Anastasia Bulgakova Blogger #7-4

12/21/2018

Aim: How does the rhetorical device of paralipsis create a sense of irony in Macbeth’s dynamic shift of character?

            In class today we presented the character wallets that we have been working on for the past three days. The objective was to create a wallet for a character from Macbeth. Some of our hot picks were Macbeth himself, Lady Macbeth, and the guards. The 6 groups in our class presented a unique wallet with items from the modern world that represented them. Some were ID cards, makeup, and gift cards for different symbolic services, such as the witches’ prophecies. Each person in a group was responsible for one item in the wallet, while presenting one would present the appearance of the item, state a literary device that it represents, and a quote that corresponds with it, including the Shakespearean way of quoting acts. 

Overall, the groups were very creative in their presentations and put a new twist to the old Shakespearean tale, as they were mostly graded on creativity, relevance, group work and amount of items. This presentation helped students understand and comprehend events in the book in a fun and engaging way while saying goodbye to 2018 on the last day of school!

George Baslous Blogger #7-3 12/19/18

George Baslous
12/19/18
Blogger #7-3
Period 7 Sophomore English

The main focus for our class today was to continue working on our wallet projects. Yesterday, we were given the task of creating a wallet with items inside to represent traits from any character in Macbeth. Without being told which character the wallet belongs to, we should we able to guess who it belongs to primarily based on the contents of the wallet. By doing this project, we are quickly learning that a person's belongings can sometimes be a dead giveaway to the type of person that they are, and also that sometimes it is difficult to express certain personality traits.

We continued to work on this wallet project in our groups, keeping in mind the rubric shown above.
As you can see, each group will be awarded with points based on creativity, group work, relevance, justification through quotes, and the amount of contents in the wallet.

Most of today was spent watching YouTube tutorials to teach us how to make a paper wallet, or a duct tape wallet.

Everything in this project can make a difference, which is motivating us to work hard and diligently with our groups on this project, but also to have fun with it and be creative/artistic. As we continue to work on this project tomorrow, there will for sure be much more progress, and we should have our final projects completed and ready to present on 12/19/18, Friday.

Agustin Ballinas, Blogger #2, 12/18/18

Aim: How does Shakespeare's use of complex character development illuminate central themes and contribute to Macbeth as a whole?

"Cluster Activity (Part 1) Exploring Ms. Fusaro's wallet... What can you determine about my character from the items you find in my wallet?"

Today in class, Ms. Fusaro allowed us to go through her wallet to see how much we could find out about a person just by seeing the contents of their wallets. She entrusted her wallet to a fellow student, George, and as he went through the wallet he would announce to the class whatever he found. As we went through Ms. Fusaro's
wallet we found out stuff about her that we didn't previously know about her, such as that she is a blood donor. She also has several forms of writing utensils in her purse as well as several different methods of payment and this shows that she is prepared for different occasions. We could use this skill in real life to find out more about a person that we have been originally not given much information about.


"Cluster Activity (Part 2) Character Wallets-Each group must choose a character (in Macbeth) and create a wallet with contents that are suitable for that character at this point in the play..."
After going through Ms. Fusaro's wallet we were tasked with creating a wallet of a character in Macbeth and the purpose of doing this was to force us to think about what each character would have in their wallet and this would help us to identify how each character was unique.

Sarah Afif, Blogger #1, 12/13/18

Sarah Afif
12/13/18
Pd. 7
Blogger #1

Today's lesson was centralized around how Shakespeare’s use of complex character development illuminated central themes and contributed to Macbeth as a whole. We broke down Macbeth's famous soliloquy in Act 3 Scene 1, and used our close reading and annotating techniques to get a better understanding of it. We also answered the following questions:

1. What is the tone of Macbeth’s soliloquy? Prove this assertion.
The tone of Macbeth's soliloquy is quite frightened. Macbeth continually repeats the he is afraid of Banquo, and Banquo threatens him reaching the throne. Banquets cleverness and smarts also overpower that of Macbeth's. We hear panic in Macbeth's voice as he is struck with the realization that if he doesn't kill Banquo and Fleance, he would have killed Duncan for no reason.
2. Identify the historical allusion in the soliloquy. How does this allusion create mood.
The historical allusion is related to Marc Antony and Octavius Cesar. Marc Antony and Octavius Cesar were notorious enemies and eventually, Marc Antony committed suicide and Octavius became emperor. This relates to the soliloquy as it signifies that Marc Antony is Macbeth and Banquo is Brutus. Macbeth thinks that Banquo is Cesar and he himself is Antony, and believes that Banquo will outsmart him and reach the throne. Therefore, this historical allusion creates a fearful mood as we know Macbeth fears Banquo, just as Marc Antony feared Octavius Cesar. We also see Macbeth's unchecked ambition. Once he kills one person to get to the throne, he would have to kill dozens of others who could get in his way. Therefore it is always tempting for him to use violence in order for him to become king, which he ends up doing because he is overly ambitious. 

3. Explain the significance of Macbeth’s dynamic shift to the plot and theme of the play. 

Macbeth's shift shows that he is losing himself and becoming more like Lady Macbeth. He begins to be "a snake in the grass" and hides his true feelings. This is significant as it leads to Macbeth and Lady Macbeth becoming susceptible to guilt. It also brings up the association between manliness and cruelty. Lady Macbeth firmly believes that men should be cruel and she convinces Macbeth to believe the same thing. Therefore, for the majority of the play, Macbeth lacks moral constraints and ends up killing dozens of people.

