Much Ado About Nothing - Scene One Lesson Plan

Thoughts and Ideas as to what we as teachers want to portray :-

The Acts that are of more Significance in Act One Scene One.
The moment where Claudio sees Hero and falls instantly in love with her.

Looking back at the English Literature Objectives and linking them to Much Ado.

Act One Scene One 

• The introduction to the Ended Wars.
• Then the apparent war between Benedict and Beatrice
• Claudio seeing Hero and falling madly in love with her
• Leonato hearing the potential marraige proposal for his daugther from his broter Antonio
• Don John's sudden hatred, realised and that for his brother Don Pedro.

Questions

What would us as teachers want to class to focus on - link questions to the objectives ( Covering all the Assessment Objectives).

• The fact that the roles are reversed in theme,where the war has ended but begins between both Beatrice and Benedict but Don John towards Don Pedro ( the differenc in Don John being it's towards his brother)
• Obvious Malice and disdainful opinions from Don John towards his the feelings he has of his brother( and for and unknown reason?)- but what caused it?. - Did the war make him become a man who's heart turned to stone having no empathy towards the fact that they are brothers despite him being a "Bastard". 
• To what extent is the civil war between the characters the most importnt part of the play (ask class to find instances where the war in hate or evn mere jest is shown, with opinions) of this could be the most vital part of the whole of the play.

- (Teachers) Relate these comments to the war between Beatrice and Benedict same with Don John towards Don Pedro.

• How would Shakespeare's language affect the way the charcter portray those moments of anger or hate, even the moment of comedic jest?
• The Emotions emotions he might have used to make the characters come to life?

(Teachers) - What is the Chracter of Beatrice like, how does she seem different from the ladies back then and how they would be back then in that time/era?.
- How the ladies back then would have been more ladylike in speech and in manner of presenting themselves as delicate creature, much like Hero's character whom to that effect seems to be portrayed as being fragile, and not as assertive or loud mouthes as her "Dear Cousin".
- Beatrice's character does not follow the sterotypical roles that women carried in those times. She seems more outgoing,fiesty,abrupt in speech 

-The question that should also be asked is - Why would Beatrice as someone who hates Benedict ask for him, even if it be in jest?.

At the start of the play Act one Scene One - (Teachers ask Students) - who has the upper hand in the play Beatrice or Benedict?! And why does it matter throughout the course of the play?, Does it unravel anything?.

• But in the fact that in trickery Siginior Benedick is love struck by the possible fact that Beatrice might love him, therefore showing signs of sensitivity. This shows how the role is reversed where Beatrice denies her love for much longer than him, with him wanting to requite her, of that love.

• Here is where there might be a possible role reversal, where Benedict in anger and jest talks to Claudio: - "That i niether feel how she should be loved, nor know how she should be worthy, is the opinion that fire cannot melt out of me; i will die in it at the stake".

The point being tht there could be and underlying meaning in him talkin so manly trying to hide his own feelings for one woman in particular i.e Beatrice. it makes his character seem in denial of the fact that there could be some buried feelings towards Beatrice and yet still refuses to acknowledge it.

Lesson Plan 

• Students finding Quotes representing conflict between the characters
• The Focus Point should be the Conflict- Tha civil war between the characters
• Is the main war more significant part of the play or is the war between the characters?
• What is the comedic aspect of the war within the play, the playful banter between Beatrice and Bendict?
• Is the war more on the lines of comedy or is it more serious? If both argue as to why Shakespeare made it this way? ( Reasons, Quotes to back up arguement)
• Make a point as to how the characters seem to fight their own wars within the progression of the play and how this affects the development of the play- how Shakespeare harnesses this to his advantage evolving the play, the Emotions used when th characters act etc?.

How is the narrative told within Lines 200~295 of the poem The Pied Piper of Hamelin by Robert Browning?

How is the narrative told within Lines 200~260 of the poem The Pied Piper of Hamelin by Robert Browning?

By writing the whole poem in rhyme Browning has created a childlike feel to the poem. This and the fact that it based upon a traditional children's story makes is accessible to children. I think that this is has been purposely done by Browning to make it a cautionary tale for children. By having it in rhyme and a well known story it means that a more serious message about the government can be passed onto children without being too severe.

