Thursday November 10: Finishing Writing Responses

Welcome class!
Today's Quiz is postponed until Monday!


You have the full class the complete your writing responses.


This is a quiet workday.
If you cannot remain quiet and work on your assignment, you will receive lunch detention.


Today is the last day to hand in any graphic organizers. At this point, the due dates for all of them has passed.


This means that graphic organizers 1 through 5 are ALL DUE. Your paragraphs for the written response assignment are also ALL DUE by the end of the day today.

MLA Heading:
YOUR NAME
INSTRUCTOR'S NAME (MR. CLARKIN)
ENGLISH III- (put in your class-3, 7, or 8)
9 November 2016   (note there are no commas and the day is first)

Responses earning the highest score will meet the following criteria:
-Contains proper MLA heading
-Contains a clear thesis statement indicating the topic of the response
-Contains 3 separate pieces of evidence for each prompt
-Follows appropriate citation conventions for poetry
-Integrate quotes into the text, including weaving text into your responses.
-Provides an analysis statement for each piece of evidence to show how the evidence supports the claim
-Contains at least one sentence which correctly uses a semi-colon
-Grammar, syntax, and spelling are correct; all sentences are complete and coherent.

Essay Instructions

To conclude our study of “My Last Duchess” by Robert Browning, you will respond to three of the following prompts, in at least 100 words each. Students receiving extended time will need to respond to two of the four prompts. At least one of your responses needs to include a sentence in which you demonstrate your understanding of the proper use of a semicolon. This assignment will be for a writing grade. Please write in pen or type your assignment. Anything submitted later than Thursday will be worth 50%.

Write in complete, grammatically correct sentences. You will need to write a thesis statement for each prompt, as well as citing three specific pieces of textual evidence from the poem for each prompt, using the appropriate conventions for citing poetry when necessary. These conventions include placing quotes from the poem in quotation marks, placing line numbers in parentheses after a quote, using slashes to indicate line breaks, using ellipses when you are abridging a line, and using brackets to indicate words you have added or altered to ensure the syntax makes sense.

Pick three of the following topics and write a response that draws on three pieces of evidence from the text for each of the three responses you chose. Each response should be a minimum of 100 words, must contain a thesis statement, and must also include your analysis of your chosen textual evidence. The textual evidence for each response must be different. You cannot reuse the same piece of textual evidence. At least one of these responses should include a sentence in which you have used a semicolon. 

 

1. How is the theme of jealousy developed over the course of the poem?

You will have to include three pieces of specific textual evidence with analysis to demonstrate how the theme is developed. Make sure you explain how your chosen evidence contributes to the development of the theme.

 

2. How is the character of the Duke developed over the course of the poem? 

You will have to show three pieces of textual evidence that demonstrate important aspects of the character of the speaker. Explain with your analysis how these three pieces of textual evidence show us what kind of man the Duke is, as well as how they demonstrate his own view of himself.

 

3. How does the portrait of his last Duchess represent the Duke’s attitude towards his last wife? 

Your response should demonstrate how the Duke seems to regard the portrait as an improvement over the living woman. You will need to include three pieces of textual evidence that show us how the portrait represents the Duke’s attitude towards the Duchess.

 

4. How does the statue of Neptune taming a seahorse represent the Duke’s view of himself in relation to others? 

You will have to include three pieces of textual evidence that support your interpretation of the symbolism behind the statue. I recommend starting out by explaining what the statue might be taken to represent, and then looking for evidence in the poem to weave in which supports your interpretation of the statue as a symbol.

Vocabulary #1 for "My Last Duchess"
Quiz on November 10th

1. countenance (noun) – face
2. earnest (adjective) – serious in intention, purpose, or effort; showing depth and sincerity of feeling
3. durst (verb) - dare
4. mantle (noun) – a loose, sleeveless cloak or cape
5. flush (noun) – a redness on a person’s face because of emotion
6. bough (noun) – a branch of a tree, especially one of the larger or main branches
7. officious (adjective) – objectionably aggressive in offering one’s unrequested and unwanted services, help, or advice; meddlesome
8. trifling (noun) – idle or frivolous conduct, talk, etc.
9. will (noun) – a person’s choice or desire in a particular situation
10. lessoned (verb) – taught; instructed; given a lesson; admonished; reproved