Today's lesson brought forth many of the vital themes of Macbeth including: 

-unchecked ambition

-how cruelty and manliness are related

-fate

All three of these themes intertwined in the lesson we learned today. Macbeth now believes that in order to be a real man, he must perform acts of violence and be cruel (an outdated concept if you ask me). This correlation that he believes exists, leads him to kill again and again. This is also due to his unchecked ambition, as he will do whatever it takes to get to the throne. Fate also plays a role in this as Macbeth is driven to insanity by the witches prophecy of Fleance taking the throne. This is another contributing factor to Macbeth's brutality. 

1. How is Macbeth motivating the murderers?

He is “brainwashing” the murderers in a sense. He uses reverse psychology, accusing  the murderers of being less manly if they don't murder Banquo. He says their lives are full of poverty because of Banquo and he challenges their manliness. 

2. How do the murderers feel about life?

They feel that they had a poor life that was worth nothing, and Macbeth takes advantage of this by blaming this on Banquo. He says that Banquo is the reason for the murderers poor fortune, trying to give them a motive to kill.  

3. Why doesn’t Macbeth commit the deed himself?

Macbeth doesn’t commit the deed himself because him and Banquo share mutual friends and therefore, he could not be seen doing such a deed because their friends would get suspicious. 

4. What is Fleance’s fate?

Fleance’s fate is that he will become king, as the Witch’s prophecy states that Banquo’s sons will be kings. 

5. What is the connection between Fleance’s fate and the witches prophecies?

The witch’s prophecies predicted that Fleance would be a threat to becoming king.

Class Blogger #7-34 12/12/18

We began today's lesson with an analysis of Banquo's character. Specifically, we took the lines "Thou hast it now - King, Cawdor, Glamis, all as / As the Weird Women promised, and I fear / Thou played'st most foully for 't." (III, i, 1-3) Here, we looked at Banquo's thoughts and feelings in this point in the story. After a general class discussion, we concluded that Banquo is suspicious of Macbeth's behavior due to everything in the prophecy from earlier in the story coming into fruition.

Then we began our reading of Act III, Scene I as a class. Several of our classmates read and acted out the parts of the scene.

In addition to that, we would occasionally interrupt with our own analysis. At this point in the story, Banquo and Macbeth are very wary of each other. Macbeth fears that because of the prophecy, Banquo's children will take the crown from him and his family. Banquo, on the other hand, fears that Macbeth might murder him on his path for power. With this, we lead into the discussion about character foils.

Character foils are characters that come from the same background or position but have opposing ideologies that counter one other.

Thor and Loki from the Marvel Cinematic Universe are a notable example of character foils. The two of them are a pair of brothers that were raised together. However, Thor's traditional heroic ideologies oppose Loki's dishonest ones. Other examples in media include Scar and Mufasa from the Lion King in addition to Anakin and Obi-Wan from Star Wars. Jack and Ralph from the Lord of The Flies which we read previously is another good example of this.

In Macbeth, Banquo and Macbeth are character foils. Both men were war heroes that were in great favor with King Duncan. Macbeth, however, is consumed by ambition and is willing to do anything to gain power whereas Banquo, though he has ambitions, settles for whatever fate gives him.

Lastly, at the point in the story where we left off, Macbeth is trying to convince two poor and desperate men to murder Banquo. He blames Banquo for their troubles and mocks their masculinity. This is strikingly similar to what Lady Macbeth does earlier in the story. Earlier in the story, Lady Macbeth tries to convince the passive Macbeth to murder Duncan by both mocking him and enticing him. Now, Macbeth uses the same strategies to convince the two men to murder Banquo. Everything in Macbeth keeps changing and roles keep getting reversed. As the quote goes, "Fair is foul, foul is fair".

Blogger #7-33 12/10/18

Monday, December 10, 2018
Mrs Fusaro-Pizzo, Blogger #33
Artem Yatsenko
Sophomores 2019, Period 7

Aim: Vocabulary Word Game

Do Now: None

        At the beginning of the class, we looked at Mrs. Fusaro's google site, which had some information about her classes, as well as the Senior Syllabus. The Syllabus included information about the SITech senior mythology classes, as well as some of the assignments and projects that the seniors are doing right now.



       After this, we started the Unit 5 Vocabulary word game. The game required two members of different teams to write the vocabulary word after being given the definition. The team member who wrote it first would win, while the other team member would lose points. If both team members couldn't guess the words, they would both lose points and be required to draw a glazed donut, which was what they were.

      At the beginning of the game, a team could either gain or lose 20 points depending on if they could guess correctly. As the game progressed, this was increased to 50 points, and eventually to a number between 50 and 100 points, which was agreed on by the two team members. During the game, my team, Spooky Bois, lost the most points, at almost 150. This made my team have the lowest amount of points of all the teams by far, with 160 points.
  

Aim: How is Pathetic Fallacy used to illustrate the unnatural order of the Macbeth universe?
At the beginning of the lesson, we discussed a series of quotes and dug deeper into the meaning behind each of them.

