YEAR 12 LESSON THIRTY-NINE [27th Feb 15]: Homework

The aim of this session was to continue to introduce the opening section of Jez Butterworth's JERUSALEM. The class watched a section of the B roll and listened to the tune by Jack Dupree used in this section of the play. Here is a link to the tune. Note the IRONY of the lyrics:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I8A79z3knL4
Here is the B roll:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s6rZHoshLT8
As we move through the first section of the play, students need to consider the following questions:

• How is Rooster represented in the opening Scenes?
• To what extent does Rooster conform to comedic types?
• How significant is The Green World?
• Does the taboo language alienate the audience?
• How is the Ritual Day of the Flintock Fair represented?
• How is comedy generated in the opening scenes? Why is it funny?

Students need to consider the comments relating to the purpose of comedy that are included in my booklet. What does Harold Pinter mean when he states that comedy should be 'the weasel under the cocktail cabinet'? Note other quotes relating to the purpose of comedy.

HOMEWORK: READ THE TEXT. On Tuesday we will conclude and discuss the First Act of the play.

YEAR 13 LESSON FORTY-ONE [26th Feb 15]: Homework

This session examined issues relating to Marlowe's FAUSTUS. The class were asked to consider the following questions:

• Why might a sixteenth century audience be  shocked or frightened by the content of this play?
• What are the key themes being explored within this play?
• What is the purpose of the comedic narrative? Why does Marlowe choose to reflect the themes of the more dramatic narrative through the 'Low Comedy'?
• What are the key symbols through which Marlowe shapes meaning?

The final section of the lesson continued the possible content for the examination question:
'Mephistophilis is the true villain within the play'. To what extent do you agree with this view?
The content of the class discussion was absolutely fantastic. I was really impressed with how students approached the examination question. The idea that the real villain is 'delusional human ambition' or 'the rejection of God' was impressive. The references to the honesty of Mephistophilis in Scenes Three and Five illustrate the fact that students are developing a very perceptive reading of the play.The representation of Mephistophilis at the beginning of the play is incredibly important. Imagine an audience being presented with this honest and decent demon in 1590!! How would the audience have perceived this representation? What is Marlowe's aim? Students approached this question in a very thoughtful and appropriate manner. I was also extremely impressed with the ability of students to quote directly from the text without opening the text! KEEP IT UP. On Monday we will shape appropriate content for this response.

HOMEWORK: Complete the second draft of the Anthology coursework. Rebecca...your marked draft will be in your digital pipe this evening. We will begin attempting essays linked to the exam next Thursday so students need to make the most of this week.

YEAR 12 LESSON THIRTY-EIGHT [24th Feb 15]: Homework

Imprisoned for performing a play!! The power of ideas eh kids?
And so....it is time for JERUSALEM...
http://blogs.channel4.com/world-news-blog/jailed-satire-thailands-lese-majeste-convictions/28793

Today's session introduced the DRAMATIC COMEDY COURSEWORK. Class discussion considered the significance of WILLIAM BLAKE'S poem as Jez Butterworth's play could be considered to reflect the sentiment of Blake's famous poem. Reference was made to the conventions of dramatic comedy and how these conventions link to JERUSALEM. The play could be considered to be a modern version of Shakespeare's A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM. Discussion considered the presentation of Rooster Byron in the openiong section of the play...HE IS QUITE A CHARACTER!!! The quality of the class discussion was tremendous and it is obvious that many of the class have already read and engaged with the poem over the half-term break.
Reference was made to the Three World Theory of Northrop Frye, the significance of the Ritual Day, and the use of stock comical types.

HOMEWORK: Read the play and read my booklet. I have posted a lot of resources to the JERUSALEM post on this blog and students need to 'soak them up'! Students should definitely watch the two resources below.
The first resource is a BBC documentary that explores the significance of Blake's poem. The visual quality is mediocre but the audio is fine. This link is the first of three segments:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OCvuvw8hiSk
This is the B roll...It is the first section of the play without audio. It is worth a watch because Mark Rylance's physical comedy is incredible. This is Rooster Byron's introduction to the audience:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s6rZHoshLT8
The trailer for the Apollo Theatre:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OCvuvw8hiSk

Students should dip into all the resources posted to the Jerusalem page. All students need to develop an informed undestanding of the issues being explored within this play.

YEAR 13 LESSON FORTY [23rd Feb 15]: Homework

Today's session looked at the use of classical allusions in the play. Reference was made to the significance of Faustus believing himself to be a Paris figure in the penultimate scene. He appears to view himself as a romantic hero as he sexually desires the demonic representation of Helen of Troy. Students were asked to consider the significance of Faustus using the language of romantic love when confronting the form of a demon that 'LIVELY RESEMBLES' H of T! Why is the romantic language 'Oh, thou art fairer than the evening air Clad in the beauty of a thousand stars'...so repulsive and disturbing? How does Marlowe want the audience to view Faustus here? The class were asked to consider the SYMBOLIC SIGNIFICANCE of Faustus indulging in a sexual embrace with a demon!! He desires evil...think about it folks!! Marlowe amplifies his distorted perception of good and evil. How should the audience react at this moment?? Reference was made to the allusion to Jupiter and Semele and the significance of Semele being consumed by flames. This could be considered as a forewarning of the fate that Faustus will receive in the final scene when he is dragged into the fire of hell. The Semele reference was linked to the myth of Icarus at the beginning of the play. Students were encouraged to consider the significance of these images of humanity being destroyed by fire.

