Today, we read Death of a Salesman in class.
Hour One read through page 37 and the first two paragraphs on page 38.
Hour Three read through page 40 and then through the first paragraph on page 41.
Hour Five read through page 40.
Homework: continue working on your research paper note cards!
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Death of a Salesman Setting Assignment
Re-read the setting description from the first two pages of the play. Draw a picture of the important setting details. Think about if you were creating the setting for this play, how would you design it? Include all the important images that the audience would need.
Death of a Salesman Challenge Projects
Choose one of the following Challenge projects to complete. Make sure to research the topic that you choose and cite those sources correctly.
The proposal is due ______________________________ .
The Challenge Project is due ________________________.
1. Interview a traveling salesman. Ask him/her about the pressures and the conditions of the job, etc. Does the job have an impact on their personal lives? How? Present a report of the interview and a personal reflection of the project.
2. Write a paper about what is interesting about Miller’s handling of time and memory in the play. Discuss how this adds to your understanding of the characters.
3. You are Willy. Write 4 one-page diary entries about your life based on the events given in the play.
4. Write the next chapter to the play. What happens to the Lomans? What becomes of each character?
5. Write a commentary on the Requiem showing what it adds to the play.
6. Write an essay about the following idea: “Biff’s rejection of Willy’s ideas is the climax of his self-discovery.”
7. Watch and write a film review of the film version of Death of a Salesman directed by Wolker Schlondorff in 1985. How does the director make certain decisions with the play that may differ from your own when reading the play?
8. Write an essay about any character/relationship in the play, which you find particularly interesting.
9. Discuss what is the function of sound and music in the play. What music would you include if you were responsible for the sound and music for the play?
10. Discuss the importance of the flashback scenes in the play. Rewrite or add a flashback scene.
11. “Willy’s death shows that the American dream is a phony dream.” Discuss this idea and find other examples of the American dream. Create a project that exhibits the American dreams both failed and those achieved.
12. Research Arthur Miller’s life and write an essay reflecting your research.
13. Read another play by Arthur Miller. Compare/contrast that play and the themes used to Death of a Salesman.
14. Find literary criticism on Death of a Salesman. How was Death of a Salesman received by audiences?
15. Design a 3-D stage set on a small scale. Include the characters in costume for this play using textual evidence. Provide a rationale for the choices you make.
16. Write 4 one-page entries into Linda’s journal. React to what has been happening with your life, your husband, your sons, your finances, etc. Reflect how she is able to escape the tyranny of dreams.
17. Write a scene, complete with stage directions, examining an exchange between Charley and Bernard regarding Willy’s behavior. (To be set into the play after the exchange between Willy and Charley in the office Act II).
18. Write a two to three page paper on how Willy’s life would have been different had he gone with Ben to Alaska.
19. Create a video collage of the American Dream and how it has changed over the years. Use parts of old TV shows, commercials, old photos, interviews, etc.
20. Willy has died. Write a 2-page monologue in which either Happy or Biff is describing what his father was like to one of their children who never met their grandfather.
21. Your own great idea!
The proposal is due ______________________________ .
The Challenge Project is due ________________________.
1. Interview a traveling salesman. Ask him/her about the pressures and the conditions of the job, etc. Does the job have an impact on their personal lives? How? Present a report of the interview and a personal reflection of the project.
2. Write a paper about what is interesting about Miller’s handling of time and memory in the play. Discuss how this adds to your understanding of the characters.
3. You are Willy. Write 4 one-page diary entries about your life based on the events given in the play.
4. Write the next chapter to the play. What happens to the Lomans? What becomes of each character?
5. Write a commentary on the Requiem showing what it adds to the play.
6. Write an essay about the following idea: “Biff’s rejection of Willy’s ideas is the climax of his self-discovery.”
7. Watch and write a film review of the film version of Death of a Salesman directed by Wolker Schlondorff in 1985. How does the director make certain decisions with the play that may differ from your own when reading the play?
8. Write an essay about any character/relationship in the play, which you find particularly interesting.
9. Discuss what is the function of sound and music in the play. What music would you include if you were responsible for the sound and music for the play?
10. Discuss the importance of the flashback scenes in the play. Rewrite or add a flashback scene.
11. “Willy’s death shows that the American dream is a phony dream.” Discuss this idea and find other examples of the American dream. Create a project that exhibits the American dreams both failed and those achieved.
