Making Stronger Arguments (Stage 4)

Two years ago I had a Year 8 class who were doing a unit of work on Conservation. The framework was all about endangered animals and themes of sustainability (Cross-Curriculum Priorities ahoy!), with the driving English focus being 'Text Types'*. It was basically an opportunity to teach a range of writing modes that didn't fit elsewhere in our Year 8 curriculum - early forays into discursive writing (IE. Feature articles), poetry, a range of informational texts, and persuasive writing. 

(* I put 'Text Types' in inverted commas as I prefer to use the term 'genre'. The above are all different genres of writing. But more on that another time.)

Today I'll show you an idea for a lesson that I wrote later in my spare time. It marries together two of my favourite things - the mechanics of persuasive writing and Marsupial Moles. 

Now, I know what you're thinking... Why haven't these two things been put together before? My answer to this is - I don't know, I was just as baffled as you are as they seem such an obvious pairing. But, as they say, "there's no opportunity quite as golden as a Marsupial Mole" (okay, no one says this, but they definitely should).

Incidentally, this lesson would come after introducing what a Marsupial Mole is. I would do this in a separate lesson that looks at the differences in perspective between European and Aboriginal viewpoints of this amazing and seldom-seen creature. If you haven't heard of the Marsupial Mole, here's the crib notes:

• It's not a mole. It's a marsupial creature that lives in Central Australia - it's closest relative is the Bilby. 
• It basically has no eyes and doesn't need them - it spends the majority of its time swimming through sand under the surface of the desert.
• The Marsupial Mole has only been photographed a handful of times and Australian scientists have no idea how many of them are even in existence. 

Okay, now that's out of the way - here's what I would do with a class.

Firstly, we would look at four ways in which writers attempt to craft stronger arguments when writing persuasively. I picked just four so it would suit a mixed ability class and I don't want to overwhelm students. I want them to be able to identify what these things are so they could start experimenting in their own writing. Here are the techniques:

1. Synonyms
2. High Modality
3. Second Person Language
4. Rhetorical Questions

Notes on this can be found here - Making Stronger Arguments.

Students would then use these notes while reading two persuasive pieces about the Marsupial Mole and annotating them accordingly. This can be done individually or as a whole class activity, depending on the class. I would then project the pieces onto the board and read through them while making notes / highlighting certain sections with contributions from the students. The students would then copy the annotations onto their own copies. 

Model pieces here - Why the Marsupial Mole is the Coolest.

Things we would annotate:

• A text chain showing different terms for the Marsupial Mole (this allowed students to see how synonyms were used).
• Examples of second person language.
• Rhetorical questions and why they were asked.
• Modal terms - this involved comparing the two pieces to identify which one had higher modality.

At the end, I would then asked the students to identify which of the two pieces was more persuasive and why (the pieces differ in quality quite deliberately for this reason; they provide set standards for the students to work off). Students would then write their justification for which one is more persuasive using the metalanguage they've now learned.

In terms of backward mapping skills from Year 12 to 7, this services the need for students to build their familiarity with persuasive writing (think Craft of Writing in Year 12). It also works to support the NAPLAN writing task for Year 7 and 9 - which can be either persuasive or imaginative. 

Disclaimer: All the above resources have been created specifically for this blog in my own spare time.

Craft of Writing: Personification & Semicolon

In the last Craft of Writing post we looked at a mini-lesson focusing on hyperbaton. In support of an integrated approach to Module C, this entry outlines two further examples of writing craft that students can examine and hopefully use in their own writing alongside the previously mentioned rhetorical device. 

In Term 3 my class will be looking at the modes of writing mentioned in Module C's rubric, however, before we get to that point I'm hoping the students will pick up a few ideas that activate a deeper level of thinking when constructing language. Taking a few minutes at the start of each lesson with these mini-lessons represents an attempt to address a greater sense of student independence when writing.

Personification

What is it: A metaphorical figure of speech in which an idea, object or something else inanimate is given human attributes, or treated like a human character by the author of a text.

Examples: (All from Shakespeare's The Tempest, in support of Module A: Textual Conversations)

• "Time / goes upright with his carriage"
• "Patience / says it is past her cure"
• "Though the seas threaten, they are merciful"

Why use it:

• Allows for an elaboration on the nature of a abstract quality by comparing aspects of it with human behaviour or qualities.
• Adds increased meaning and depth to expressions.
• It allows us to reposition things from a human perspective to increase our understanding and develop a connection.