“The Second Look” brief explanations for each quote:
 1. The Fool’s Rule, Porter is being drunk and foolish.
2. He’s pretending to be the porter of hell, he’s trying to be funny, example of dramatic irony, and it he’s trying to say that sweating out water means you’re not going to be cleaning anything.
3. Referring someone to being cold, which means they have no feelings, or no heart.
4. Even though Macbeth is planning on killing all these people, he’ll eventually get caught, Macbeth is being phony, he talk his way out of this scenario, but not the big picture.
5. Makes Lady Macbeth brave and makes the guards pass out, which all in all led to the murder.
6. Relating back to the talk about lechery, Macbeth had this desire to kill Duncan, but now he’s freaking out, made him believe he can do something, but now he feels terrible about it.

We then discussed the meaning of karma:
The class agreed on the meaning, “what goes around, comes around”

Then we were introduced to a new form of personification known as Pathetic Pallacy.

Pathetic Pallacy - “poetic practice of attributing human emotion or responses to nature, inanimate objects, or animals. The practice is a form of personification that is as old as poetry, in which it has always been common to find smiling or dancing flowers, angry or cruel winds, brooding mountains, moping owls, or happy larks”

It is another way for the author to illustrate was is happening in a certain scene.
Nature is going to respond to what is happening.

For example Macbeth kills Duncan, and in the play, the owl makes noise all night, the earth shakes, and people begin to hear things.

Blog #31, Richard Chin, Blogger #7-31

Monday, December 3, 2018
Mrs. Fusaro-Pizzo, Blogger #31
Sophomores 2019, Period 7

Aim: How does Shakespeare employ the use of “comic relief” to simultaneously lighten and darken the play?

Write Now: (On Google Classroom) STEP BACK & REVIEW

“Is this a dagger I see before me..”

“Macbeth does murder sleep”

Let’s review these chunks from Act II

Using your knowledge of symbols, what is Macbeth talking about? Why is this language to describe his act so provocative?

Reviewing on what we sophomores read in “Macbeth” by William Skakespeare in Act II, we analysized what made Act II seem so deep and meaningful: the vivid imagery, the overwhelming senses of emotions, and the symbolism.  For example:

• “Is this a dagger which I see before me, the handle toward my hand?” —In this quote, Macbeth is hallucinating a dagger which he would use to kill King Duncan (the “will be” formal king of Scotland), due to the harsh consideration Macbeth is having before committing the murder.
• “Macbeth does murder sleep”— In this chunk, Macbeth is having a guilty conscience of killing King Duncan, committing evil by taking advantage of a man’s most vulnerable state (sleeping with innocently)

After the write now/do now, Mrs. Fusaro taught us what passive-aggressive and comic relief was, giving several examples of each one in order for us to understand the concept.

Passive-Aggressive is an indirect resistance to the demands of others.

Some ways people can be passive-aggressive in real-life are:

• Not doing work or do it late for someone else in order to emphasize your unhappiness without directly stating the fact that you're unhappy.
• Complaining and whining to a co-worker (acting like a child while you're an adult), not telling your boss about your problems

The purpose of comic relief in Shakespeare's writing in "Macbeth" demonstrates to play an essential role in the flow of emotions throughout the play. Comic relief allows to lighten up the play, allowing Shakespeare to add even more dankness and intensity to sink into the audience's minds as Macbeth commits even more crimes as well as Duncan's dead body.

The Fool Rule in Shakespeare (Fun Fact): He added fools in his plays/stories as the wisest characters. He did this because he didn't like how the poor had to watch his plays from the balcony because they didn't have the money to enjoy his shows like the rich people did (the rich showing little respect to the poor).

Using these definitions our teacher gave us, we headed on to reading Act II Scene III of "Macbeth."

In the beginning of the scene, a porter is revealed to be the comic relief after the cruel murder of King Duncan. It takes the audience away from the "dark moments" by focusing on the porter, who spouted out humorous ramble about the effects drinking alcohol does for you towards Macduff and Lennox (who came to see Macbeth). The porter also mentions about the theme of equivocation. In this case, "drinking" is the equivocator, which is how the truth of Duncan's death is going to be manipulated into lies.

By observing literary techniques Shakespeare used to make his books the successes they are, we as students can learn to input these literary techniques in our own writing in order to make it more interesting and deep. 

Blogger #7-30 11/29/18

Aim: How do the symbols in Act II, scene ii, contribute to the work as a whole by illuminating tone, mood, and the theme of Macbeth?

     Do Now: Prepare for HOT SEAT by adding ONE MORE thought- provoking question to your list! Remember what creates an insightful question (ANALYSIS=What is IMPLIED = What we can INFER) - Start with HOW and WHY to get the most out of your questions.

(the hot seat characters should prepare)

Hot Seat Characters

Lady Macbeth

Macbeth

Two Guards

King Duncan

Host

Audience - asks the questions

The Hot Seat begins with an reenactment of Act. 2, Scene 2, in which the class (audience) has to take notes on.

"Sleep no more! Macbeth does murder sleep!" 

(Important Quote) Consider the symbolism associated with this statement.

     > Sleep symbolizes a "little death", and the most vulnerable state of humans. Macbeth takes advantage of this and kills Duncan in his sleep.