12. Research Arthur Miller’s life and write an essay reflecting your research.
13. Read another play by Arthur Miller. Compare/contrast that play and the themes used to Death of a Salesman.
14. Find literary criticism on Death of a Salesman. How was Death of a Salesman received by audiences?
15. Design a 3-D stage set on a small scale. Include the characters in costume for this play using textual evidence. Provide a rationale for the choices you make.
16. Write 4 one-page entries into Linda’s journal. React to what has been happening with your life, your husband, your sons, your finances, etc. Reflect how she is able to escape the tyranny of dreams.
17. Write a scene, complete with stage directions, examining an exchange between Charley and Bernard regarding Willy’s behavior. (To be set into the play after the exchange between Willy and Charley in the office Act II).
18. Write a two to three page paper on how Willy’s life would have been different had he gone with Ben to Alaska.
19. Create a video collage of the American Dream and how it has changed over the years. Use parts of old TV shows, commercials, old photos, interviews, etc.
20. Willy has died. Write a 2-page monologue in which either Happy or Biff is describing what his father was like to one of their children who never met their grandfather.
21. Your own great idea!
"Death of a Salesman" Journal Assignment
Choose ONE of the following characters: Willy, Linda, Biff, or Happy. For each reading assignment, answer the following questions for the ONE character you choose to write about for the play. Use textual evidence to support your claims.
1. Motivation: what does this character want? What is this character trying to get, do, or be?
2. What does this character say, do, or think that shows the character's motivation?
3. How successful is this character in getting what s/he wants?
4. Who or what helps your character get what s/he wants? Explain how that character helps your character.
5. Who or what is holding your character back? Who or what tries to stop your character from getting what s/he wants? Who stops them from succeeding?
1. Motivation: what does this character want? What is this character trying to get, do, or be?
2. What does this character say, do, or think that shows the character's motivation?
3. How successful is this character in getting what s/he wants?
4. Who or what helps your character get what s/he wants? Explain how that character helps your character.
5. Who or what is holding your character back? Who or what tries to stop your character from getting what s/he wants? Who stops them from succeeding?
The Research Paper Assignment!
Research Paper
Spring 2008
The assignment
The theme for the second semester is the INDIVIDUAL IN SOCIETY. For your research paper, you will investigate and then write about a situation in which an individual or group of individuals within society faces the challenge of fitting into, being accepted by, society as a whole OR is in protest against the whole society.
Sample topics:
• A group of immigrants moving into a neighborhood which had not been integrated before their arrival.
• Senior citizens, once retired, looking for acceptance in a society in which others feel they are irrelevant in the public arena
• Women in the military
• Women or people of color in top executive positions in the business world
• A person who has contributed outstanding service in a particular career or mission: e.g. Cesar Chaves in migrant workers’ rights; Albert Einstein in scientific research; Vincent Van Gogh in painting
• A major U.S. or world writer—what have her/his books contributed in literature in content and style?
Note: These are just examples that can be used. This is not an exhaustive list by any means. Please research something that you find interesting and will be able to sustain your interest for the period of time that this project will cover.
Requirements:
Length 4-6 pages
Typing Papers need to be typed. Make sure you have enough black ink. Use only one side of the paper. You should always make a copy of the paper for yourself.
Format Use 81/2 x 11-inch paper. Except for page numbers in the upper right hand corner of your paper, leave one-inch margins at the top and bottom and both sides of the text. Indent the first word of a paragraph five spaces from the left margin. The entire paper should be typed in 12-point font in either Times or Times New Roman.
Spacing The entire paper, including the heading, needs to be double-spaced. Additionally, there should be two spaces between end punctuation and the next sentence.
MLA Format All papers need to have use an MLA heading. Beginning one inch from the top of the page and flush with the left margin, type your name, the instructor's name, the course name, and the date. Double space and center the title. Do not underline the title or put it in quotation marks or type it in all capital letters.
Textual evidence/ sources Proper citations for every source need to be included whether it is direct quotations being used or paraphrased information. Paper must include citations from at least FIVE sources from books, periodicals, Encyclopedias/internet/software, media (TV, radio), or interviews. You CANNOT use more than 2 Internet sources.
Page Numbers Number all pages consecutively throughout the paper in the upper right-hand corner one half inch from the top. Do not add a period, hyphen, or any other mark or symbol to the number.