Quick Activity:

Think of an abstract quality (EG. Love, Truth, Death, Time, Hate, Anxiety) and use personification to illustrate a character's relationship with this quality.

Semicolon

What is it: A punctuation mark that allows for two related clauses to exist in the same sentences without a conjunction or connective word. Some clauses are closely related enough that they should be in the same sentence and the reader's understanding of one is improved by the other; this can sometimes rely on the use of a semicolon to work.

Examples:

• "There would be no one to live for during those coming years; she would live for herself" - The Awakening, Kate Chopin
• "Harry had never been inside Filch's office before; it was a place most students avoided" - Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, J.K. Rowling

Why use it:

• To connect an explanation to something mentioned in the previous clause.
• Used as a 'soft' full stop - showing that two sentences have a closer relationship than they would with a full stop.
• Two independent clauses in a compound sentence are typically joined by a connecrive term such as 'and', 'or', 'but', etc. A semicolon can sometimes take their place.
• Can be used completely differently as a 'super-comma' if commas are being used in a sentence for smaller separate items alongside larger ones, EG. "The tall, barky trees; the roaring, blood-crazed bears; and the rivers that had burst their muddy banks." 

Quick Activity: Write a paragraph in which describe the recipe for a meal. Ensure that you correctly include a semicolon. 

Here are both of these writing elements alongside hyperbaton on a sheet for student use:

• Writology Issue 2

Happy writing!

Craft of Writing: Hyperbaton

Hi there! Here's another mini-lesson to support an integrated approach to Module C: Craft of Writing, this time focusing on the literary device of hyperbaton. 

Hyperbaton

What is it: Meaning to 'transpose', hyperbaton refers to the rearrangement of words into the less expected order. Writers move words around or reverse the clauses in a sentence.

Examples:

• "When nine hundred years old you reach, look as good you will not" - Return of the Jedi, directed by George Lucas.
• "As you from crimes would pardoned be, / Let your indulgence set me free" - The Tempest, William Shakespeare

Why use it:

• Can deliberately startle or confuse the reader, forcing them to consciously reorder the words and build the meaning in their own head.
• Used in poetry to reorder the words so that rhyme and rhythm can be maintained.
• Refocuses the reader on specific phrases and words.
• Can be symbolic in upsetting the expected order of things.
• In the right hands it can add a sense of literary weight.   

Quick Activity:

Create a conversation between two characters in which one uses hyperbaton. Consider the kind of person this would be and describe them. 

Craft of Writing: Asydenton

Module C: The Craft of Writing is undoubtedly the most different element of the new HSC syllabus and, as such, has understandably provoked the most anxiety. As we (the teachers) hurtle towards our first HSC exams based on said new syllabus there are a whole range of questions that are circling around the way Craft of Writing should be taught. 

One such question is: parallel to the other modules or as a module of its own?

Our school has opted to do it as a module of its own in Term 3, however, in preparing for this there's still a lot of room for building student efficacy in regards to their writing ability. One idea that I've taken to heart was Karen Yager's suggestion at the 2018 ETA Conference that we focus on short writing activities as a settling routine at the start of lessons. 

I love the idea of mini-lessons so I think this will work well or is at least an interesting approach to trial for 2019. I'm thinking the following routine will be a great starting point:

1. Introduce students to a writing device/element - this can be something they're already familiar with, or something that they're not. The important thing is that it's treated like something completely new and is explained in detail. I try not to assume anything when it comes to prior student knowledge.
2. Students read over how the writing device works and are then given a fairly open-ended 6 minute activity in which they must test it out. 

I try to match up the device with texts that the students are exploring in the other modules but this isn't absolutely necessary every time. I'm also not expecting the students to memorise these devices - what's important is that they test out using it in their own writing and see if it's a good fit for them. Not every student is a literary sophisticate; they aren't all reading voraciously (even if we yearn for them to!) so they won't have a subconscious command of literary and rhetorical devices at their disposal when writing. What we can do instead is expose students to a range of these devices in isolation and then let them apply them in the context of activities that will build their craft. This will stretch them as writers, regardless of whether they can memorise the obscure names that a lot of these devices go by.  