Class discussion considered the symbolic significance of the Helen of Troy moment and revisited the symbolic significance of THE OLD MAN. If the play is a fable, this scene is MASSIVE as THE OLD MAN represents the power of faith. His defiant and fearless death needs to be compared with the terror and fear experienced by Faustus when faced with his own physical death....'REGARD HIS HELLISH FALL'.

The final section of the lesson considered the question:
'ALTHOUGH FAUSTUS IS EVENTUALLY PUNISHED, THE PLAY IS ESSENTIALLY A CELEBRATION OF SIN RATHER THAN A MORALITY TALE'.
To what extent do you agree with this view of the play?
Class response was excellent. Good work chaps and chappettes.

HOMEWORK: Complete the Anthology coursework. Rebecca is the only student yet to receive feedback. I will address this asap. Check your email RL. I expect students to be sending me work this week. At the end of next week we begin writing FAUSTUS/SECTION B  essays so this week is a big week for the Anthology work.

YEAR 12 THIRTY-SIX/THIRTY-SEVEN [10th/13th Feb 15]: Homework

The Tuesday session considered the 'pure imagination' exam question linked to TROTAM. Class discussion shaped a possible essay structure before the class received the gift of a 25 minute timed response. The Friday session considered issues relating to JEZ BUTTERWORTH'S JERUSALEM. This will be our coursework text. The class received a booklet that will help students understand the key themes and issues being explored through this petrol bomb of a play. BELOW IS A LINK TO A LOT OF RESOURCES THAT WILL ALLOW STUDENTS TO DEVELOP AN INFORMED UNDERSTANDING OF BUTTERWORTH'S PLAY:
http://becuriouslit.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/jerusalem-resources.html
This podcast explores issues relating to the play and links the play to the coursework. This resource was created by your English teacher!!
https://soundcloud.com/fishymedia/an-as-lit-podcast-jez

HOMEWORK: READ JERUSALEM and the booklet that I gave to the class on Friday. When we arrive back at the house of fun we will begin shaping the coursework.
Students need to continue to read all our set texts. WE will be discussing TROTAM, GATSBY AND AUDEN when we return to the land of a thousand smiling faces as we need to consider the skills required to confront Section B of the exam. READ.READ.READ.

YEAR 13 LESSON THIRTY-EIGHT/THIRTY-NINE [ 9th/12th Feb 15]: Homework

The focus of the final two sessions of this half-term was the final section of Marlowe's Faustus. Class discussion discussed issues relating to the two final scenes of the play. It is very important that students develop an understanding of why THE OLD MAN is such an important symbolic character and are able to contrast the death of THE OLD MAN with the death of FAUSTUS. The demise of these two characters allows Marlowe to shape the key didactic focus of the fable. The Thursday session contained an excellent class discussion relating to the 'shocking' nature of the gothic tradition. Discussion also considered the meaning of the play for a modern secular audience if the religious framework was removed from the play. There were some excellent comments relating to the final scene being less powerful for a modern audience than a sixteenth century audience. Discussion also considered the play as a modern fable concerned with the lust for power. It is possible to read the play as a modern political fable. Note the image at the top of the blog. Good work LIT freaks.

HOMEWORK: Complete the Anthology coursework. Some students will be receiving feedback in the next couple of days relating to their first drafts. When we meet after half-term all students should have completed a second draft. Most second drafts will be the final draft.

YEAR 12 LESSON THIRTY-FIVE [6th Feb 15]: Homework

Today's session considered the essay question 'How does Coleridge tell the story in the final section of the pom?', before moving into a consideration of an even numbered question. The question was:
Coleridge has described this poem as a work of 'pure imagination'?
To what extent do you agree with this assessment of TROTAM?
The class discussion linked to both questions was superb. The 'pure imagination' question is interesting as this famous phrase suggests that Coleridge did not shape any specific meaning when constructing his epic narrative. The content of the class discussion attempted to shape a response that argued that it is possible to view the poem as a very clear didactic Christian Fable rather than a shapeless and ambiguous narrative. Below is a summary of some of the comments:

• The poem deals with crime and punishment. The crime is the killing of The Albatross. The Albatross is greeted 'As if it was a Christian soul, We hailed it in God's name.' The Mariner describes his action as a 'hellish thing'.Coleridge offers a Christian narrative framework that is reinforced in the final section with 'He prayeth best, who loveth best All things both great and small;For the dear God who loveth us, He made and loveth all.' The Mariner receives his punishment because he fails to understand that ALL God's creatures are worthy of respect. The link to spiritual isolation is reinforced in the fourth section when The Mariner is unable to prey and then is reconnected after he perceives beauty in the, 'slimy things...water snakes,' and 'blessed them unaware'. Furthermore The Mariner states: 'And I had done an hellish thing.' This reconnection is symbolised with The Albatross falling from The Mariner's neck.

