February 27th

1. Annotating a literary text:
Interactive Reading... Close Reading... Annotation

2. Oedipus Rex close reading exercise.

You have been given 9 passages that are from the beginning to mid-play. These are significant passages that are important to many aspects of the play. We are going to work on annotation today. You have been given these passages in small-doses so you can work on doing an in-depth reading of the play.

Things to look for:

• Who is speaking? To whom are they speaking?
• What is the context of this passage? 
• Any important words? Patterns?
• Literary devices?
• What is the significance of this passage to the entire play? 
• Are there any similarities in the passages... multiple passages? Motif... theme.. 
• What questions are raised? 

2. For Wednesday, have all 9 passages annotated with coinciding notes done by the end of the class hour.

QUIZ MONDAY over ENTIRE TEXT.

February 23rd.

Today we are going to have an online discussion about IRONY and MOTIFS.  You will need to post and respond to both posts.

TERMS TO KNOW:

Dramatic Irony: The audience knows something that the characters do not.
Dramatic Irony Examples

Situational Irony: When actions or events have the opposite result from what is expected or intended.
Examples of Situational Irony

Verbal Irony: When a speaker states something in contrast to what they actually mean. (Can be sarcasm.. or understatement)
Examples of Verbal Irony

Motif: a motif is a recurrent image, sound, action that have symbolic significance that help develop the theme of the work.

In Google Classroom, you will see the following post:

Post two examples of Dramatic/Thematic/Situational Irony in Oedipus Rex. Post your quote with the line numbers.  Identify your example as dramatic/thematic/situational irony. 

As you start reviewing the examples of lines of irony in Oedipus Rex, respond to a minimum of two lines discussing the significance of the examples to the overall text. The lines are the "what" and the naming of the device is the "how"... you are now going to provide the "why"? What is the significance to the meaning of the text? 

In Google Classroom, you will see the following post:

Post an example of the MOTIF of BLINDNESS in Oedipus Rex.  Please post the quote with the accompanying line numbers. 

As you start reviewing the examples of the motif of blindness in Oedipus Rex, respond with your explanation of the significance of this example to the meaning of the text to ONE classmate's response. You can address the context of this reference; what kind of effect is the motif having collectively in the play; what do we understand better through this reference... etc. 

Have your responses completed by MONDAY at the beginning of class. 

FOR TUESDAY: Read to page 314

February 16th

1. You will take Stasimon #1 from Oedipus Rex. Do a quick read through. On Google Classroom, open a Google Document and you will need to write down all of your annotations from your reading of the Stasimon. You will want to consider:

• Context of the stasimon
• Purpose of a Chorus-5
• How the stasimon is fulfilling the purpose. 
• Structure of the stasimon
• The How and the Why of this specific chorus. 

Due by the end of the class period.

FOR TUESDAY:
Read pages 287-300 for class on Tuesday.
Take very thorough notes.

February 14th

Introduction to Greek Theater:

Greek Theater
Sophocles and Oedipus 

Small group discussion-  Oedipus Rex Parados Annotation/Analysis Exercise

As you discuss the following questions, take effective notes on the concepts discussed. 

Remember the 4 expectations of group work: 1. Everyone participates productively 2. Address the assignment, only  3. Each individual is responsible for the material covered during group discussion. 4. Think of Mrs. Cole's  rationale for doing this assignment... and also doing it in this format. 

Parode/Parados (Entrance Ode): The entry chant of the chorus, often in an anapestic (short-short-long) marching rhythm (four feet per line). Generally, they remain on stage throughout the remainder of the play. Although they wear masks, their dancing is expressive, as conveyed by the hands, arms and body. Typically the parode and other choral odes involve the following parts, repeated in order several times:

1. Strophê (Turn): A stanza in which the chorus moves in one direction (toward the altar). Expresses a complete thought. Travels East to West. 
2. Antistrophê (Counter-Turn): The following stanza, in which it moves in the opposite direction. The antistrophe is in the same meter as the strophe. Another complete thought. Chorus travels West to East. 
3. Epode (After-Song): The epode is in a different, but related, meter to the strophe and antistrophe, and is chanted by the chorus standing still. The epode is often omitted, so there may be a series of strophe-antistrophe pairs without intervening epodes.

Parados

Summarize Strophe 1,2,3 and Antistrophe 1,2,3.

Strophes and Antistrophes are used to pose questions, problems, solutions and consequences that must be considered by the people/characters/audience.

1.  What problems are presented?

2.  How do the strophes and antistrophes affect the setting or atmosphere?

3.  Who are the people calling on to solve their problems?

4.  Why is it important that Oedipus walks in during Antistrophe 3?

5. What literary devices are being employed in the Parados? How are they being used?

Use the following questions to help guide your examination and analysis of the Parados... you will soon need to be able to do this independently. 

1. What roles do the Gods play in the Parados/Stasimon? 
2. In what ways is it responding to what has just happened in the previous episode? 
3. How are the needs of the chorus members/citizens different from the characters in the episode
4. What figurative language is being used and how? Metaphor? Similes? Personification?
5. What is the Parados/Stasimon's major theme and/or argument? 
6. What other literary elements do you see and how are they being used? 
7.  Structure: Can you determine the strophe? antistrophe? epode? Remember the concept of the sonnet? The quatrains/sestets/couplets? They derive from the Greek Chorus. Not only does the structure get fragmented, you will see the meaning shift. 

Now that we know that Oedipus killed Laius before the play begins, I want you to look back at the prologue and, in your notes, put examples of IRONY... Verbal, Situational, and Dramatic.