Browning has used enjambment between lines 200-226 to show how excited the children were as they followed the pied piper and how frantic the parents were as they ran after their children. He has also shown a frantic and excited feeling in line 200 'like fowls in a farm yard when barley is scattering' representing how greedy the children were. This makes the children's need to follow the piper seem as strong hunger and a need for food. Since you need food to survive it makes the act appear more instinctive as opposed to of their own free will.

Browning has used the voice of the lame boy between lines 235-255 to tell the story. In this the lame boy describes what happened to the children who followed the pied piper. The place the children go to could possibly be a metaphor for heaven, reflecting some of the social and political issues of Browning time. This representation could be what happened to Victorian children that died due to the government’s ignorance, and lack to look after the lower classes. This idea is supported in line 258 'Horses born with eagles wings' which is rather angelic and links with Pegasus a winged horse created by the gods in Greek mythology.

Lines 250-254 'My lame foot would have been speedily cured, The music stopped and I stood still, And found myself outside the hill, left alone against my will, To go now limping as before'. By using lame boy as the narrator for this part of the poem is really effective because it gives him the role of speaker for the children. The fact that he is lame creates empathy from the reader and set the mood for the rest of the poem; you feel especially sorry for the lame boy because he not only alone now the other children have gone but he was the one child who needed the heaven the most as it would have cured his legs. The quote is a good example of Browning describing how the poor were left poor whereas those with better fortunes (able bodied children) were able to move on and go to better places.

The point about the rich being given help/opportunity easier is supported in lines 258-259 'A text which says that heaven's gate Opes to the rich an easy rate' as it says how the gates to heaven open easier for the rich, an important aspect of the themes (social and historical context) that Browning has included.

Write about ways Browning tells the story in lines 191-269 of 'Fra Lippo Lippi'

Browning has used enjambment throughout the poem to help paint the picture that he's drunk and rambling on. The drunken rant is also used to reveal some of the background story about Fra Lippo Lippi himself. The poem uses Iambic pentameters to represent a natural speaking voice. This tells the story to the reader because it shows what he's saying isn't planned it's just his opinions coming out naturally. Also because Browning doesn't stick to Iambic pentameter completely it shows how he has to stop and think what he's saying now and again as well as too much coming out sometimes.

By having the poem as a dramatic monologue it helps the narrator address the situation more as well as directly showing the reader his views on the religious regime.  This has also been done by Browning through use of extreme punctuation e.g. exclamation marks, this displays his emotional state and anger, giving you an accurate idea of the character. This refers back to the point about Iambic pentameter.

Browning has used a linear structure for the poem with flashbacks to different parts of about Fra Lippo Lippi’s life. This works as a metaphor for how the church works because even though time is moving on and forward they keep looking back into the past and using old traditional practices and views; exactly what about Fra Lippo is angered about.

 

Sexual Imagery is used by Browning in line 196 'Oh, that white smallish female with the breasts' demonstrates how Fra Lippo thinks differently to the other monks. This kind of sexual fantasy is frowned upon by monks and the church, this circumstance helps to distinguish Fra Lippo from other members of the church.

Another technique Browning has used is perspective from Fra Lippo (The Narrator) in line 199 'A fine way to paint soul, by painting body' this tells the reader Fra Lippo Lippi's views on church and how he wants to paint people as opposed to using symbolism. This in turn tells the reader the story as it helps you understand why he is having the argument in the first place.

Line 204 says 'Why can't a painter lift each foot in turn, Left foot and right foot, go a double step'. Browning has said this to show perspective from the narrator. By this he means that he wants to move on and make progress with his art instead of doing what the church say he should do.

Browning has used setting the setting of 15^th century Florence. In line 240 ‘I’m not the third, then: bless us, they must know! Don’t you think they’re the likeliest to know, They with their Latin? So, I swallow my rage, Clench my teeth, suck my lips in tight, and paint To please them. This is a direct dig at the church, the fact he has set it centuries ago shows how the church and the religious system still haven’t changed. 

In line 254 'The old mill horse, out at grass After hard years, throws up his stiff heels'  This is a metaphor used to represent Fra Lippo Lippi going against his superiors, and to demonstrate how he wants to do things other than what the church has to told him to do.

To conclude Browning has used a variety of techniques to tell the story in Fra Lippo Lippi.

Naivety Is Ignorance

This is a poem based on a stereotype.