• The Christian framework is reinforced with the hellish imagery that faces The Mariner in 'the silent sea'. The sea is so hot that 'the very deep did rot' and 'slimy things did crawl with legs Upon the slimy sea....death-fires danced at night..like witch's oils.' This environment seems to be a location that defies the laws of movement, light and sound as the skeleton ship is first described as 'a mist' that moves 'Without a breeze, without a tide.' It is a terrifying place within which The Mariner endures incredible suffering. The unbearable heat and strange creatures allow Coleridge to create a hellish environment. Is this a form of purgatory? Is The Mariner being purified before being allowed to enter heaven?

• The idea that TROTAM offers a Christian narrative is reinforced due to the symmetry between the punishment of The Mariner and the biblical tale of Cain and Abel. This is the first murder in the Bible and God punishes Cain by cursing him and placing 'the mark of Cain' upon him to warn others that killing Cain would provoke the vengeance of God. God provides Cain with a supernatural identity that ensures that he will suffer. Cain is 'the eternal wanderer' and is forced to walk the earth. SEE THE LINK?

• When we meet next week we will entertain some readings of TROTAM that move beyond the Christian framework and I will offer a selection of critical opinions that have been inspired by this poem.

HOMEWORK: Complete the essay:
HOW DOES COLERIDGE TELL THE STORY IN THE FINAL SECTION OF TROTAM?
Read/Listen to the poem and prepare for Tuesday's lesson. We will be discussing the 'pure imagination' question and we MAY attempt this task as a timed essay!!

Toodle Pip.

YEAR 13 LESSON THIRTY-SIX/THIRTY-SEVEN [2nd/5th Feb 15]: Homework

The aim of these two sessions was to continue to explore key themes and issues raised by the later scenes of Marlowe's FAUSTUS. The focus of the two sessions was Scenes 10/13. This is such a MASSIVELY SIGNIFICANT section of the play as the comedic and serious dramatic narratives converge in the Horse-Courser Scene and it becomes apparent in Scene 10 that Faustus is a powerless individual who is not even 'a sound magician'. Students need to consider Marlowe's aim.
The Thursday session introduced Scene 13 which is probably the most important scene in the play if reading the play as a didactic Christian fable. THE OLD MAN is a HUGE character as he symbolises the power of faith and amplifies the ignorance of Faustus.

HOMEWORK: Read/Listen/Watch the play. I will provide feedback to the first drafts of the Anthology coursework on Monday. Next week will be a BIG OVERVIEW of Marlowe's classic play. BRING SOME DISCUSSION!

YEAR 12 LESSON THIRTY-FOUR [3rd Feb 15]: HOMEWORK

The aim of this session was to guide the students through the 'incredibly important' final section of the poem. The final section is incredibly significant as the whole moral of the poem is revealed in the final stanzas of The Mariner's narrative. Students need to be aware of how Coleridge uses different voices within this section to shape the narrative. For example, why does the poem conclude with the omniscient third person voice?
Students need to consider the following questions:

• Why is The Wedding Guest a 'sadder, wiser man'?
•  How can the warped physical appearance of the ship symbolise the experience and physical appearance of The Mariner?
• What is the symbolic significance of the wedding with its music and happiness?
• What is the significance of the similes used in this final section?
• Why is The Mariner's explanation of his punishment presented within an irregular ballad structure?
• What are the key themes being presented by Coleridge throughout the whole poem?
• To what extent can this be considered a secular poem?
• Is The Mariner alive or dead? What is author's aim here when offering this ambiguity?

On Friday, the aim of class discussion will be to gather notes for a written homework. The question will be:
HOW DOES COLERIDGE TELL THE STORY IN THE FINAL SECTION OF THE NARRATIVE?
Potential structure:
The first paragraph could deal with the use of simile. There are two key similes in the final section: ..'I pass like night, from land to land...Like one that hath been seven days drowned.' Students could also refer to the use of emotive language used to represent the suffering of The Mariner. For example the repetition of the word 'agony' and the image of the burning heart. We will discuss language issues on Friday.
The second paragraph needs to deal with structure and this could consider the effect created by having the voices of The Hermit, The Pilot and The Pilot's Boy at the beginning of the section and the significance of  Coleridge concluding the poem with the melancholy tone of the omniscient third person narrative voice. Why does Coleridge structure the voices in this manner in the final section? Students may also answer this question by considering the significance of the Wedding with its imagery of community, music and prayer. Why does Coleridge begin and conclude the poem with the image of the wedding ceremony?
The final paragraph needs to deal with the significance of the ballad form. I feel that students are easily capable of dealing with the significance of form.
REMEMBER...the whole focus of this response is how Coleridge shapes an engaging and powerful narrative. How is he attempting to create an interesting tale in this specific section of the poem?

HOMEWORK: Read the poem and consider potential content.
We will also be considering the question:
Coleridge described this poem as a 'WORK OF PURE IMAGINATION'.
To what extent do you agree with his assessment of TROTAM?