http://www.smh.com.au/national/education/conflict-of-questions-20130322-2gjny.html
An article to get you thinking about the play!
Friday, April 11, 2014
Wednesday, April 9, 2014
Oral Presentations outline : Year 12
Using language to persuade
The Using Language to Persuade component of your course requires you to demonstrate an awareness of the effectiveness of language techniques (and how their manipulate their audience) in two ways : written and verbal. At CGS, we require you to do an oral presentation on an issue of your choice which demands you to argue a point of view of a recent issue.
Here are my notes from class to introduce how to go about starting to do an oral presentation:
Here are my notes from class to introduce how to go about starting to do an oral presentation:
Outcome 3, Presenting a Point of View: Oral Presentation.
Year 12
LJL
You are to choose an issue that has been in the media both internationally or nationally in the last 12 months. You are to be presenting an argument in regards to this issue. For example:
Issue: Teen Drink Driving, as seen in the Mill Park Crash.
Argument/contention: There needs to be tougher lawsimplemented to stop these types of accidents occurring with teenagers in modern day Australian Society. Changes needed to be implemented not only legally but also socially and educationally. There needs to be a greater awareness and accountability in all levels of society to stop these tragedies from occurring.
This speech is to be 5 minutes maximum. You will be penalized if you exceed 6 minutes.
Tips:
Choose an issue of interest to you. You will find it easier to research and deliver to your audience if you have a genuine interest/passion/conscience about the issue. Doing something you perceive to be ‘intellectual’ may come across as contrived and not believable (and perhaps a little boring for your audience!).
Make sure there is depth within your issue and that it is not single facetted. The more contentious the issue, the more ‘mileage’ you will get out of it.
Essential elements checklist:
1) Show that you have a thorough knowledge of the issue and understand the main arguments around it.
2) Develop your argument logically and coherently.
3) Substantiate your argument with up to date evidence.
4) Acknowledge your sources of evidence.
5) Consider the counter arguments to your position, state them clearly and indicate why you reject these alternative views.
6) Demonstrate your fair-mindedness and the fact that you have thoughtfully researched the issue from several perspectives.
Structurally:
Your speech should be set out in these forms:
Intro – start with a hypothetical, rhetorical, personal anecdotes, etc to grab the audience’s attention. Then state your main contention, outlining the main points that will be discussed. But as always, don’t LIST!
Ist argument: Your strongest point, consolidated by evidence and arguments, persuasive techniques.
2nd argument: Your next strongest point, evidence,arguments, persuasive techniques to push your contention.
3rd argument: Your third strongest point, evidence,arguments, persuasive techniques to push your contention.
4th – counter argument: present other side of issue to demonstrate a well rounded perspective. Eg ‘However, there are people who believe…..’ ‘Despite overwhelming evidence, there are still are individuals who….’.
5th – Rebuttal of counter argument, firmly reinstating your contention with your 4th argument.
Conclusion – reinforce main contention, end with a bang! Quote? Pun? Leave a resounding effect on your audience.
This structure is flexible, but essentially you are looking at around 3 to 4 main arguments with a counter argument.
Below is an example of a speech from a few years ago that received high marks:
It is the day of your netball grand final. You have spent weeks preparing for this game and the whole team has been training hard and eating well. The entire team has arrived and your coach calls you over to begin a warm up. As you finish the warm up, you rest to regain your breath only to inhale the toxic fumes of what seems to smell like tobacco smoke. To your shock and amazement, a father on the near-by caught has begun smoking. While he moved away from his owns daughters court and stands in an open grass area by the canteen, the strong and obnoxious smell flies through the wind right onto the court where we are warming up. The rest of your team mates begin to also notice the smell and everyone begins to question if his behaviour is actually necessary. Does this father have the right to light up his cancer stick directly in front of us? As a matter of fact according to the law he does. Smoking should be banned in all public places, especially when the young vulnerable people of society are involved.
