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Write about one of the following topics. Don’t be silly and try to do two—no extra credit here. Focus on the one, okay? Write one page to one and a half pages on the topic you’ve chosen. I’ve provided you with a blank page. You can use both sides if needed. //** 1. One of the most important questions in the study of history is, “Does absolute power corrupt absolutely?” The question that I’m asking you is, did it corrupt // Caesar // absolutely? ** Using evidence from the play **, tell me whether you think Caesar was a good person, or a bad person, who would only become corrupt as he gained more power. There ** is ** evidence for either argument in the play. Then, tell me whether you think that the actions of the conspirators (i.e. killing Caesar) were justified.
 * // Part Four — Essay Question

2. In class, we talked about how Shakespeare’s message is not very obvious. In my opinion, this is his biggest strength as a writer, to let the reader decide what the play is all about. What do you think that the major theme of // Julius Caesar // is? Tell me ** why ** you think that—again, ** provide evidence from the play **. Then tell me whether or not you ** agree ** with what you think Shakespeare is saying, drawing on the play, class discussions, and personal experience.

3. In Act II, Scene II, Calpurnia warns Caesar that he may die if he goes to senate, because she has had a terrible dream. However, Caesar says that he will go to the senate anyway, saying that, “Cowards die many times before their deaths;/The valiant never taste of death but once” (2.2.32-33). ** What does Caesar mean by this? And do you agree with him? ** Draw on the play, class discussions, and personal experience to form your answer.

Finally, you can choose to write about the character Mark Antony. I think that Antony is one of the most interesting characters in the play. ** Do you feel that Antony is a villain, that is, a “bad guy,” or is that too simple? ** Does Antony really do what he does because he cared about Caesar, and wants justice? Or is he more like Cassius, just out for what he can get for himself? Is he Brutus’s enemy, or is he merely holding Brutus accountable for his actions? Explain your opinion, drawing on ** evidence from the play ** and class discussions.​

Welcome to Mr. Maxwell's Wikispace!

= = Hi, I'm Andrew Maxwell, better known as Mr. Maxwell, or Mr. Max, or just Max... I'll know who you're talking to. Currently, I'm teaching English 112 and Theatre Arts 120 with Kelly Bidlake-Jamieson at Fredericton High School, in Room C111. If you're looking for assignments or notes, this is the place to be...  Shalom, Mr. Max  //NOTE: In order to post on this Wikispace, i.e. questions and comments, etc., you need to sign up. Don't worry... you're signing up for this Wikispace, not Wikispaces in general. So no annoying e-mails or anything of the sort. Use "Sign Up" in the top right corner.

ALSO NOTE: So sorry if any of the ads on this page happen to be in bad taste... I have absolutely no control over them at the moment. I would need to subscribe to the service to make them go away.//



Started rehearsing scenes. Homework for all Periods was to read the rest of the play (Act V and whatever you didn't read of Act IV). Feel free to listen to the audio version as well! Have a great weekend.
 * Friday, 16 October 2009

Mr. Max **

Today, this is what we did:
 * Wednesday, 7 October 2009**

Period One: Period Two Period Five
 * Finished reading 3.2
 * Reviewed rhetotic
 * Did an activity involving Mark Anthony's speeches to be completed Tuesday
 * Reviewed 3.1 (was the reading for homework)
 * Listened to an audio recording of 3.2
 * Started the activity described above, to be completed Tuesday
 * There was no Period Five, because of the Terry Fox assembly

Homework was the same for all periods: ​read Act 4. Yes, all of it. It's actually only fourteen pages... I counted. As many of you as possible need to have it read because there's just not a lot of time to read it in class. There will be a quiz on Tuesday in all periods, on the characters in the play. Page 5 in your texts has a Dramatis Personae list that should come in handy.