Works Cited Page Include a works cited with your paper. Please see separate handout for more information.
9 Quest
Ms. Peifer
2008
Research Paper Schedule
• Have notecards (at least 150) __________/10 points
Due: No later than Monday, March 10
• Chosen topic __________/10 points
Due: No later than Monday, March 10
• Bibliography source cards __________/25 points
Due: Monday, March 17
• Thesis statement __________/10 points
Due: Monday, March 24
• Notecards (at least 100) __________/50 points
Due: Friday, March 28
SPRING BREAK—WORK ON YOUR PAPERS! READ!
• Outline __________/25 points
Due: Tuesday, April 8
• Rough Draft __________/100 points
Due: Friday, April 11
• Peer Editing __________/40 points
(Peer edited two papers and had two people peer edit your paper)
Due: Friday, April 11
• Final Draft ¬¬¬ __________/150 points
Due: Wednesday, April 16
Total points: 420 points
Spring 2008
The assignment
The theme for the second semester is the INDIVIDUAL IN SOCIETY. For your research paper, you will investigate and then write about a situation in which an individual or group of individuals within society faces the challenge of fitting into, being accepted by, society as a whole OR is in protest against the whole society.
Sample topics:
• A group of immigrants moving into a neighborhood which had not been integrated before their arrival.
• Senior citizens, once retired, looking for acceptance in a society in which others feel they are irrelevant in the public arena
• Women in the military
• Women or people of color in top executive positions in the business world
• A person who has contributed outstanding service in a particular career or mission: e.g. Cesar Chaves in migrant workers’ rights; Albert Einstein in scientific research; Vincent Van Gogh in painting
• A major U.S. or world writer—what have her/his books contributed in literature in content and style?
Note: These are just examples that can be used. This is not an exhaustive list by any means. Please research something that you find interesting and will be able to sustain your interest for the period of time that this project will cover.
Requirements:
Length 4-6 pages
Typing Papers need to be typed. Make sure you have enough black ink. Use only one side of the paper. You should always make a copy of the paper for yourself.
Format Use 81/2 x 11-inch paper. Except for page numbers in the upper right hand corner of your paper, leave one-inch margins at the top and bottom and both sides of the text. Indent the first word of a paragraph five spaces from the left margin. The entire paper should be typed in 12-point font in either Times or Times New Roman.
Spacing The entire paper, including the heading, needs to be double-spaced. Additionally, there should be two spaces between end punctuation and the next sentence.
MLA Format All papers need to have use an MLA heading. Beginning one inch from the top of the page and flush with the left margin, type your name, the instructor's name, the course name, and the date. Double space and center the title. Do not underline the title or put it in quotation marks or type it in all capital letters.
Textual evidence/ sources Proper citations for every source need to be included whether it is direct quotations being used or paraphrased information. Paper must include citations from at least FIVE sources from books, periodicals, Encyclopedias/internet/software, media (TV, radio), or interviews. You CANNOT use more than 2 Internet sources.
Page Numbers Number all pages consecutively throughout the paper in the upper right-hand corner one half inch from the top. Do not add a period, hyphen, or any other mark or symbol to the number.
Works Cited Page Include a works cited with your paper. Please see separate handout for more information.
9 Quest
Ms. Peifer
2008
Research Paper Schedule
• Have notecards (at least 150) __________/10 points
Due: No later than Monday, March 10
• Chosen topic __________/10 points
Due: No later than Monday, March 10
• Bibliography source cards __________/25 points
Due: Monday, March 17
• Thesis statement __________/10 points
Due: Monday, March 24
• Notecards (at least 100) __________/50 points
Due: Friday, March 28
SPRING BREAK—WORK ON YOUR PAPERS! READ!
• Outline __________/25 points
Due: Tuesday, April 8
• Rough Draft __________/100 points
Due: Friday, April 11
• Peer Editing __________/40 points
(Peer edited two papers and had two people peer edit your paper)
Due: Friday, April 11
• Final Draft ¬¬¬ __________/150 points
Due: Wednesday, April 16
Total points: 420 points
Friday, January 25, 2008
Questions while I am gone...
If you have questions while I am gone, you can post a question under the comments section here or you can email me: lindsay.peifer@spps.org
Monday, January 7, 2008
The Piano Lesson Challenge Projects
August Wilson’s The Piano Lesson
Challenge Projects
Remember to include a works cited page for every project!