On 9 December 2010 new laws were put in place in the ACT to ban smoking in public outdoor eating and drinking areas. The new smoke-free outdoor eating and drinking laws have been made to protect the health of hospitality workers and the community in general from harmful tobacco smoke. But, there are flaws in this new law. The new laws only ban smoking at seated outdoor areas where food and drink are served. There is no law banning smoking in children’s sporting event, playgrounds, picnic areas and public benches. However, the government does advise that there is no safe level of tobacco smoke, smokers should remain mindful of others’ health and avoid exposing others to harmful tobacco smoke. Is this advice really enough to cease smoking while the children play and does a stricter law need to be put in place to ban smoking in these places? I say yes and I say something needs to change now. Children are particularly vulnerable to the harms of tobacco smoke and for the sake of children’s health; people should not smoke in these areas. Smoking is the largest cause of preventable death in the Western World and with each cigarette containing over 4000 chemicals, you can see why.
We all know that the more cigarettes a person smokes the greater the risk of harm to their body but what is worse is when a non-smoker is exposed to passive smoke. Passive smoking is harmful to a person because unlike smoking an actual cigarette, a passive smoker does not have a filter to restrict some of the harmful chemicals entering their body. So being around a person who is smoking is very detrimental to one’s health. Many of you have probably noticed that is very rare for a smoker to be concerned about the impact of their smoke on a non-smoker; does the sudden intake of nicotine into the bloodstream somehow affect their ability to empathise with others? Smokers would probably argue that they have every right and all the freedom to smoke to their heart's content. But it should be emphasized to them that their killer second-hand smoke inhibits the rights and freedoms of people to live a healthy life. And whilst it is a choice to smoke, non-smokers have no choice as to whether or not they are exposed to the smokers harmful smoke..
Passive smoking also known as involuntary smoking, occurs when non-smokers inhale other people’s tobacco smoke or “second-hand smoke”. The risks are the same for second hand smokers as for smokers themselves. Any person exposed to passive smoking may experience short-term symptoms such as a headache, a cough, wheezing, an eye irritation, a sore throat, nausea or dizziness. Adults with asthma may also experience a significant decline in lung function when exposed to secondhand smoke. Under these conditions it can take as little as half an hour for an individual's coronary blood flow to become reduced. Why should we risk our lives for others who choose to harm themselves every time they light up a cigarette? This is not fair! And as tougher laws have been put in place about indoor smoking, smokers have largely been forced to populate the great Aussie outdoors. And that’s a big place, but when you step outdoors in this city of famously fine dining one would wish to smell the abundant fragrances of garlic and tomato, yet drifts of cigarette smoke now beset the streets of Melbourne. Ironically, smokers now tend to get the best seats in the house during warm weather: ocean views, cooling breezes, summer sights and (if they could smell them) the fragrances of jasmine, or salty sea spray. The state's Tobacco Act allows smoking in outdoor dining areas unless they are roofed and have walls that cover more than 75 per cent of the ''notional'' wall area. Yet smoke seeps, annoyingly and it can foul your Angus steak, pollute your pannacotta. ''Would you like some tobacco with that?'' wait staff might as well inquire as you order a Caesar salad.
I am not suggesting that smoking is to be banned altogether, just highlighting the necessity that there must be a ban for smoking in public places, like outdoor restaurant areas and childrens playground’s, not only for the health of the smoker but for the health of society as a whole. There are around 19,000 tobacco caused deaths each year. That's 52 a day- we do not need to increase this statistic by creating passive smoking deaths too. Conversely, we all live in a free country and hypothetically absolute restriction of the banning of smoking in public places would be irrational, we do need to get along and live together harmoniously. However, the health of the nation is of a major concern and if we can eliminate smoking in public places it will be further unseen to the younger generation and in turn will hopefully create a positive message of not beginning to smoke at all. So next time you are at netball and a parent on the opposing caught decides to light up in front of you and your team, go up and ask them if it is really necessary. Make a point that you don’t mind if they choose to smoke but ask them if the feel it is essential to get their nicotine hit for the hour and if they could take it elsewhere, away from you and away from your teammates.
Every time a cigarette is lite, the thought of cancer reverberates through the smoky air for not only the smoker but for the innocent victims around, who wish to live a healthy life, free of the 4,000 chemicals cigarettes contain. At the end of the day we all want to live in a healthy care-free world and I believe the banning of smoking in the public places is the next step.