Here's one example of the information students would get:

Asyndeton

What is it: Essentially, this Greek word means "unconnected", and refers here to the removal of connective conjunctions from a sentence. Phrases are no longer joined by terms such as "and", "or", etc. 

Examples: 

• A character describing the nature of some families - "a Drinking Streak, a Gambling Streak, a Mean Streak, a Funny Streak" - To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee.
• "We shall go on to the end, we shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and oceans" - Winston Churchill's 'We shall fight on the beaches' speech from WWII.

Why use it:

• Removing conjunctions such as 'and', 'for', 'or', and 'but' leads to increased emphasis/attention on particular verbs and nouns.
• It can give the impression of speed, or create an erratic and hurried rhythm.
• Often used in speeches and rhetoric to control the rhythm of words, and to force increased attention from the reader/listener as they are forced to consciously or subconsciously fill in the gaps with their own connectives.

Quick Activity:

Write a reflective paragraph about your morning that incorporates asyndeton.

Teaching Advertising with Nathan For You

I'm currently in the midst of teaching a unit of work to Year 10 that's centred on advertising and advocacy, which I love because it gives me a chance to look at the role of rhetoric with my students. Before getting to the point where the students tie advertising to a social issue that they wish to advocate for (their assessment task), the time is spent looking at persuasive techniques and helping students work backwards from a final product to examine the purpose of these sort of texts. 

Last year I shared an activity on the three major persuasive modes (ethos, logos, pathos) in conjunction with the brilliant Reality TV satire Nathan For You. 

In today's blog I'll look at another way that Nathan For You can be used to teach some of the finer aspects of advertising but, before I do, I'll just reiterate the persuasive modes. In prior years I've focused on logos, pathos, and ethos. This year I've decided to bring in more explicit discussion of a fourth persuasive mode; kairos - something that is touched on when dealing with target audiences but could always be dealt with in a little more detail.

(Note: There's a fifth persuasive concept called topos but I'll leave that for another day!)

• Ethos: The use of authority or credibility to get someone to trust an opinion.
  
• Kairos: The use of an opportune time and place to achieve maximum persuasiveness with a target audience.
  
• Logos: The use of reason or logic to convince someone of something.
  
• Pathos: The use of emotion to persuade.

The clip above comes with an associated activity focusing on Nathan's wacky idea for rebranding a real estate company. The concept of 'rebranding' is primarily a marketing strategy but it can also be utilised here for English purposes when talking about audience and purpose. The effectiveness of re-positioning a product to suit a hitherto un-targeted audience (as Nathan does in the clip) is dependent on how well an advertiser or company understands kairos. For instance, if you are going to target a particular audience then you need to at least have an awareness of how and when this could best be achieved. The success (or lack thereof) of Nathan's ploy could be seen as indicative of both an understanding of kairos or a lack of understanding of kairos.

For anyone who is familiar with Nathan For You and its humour - fear not, I've edited the clip to avoid any elements which may be inappropriate for the classroom.

Here is the activity sheet that accompanies the video: Nathan For You - Rebranding.

This sheet includes the following questions (I have included possible answers here for ease of delivery but feel free to expand or adapt in whatever fashion you like).

Question 1: "In an oversaturated market it can be hard to stand out in the crowd". What does Nathan mean by this, and what language technique is he using?

• Nathan is referring to the abundance of real estate companies and how difficult it can be to find a point of difference for just one such company.
• Metaphor - "standing out in a crowd"
• Jargon - "oversaturated market" (also a metaphor)

Question 2: What is the benefit in finding an 'unrepresented' audience? What does this mean?

• An 'unrepresented' audience refers to a group of people (or demographic) that hasn't been catered for before. In this case Nathan is referring to people who believe in ghosts - an identifying characteristic that, as far as he knows, has never been the basis for marketing a real estate company before.

Question 3: Annotate the advertisement below; label the kind of persuasion used and point out any symbolism that reinforces Sue's rebranding as 'the Ghost Realtor'.

