Shakespeare's Sonnets

Student Name:|Blake Christensen|I.D. Number:|D56234284|

Project 2
Evaluation 32
ENGH 043 059 Twelfth Grade English 1

Be sure to include ALL pages of this project (including the directions and the assignment) when you send the project to your teacher for grading. Don’t forget to put your name and I.D. number at the top of this page!|

Literary Interpretations

In this project, you will complete the question in Part A and one question from Part B. Part A will ask you to write an essay, and Part B will give you the option of writing an essay or doing a video presentation. Project 2 is worth twelve percent of your course grade.

Each essay should be 600 words (two typed, double-spaced pages) in length. You should use the essay format for each essay:

Introduction. Begin your essay with a brief overview of what your essay will discuss, including a thesis statement—a clear response to the question being asked, for instance: “The mood in ‘The Seafarer’ is one of calmness and tranquility.” The rest of your essay will be devoted to supporting, defending, and proving your thesis statement.

Body Paragraphs. Your essay will contain several body paragraphs that explain why your thesis statement is correct. Each body paragraph should have a single main point, such as “The Seafarer accepts his fate.” All of the sentences in a body paragraph should support the main idea of that paragraph. Refer to evidence (specific details and examples) in your textbook to support your ideas. If you use any direct quotations, be sure to cite them in the MLA Style. Refer to the guidelines on pages R21–R23 in your textbook.

Conclusion. Conclude your essay with a paragraph in which you summarize what you have said.

Part A: Interpreting Sonnets

Compare two of Shakespeare’s sonnets, explaining how the speaker in each poem expresses love. Based on these two sonnets, how would you describe Shakespeare’s attitudes toward love? Be sure to indicate in your introduction the poems about which you are writing.

This essay should be 600 (two typed, double-spaced pages) in length. Type it in the space provided at the end of this document. Your essay will be graded according to the following criteria:

Project Grading Table (Teacher Use Only)|Points Possible|Points Earned|
A clear thesis or main idea about Shakespeare’s discussion of love|9||
Consistent support of the thesis throughout the essay|9||
A summary of the ideas expressed in each sonnet|18||
Evaluation and comparison of the ideas in each sonnet|9||
Proper use of grammar, spelling, and vocabulary (Refer to the guidelines on pages R-58–R65 in your textbook.)|5||

Part B: Literary Connections

In this activity, you will choose one of the following works to discuss: Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Morte d’Arthur, or the “Prologue” to The Canterbury Tales.

Compare an idea (belief, value, political issue, or social issue) to some aspect of today’s society. Based on your understanding of the literary work, how have ideas and perceptions about this issue changed since the work was written? Do you believe human concerns have changed over the centuries, or do you think they have remained basically the same?

If you do the written essay option, it should be 600 words (two typed, double-spaced pages) in length. Type it in the space provided at the end of this document.

Your essay will be graded according to the following criteria:

Project Grading Table (Teacher Use Only)|Points Possible|Points Earned|
Identification of the issue you are discussing and a clear thesis statement about how views toward it have changed|9||
Consistent support of the thesis throughout the essay|9||
Explanation of how characters in the work address the issue|9||
A summary of the conclusion the work makes about the issue|9||
Discussion of the ways in which today’s society addresses the issue, based on at least one source other than your textbook (book, article, program, or website). Cite the source in MLA Style. Refer to the guidelines on pages R21–R23 in your textbook.|9||
Proper use of grammar, spelling, vocabulary, and citations. (Refer to the guidelines on pages R-58–R65 in your textbook.)|5||

If you do the video option, record a four-to-six minute video presentation in which you answer the question. Your presentation will be graded according to the following criteria:

Project Grading Table (Teacher Use Only)|Points Possible|Points Earned|
Identification of the issue you are discussing and a clear thesis statement about how views toward it have changed|9||
Consistent support of the thesis throughout the essay|9||
Explanation of how characters in the work address the issue|9||
A summary of the conclusion the work makes about the issue|9||
Use of at least one visual aid, based on a source other than your textbook—book, article, program, or website.|9||
Proper use of grammar, spelling, vocabulary, and citations. (Refer to the guidelines on pages R-58–R65 in your textbook.)|5||

Do your presentation in one of the following formats: avi, wmv, mov, or mp4. Be sure to state your name at the start of the video. You may record your presentation as many times as you like. Be sure the video quality clearly captures everything you use in your presentation, including your gestures, expressions, and visual aid(s). Make sure your voice is clearly audible. Save the file on your desktop, using your first initial, last name, project number, and course string in the name of the file, for example: damstutz_project2_ENGH043059.avi.
Once you have completed your project, use the following steps to submit it to your teacher for grading:

· Access the ISHS Online File DropBox homepage with the following link (it will appear in a separate window): http://highschool.unl.edu/Resources/Dropbox.aspx

· Open the DropBox by clicking the mailbox image on the right side of your screen (the cardboard box).