After the scene ends, the characters take their seats, and we begin our discussion by asking specific characters insightful question about the scene, or events leading up to that scene. 

Some of the Questions and Answers:  

~  Questions directed towards Lady Macbeth ~

- Why did you marry such a coward?
Lady Macbeth: I didn't know how big of a coward he was when we got married

- What is up with the birds? Owls, chickens, ravens, and crows?
Lady Macbeth: The ravens and crows symbolize death, which stand for Duncan's death. The chicken represents my husband, since he is a big coward.

- Why weren't you okay with killing Duncan who resembled your father, but okay with murdering your own child?
Lady Macbeth: It was a moment of weakness.

~ Questions directed towards Macbeth ~
- Do you support your wife, and her ideas?
Macbeth: Of course, I'm very proud of her and I know she wanted to murder Duncan for my sake.

- Did you kill Duncan to prove your masculinity, or did you do it for yourself to be king?

Macbeth: Both, since my wife thinks she's a better man than I am, and I also want to be king

-Do you plan on following through with the plan?

Macbeth: Yes, as we already killed Duncan, might as well follow through. We shouldn't be going backwards or else all our work will be in vain.

-Did you promise your wife to kill Duncan?

Macbeth: and that to

~ Questions directed towards King Duncan ~

-How does it feel to be betrayed twice?

Duncan: Obviously not great, Macbeth was suppose to be my loyal commander, I don't understand why.

-Having been killed because of how trusting you were, if you could go back, would you have ruled your empire more strictly?

Duncan: No, it was because I was a kind ruler that people loved me.

~ Questions directed toward the 2 guards ~

- Why were you slacking on the job?

Guards: We were working so hard, and at first we were refusing the drinks, but Lady Macbeth requested we drink so we did.This is the first time a King has died, and we will do a better job at guarding for his son.

-Why weren't you suspicious of Lady Macbeth? Guards: She seemed perfectly sane, and she offered us drinks like she was rewarding us for working so hard to protect the King.

Class Blogging 7-29 11/27/18

Aim: What are the major symbols in Macbeth and how do they create allusions and connections?

Do Now: Review through Act I of Macbeth and find ANY symbol being used. Write down: 1. The symbol, 2. The quote, 3. The line reference. Turn to a partner and teach each other about how your symbols are being used and how it contributes to the meaning of the text.

-Today, we talked about symbolism and how it is used in quotes of Act I of Macbeth. Some symbols mentioned during the group discussion were water which represents life, the number 3 which is a very powerful number in literature, darkness which symbolizes evil, and milk which represents nurture, care, and motherhood.

-In addition to this, we started reading Act II Scene I of Macbeth where we left off of Lady Macbeth and Macbeth previously plotting to kill King Duncan.

-In Act II Scene I, a new character, Fleance, is introduced.

-Many symbols were discussed in Act II Scene I, such as darkness in which it represents evil and the propechy of Macbeth troubles Banquo causing him to be unable to fall asleep. Previously before, Macbeth had thought about what the three witches who recited the prophecy and lied to Banquo, going against what he had said earlier about being completely open and trusting one another.

-Finishing Act II Scene I, we have a soliloquy by Macbeth in which we had to deconstruct in our groups. After speaking and listening to other groups, we have confirmed that in the soliloquy, Macbeth is uneasy about killing King Duncan and is almost hallucinating that he did when he says that he sees blood on his dagger and compares the crime to the crime of Tarquín who committed the Rape of Lucrece. Another symbol that we could find was that he compares himself to a wolf who is startled by its own howl when he says that he was shocked that the dagger he was holding could be a weapon of murder.

- In the end, however, after thinking about the murder of King Duncan for so long, Macbeth has finally convinced himself that he will commit the crime and kill King Duncan.

7-27 Blog 11/21/18

Aim: What are the major symbols in Macbeth and how do they create allusions and connections?
Do Now: Quiz! Online

Pair Share: On paper/digitally, write to a note to your neighbors using only images. Trade notes to see if you can understand one another without speaking.

Example of Pair share acitivty

Symbolism in Macbeth 

We discussed about symbolism in Macbeth, For example, white meant innocence and purity and water meant cleansing.

Elizabeth Vesialou Blogger #7-26 11/19/18

Aim: How is imagery used to highlight the motif of promises?

Do now: Review Macbeth's soliloquy, especially the conclusion. How does the imagery in the beginning and end bring Macbeth to his decision? 

We began the class by finishing act 1 scene 7 of Macbeth. In this portion of the reading we learned that Lady Macbeth wants to get the guards drunk to kill the king who is sleeping. She wants to use a guard's sword to perform the task. Macbeth is finding no reason to do this showing a nurturing side while is wife is cruel. This goes back to "fair is foul and foul is fair" because everything is opposite in their relationship. Lady Macbeth is more masculine while Macbeth is more feminine. 

After discussing this scene, we spoke about types of characters in literature. Some types include: 

1. Round character: reader knows a lot about the character. The character is developed physically, mentally, and emotionally.

Examples of such characters: Lady Macbeth, Macbeth, Ralph, Piggy

2. Flat characters: character is only one sided and not well developed 

Ex: King Duncan, Roger, Robert

3.Dynamic Characters: characters that go through a significant change throughout the story

Ex: Macbeth, Ralph

4. Static Characters: characters who do not change in the story 

Ex: Roger

Then, Ms. Fusaro posted a picture on the board and we had a question to answer in our group. We discussed what the meaning of the image was and what in the image led us to our conclusion. 