1) A 3-4-page research paper that details your own heritage (go back to your great grandparents) and your observations about how that heritage and their legacy has affected your identity. How is this similar or different from the play?
2) A 3-4-page research paper on the historical facts of segregation and Jim Crow Laws in the south, drawing on at least three reference sources. One may be your social studies textbook.
3) A 3-4-page research paper on Pittsburgh in the 1930s drawing on at least three reference sources.
4) A 3-4-page research paper on the oral tradition in different cultures drawing from at least three reference sources. What place does oral tradition have in maintaining a society’s, a people’s, history or identity? Present a story in the oral tradition in class.
5) Turn one scene of this play into a movie. Provide a soundtrack, a storyboard, and a written rationale for the project.
6) Create a symbol for the main characters of this novel and provide a quote from the book that embodies that character.
7) Act out a scene from the play or from a short story that is related to the play. Give rationale for either why you chose that particular scene or why you how the short story you chose relates to the play.
8) Read another August Wilson play. Compare and contrast the themes from the play of your choice and The Piano Lesson. This paper should be at least 2 pages long.
9) Read The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams. Compare and contrast this play to The Piano Lesson. Find literary criticism to support your analysis. This paper should be at least two pages.
10) In the introductory video on August Wilson, Wilson said that “he has no particular method of writing his plays, but admits to relying on what he calls the "4 B's": the Blues; fellow playwright, Amiri Baraka; author, Jorge Luis Borges, and painter, Romare Bearden to tell what he needs to tell.” Research ONE of the four “B’s” and explain how EITHER the Blues, Baraka, Jorge Luis Borges, or Romare Bearden influence is seen in August Wilson’s work.
11) Research different views and political stances on assimilation and integration into a larger/dominant society. Wilson believes that the melting pot is a myth, “which was never relevant to the black experience—only working for people that are ethnically European. What do other experts believe? What do you believe? Use at least three different sources for this paper.
12) Research the idea of white privilege in America. Wilson says, “It is a cultural war that he is a participant in”. Use at least three different resources to write a paper about what it is and how it affects you, your parents, and/or society in general. How does this idea affect politics and thus the government that governs us?
13) Your own create project.
Challenge Projects
Remember to include a works cited page for every project!
1) A 3-4-page research paper that details your own heritage (go back to your great grandparents) and your observations about how that heritage and their legacy has affected your identity. How is this similar or different from the play?
2) A 3-4-page research paper on the historical facts of segregation and Jim Crow Laws in the south, drawing on at least three reference sources. One may be your social studies textbook.
3) A 3-4-page research paper on Pittsburgh in the 1930s drawing on at least three reference sources.
4) A 3-4-page research paper on the oral tradition in different cultures drawing from at least three reference sources. What place does oral tradition have in maintaining a society’s, a people’s, history or identity? Present a story in the oral tradition in class.
5) Turn one scene of this play into a movie. Provide a soundtrack, a storyboard, and a written rationale for the project.
6) Create a symbol for the main characters of this novel and provide a quote from the book that embodies that character.
7) Act out a scene from the play or from a short story that is related to the play. Give rationale for either why you chose that particular scene or why you how the short story you chose relates to the play.
8) Read another August Wilson play. Compare and contrast the themes from the play of your choice and The Piano Lesson. This paper should be at least 2 pages long.
9) Read The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams. Compare and contrast this play to The Piano Lesson. Find literary criticism to support your analysis. This paper should be at least two pages.
10) In the introductory video on August Wilson, Wilson said that “he has no particular method of writing his plays, but admits to relying on what he calls the "4 B's": the Blues; fellow playwright, Amiri Baraka; author, Jorge Luis Borges, and painter, Romare Bearden to tell what he needs to tell.” Research ONE of the four “B’s” and explain how EITHER the Blues, Baraka, Jorge Luis Borges, or Romare Bearden influence is seen in August Wilson’s work.
11) Research different views and political stances on assimilation and integration into a larger/dominant society. Wilson believes that the melting pot is a myth, “which was never relevant to the black experience—only working for people that are ethnically European. What do other experts believe? What do you believe? Use at least three different sources for this paper.
12) Research the idea of white privilege in America. Wilson says, “It is a cultural war that he is a participant in”. Use at least three different resources to write a paper about what it is and how it affects you, your parents, and/or society in general. How does this idea affect politics and thus the government that governs us?
13) Your own create project.
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