On 9 December 2010 new laws were put in place in the ACT to ban smoking in public outdoor eating and drinking areas. The new smoke-free outdoor eating and drinking laws have been made to protect the health of hospitality workers and the community in general from harmful tobacco smoke. But, there are flaws in this new law. The new laws only ban smoking at seated outdoor areas where food and drink are served. There is no law banning smoking in children’s sporting event, playgrounds, picnic areas and public benches. However, the government does advise that there is no safe level of tobacco smoke, smokers should remain mindful of others’ health and avoid exposing others to harmful tobacco smoke. Is this advice really enough to cease smoking while the children play and does a stricter law need to be put in place to ban smoking in these places? I say yes and I say something needs to change now. Children are particularly vulnerable to the harms of tobacco smoke and for the sake of children’s health; people should not smoke in these areas. Smoking is the largest cause of preventable death in the Western World and with each cigarette containing over 4000 chemicals, you can see why.
We all know that the more cigarettes a person smokes the greater the risk of harm to their body but what is worse is when a non-smoker is exposed to passive smoke. Passive smoking is harmful to a person because unlike smoking an actual cigarette, a passive smoker does not have a filter to restrict some of the harmful chemicals entering their body. So being around a person who is smoking is very detrimental to one’s health. Many of you have probably noticed that is very rare for a smoker to be concerned about the impact of their smoke on a non-smoker; does the sudden intake of nicotine into the bloodstream somehow affect their ability to empathise with others? Smokers would probably argue that they have every right and all the freedom to smoke to their heart's content. But it should be emphasized to them that their killer second-hand smoke inhibits the rights and freedoms of people to live a healthy life. And whilst it is a choice to smoke, non-smokers have no choice as to whether or not they are exposed to the smokers harmful smoke..
Passive smoking also known as involuntary smoking, occurs when non-smokers inhale other people’s tobacco smoke or “second-hand smoke”. The risks are the same for second hand smokers as for smokers themselves. Any person exposed to passive smoking may experience short-term symptoms such as a headache, a cough, wheezing, an eye irritation, a sore throat, nausea or dizziness. Adults with asthma may also experience a significant decline in lung function when exposed to secondhand smoke. Under these conditions it can take as little as half an hour for an individual's coronary blood flow to become reduced. Why should we risk our lives for others who choose to harm themselves every time they light up a cigarette? This is not fair! And as tougher laws have been put in place about indoor smoking, smokers have largely been forced to populate the great Aussie outdoors. And that’s a big place, but when you step outdoors in this city of famously fine dining one would wish to smell the abundant fragrances of garlic and tomato, yet drifts of cigarette smoke now beset the streets of Melbourne. Ironically, smokers now tend to get the best seats in the house during warm weather: ocean views, cooling breezes, summer sights and (if they could smell them) the fragrances of jasmine, or salty sea spray. The state's Tobacco Act allows smoking in outdoor dining areas unless they are roofed and have walls that cover more than 75 per cent of the ''notional'' wall area. Yet smoke seeps, annoyingly and it can foul your Angus steak, pollute your pannacotta. ''Would you like some tobacco with that?'' wait staff might as well inquire as you order a Caesar salad.
I am not suggesting that smoking is to be banned altogether, just highlighting the necessity that there must be a ban for smoking in public places, like outdoor restaurant areas and childrens playground’s, not only for the health of the smoker but for the health of society as a whole. There are around 19,000 tobacco caused deaths each year. That's 52 a day- we do not need to increase this statistic by creating passive smoking deaths too. Conversely, we all live in a free country and hypothetically absolute restriction of the banning of smoking in public places would be irrational, we do need to get along and live together harmoniously. However, the health of the nation is of a major concern and if we can eliminate smoking in public places it will be further unseen to the younger generation and in turn will hopefully create a positive message of not beginning to smoke at all. So next time you are at netball and a parent on the opposing caught decides to light up in front of you and your team, go up and ask them if it is really necessary. Make a point that you don’t mind if they choose to smoke but ask them if the feel it is essential to get their nicotine hit for the hour and if they could take it elsewhere, away from you and away from your teammates.
Every time a cigarette is lite, the thought of cancer reverberates through the smoky air for not only the smoker but for the innocent victims around, who wish to live a healthy life, free of the 4,000 chemicals cigarettes contain. At the end of the day we all want to live in a healthy care-free world and I believe the banning of smoking in the public places is the next step.
Wednesday, April 2, 2014
More Luscombe Lexicon : year 10,11,12
1. Inchoate: just begun and so not fully formed or developed; I am
glad your inchoate proposals for integrating the company were not accepted this
time, thus saving us face.