After talking in our groups, we shared our answers in a class discussion. Some answers included that it could be Lady Macbeth's conscious that is feeling guilty about her murders because of her scared look and stiff body language. Another idea was that the light in the center represented a positive idea that was surrounded by the negativity in the area. To add on, it could be that a Lady Macbeth is pushing her nurturing feminine side away to allow her cruelty and masculine side to take charge. This is expressed in the image because the woman in the background looks very feminine and looks submissive and scared of Lady Macbeth. Also, the man next to her seems to reach out to cover her as if to overpower Lady Macbeth's feminine side. The two people could represent the two parts of Lady Macbeth and how she is trying to allow her masculine side to shine through.

Our last discussion was motifs which are repetition of specific themes that dominate a literary work. So far in this book the motifs are promises, milk, and hands. More accurate description of a motif is in the image below.

Friday, Nov 16

Mrs. Fusaro-Pizzo, Blogger #23
November 16th, 2018
Sophomores, Period 7


Today in class we created a flipgrid with each of our teams. 

Using the vocabulary words for this unit, we were to record a flipgrid creating a song, dance, narrative, poem, or dramatic dialogue. However, most of the groups in our class decided to create a story using the vocabulary words. 

Each story had a minimum of one word per group member. (Ex. 6 members would require 6 words.) Each performance had to have been a maximum of five minutes. 

My group decided to create a story using six words. It followed one of our group members, Thami, as he was sent away by his father to a summer camp in the tundra. Thami could not stand the summer camp and tried to destroy it. He decided he would burn it down. After failing and getting caught, he was trapped in a cave for the rest of his life by the summer camp leaders. 

Other groups created their own stories and you can view them in the link below. 

Watch our groups’ stories here

board view

Blogger #25 Ramim Tarafdar 11/14/18

November 14, 2018

Aim: How does an analysis of Macbeth’s soliloquy demonstrate that he is a round and dynamic character with many layers?

Do Now: With your groups - Review
Read the remainder of Act I, scene V (after Macbeth walks in) To be completed after reading Lady Macbeth’s “Come You Spirits”

I.v
1.When does King Duncan plan on visiting and departing Inverness (Macbeth’s estate)?
           He plans on staying the night and departing in the morning.

2. Explain the Lady Macbeth’s intentions and plan when she states about King Duncan: “O, never / Shall sun that morrow see!”
           Lady Macbeth intends on murdering King Duncan when he comes to visit her estate thus he wonʼt live to see another day.

3. Explain Lady Macbeth’s ​figurative language​ when she explains: “Look like th’innocent flower, / But be the serpent under’t.” What is the meaning? What is the ​biblical ​​allusion?
          The quote means that although something can look innocent, it can having evil lurking in the shadows that is left unseen, which alludes to the Bible and the story of Adam and Eve, when the serpent tricked Eve into eating fruit from the forbidden tree in the garden of Eden..

4. How does Lady Macbeth’s statement compare with King Duncan’s from scene iv: “There’s no art / To find the mind’s construction in the face”?
          Lady Macbethʼs statement is similar to King Duncanʼs as he also
speaks of how it is not possible to determine a personʼs true intentions from their facial expressions and body language.

I.vi
5. What commentary are Banquo and King Duncan making about the ​atmosphere​​ of the castle? What ​mood does this create? How does it compare and/or contrast to the knowledge of the audience?
          Banquo and King Duncan attribute the castleʼs atmosphere as pleasant, delicate and welcoming, which is as far off as can be since Lady Macbeth is patiently waiting to kill Duncan

6. Explain the culture of ​xenia​​ as demonstrated between Lady Macbeth and King Duncan?
           The culture of Xenia is a Greek term form “hospitality” which means that any guests in oneʼs home should be treated with the utmost respect and care, which Lady Macbeth demonstrates by stating that everything leading to Duncanʼs arrival, even the most trivial matters were tended to twice.



Read Aloud- Complete Scene VII
Focus: How does Lady Macbeth choose to execute her plan? How does Macbeth feel about the choice he is presented with?

Macbeth worries about the consequences that may occur should he murder Duncan. An eye for eye.
He uses a metaphor for horse spurs to show that he has no immediate reason to urge him to murder therefore he does not wish to kill someone purely due to ambition. There is simply not enough reason and too many consequences  in order for him to go through with the murder.

Lady Macbeth in turn criticizes and judges Macbeth for not having the guts to go through with his plan. She simply says he has a weak will. She states that he would only be a man if he actually did it. In fact he would be even MORE of a man should he do it - a king.

Greg Sarn Blog #24

Today in class we were posing for our tableau’s. Every group went up and posed for a photo, using props, attempting to show what was happening in the Macbeth soliloquy with Lady Macbeth, without moving. After every group went the class would give them glows and grows. The purpose was to help students learn to describe complex scenarios without using words and images, as well as to learn how to accept criticism, and build off of it.

Blogger #22 Trent McGovern

Trent McGovern
Mrs. Fusaro-Pizzo, Blogger #22
November 8th, 2018
Sophomores, Period 7

Aim: How can we assess Shakespeare's perspective of Medieval & Elizabethan gender roles through an analysis of Lady Macbeth?

