Day 22

Today we finished Macbeth. Please respond to the following:

What makes one person's death a tragedy while another person's death may be considered unfortunate? Give examples in history of this idea.

Day 21

Compared to some violent criminals around today, is Macbeth better or worse than they? Explain who and why. Would someone like that be able to function in today's society? Why or why not? Example?

Day 20

We see that Macbeth is beginning to act more and more desparate with the killing of Macduff's family. From your experience, what motivates a person to act desparately? Have you ever been pushed to acting this way? If you are comfortable, for what reason. If not, can you think of a book, movie or tv character, politician, etc. who has acted this way and what caused them to do so?

Day 19

Please choose a current event. No sports or entertainment unless it relates to something greater. Give a brief summary of your event and then tell me how it impacts you on a personal level. NO CITE, NO POINTS AND THE CITE MUST BE IN THE ORIGINAL POST NOT A SUBSEQUENT POST.

Week 5 Day 18

Please respond to the following quote:

"When we blindly adopt a religion, a political system, a literary dogma, we become automatons. We cease to grow."
Anais Nin

Day 17

We discussed a couple of Macbeth themes today. They are not the only ones as the following are also themes: things are not what they seem, blind ambition, power corrupts, and superstition affects human behavior. Please choose one of these themes and write how they have effected the story and characters. Make sure you use at least 2 specific examples from different acts when explaining.

Day 16

For this evening, I would like you to choose one of the characters and write a diary entry of how they are reacting to the events which are taking place. Use examples to support their reactions. Do not just choose Macbeth because he is the easiest but stretch your mind a bit. You may also use a character who has been killed up to the point of their death. Do not forget those characters that have run off as they are important to the story as well. This may take a few more than 7 sentences.

Week 4, Day 15

We have completed 3 Acts of "Macbeth" now. We have seen that the good Macbeth seems to be falling into a world with morals that only work with his ambition. Also, we seem to see him falling into a world of insanity based on his actions.

For this evening:

If you were one of the nobles in Macbeth's court, how would you react to the king that Macbeth has become? Do you think that people thought he would be a good king? Why or why not? Give examples of leaders who you feel have misused their power. give reasons for your choices. (You many not use Hitler as he is too obvious).

Day 14

Today we read the first 2 scenes of Act 3. In them we realize that Macbeth is truly beginning to lose it a bit. The fact that he was no longer happy just with being king but with having to set up his future status as well shows the fact that once he murdered and got away with it, it seems as if this type of behavior is now acceptable.

If you were Macbeth would you tell Lady Macbeth about the plot to murder Banquo and Fleance? Why or why not? What are the advantages and disadvantages to discussing this with her based on what we know of her personality? Why is it important to Macbeth that the murderers succeed in killing both Banquo and Fleance? Why doesn't he just do it himself? What does this say about Macbeth's personality from a psychological point of view? Explain your answer.

Have a great 4 days off!

Day 13

We are now done with our bubbling. For this evening, choose a current event. Summarize in a couple of sentences and then give an opinion of how this event effects you, your town or your world. NO CITE, NO POINTS

Day 12

The last few days we have spent dealing with the ACT. What is your opinion of this test and the effect it may have on your future? Do these type of tests pigeon hole us into a specific way of thinking or are they good for helping us decide on our future? Should the school be putting as much time into this test as we do or is there a better use of time? I guess, what is your opinion on this part of your life?

Day 11

Hope you did not miss me too much today and did alright with the ACT Test Prep. It may seem like a waste of time but truly it is not. The more practice the better the score in the end.

For this evening, I would like you to create a dialogue between Macbeth and Duncan after Duncan is killed. Each person must have at least 5 strong lines with references to the story. The discussion could be Duncan asking Macbeth why he killed him or what his plans may be for Scotland. Be creative but at the same time the key is me knowing that you are getting the story.

Week 3, Day 10

Please address the following quote:

“The very substance of the ambitious is merely the shadow of a dream.”
William Shakespeare

Day 9

Make sure that you reread and review Act 2 as there will most likely be a quiz on Monday. Please choose from one of the following to blog about:

How would you respond if you learned someone else was going to receive an unearned award? What if you thought you deserved the award? How does jealousy play into how we make decisions or react to other people's success?

Do you know of a situation where someone cheated the system to get what they wanted? (Avoid school related activities if possible) Is there a time when cheating the system is acceptable? Do you feel you have cheated the system ever? Give an example and/or how it made you feel.

Day 8

We continued our reading of "Macbeth" Act 2 scenes 1 & 2.

Give me your definition of motivation. How do we motivate ourselves to do things especially if we think they may not be the best choice. Give an example of something that motivates you. Then, pick a character from the play and discuss what motivates them and whether that motivation is a positive or negative thing.

Day 7

Hope you did well on the quiz. You should have had more than enough time to figure out the simile and metaphor exercise as well.

For this evening:

Macbeth allowed outside forces to have some control over his life. So far, these include the witches and Lady Macbeth. Often in our lives, we allow outside forces to have more control than we think they should. What outside forces do you feel control your life? Why do you allow this to happen? Does this make you a weak person? When can it be positive to allow outside forces to be an effective part of our lives?

Day 6

Today we looked at Act 1, Scenes 5-7. As always, reread and make sure all work it up to date including the Act 1 questions. As part of Act 1, we saw Macbeth making decisions with his life about his future. These choices include the potential death of King Duncan at his own hands. With that in mind:

Most people who rise to high positions had to step on someone else’s toes to get there. Do you agree or disagree with this statement. Why? Can you give examples of this happening in our society? Is there always something wrong with doing what it takes to move ahead?

Week 2, Day 1

Today we listened to scenes 3 & 4 (we are going to begin moving a bit faster than one or two scenes a day). Make sure you re-read these scenes for clear understanding. Also, make sure that you are filling in the grid sheet as well as looking at the other unit long assignment. Do not get behind or you will end up losing points in the end.

For this evening, please discuss the following:

Describe your first impression of Macbeth. What do we know about him and how do we initially perceive him? Does this impression change after he hears the witches predictions or the fact that he became Thane of Cawdor? What about his comments at the end whe he learns that Malcolm will be the next king? How does all of this tie into the idea of ambition?

REMEMBER AT LEAST 7 SENTENCES!!