2. Profligacy: recklessly wasteful; wildly extravagant, profligate
behavior; Anderson’s profligacy cost him his job and its better you tighten up
your belt before you go the same way.
3. Sui Generis: being the only example of its kind, unique; Mr. Bill
Tandy generated his sui generis theory based on little research and more
hypothesis, thus finding no takers for his pet project.
4. Austerity: severe and morally strict; the quality of being
austere, having no pleasures or comforts; Every major war on this planet were
followed by many years of austerity.
5. Profligate: using money, resources, etc., in a way that wastes
them; The firm’s profligate spending only hastened its downfall.
6. Baldenfreude: Satisfaction derived from the misfortune of bald or
balding individuals (coined by NYT columnist Maureen Dowd); Humpty Dumpty’s
antics remain a constant source of baldenfreude for children and adults alike.
7. Opprobrium: harsh criticism, contempt; His ludicrous attempts at
mimicry in the office only earned him the opprobrium of his colleagues.
8. Apostates: pl; a person who abandons a belief or principle; The
millionaire technocrat and his cronies were publicly derided for being
apostates, after they were exposed of polluting the environment while
purporting to have spent large sums for water conservation.
9. Solipsistic: the theory that the self is all that can be known to
exist; His solipsistic view about life ensured that he lived in social
isolation.
10. Obduracy: refusing to change in any way; Anthony’s obduracy in his
legal case expedited his impeachment.
11. Internecine: causing destruction to both sides; The African states’
internecine conflict continues to extract a terrible toll on innocent human
lives.
12. Soporific: adj; causing sleep; The soporific drug caused Tony to
fall asleep in the board meeting.
13. Kristallnacht: German, night of (broken) glass : Kristall, crystal
(from Middle High German, from Old High German cristalla, from Latin
crystallus, crystallum; see crystal) + Nacht, night (from Middle High German
naht, from Old High German; see nekw-t- in Indo-European roots); The
Kristallnacht remains an infamous event in the German history.
14. Peripatetic: going from place to place; The peripatetic bards of
yore propagated the words of the Holy Prophet.
15. Nascent: beginning to exist, not fully developed; In its initial
stage, the nascent film industry faced harsh opposition from moral groups.
16. Desultory: going from one thing to another, without a definite
plan or purpose; Garcia’s desultory conversation got everybody yawning.
17. Redoubtable: deserving to be feared and respected; Mike’s
redoubtable instincts as a prize-fighter kept his opponents at arm’s distance.
18. Hubris: excessive pride; The Empire’s vanity and hubris in its
exaggerated military were the reason for its downfall.
19. Mirabile Dictu: wonderful to relate; Randy’s winning putt remained
mirabile dictu in the golf club gossip for many years.
20. Crèches: a place where babies are looked after while their parents
work, shop, etc.; Go down the Green Avenue and you will find a string of
crèches and day-care centres.
21. Apoplectic: sudden loss of the ability to feel or move; adj:
suffering from apoplexy; easily made angry; His son’s antics on the playground
left him apoplectic with rage.
22. Overhaul: to examine carefully and thoroughly and make any
necessary changes or repairs; to come from behind and pass them; Michael’s
faster car easily overhauled the leading drivers in the F1 championship.
23. Ersatz: used as a poor-quality substitute for something else,
inferior to an original item; The DJ’s ersatz musical numbers were a poor
rendition of Celina’s work.
24. Obstreperous: very noisy or difficult to control; Andy’s
obstreperous behavior just after a few drinks generally caused his early exit
from most parties.
25. Jejune: too simple, naïve; dull, lacking nourishment; Horrified
by the senator’s jejune responses to their problems, the voters guild decided
to withdraw their support to him in the forthcoming elections.
26. Omertà: rule or code that prohibits speaking or revealing
information, generally relates to activities of organized crime; sub; the
Mafia; Henry was vowed to the code of Omertà and sealed his lips during the
police interrogation.
27. Putative: generally supposed to be the thing specified; Mr Brown is
referred to as the putative father in the document.
28. Manichean: A believer in Manichaeism – an ancient Iranian Gnostic
religion; Roberta’s Manichean beliefs found little approval in the stoic
theology group discussion.
29. Canard: a false report or rumour, aerofoil designs on certain
airplanes; The disturbing canard about my company’s finances left me in
despair.