Do Now- Pair Share Review
"Stars, hide your fires;
Let not light see my black and deep desires" (1.iv.57-58)
What does this quote highlight about Macbeth's characterization? How is he in comparison to Banquo?

Before starting the lesson, we discussed this quote from yesterday's reading and what it meant for Macbeth's character.
-He doesn't want what he desires to be shown to everyone.
-"Black and deep desires" This shows how even though he does have these thoughts of murdering the king, he still knows they are inherently bad and evil thoughts to have.
-There are universal concepts of light and dark.
      -People look up to the "stars" like the universe would have a better understanding than us
           -Macbeth wants his true desires to be hidden by darkness, not have a light shined on them by the "stars".
-King Duncan has the "divine right" to be king. Macbeth killing him would go against the universe, or the "stars".

Do Now- Team Share
How can we summarize what the roles of women were during the Elizabethan era? Were they different in Medieval times?

Team Share: Each person in the team contributes at least one comment to the discussion. Provide valuable feedback to one another.
























We used this sheet, to which all of the answers are c, to explore what gender roles in the Elizabethan era were like.
-Women were not treated as equal to men
-The role of women was to serve men
-Women were seen as inferior to men
-Elizabethan men were against the ascension of Queen Elizabeth, as they were used to men being above women
-Women were expected to be submissive, obedient, quiet/reserved
-They were were expected to want to have domestic duties, be wives,  and have children
-The idea of women not wanting to be those things was unheard of.

Turn and talk:
With respect to women, what does "milk" symbolize? When defining milk, consider the image of a mother feeding her child; what feeling does that imagery invoke?

The different answers given in the whole class discussion were that "milk" symbolizes nourishment, femininity, fertility, and nature. The feeling invoked by the imagery was calmness, care, love, and support.

Whole Group discussion
Read, Listen, Analyze and Interpret\
Act 1, Scene V
We are introduced to Lady Macbeth. As we read lines 14-28, write and respond: How does Lady Macbeth view her husband? In her opinion, what qualities does he possess, what qualities does he need to obtain? How will she aid him in obtaining those attributes?

-Macbeth respects his wife a lot, calling her "my dearest partner of greatness"
-They clearly have a loving and caring relationship.
-Lady Macbeth believes that Macbeth is too nice and honest to be able to obtain the power that was prophesized.
-He is too cowardly and doesn't have the guts to lie and do whatever it takes to rise to power.
-She plans to help in this aspect, by telling him her ideas about what he has to do.
-She will make sure nothing will get in his way.
-She wants to have the cruelty and bravery that was expected of a man that will help her aid Macbeth.

Finally, we started to watch one of the film interpretations of the scene we just read. While we ran out of time in the middle of it, it helped us to further understand the tone of voice Lady Macbeth was speaking in and the meaning of the scene.

Jade Lombardo
Mrs. Fusaro-Pizzo, Blogger #21
November 7th, 2018
Sophomores, Period 7

Aim: How does Macbeth's multiple or conflicting motivations compared with his interaction with other characters advance the plot or develop the theme?

Do Now: Work with groups to review questions 1 and 2 and answer questions 3 and 4 on the worksheet on classroom.





4. Macbeth states: “Let us speak our free hearts to each other” to Banquo. What is he promising and why is that significant?



-He is promising that whatever happens, they should both speak honestly with each other
-Macbeth is also trying to get Banquo's opinion on what would happen if the king and all of his successors died suddenly, and if they would choose Macbeth as the next king

We then continue to read Act I Scene IV, and continue on to answer numbers 5, 6, 7, and 8 of the worksheet

5. What is the foreshadowing in the lines: “There’s no art / To find the mind’s construction in the face. / He was a gentleman on whom I built / An absolute trust” by King Duncan?


-The King killed the Thane of Cawdor, because he turned out to be a traitor, and Macbeth is planning to be the next Thane of Cawdor
-Macbeth is planning to kill the king and his descendants so that he can become the next king and fulfill the prophecy, which would make him a traitor

6. How does Duncan use metaphor to describe how he feels about Banquo’s accomplishments in the war?


-Duncan is saying that Banquo did his best work at war, and is giving him a pat on the back by saying that Banquo blossoms in war

7. How does Banquo respond? What is his tone?  What can we understand about Banquo’s characterization based on all of his conversations with others?


-He responds that Duncan is benefiting from this blossoming
-He is a bit sarcastic, because while Macbeth is in the same position as him, he gets to be raised to be Thane of Cawdor while Banquo is getting a pat on the back by the king

8. With the line: “Stars, hide your fires; / Let not light see my black and deep desires.” – What do we know about how Macbeth really feels now?


-Macbeth now wants to kill the king to gain his power because of the prophecy
-He is willing to go through anything to fulfil the prophecy, and he is not willing to chance it

How do Macbeth’s Motivation compare to his interaction with different characters?

Kelly Lin
November 5, 2018
Mrs. Fusaro-Pizzo, Blogger #20
Sophomores, Period 7


Aim: How does Macbeth's multiple or conflicting motivation compare to his interaction with other character advance the plot or develop the theme?


