Blog 1: Part I Reflection

Part I of Ruth Minsky Sender's The Cage explores the experiences Riva and her siblings have while living in the ghetto. Part II of the personal memoir will unveil her horrors in the camps.

What portion of Part I stood out to you in your reading? Provide a page number and short analysis of the excerpt.

Blog 16: News Report on Chapter Four

Pretend you are a Nazi journalist and you witness the events that occurred in Chapter Four of Ruth Minsky Sender's The Cage. Write a detailed news report [the type that would be printed in a German newspaper] on the incident(s) in your reading. Include specifics about the situation: dates, location, etc.

This posting should be approximately TWO paragraphs in length, (5-6 sentences in each paragraph). You should include one quotation from the text to support your story; this quotation can be used as a witness to the events that happened.

Be sure to stay true to journalistic writing! If you need help with this style, go here: How to Write a News Article.

Blog 15: Holocaust Topics and The Cage

In your groups, take some time to collect information and provide each topic below with a thorough explanation. This may be a definition or a small summary of the event.

You are encouraged to include quotations and facts from other websites, provided that you cite them correctly. Try to be as detailed as possible, (i.e. include dates, famous people, etc.).

a. The Jewish Holocaust

b. The Nazi Party

c. Ruth Minsky Sender

d. Auschwitz, Mittelsteine, Grafenort

e. personal memoir

Blog 14: Post-Taming Exam Response

In a well-developed two paragraphs (five-six sentences), explain how Petruchio tamed Kate, starting from the first time he met her and ending with the conclusion of the play. What famous couple from Hollywood/celebrity world does their rocky relationship remind you of? [If you cannot compare them to celebrities, what about a relationship in your own personal experience?]

Blog 13: Katherina's Soliloquy

*After listening to the audio of Act V, scene ii*:

At the end of Act V, scene ii, Katherina makes a famous speech about the relationship husbands and wives should have. What three (3) lines did you find particularly interesting [especially since you have read about Katherina's transformation]? What is noteworthy about what she DOES NOT mention in her speech?

Blog 12: Act IV, A Shrew is as a Shrew Does

Petruchio seems to become the shrew, more so than Katharina ever was. Curtis says, “he is more shrew than she.” Why do you think they have traded personalities? 

As a psychiatrist, write a two-paragraph explanation to Curtis about why his boss has had the change of personality. Be creative!!

Blog 11: Shakespeare's Language

Before we begin reading Act 1 of William Shakespeare's Taming of the Shrew as a class, it is important for all of you to become familiar with the playwright's language.

Please answer the following questions in your own blog:
1. What is "blank verse"? Give an example of it from your book.

2. Interpret these Shakespearean lines using your Shakespeare Packet: Reading Shakespeare's English:
a. "But soft! What light through yonder window breaks?" [R&J]
b. "Thou art more lovely and more temperate." [Sonnets XVIII]
c. "If it were done when 'tis done, then 'twere well." [Macbeth]
d. "Who wooed in haste, and means to wed in leisure." [Taming of the Shrew]

3. How many creative Shakespearean insults can you come up with? Add "thou" or "thine" to the front of the lists picked up on your way in: "Thou+Column A+Column B+Column C!"
Post your BEST Shakespearean insult as a "comment" below.