Today, we went over the idea of rhetoric in all three classes. Here's the PowerPoint from that lesson!
 * Tuesday, 6 October 2009**

Also, as per the request of Adriane and Catherine from Period Two, here are some notes on symbolism:

**Notes on Symbols **

Symbols are any things (pictures, words, etc.) that stand for other things. That is, they are //representative// of those things. You’re probably familiar with several already: the dove for peace, and several for holidays (cupids for Valentine’s Day, jack-o’-lanterns for Hallowe’en, holly sprigs for Christmas, cornucopias/horns of plenty for Thanksgiving), as well as religions (cross for Christianity, star of David for Judaism, star and crescent for Islam) and political ideologies (hammer and sickle for communism). The stylized heart is a good example of a symbol, because it is both a stylized visual representation of an object (the human heart) and an abstract symbol for love. In literature, authors use symbols to hint at themes and emotions. A common symbol in literature is innocence, represented by white dresses, animals, and children. Some examples that came up commonly in discussion were from //To Kill A Mockingbird// and “A Tell-Tale Heart.” In the latter example, the heart of a murder victim represents the guilt of the murderer. In Act One, Scene Three, and Act Two, Scene One, Shakespeare has the conspirators meet under cover of night in the middle of a storm so strange that it is implied that it has supernatural origins. The storm and the events that take place in the storm may be considered symbolic of many things to come, but a general theme of change is safe to go with. Storms and wind are often seen as being representative of change in literature. The storm also induces a sense of weirdness; think of the beginning to a campfire story, “It was a dark and stormy night…” Symbols can be used to set moods. Homework was as follows: Period One, read Act Two, Scene Three; Period Two, read Act Two, Scene One; Period Three hasn't happened yet, so I'll update this afterward.

Sorry that I haven't updated in some time. Here's where we are in each section of the class,
 * Wednesday, 30 September 2009**

Period One

Period Two Period Five
 * We finished reading Act One, and went over the content in Act Two
 * We've discussed the role of symbolism in literature, and tied it in with Act One
 * We've gone over the history of the characters and why Shakespeare wrote the play
 * Tomorrow, we'll begin reading and discussing Act Three
 * We finished scenes one and two
 * We discussed the role of symbolism in literature
 * We went over the history of the characters in the play, etc.
 * Tomorrow, we'll continue scene three, and discuss the events of Act Two
 * We read up to the end of scene three
 * We talked about symbolism in literature
 * We briefly discussed the "rules" of Shakespeare productions; more on this later
 * We went over the history of the characters in the play, etc.

For **all** sections, please note: Also, some definitions from the class: an //anachronism// is something out of order with time, i.e. the Roman characters in //JC// wearing doublets, or talking of the great flood. Look the root similarity with "chronology," that is, order in time: ana**chron**ism, **chron**ology. I believe this is after the Greek god Chronos, or Father Time. //Realpolitick// is a German term devised by Otto von Bismark, based on political principles envisioned by the philosopher Machiavelli, that means doing whatever needs to be done to achieve one's political goals: "the end (i.e. the result, the goal) justifies the means (i.e. how you achieved it)."
 * 1) The //Beowulf// movie sheets are no longer being accepted (as of Monday, actually); I should have them marked soon
 * 2) The MSN/slang was due on Monday; I'll accept it as late as Friday, but marks will be docked
 * 3) The same applies for the "Change" freewrite.
 * 4) For descriptions of any of these assignments, please see the "Old Homework" section.
 * 5) The current assignment, due Friday, is as follows: "At the end of Act One, scene two, of //Julius Caesar//, Cassius has a plan to seduce Brutus over to his side, that is, to convince him that killing Caesar is the right thing to do. He's going to forge letters to him, urging him to do the right thing for Rome. Put yourself in Cassius's shoes: what would you write to Brutus to convince him that killing Caesar is right? Consider what you know about Brutus (he's sad, and doesn't know himself) and Cassius (he's manipulative, deceptive, conniving, etc., though not necessarily evil)."

