius' advice to Laertes.  (My favorite kind of balanced sentence is chiasma. The balance is turned inside out. )