Brief class activity
In class, we continue to to read Macbeth Act I Scene III and IV with the same student, cast, from the previous blog, bravely and fluently reading out loud in front of the class again.


We then proceed to analyze the wisdom Banquo portrayed during his discussion with Macbeth after their first interaction with the Witches and their 'prophecy'.  He conclude that the Witches might only had given them the truth in order to win their trust and later betray them when they are unguarded against them. From this we conclude that Banquo is a smart and attentive character that is able to see a bigger picture judging by the way he interpreted the reasons the Witches might have presented them with honest truth, the prophecy.

Afterward, we then started to focus more on the change in Macbeth and his 'aside' throughout the play. Paying more attention to who he is directing his speech at and with. For example, his soliloquy and aside with Banquo.



Group Work

1. What does the figurative language used by Banquo in the line “instruments of darkness” imply?

• This figurative languages used by Banquo shows the way he views the Witches with suspicion and by labeling them as "instrument of darkness" he is also implying that they might bring huge calamity or destruction or some extremely huge conspiracies.

2. What is Banquo’s warning to Macbeth in lines 132-139?

• The presence of the Witch itself is suspicious and the fact that they are presenting them, Macbeth and Banquo, with honest fact and truth puts them, Witches, in even more suspicion. He is warning that are trying to gain their trust by presenting the truth but then will betray them later on resulting them facing huge consequences when they are unguarded against them in their most vulnerable state.

By the end of class, and brief analysis on Macbeth soliloquy, we realized that Macbeth is starting to change from a loyal soldier that defends his homeland, and kills his enemies, to someone with great ambition to become a king after he's interaction with the Witches and the 'prophecy'.

“Fair is Foul, Foul is Fair”

Kelly Lin
November 2, 2018
Mrs. Fusaro-Pizzo, Blogger #20Sophomores, Period 7

Aim: How does Macbeth’s multiple or conflicting motivations compared with his interaction with other characters advance the plot or develop the theme?

DONOW: Pair Share
What conclusion did you draw about “Fair is Foul, Foul is Fair” from Your Big Paper/Little Paer discussion?

In class, students volunteered to read out loud Act 1, scene 2, bravely standing in front of the entire class and projecting their voice loud and clear.

As we are reading, we realize the three Witches could change and manipulate nature but they can not killed a man himself with their magic. Connecting it with Greek mythology, we see that Shakespeare was probably inspire by Goddess, for example Demeter, of nature, which is why the Witches power is only limited to nature.

Aside can be soliloquy but soliloquy.

Aside- thinking out loud or conversation with other that is heard by the audience but not meant for other character to hear 

Celina Lin #7-19 Blogger

November 1st, 2018

Aim: How do The Witches set the mood and foreshadow events for the play?

Continuing from the Introduction of MacBeth

Facts about the Setting:
- Scotland was not a traditional monarchy . A king's son would usually get the throne, but under extreme circumstances, the nobles of Scotland could vote for a different successor.

- Scotland is in war in the beginning of the play. Mackdonwald, a rebel tries to overthrow Duncan and make a deal with the King of Norway.

- The rules of the Host and Guest still applies. The rule is that the Host must provide lavishly and the best of the ability for his of her guests. The rule was practiced from the most poor to the most rich. The Host would guaranteed their guest's safety and anticipate their needs and provide them with everything they need. They would treat their guests better than the people living there.

We watched a video on Macbeth and that gave us an introduction to the characters in the book and their roles.

Vocabulary terms for today's lesson:

-daimonic- the crazed passion which drives extreme behaviors
- ananagnorisis- the moment the character realizes he/she has made a tragic error in action/judgement.

Class Discussion: Does the scene appear as you envisioned it? How or how not?
What prophecies do they "hail" for Macbeth and Banquo?

Group Work: Big Paper/Little Paper(The Silent Discussion)
-Each person must respond to the "little paper" SILENTLY by writing his/thoughts on the "big paper"
-No verbal communication
- Respond directly to the quote, respond to a group-mate, make a connection or do it all.

Introduction to Macbeth, Blogger 7-16, 10/29/18

Monday, October 29, 2018.

Vocab Quiz - Unit 2: Quiz on Unit 2 Vocabulary Words.

Introduction To Macbeth

Aim: How can we familiarize ourselves with Macbeth?

Supposedly saying the word “Macbeth” in a theater will bring bad luck to the play. To Reverse the bad luck if the word is said, the person who must exit the theater, spin around three times saying profanity, then ask for permission to return inside the theater.
Many weird things happen when the play Macbeth is acted out.

The Characters Of Macbeth:
- Macbeth. A Scottish General and the thane of Glamis. He is not comfortable with the role of the villan.
- Lady Macbeth. Deeply ambitious. Lusts for power and position.
- The Three Witches.
- Banquo. A noble general. He represents the path that Macbeth did not take.
- Macduff. A Scottish nobleman.
- King Duncan. Good king of Scotland. Virtuous and benevolent.
- Malcom. Returns order following Macbeth’s reign of terror.

Many plays, movies, and TV series has referenced Macbeth:
- Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
- Starfox
- Greys Anatomy
- Simpsons
and many more...

Group Work: The use of supernatural is used throughout Macbeth. Explain the purpose that Shakespeare might have had to use the supernatural. Consider the time period of the play (1605) the audience and King James.
- Many of Shakespeare’s plays have supernatural.
- Right after middle ages, which had a lot of death.
- People were very intrigued by these topics.