30. Ubiquitous: seeming to be everywhere or in several places at the
same time; The ubiquitous internet is both a blessing, as well as, a curse.
31. Atavistic: relating to the behavior of one’s ancestors in the
distant past; The chieftain urged his tribe to curb their atavistic urges and
refrain from unnecessary violence.
32. Renminbi: another name for the Chinese Yuan, official currency of
People’s Republic of China; Chinese renmin people + bi currency; Around 1950,
the Chinese government officially released the Renminbi notes for circulation.
33. Sanguine: hopeful, optimistic; She remained sanguine about our
chances of success in the raffle draw.
34. Antediluvian: very old-fashioned; His antediluvian ideas are
preposterous!
35. Cynosure: object or someone who serves as a focal point of
attention and admiration, something that serves to guide; His wife, Catherine,
remained the cynosure of all eyes throughout the evening gala.
36. Alacrity: eagerness or enthusiasm; Richard accepted her offer of
marriage with alacrity.
37. Epistemic: cognitive, relating to learning, or involving knowledge;
The monk’s epistemic dissertation was an engaging study of New Testament
beliefs.
38. Egregious: exceptional, outstanding; The NBA referee’s decision was
the most egregious error of judgment.
39. Incendiary: designed to set something on fire, tending to create
public disturbances or violence; Amanda’s incendiary remarks alienated her from
the whole campus.
40. Chimera: an imaginary creäture composed of the parts of several
different animals, wild or impossible idea; Harry gazed awestruck at the
monstrous chimera, a gigantic beast with the head of a lion and the body of a
winged horse.
41. Laconic: using few words; Jerry’s laconic sense of humor endeared
him to the crowd.
42. Polemicist: person skilled in art of writing or speech, arguing
cases forcefully; Mr. Trimble stands little chance in the public debate against
the Republican polemicist candidate, Mr. Burns.
43. Comity: mutual civility; amity, an atmosphere of social harmony,
the policy whereby one religious sect refrains from proselytizing the members
of another sect; The Shias and Sunnis lived in perfect comity in their remote
mountain hamlet.
44. Provenance: the place that something originally came from; He deals
in antique furniture of doubtful provenance.
45. Sclerotic: condition in which soft tissue in the body becomes
abnormally hard; Doctors were at a loss in explaining the child’s unusual
sclerotic condition.
46. Prescient: knowing or appearing to know about things before they
happen; His prescient instincts saved him a small fortune when he sold his
shares before the stock market crash.
47. Hegemony: control and leadership, by one country over others; The
United States’ military hegemony in the region was a source of great distress
to Iqbal.
48. Verisimilitude: the appearance of being true or real; To add
verisimilitude to the play, the stage is covered with snow for the winter
scene.
49. Feckless: not able to manage things properly or look after oneself,
not responsible enough; The McCarthy’s are feckless parents with more children
than they could support.
50. Demarche: step or manoeuvre in political or diplomatic affairs;
Thierry’s political demarche with the liberals saved the government a great
deal of face in the senate hearings.
Crime and Punishment : Year 11
CRIME AND PUNISHMENT
Examples of criminal behaviour that I have encountered - who/what
Examples of the reactions by society – including the media
Why criminal behaviour needs to be punished
Existing forms of punishment.
Other forms of “punishment” could be ….
The reasons for criminal behaviour are…
Can a person change? (discuss)
Why rehabilitation is important.
Apart from punishment what else can be done to rehabilitate a person both in prison and afterwards.
