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YEAR 12 29th Jan 2018

Today's session considered the question 'CAN ART CHANGE THE WORLD ?' before moving into a consideration of the Othello timed essay question.
Below are the resources I used to illustrate the ability of Art to challenge our perception of the world and be a catalyst for social change. Obviously this is a previous blog entry so please ignore the homework:
http://becuriouslit.blogspot.co.uk/2016/11/year-13-monday-28th-november-2016.html
Here are some other links that relate to OUR world but also connect with the motivation of CHUCKY D in HARD TIMES:
http://becuriouslit.blogspot.co.uk/2017/12/gap-between-rich-and-poormore-dickens.html
The rest of the lesson considered content for the timed essay on THURSDAY. Below is potential content for two paragraphs:

• The first paragraph could consider the significance of time, location and light. The scene takes place at night and Iago is a character linked to darkness as viewed in the previous scene when mocking Brabantio. Iago states in his opening soliloquy that 'Hell and night Must bring this monstrous birth to the world's light'. Evil intent is linked to the darkness of the night. The cover of darkness will allow Iago to weave his evil and retain his representation as being 'honest'. Iago hides in the shadows to disguise his true motivation and Shakespeare links the visual image darkness to Iago's character. Darkness inhibits the ability to view the world with clarity and Iago is a character that thrives on characters failing to perceive his true character. Darkness is also linked to evil, just as light is linked to Desdemona's virtue and innocence, and Iago could clearly be perceived as symbolic of the power of evil or the devil. He believes in the 'divinity of hell' and is descibed in A5S5 as a 'hellish villain' and Othello states 'if that thou be'st a devil, I cannot kill thee..'  His ability to hide his true malevolence is central to his machiavellian ambition. Darkness allows him to murder Roderigo without being seen and this ability to act without revealing his true nature is a central characteristic of this powerful villain. Visual symbolism is used by Shakespeare to shape meaning in the play. The use of dakness in this play and the fact that so many scenes take place at night reinforces the idea that this is a play that deals with the theme of perception, evil, and duplicity. In this play, darkness hides the truth. Similarly the visual symbol of 'the kneeling' in Act Three Scene Three is loaded with meaning. SO...DARKNESS as VISUAL SYMBOL linked to the character of Iago is the key focus of this paragraph. DRAMA IS A VISUAL MEDIUM AND THIS PLAY IS RICH WITH VISUAL SYMBOLISM. Many scenes in this play are cloaked in the darkness of night and this is a play that explores the theme of perception and the power of evil....'KNAVERY'S PLAIN FACE IS NEVER SEEN...TILL USED..'

• The second paragraph could explore the fact that this extract is the moment in the play that presents the significance of DRAMATIC IRONY. Why might the audience be surprised by Iago's show of loyalty? What have we witnessed in the previous scene? Shakespeare's use of dramatic irony is central to the tragic nature of the play as the audience PITY Othello's destruction and are helpless as this man of 'royal siege' is destroyed by Iago. Could link to Aristotle's view of tragedy. This paragraph could link to the significance of soliloquy in creating the dramatic irony that drives the dramatic tension. Obviously the soliloquy also has a symbolic significance when Othello begins to use this dramatic form as this illustrates the success of Iago's manipulation. SO THIS IS A ..'SIGNIFICANCE OF DRAMATIC IRONY' paragraph.

• The third paragraph could deal with the significance of the nautical metaphor used by Othello that forewarns of the impending emotional tempest and gives clues as to the destructive potential of Othello's character.

• The conclusion needs to consider the genre of tragedy and link the significance of this moment to the rest of the play.

YEAR 12 22nd Jan 2018...Modelling..

Today's session considered the question 'HOW DOES DICKENS PRESENT BOUNDERBY IN CHAPTER 4 ?' and the class modelled a paragraph in response to this question.
The aim of this session was to illustrate how an A Level paragraph is formed. Students were asked to follow the structure:

• OPINION
• TEXTUAL REFERENCE
• EXPLAIN HOW TEXTUAL REFERENCE SUPPORTS OPINION
• QUESTION FOCUS/ AUTHOR'S AIM...

The whole aim of this lesson was to illustrate EXACTLY how an A Level paragraph is created. WE created a response that was A grade quality and I hope students can replicate this structure when creating their own work. Students have also received two exemplar paragraphs linked to Othello and Hard Times. I expect students to develop an awareness of how important it is to create a clear and textually specific critical commentary. Our last essay was 'okay' but the area we need to improve is the ability to explain HOW textual reference supports viewpoint and how language/form/structure is used to shape meaning. WE ALSO NEED TO IMPROVE OUR ABILITY TO PRESENT A COHERENT CRITICAL COMMENTARY as some arguments were too superficial and ambiguous.

HOMEWORK: I expect students to provide a detailed PARAGRAPH in response to the question:
HOW DOES DICKENS PRESENT GRADGRIND IN THE OPENING CHAPTERS OF HARD TIMES?
I expect the paragraph to be as detailed and textually specific as the example we modelled today and also reflect the quality present in the two exemplar paragraphs. THIS IS A BIG TASK as some students need to show me that they can produce a coherent, textually specific, and structured critical commentary. This paragraph needs to be handed to me on Thursday. I have given you some very detailed notes linked to HARD TIMES so read them!
In Thursday's lesson we will be looking at Hard Times and Othello so bring both texts. We will also be discussing possible content for the timed 'OTHELLO' essay that we will be attempting next Monday. PLEASE CONTINUE TO BRING YOUR BRAINS.
Today's session was excellent. Appreciated. You are a fantastic group.
Here are some DICKENS resources to aid understanding...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N9dB9BZWDBU
BBC Dickens documentary with Armando Ianucci..
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6lZB6E0-yCk

GCSE images..