We then pick our new teams for our group numbers.

Lord Of The Flies Project Presentations day 3

The first island that was presented today was "HAVSPS Island" from group 2: The Fake Family. On the Island there is:
- A downtown area with malls and other shopping buildings, large towering apartments, and skyscrapers.
- A village that focuses on art and relaxing, with a bakery, mulitple buildings dedicated to the many forms of art.
- A residential area what consists of many houses and stores where the common people on the island lives.
- A city that has towering buildings, luxurious houses, and prestigious schools where the wealthy people live.
- An outdoors area with no buildings, a forest, a beach, a bonfire, and has constantly changing weather for camping and adventure. The island is also surrounded by uncharted territory.
- A river that splits the island into two sections with bridges connecting the two halves.
- A train on each side of the island allows for easy travel within the island.

Although the island was based off of the modern day east coast of America, the whole Island seemed more European to me. With the urban areas where art is very prevalent and is small enough where cars aren't needed and people mostly used the train, that is also surrounded by nature and small villages. Overall the island seemed like a very picturesque vacation spot grounded in reality that sounds like a place that I would personally like to go to once in a while.


The second island that was presented was "Banana Island" from group 5: Kelvin 506 an Island in the shape of an island that is inhabited by minions. On the island there is:
- A mountain of naturally formed ice cream surrounded by a chocolate moat.
- A forest of Banana trees that cover most of the Island.
- "Kevin Lake," a lake named after "Kevin," a minion worshiped by the other minions as a god.
- "Candy Cane Docks," where people enter and exit the island."
- A village where people can rent huts to stay.
- An ancient chocolate meteorite that has a cave that formed over thousands of years.
- Only one form of currency, Bananas.

The Island in general came off as a light hearted joke concept of an island that only serves to get a good laugh out of someone. It wasn't made to work seriously, as it would be impossible for any stable economy to form as we discussed in class, but it served it's purpose as a quick little "what if..." joke that managed to get me to chuckle. Although it isn't a place that I wouldn't be seen at any time soon.

Blogger for 10/24/18 Sean Fisherman

ASSIGNMENT: Creating a Creative Island

As a team, you will construct your own imaginary island. For each team member you have, you will have one part of the island. You have freedom to be creative for the main theme of your island, just be sure to get approval for your idea.  The main objective is to use creative imagery, using setting and mood to convey atmosphere. (Golding’s use of description in Lord of the Flies is your model text.)

Group One: Phoenix From the Ashes

Phoenix From the Ashes’ project had 6 islands all based off of popular video and board games. Their presentation and project itself was a colorful, 3D one that was very pleasing to the eye. All 6 islands could be distinctly told apart, but looked like they went together in a way.

Jade’s Island: Angry Bird Island

• On the project paper itself, the Island was colorful and greatly designed
• As for the speaking part of the presentation, she nailed everything, and as someone who has played Angry Birds before, she accurately depicted what their “Island” would represent

Elizabeth’s Island: Candyland Island

• The Island on the paper was an eye catching design, popping out of the paper with its colorful wrappers, an homage to Candyland
• When speaking of her island, Liz went into great detail, and although I have never played this game before, I had a great deal of knowledge of the game after the presentation

Maya’s Island: Pokemon Island

• Pokemon Island on the project paper was a beautifully designed island, as were all the other islands. I’d like to note that  as a whole the project was designed with great detail and care
• My personal favorite, Pokemon Island sounded like a place I’d love to visit, a wonderful tourist destination and a true moneymaker financially

Sarah’s Island: Mario Kart Island

• Also one of my favorites, Mario Kart Island informed the listeners as to how they could spend their time on the island and how they could upgrade an already wonderful experience on their island
• Personally, I liked the mentioning of Bowser’s Haunted Castle and Coconut Mall, 2 of the best levels in Mario Kart by far

Teresa’s Island: Plants vs. Zombies Island

• Another island based off of a game I played extensively as a child, Plants vs. Zombies island gave me memories of the game I used to play manically as a child, it was one of the first games to go viral on the iPhone
• The island sounded like an exciting place to vacation, with many activities and battles taking place on it

Kailey’s Island : Monopoly Island

• I liked the design of this island because it stayed true to the fundamentals of one of the most famous board games of all time, even with a few pieces stuck onto the project paper
• Monopoly Island sounds like the perfect island for a competitive family who is looking for a great time, and sounded like a whole lot of fun

Group 2:The Hounds

Different from the other project that had been presented today, The Hounds project was a story of a lost kids on an island. What I enjoyed about the project was the fact that it was presented on Minecraft, a very interesting and unique technique to tell a story. The story itself was also a joy to listen to.

I like how the group split up each members readings into portions by the development of the story. For example, George read the introduction on the beach, letting us meet the characters. Celina read as the characters find the forest. Then, Alan reads as the characters become accustomed to the forest and settle down. Nick reads as they discover a lake, and their biggest challenge yet, how to get across. Trent reads as they find a mountain, and attempt to climb the mountain, and finally, Jacob reads as the characters try to get rescued, and they do. Finally, I liked how they noted the writing techniques they used as they read the story, like Deus ex Machina.