Tuesday, April 1, 2014
final tones for tomorrow! : Year 12
Tone/Attitude Words
1. accusatory-charging of wrong doing
2. apathetic-indifferent due to lack of energy or concern
3. awe-solemn wonder
4. bitter-exhibiting strong animosity as a result of pain or grief
5. cynical-questions the basic sincerity and goodness of people
6. condescension; condescending-a feeling of superiority
7. callous-unfeeling, insensitive to feelings of others
8. contemplative-studying, thinking, reflecting on an issue
9. critical-finding fault
10. choleric-hot-tempered, easily angered
11. contemptuous-showing or feeling that something is worthless or lacks respect
12. caustic-intense use of sarcasm; stinging, biting
13. conventional-lacking spontaneity, originality, and individuality
14. disdainful-scornful
15. didactic-author attempts to educate or instruct the reader
16. derisive-ridiculing, mocking
17. earnest-intense, a sincere state of mind
18. erudite-learned, polished, scholarly
19. fanciful-using the imagination
20. forthright-directly frank without hesitation
21. gloomy-darkness, sadness, rejection
22. haughty-proud and vain to the point of arrogance
23. indignant-marked by anger aroused by injustice
24. intimate-very familiar
25. judgmental-authoritative and often having critical opinions
26. jovial-happy
27. lyrical-expressing a poet’s inner feelings; emotional; full of images; song-like
28. matter-of-fact--accepting of conditions; not fanciful or emotional
29. mocking-treating with contempt or ridicule
30. morose-gloomy, sullen, surly, despondent
31. malicious-purposely hurtful
32. objective-an unbiased view-able to leave personal judgments aside
33. optimistic-hopeful, cheerful
34. obsequious-polite and obedient in order to gain something
35. patronizing-air of condescension
36. pessimistic-seeing the worst side of things; no hope
37. quizzical-odd, eccentric, amusing
38. ribald-offensive in speech or gesture
39. reverent-treating a subject with honor and respect
40. ridiculing-slightly contemptuous banter; making fun of
41. reflective-illustrating innermost thoughts and emotions
42. sarcastic-sneering, caustic
43. sardonic-scornfully and bitterly sarcastic
44. satiric-ridiculing to show weakness in order to make a point, teach
45. sincere-without deceit or pretense; genuine
46. solemn-deeply earnest, tending toward sad reflection
47. sanguineous -optimistic, cheerful
48. whimsical-odd, strange, fantastic; fun
Saturday, March 29, 2014
Summary and Analysis of Act 4 Romeo and Juliet: Year 9
Summary: Act 4, scene 1
In his cell, Friar Lawrence speaks with Paris about the latter’s
impending marriage to Juliet. Paris says that Juliet’s grief about Tybalt’s
death has made her unbalanced, and that Capulet, in his wisdom, has determined
they should marry soon so that Juliet can stop crying and put an end to her
period of mourning. The friar remarks to himself that he wishes he were unaware
of the reason that Paris’s marriage to Juliet should be delayed.
Juliet enters, and Paris speaks to her lovingly, if somewhat arrogantly.
Juliet responds indifferently, showing neither affection nor dislike. She
remarks that she has not married him yet. On the pretense that he must hear
Juliet’s confession, Friar Lawrence ushers Paris away, though not before Paris
kisses Juliet once. After Paris leaves, Juliet asks Friar Lawrence for help,
brandishing a knife and saying that she will kill herself rather than marry
Paris. The friar proposes a plan: Juliet must consent to marry Paris; then, on
the night before the wedding, she must drink a sleeping potion that will make
her appear to be dead; she will be laid to rest in the Capulet tomb, and the
friar will send word to Romeo in Mantua to help him retrieve her when she wakes
up. She will then return to Mantua with Romeo, and be free to live with him
away from their parents’ hatred. Juliet consents to the plan wholeheartedly.
Friar Lawrence gives her the sleeping potion.
Summary: Act 4, scene 2
Juliet returns home, where she finds Capulet and Lady Capulet preparing
for the wedding. She surprises her parents by repenting her disobedience and
cheerfully agreeing to marry Paris. Capulet is so pleased that he insists on
moving the marriage up a day, to Wednesday—tomorrow. Juliet heads to her
chambers to, ostensibly, prepare for her wedding. Capulet heads off to tell
Paris the news.
Analysis: Act 4, scenes 1–2
Friar Lawrence is the wiliest and most scheming character in Romeo
and Juliet: he secretly marries the two lovers, spirits Romeo to Mantua,
and stages Juliet’s death. The friar’s machinations seem also to be tools of
fate. Yet despite the role Friar Lawrence plays in bringing about the lovers’
deaths, Shakespeare never presents him in a negative, or even ambiguous, light.
He is always treated as a benign, wise presence. The tragic failure of his
plans is treated as a disastrous accident for which Friar Lawrence bears no
responsibility.
In contrast, it is a challenge to situate Paris along the play’s moral
continuum. He is not exactly an adversary to Romeo and Juliet, since he never
acts consciously to harm them or go against their wishes. Like almost everyone
else, he knows nothing of their relationship. Paris’s feelings for Juliet are
also a subject of some ambiguity, since the audience is never allowed access to
his thoughts. Later textual evidence does indicate that Paris harbors a
legitimate love for Juliet, and though he arrogantly assumes Juliet will want
to marry him, Paris never treats her unkindly. Nevertheless, because she does
not love him, he represents a real and frightening potentiality for Juliet.
