Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Homework Due Friday, January 22

Complete the brainstorm packet for your character analysis. Start by answering all of the questions presented. Then find AT LEAST 3 quotes SAID BY YOUR CHARACTER and analyze them. To analyze, you must make inferences about your character and his or her behaviors BASED ON THE WORDS he or she uses. Ask yourself why the character says what he/she says and what the words reveal about him or her. Then ask yourself how these words play into the overarching themes of the play.

**For example, if your friend said, "O that this too too sullied flesh would melt, thaw, and resolve itself into a dew," you might say to another friend: I'm worried about my friend. He wishes that his flesh would melt! Plus, he says that his flesh is sullied! For some reason, he thinks that he is contaminated, or ruined. Maybe that's because his girlfriend's father prohibited her from speaking to him. So because her dad doesn't like him, he feels like there's something wrong with him.... hmmm.. this plays into the fact that he has an inferiority complex. I mean, he did say another time that he was not like Hercules. He sees himself as weak and contaminated. Ugh. I'm sure that the fact that his dad, the king, was killed, has something to do with this. And then his mom married his uncle. No wonder he feels sullied. His family name is sullied. His father's honor is sullied. And he is part of his father, so now he thinks he is sullied too. I wonder why he chose to say that his flesh would "melt" rather than just disappear or something. Maybe he sees himself as cold as ice, like he's thinking cold thoughts. This wouldn't surprise me, given what he is going through. He has no warmth left! Poor guy. And resolve itself into a dew? Well, when I think of dew, I think of morning. Maybe he wants to be like the residue left on the trees in the morning on a warm day. Dew is crysal clear, it's easily swept away to nothing, and it evaporates in the sun. So, he wishes he would evaporate. I would be REALLY worried about him, except for the fact that he's such a smart and witty guy. I hope that his sense of humor and wits will carry him through this. Come to think of it, when I think of morning, I think of mourning, and he's definitely mourning........ (kids, I could go on forever here, so I'm just going to stop now... I think you get the idea)....


You should be able to fill out all three pages of the packet by following these directions, this example, and the 15 page paper you read on Hamlet.

Now get to your analysis brainstorm and make it good!!!!!!!!!!!