FOR FRIDAY:
Make sure that you are read up to lines 575 for Friday. 

February 13th

In class TODAY:

1. Read and TAKE NOTES on the following handout on the purpose of the Chorus. Role of the Chorus- Greek Theater

2. Read VERY CAREFULLY the first Chorus- Lines 169-244. Read it again. In your second read, look for the five purposes that a Chorus serves... what do we learn in this opening chorus, which is called the PARADOS.  When you are done, you need to screen shot a picture of your completed notes and post the image to Google Classroom by the end of class TODAY. They will not be accepted after the end of class.

3. Have read up to line 570 for Wednesday/Thursday.

Monday, February 12th

Today in class: 
1. We have read the opening episode of Oedipus Rex. Once again, we begin with the plague and questions of why it is killing the people. Oedipus must figure out the cause of the plague to save the people of Thebes.

Some questions to consider: 
1. What is significant about the first line being a question?
2. What are your initial impressions of King Oedipus?
3. How does the priest describe the people of Thebes' view of their king?
4. What do we learn about Oedipus' past from the priest?
5. What action does Oedipus take to solve the problems affecting Thebes?
6. When Creon arrives from the Oracle, what does Oedipus insist that he does? What does this tell us about his character?
7. What does Creon report from the Oracle?
8. What is Oedipus' response to this news?
9. What is the dramatic irony that surrounds Oedipus' response?

Dramatic Irony: a literary technique, originally used in Greek tragedy, by which the full significance of a character's words or actions are clear to the audience or reader although unknown to the character.

10. What does Oedipus promise to do for Thebes?
11. What theory does Oedipus immediately develop about Laius' death?
12. Why did the citizens of Thebes NOT investigate Laius' death?


  Epidauras,Greece Mrs. Cole at 22.

February 9th

Catch up... and moving forward day.

1. Check PS. If there are ANY USATESTPREP EOC practices that are marked "not turned in", GET THEM DONE. When you have them ALL completed, send me an email with the assignment and your points out of the points it was worth. Do not send me percentages. Do not send me multiple emails with individual scores if you are finishing more than one. Group them together. I will not take these after Sunday at 11:59 PM.  You are welcome.

2. If you haven't done so already, make sure that you have read and taken GOOD notes on pages 256-57 in your lit book over Greek Theatre. You also need to read and take good notes on the "Greek Theatre notes" found under Oedipus Rex links.

FOR MONDAY:

We are starting the FANTASTIC Greek Tragedy, Oedipus Rex (The King). Holy Moly, it is good! It has inspired the structure of tragedy from the time Sophocles wrote this in 429 BCE. It has also influenced modern psychology.   We are going to be studying the structure of tragedy... the devices of imagery, irony, etc.

Please read the opening pages on Oedipus Rex: Pages 258-259. Make sure that you pay attention to The Riddle of the Sphinx and Aristotle's definition of Tragedy. Please make sure that these are clearly marked in your notes... with all the other great information!

Start reading Oedipus Rex up through the middle of page 269.  A word of warning.. the Choruses are a little more difficult to read than the dramatic action of the play. However, they are incredibly significant in giving the reader information of what has happened prior to them speaking AND what to look forward as the play continues. The Choruses also provide the TONE in which we are to receive and understand the events we are witnessing. They are highly poetic and imagery-filled. We will spend a lot of time with these. Don't get frustrated.. .read through a couple of times.

February 7th

1. Point of View:
Point of view is the angle of considering things, which shows us the opinion or feelings of the individuals involved in a situation. In literature, point of view is the mode of narration that an author employs to let the readers “hear” and “see” what takes place in a story, poem, or essay.

Point of view is an integral tool of description in the author’s hands to portray personal emotions or characters’ feelings about an experience or situation. Writers use a point of view to express effectively what they want to convey to their readers.

2. Socratic Seminar over An Iliad and The Iliad. 

Things to consider:

• How does An Iliad represent the characterization which is seen in the primary text? 
• How do we see the themes of The Iliad seen in both texts? 
• What is the purpose of both texts? 
• What is the role of the poet.. or the narrator in both texts?
• The list of questions I gave you. 
• What is the play stating about war? 
• Why is The Iliad an important text still today?

Look over the Socratic seminar requirements/expectations. Socratic Seminar Expectations

3. For Friday:

Socratic Seminar Review- Socratic Seminar Reflection
- Make a copy of the form.
- Print off your reflection and bring to class on Friday.

Read pages 256-57 in your literature books. TAKE NOTES.
Read "The Greek Theater" notes found under Oedipus Rex links.  TAKE NOTES.

BRING YOUR LIT BOOK TO CLASS ON FRIDAY.

January 6th

1. You will need to log into USATESTPREP.  We will be working on two strand tests to practice for the EOC Test. The two strands are Literary Analysis and Informational Text.  You will need to pass each test with a 70%.

2. Be ready for your Socratic seminar over The Iliad and An Iliad.  You will need textual examples for both texts. Add to your notes.. you will be able to use them for your seminar. This is a test score. Your preparation is key.

Bring 5 prepared higher level critical questions- You write them.. and then be prepared to discuss them.

Things to consider:

• How does An Iliad represent the characterization which is seen in the primary text? 
• How do we see the themes of The Iliad seen in both texts? 
• What is the purpose of both texts? 
• What is the role of the poet.. or the narrator in both texts?
• The list of questions I gave you. 
• What is the play stating about war? 
• Why is The Iliad an important text still today?

Look over the Socratic seminar requirements/expectations. Socratic Seminar Expectations