Summary: Act 4, scene 3
In her bedchamber, Juliet asks the Nurse to let her spend the night by
herself, and repeats the request to Lady Capulet when she arrives. Alone,
clutching the vial given to her by Friar Lawrence, she wonders what will happen
when she drinks it. If the friar is untrustworthy and seeks merely to hide his
role in her marriage to Romeo, she might die; or, if Romeo is late for some
reason, she might awaken in the tomb and go mad with fear. She has a vision in
which she sees Tybalt’s ghost searching for Romeo. She begs Tybalt’s ghost to
quit its search for Romeo, and toasting to Romeo, drinks the contents of the
vial.
Summary: Act 4, scenes 4–5
Early the next morning, the Capulet house is aflutter with preparations
for the wedding. Capulet sends the Nurse to go wake Juliet. She finds Juliet
dead and begins to wail, soon joined by both Lady Capulet and Capulet. Paris
arrives with Friar Lawrence and a group of musicians for the wedding. When he
learns what has happened, Paris joins in the lamentations. The friar reminds
them all that Juliet has gone to a better place, and urges them to make ready
for her funeral. Sorrowfully, they comply, and exit.
Left behind, the musicians begin to pack up, their task cut short.
Peter, the Capulet servant, enters and asks the musicians to play a happy tune
to ease his sorrowful heart. The musicians refuse, arguing that to play such
music would be inappropriate. Angered, Peter insults the musicians, who respond
in kind. After singing a final insult at the musicians, Peter leaves. The
musicians decide to wait for the mourners to return so that they might get to
eat the lunch that will be served.
Analysis: Act 4, scenes 3–5
Once again Juliet demonstrates her strength. She comes up with reason
after reason why drinking the sleeping potion might cause her harm, physical or
psychological, but chooses to drink it anyway. In this action she not only
attempts to circumvent the forces that obstruct her relationship with Romeo,
she takes full responsibility for herself. She recognizes that drinking the
potion might lead her to madness or to death. Drinking the potion therefore
constitutes an action in which she takes her life into her own hands, and
determines its worth to her. In addition to the obvious foreshadow in Juliet’s
vision of Tybalt’s vengeful ghost, her drinking of the potion also hints at
future events. She drinks the potion just as Romeo will later drink the apothecary’s
poison. In drinking the potion she not only demonstrates a willingness to take
her life into her own hands, she goes against what is expected of women and
takes action.
In their mourning for Juliet, the Capulets appear less as a hostile
force arrayed against the lovers and more as individuals. The audience gains an
understanding of the immense hopes that the Capulets had placed in Juliet, as
well as a sense of their love for her. Similarly, Paris’s love for Juliet seems
wholly legitimate. His wailing cannot simply be taken as grief over the loss of
a wife who might have brought him fortune. It seems more personal than that,
more like grief over the loss of a loved one.
Many productions of Romeo and Juliet cut the scene depicting
Peter and the musicians. Productions do this for good reason: the scene’s humor
and traded insults seem ill placed at such a tragic moment in the play. If one
looks at the scene as merely comic relief, it is possible to argue that it acts
as a sort of caesura, a moment for the audience to catch its breath from the
tragedy of Act 4 before heading into the even greater tragedy of Act 5. If one
looks at the scene in context with the earlier scenes that include servants a
second argument can be made for why Shakespeare included it. From each scene
including servants, we gain a unique perspective of the events going on in the
play. Here, in the figure of the musicians, we get a profoundly different view
of the reaction of the lower classes to the tragedy of Juliet’s death. Initially
the musicians are wary about playing a happy song because it will be considered
improper, no matter their explanations. It is not, after all, for a mere
musician to give explanations to mourning noblemen. As the scene progresses it
becomes clear that the musicians do not really care much about Juliet or the
tragedy in which she is involved. They care more about the fact that they are
out of a job, and perhaps, that they will miss out on a free lunch. In other
words, this great tragedy, which is, undoubtedly, a tragedy of epic
proportions, is still not a tragedy to everyone.