· Click “Browse” to select your file. (A new “Browse” button will appear after you have selected your file. Disregard it. This feature of the DropBox is for projects in which students need to submit more than one file.)

· Click “Begin Upload.”

· Wait until a message appears on your screen saying “Your Upload is Complete.” This message will provide a URL to your file so it can be viewed online. If you experience difficulty or long delays in uploading, you may need to compress your video file. Recommended freeware programs for compression are http://www.zamzar.com/ and http://www.formatoz.com/.

· Copy the URL and paste it into the appropriate place in the Presentation Preface Page at the end of your project assignment document (scroll down on this page). You only need to paste the URL itself. Do not copy any other information from the DropBox upload page. Be sure to copy your URL before you close the DropBox upload page!

· Complete the rest of the Presentation Preface Page and the Bibliography at the end of this project assignment document.

· Save your project assignment document on your desktop in Rich Text Format under the name ENGH043059-Project2.rtf.

Use the ISHS content management system to submit your project assignment document to your teacher. From any page in your online course, click on the MY WORK button on your screen. In the pop-up box that appears, click START next to Project 2.

Once you have the project opened in the content management system, use the BROWSE button to upload your project assignment document from your desktop. Be sure to save your file with the SAVE button at the bottom of the page before using the SUBMIT button to submit the project. You can review your results and grades by clicking MY GRADES on the top right corner of your screen.

For complete directions about submitting projects electronically, access the “Project Submission” instructions from your online course access portal homepage.

BE SURE TO WRITE YOUR NAME AND ID NUMBER IN THE SPACE PROVIDED ON THE FIRST PAGE
OF THIS PROJECT ASSIGNMENT DOCUMENT!

Part A
In most of Shakespeare’s sonnets he express love, however his sonnet number 106 and his sonnet number 116 in particular are very similar. After reading these two sonnets I firmly believe that Shakespeare’s attitude towards love is very strong and that it is a topic he is passionate about. He displays confidence in his writing that provides the reader with a sense of comfort and guidance. The reader respects Shakespeare’s thoughts as if he “knows what he is talking about.”

The speaker in sonnet 106 expresses love by talking about “his love.” He compares the beauty of his love, which is alive at the time, to the idealistic images about which earlier authors fantasized. The speaker also says that the poems of the old authors are prophecies of his true love. In other words, the poems were efforts to describe a level of beauty that his love has actually achieved. The final couplet expresses the speaker’s thought that, even now, those who look at his love’s beauty now can marvel at her but cannot find adequate words to describe her.

In sonnet 116 all that is talked about is love. In the beginning the speaker talks about what love is not and then after the speaker talks about what love is. At the end the speaker finishes with telling what love is not again. Sonnet 106 and 116 express love from a variety of perspectives. For example, Sonnet 106 talks about “his love” and then sonnet 116 actually tells us what love is and what love isn’t.

Shakespeare states strong opinions on love in his sonnets in a transparent way letting the reader know exactly what he is talking about and what he thinks about the certain topic. Shakespeare’s sonnets are enjoyable to read because they are very clear, concise and thoughts that many people of all ages can related to and identify with.

My resources were unit 3 lesson 8 online. “Sonnet 106” and sonnet “116”

Part B

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, has many aspects that can be compared to situations in today’s society. Decision making, consequences of behavior and survivor skills are all aspects displayed in the story that have strong symbolism and connections to society.

The major conflict in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is largely Gawain’s struggle to decide whether his knightly virtues are more important than his life. Every day people in today’s society make critical decisions like this that can potentially cost them their life. Even though they may not be exactly the same, they are very similar.

In another aspect of the story Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Gawain agrees to something before he knows all the information about it. “Before he knows that the Green Knight has supernatural abilities, Gawain accepts the Green Knight’s challenge to an exchange of blows.” This does not apply to everyone in today’s society, but often people make decisions without thinking them out thoroughly. In this case Gawain will be caught in a bad situation because he did not find out all of the information before he made an important decision.

Lastly in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Gawain tries to find a way to get out of his mess. “He happens upon a castle, where he stays until he must leave for his challenge. At the castle, Gawain’s courtesy, chastity, and honesty are all tempted. Gawain then journeys to confront the Green Knight at the Green Chapel.” This shows that Gawain was here to help him get out of getting killed in the battle. This happens all the time in today’s society, Once somebody senses that they are in trouble they try their best to find a way to either get out of the situation if they can or they will try to make it so they have a better chance. In this case Gawain is trying to make it so he has a better chance.

In the story Sir Gawain and the Green Knight they are many comparisons to today’s society. This is one of the reasons why this story is so popular and so many people like it because people like reading things they can make connections with and relate to.