The stereotype I was given: Emo
- 16 Years old
- Male
- Failing School
- Takes Drugs
- Wears Black

Naivety Is Ignorance

My skin beneath me,

Bathed in black. Why try

I can block it out. 

Failure comes to all. 

Just timing differs.

Some say I'm young.

It's age that matters

I care but only 

To disagree. You

Say one pill cannot

Better me? I say

Each beginning is

The start of a fresh

End. So pardon me.

Youth merely helps you

Determine my hope,

Should I have any. 

A smoke can help to

Quicken the despair. 

And for that I am 

Grateful! So leave me.

Leave me be. I have 

My own struggles, as

You are never I. 

How is the story told in Browning's 'Porphyria's Lover'?

Porphyria's Lover from my view is a poem about love and how the narrators love for Porphyria is so strong, the only way he can truly have her for his own is to kill her. An example of this is in line 36 ' That moent she was mine, mine, fair'. The poem is a dramatic monologue and uses iambic tetrameter to imitate speaking rhythms. In line 28 it says 'A sudden thought of one so pale' The poem was written in Victorian times, during this era paler women were thought to be more desirable as it was a sign of higher stature; people in the lower classes tended to have more tanned skin due to working outside doing manual labour. 

By piecing together  the fact that she is of a higher class and the name of the poem 'Porphyria's Lover' suggests that the narrator belongs to her, as if he is one lover of many or her man on the side. Both these would explain why she appears to be dominant over him, as well as why the only way she can be truly his is to kill her. 

Reading Porphyria's Lover I instantly assumed the narrator was male, this is suggested by the way hes describes the woman Porphyria. It's written in past tense which gives the reader the impression that the narrator is reflecting upon their own experience, possibly as if re telling the tale to another. In the last 2 lines it says 'No pain felt she; I am quite sure she felt no pain. This suggests that the narrator is slightly rueful toward the murder of his lover. There's no other ideas of guilt in the poem which portrays the idea that as he re tells the tale he begins to realise what he has done, so by the end he is left convincing himself what he did wasn't wrong.

What's interesting is the juxtaposition of murder toward the end of the poem, as it contradicts the mood in the rest of the piece, as the speaker has a calm tone throughout even during the murder. No voice is given to Porphyria herself throughout the poem suggesting that the narrator views her as his possession and doesn't have a mind of her own. You could also say that he does this is because he views her as unimportant and her voice doesn't matter but that contradicts his feelings for her portrayed throughout.

It's set in a cottage in the woods, the warm glow suggested in Line 9 'Blaze up, and all the cottage warm' opposes the stormy scene out in the woods at the beginning of the poem. The way the narrator describes the cottage as being warm following Porphyria's entrance gives the reader an insight immediately as to how he feels about her. There's this idea that when she enters the room his love for her is so strong that she appears to change the mood of the whole room. It could be argued that it isn't his feeling for her doing this but it is the character of Porphyria herself, and due to her impressive, goddess like presence.

Lines 15 to 20 show how Porphyria appears to be the dominant one in the relationship. Usually it would be the man who would make the first move but in this it is the woman. This idea of Porphyria being portrayed as the dominant character is enhanced by the title itself. Porphyria's Lover gives the reader the idea that he belongs to her and she has control over his role as a lover.

In line 37 the narrator says 'Perfectly Pure and good'.  This could be thought of as a motive toward him murdering her. This idea that he loved her so much the only way he could keep her pure and stop her being soiled by the world is to kill her, so no harm can reach her. From Line 25 onwards you can notice a change in the dominant character. Now instead of Porphyria being the dominant character in the poem the narrator is. There are examples of this in line 25 'Give herself to me forever', line 33 'Porphyria worshipped me', line 49 'I propp'd her head up as before only, this time my shoulder bore'. That quote especially shows the change in power really well as earlier on it was Porphyria who bore his head on her shoulder. 

At the end of the poem it says 'All night long we have not stirr'd, And yet god has not said a word,'. This quote has multiple connotations attached. The first suggests to the reader that god has had plenty of time to see what he has done yet he's done nothing, so what he has done is therefore okay and understood by god. Another way of looking at it could be that he feels guilty about what he has done and thinks that by god not creating any punishment for it he is able t convince himself that he has done the right thing and get rid of any self doubt. 

To conclude throughout the poem Browning has used a variety of techniques to tell the story in Porphyria's Lover.