Courtesey of SparkNotes
Thursday, March 27, 2014
Oral presentations: year 12 OUTCOME 3
WHAT MAKES A SUCCESSFUL SPEECH?
We will brainstorm ideas.......
What's more important...HOW you say something or WHAT you say?
You are to do the following:
Choose an issue that has been in the media in the last 12 months.
Present a POV on the issue in a speech format, with the time limit being FIVE (5) minutes.
Use as many persuasive devices as possible.
Make sure your speech has structure: ie introduction with contention and signposting, at least 3 arguments and a conclusion.
You may use visuals to aid your argument.
These will be done in the second week of next term (TERM 2).
CRITERIA
Topics you can choose from:
Pageant kids... Honey Boo Boo has her own show- what next
We will brainstorm ideas.......
What's more important...HOW you say something or WHAT you say?
You are to do the following:
Choose an issue that has been in the media in the last 12 months.
Present a POV on the issue in a speech format, with the time limit being FIVE (5) minutes.
Use as many persuasive devices as possible.
Make sure your speech has structure: ie introduction with contention and signposting, at least 3 arguments and a conclusion.
You may use visuals to aid your argument.
These will be done in the second week of next term (TERM 2).
CRITERIA
| Using Language to persuade: Point of view – Oral Presentation Construct a sustained and reasoned point of view on the selected issue. | |
| MARK RANGE | DESCRIPTOR: typical performance in each range |
| 17–20 marks | Presentation, of complex ideas in a sustained, coherent and logical argument. In an oral response, the skillful use of highly appropriate oral language conventions to engage an audience. Highly expressive, coherent and fluent written response. Accurate and detailed acknowledgment of sources where appropriate. |
| 13–16 marks | A sustained, coherent and logical argument. In an oral response, an ability to use appropriate oral language conventions to engage an audience. Expressive, coherent and fluent written response. Acknowledgment of sources where appropriate. |
| 9–12 marks | An argument which is generally sustained and coherent. In an oral response, an ability to use some appropriate oral language conventions to engage an audience. Generally expressive, coherent and fluent written response. Acknowledgment of some sources where appropriate. |
| 5–8 marks | A superficial argument. In an oral response, variable ability to use oral language conventions to engage an audience. Clear expression of ideas in writing. Limited acknowledgment of sources. |
| 1–4 marks | Little sense of argument. In an oral response, limited use of oral language conventions to engage an audience. Simple expression of ideas in writing. Little or no acknowledgment of sources. |
Topics you can choose from:
Climate change induced weather events- fires, floods etc
…
Reality TV shows- The Biggest Loser- educative or exploitative
Reality TV shows- our obsession with cooking shows
Australian sporting heroes behaving badly- cricketers sledging and tweeting
A-League soccer fans behave badly
Australian economy affected by industry shutdowns- Toyota, SPC etc…
Pageant kids... Honey Boo Boo has her own show- what next
There is no original music any more.
That this generation's literacy will be adversely affected by YOLO, LOL,etc…
The VCE is a system that stifles free thought
Melbourne needs CCTV to combat violence
Hugh Jackman speaks out against Australian adoption laws- is celebrity activism the only way to promote causes?
Whaling
Shark culling in WA and SA
The Sochi Olympics in Russia are not in keeping with the Olympic spirit- corruption, racism, homophobia, removal of homeless
That products using Palm Oil should be outlawed
Australia’s asylum seeker laws
The sexualisation of advertising
Syringe supplies for drug addicts- Needle vending machines
Abbott's criticism of the ABC for not providing balanced news
Dredging of barrier reef
Phone tapping of Indonesia
EastLink tunnel protesters
Bikie laws in Queensland
Cutting foreign aid budget
Asylum seeker conditions in detention centres
Treatment of asylum seekers
Processing of asylum seekers
‘One punch law’
Street violence in Melbourne
Should mathematics be compulsory in schools?
The end of car manufacturing in Australia
Sex education and homosexuality
Work-for-the-dole scheme
East-West tunnel
Cory Bernadi’s book – The Conservative Revolution (Abortion)
Should we smack our children
The Indigenous employment/ education gap
Tecoma McDonalds
Sexism in the media
Animal cruelty
Treatment of fare evaders
Wearing the hijab in schools
Carbon tax
The government funding of private schools
The distribution of inappropriate Christian publications in State Schools
Religion classes compulsory in schools
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