Sonnet

Harry, oh, Harry, you brave frenemy
My!  You were orphaned at such a young age
By the man they call Lord, your enemy
Now forced to fight so future is not a cage

But hark!  What pain and sorrow still to come!
Upon learning your life cannot be spared
Not 'til the others is still like a silent gun
Your future awaits, if anyone cared

The battle is upon you, your time is up
But 'waits your brave sacrifice for your friends
Will rescue you from the dark lord, the schlup
And all will be right, but this depends

On whether you are kind or you are mean
The choice is yours so choose wisely, grave teen.

Romeo and Juliet Think Aloud 1

-What do you know about Shakespeare?

     I know he lived in Stratford-Upon-Avon, England and he wrote plays, most tragedies, but some comedies.
-What should you be getting out of studying Shakespeare?
     I hope to be able to better understand old English and learn about poetry.  I also hope to learn about new writing styles that I haven't had much experience with.
-How have you worked with Shakespeare lit. in the past?
     In eight grade we read A Midsummer's Night Dream out loud in class.  I like this because I thought it was fun and it is easier to understand when you are reading old English out loud in a group.
-How can you relate any of the following continuum of items to the work you have written about above?  1 content 2 process 3 product 4 classroom 5 teacher
     I think that outside of class we should, like with flip thinking, read and watch videos and lectures outside of class and create notes.  In class, we should talk about what we were confused on in small groups and in Socratic circles.  I think that in class we should also watch the movie and do creative writing/ skit activities.
-What activities would you like to learn about in school that you're not?
     I think that it would be fun if we did skits on the play and played games.

My group and I thought that it would be most helpful if we would read or watch stuff about the play at home and when we got to school discuss that.  Kelly said that:

Everytime we read a section we should have a socratic circle discussion.

I agreed with this saying that that related to flip thinking.  It relates because the idea behind flip thinking is listening to the lecture at home and doing homework in school so you can get help.
Hannah said that

We should watch the classic version of the movie because it is very similar to the actual play.

From working in my group I learned that I prefer to work in a group, especially for books, because you can talk to other people and get their ideas on the subject in case you were unsure about something.

Another reason that flip thinking is a good idea is, not only can you ask your teacher if you are unsure about something, but you can also ask your classmates.

 

The Count of Monte Cristo

Faithful to the Novel?

     The Count of Monte Cristo is a film adaptation of the novel The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexander Dumas.  The 2002 movie was directed by Kevin Reynolds and stars James Caviezel, Guy Pearce and Richard Harris.  The movie is good and keeps the main theme, revenge, of the novel intact, therefor it is a faithful adaptation of the novel.  

     The main theme of both the film and novel is revenge.  In the film it can be seen in this quote.

I want revenge.

Your gonna need a better name to accomplish that.

Then I shall become a count.

This exchange was between Dantes and Jacopo.  In the novel the theme can be seen in the following quote.

The count was as erect and triumphant as the avenging angel.

     The reason for Dantes need for revenge is he is betrayed by three people, Fernand, Danglers and Villefort.  They accuse and convict Dantes of treason against the king even though they all know he is innocent.  The prison master of Chateau d'If says to Dantes

I know you are innocent.  There are hundreds of prisons across France for guilty people... Chateau d'If is where they put the ones they're ashamed of.

In the book Villefort knows of his innocence almost immediately because Dantes was

... So candid and open, so full of affection for his fellow man, including even his stern judge, that it seemed to Villefort that each word he spoke was proof of his innocence.

When Dantes learns that Fernand is one of the conspirators against him, thus igniting his thirst for revenge, he asks why.  Fernand says:

You're the son of a clerk, I shouldn't want to be you.

In the novel Dantes learns of Fernand's part in his arrest in a different way, but it sparks the same need for revenge.  The priest, Faria, sees this and says:

I regret having helped you clarify your past... because I've instilled in your heart a feeling that wasn't there before: vengeance.

     The film The Count of Monte Cristo is fantastic.  It keeps the viewer interested and has a exciting climax.  It is a good film for anyone to see, whether you have read the novel or not because it follows the  same idea of the book but is still easy for a nonreader to follow.