• The stretching of Sue Stanford's body into a ghost-like shape symbolises her affinity with the spirit world.
• The cross is a well-known symbol of Christianity, and this is also a religious allusion.
• Quote on billboard: "My homes are 100% ghost and demon free" - this is an example of logos.
• The colour palette leans heavily on shadows and the colour blue, which gives the advertisement a sombre, haunted feeling. Note also the shadowy faceless figures that are representative of unidentified beings from 'the other side'.
• The line of Sue Standford's ghostly tail and the underlining of her name both work as vectors that lead the reader's eye from her body to the quote.
• Gaze - Sue Standford's eyes are looking directly into the camera, which builds a connection with the audience. Note also her confident, positive facial expression.

Question 4: What does the psychic add to Sue's new branding?

• The presence of the psychic adds a sense of credibility to her new angle on real estate salesmanship. As an authority on this particular subject he is a perfect example of using ethos to strengthen one's business.

Question 5: What problems are there with the example of re-positioning?

• Students may have a whole range of responses to this question! Chief among the potential problems is the fact that some people just don't believe in ghosts, which essentially means that Nathan's scheme will never appeal to a sizeable portion of the market. 
• Students should have a range of ideas in relation to this question, especially considering how intentionally ridiculous Nathan's idea is.

Discovery: Go Back to Where You Came From

One of the more memorable examples of mise en scene from Go Back to Where You Came From. Note the use of shallow focus, framing, gaze, and slight high angle to keep the sky out of frame (hence dampening any chance of symbolic 'openness' or optimism)

Last year, on the recommendation of the excellent folks at Into English, I taught Go Back to Where You Came From as my Discovery text with Year 12 Advanced English. As we gear up for the last year of the Area of Study I thought I'd share the revision notes I made for my Advanced English class last year. 

These notes consist of a tabulated approach to analysing the three episodes and the reunion special. In the left hand column you'll find a screenshot from the episode, and on the right are some rough paragraphs that model appropriate ideas and approaches that can be used by students. As I mentioned just over a week ago in my Dracula post, providing exemplar responses is a really important part of opening up the learning process for students. 

Click the link for modelled responses for HSC Area of Study 'Discovery': Go Back to Where You Came From.

Here are some additional notes I also used with my students last year when revising the Area of Study and the text. I'd like to stress that these are just summarised dot points designed to prompt students when preparing for the HSC.

Ways of Approaching the Area of Study / Rubric Terms

• Influence of context on discovery
• Nature of discovery
• Impact of discovery
• The responder's discovery
• Representation of discovery
• Positive vs. Negative discoveries
• Meaningful, emotional, creative, intellectual, physical or spiritual ways of discovering
• New worlds and values revealed through discovery
• Speculation about future possibilities due to discovery
• New perceptions of self and others afforded by discovery
• Transformation
• Confrontation 
• Significant Experience (also known as Impetus)
• Anagnorisis (also known as Epiphany, Revelation, or Realisation)
• Departure Point
• The influence and reflection of metanarratives  

Raquel discovers that she doesn't actually much like being a participant on Go Back to Where You Came From.

Techniques / Devices Used

• Editing - jump cuts, crash zooms, montage
• Subtitles
• Direct-to-camera interviews (also known as: talking heads)
• B-roll (also referred to as: cross-cutting during interviews)
• Font
• Voice-over (narration and exposition)
• Pathetic fallacy
• Symbolism
• Close-ups, Extreme close-ups
• Mise-en-scene
• Handheld camera
• Ambient sound
• Cinema verite genre
• Archival footage
• Diegetic sound
• Sensationalism
• Characterisation through editing choices
• Rhetoric - logos, ethos, pathos, kairos
• Slogans
• Facial blurring
• Labelling
• Repetition
• Truncated dialogue
• Emphasis
• High modality in language
• Colloquialism
• Connotation
• Euphemism
• Word associations
• Blunt language
• Profanity
• Emotive language 
• Jargon

I tend to teach in a way where I provide students with more than they can possibly use. The thinking behind this is that students will then have a selection of things that they can pick from when formulating their own paradigm for understanding the text and rubric. There are so many different ways to approach Go Back to Where You Came From in terms of identifying techniques, and the modelled paragraphs are intended to demonstrate this breadth and depth.

If I had another run at this Area of Study I would try to include some paragraphs that continue to broaden the diversity of potential approaches. The hope is that this promotes critical thinking and independence, and allows for differentiation even at the higher end of the spectrum with Year 12 Advanced English. Students can look at these 'orphaned' paragraphs (IE. Paragraphs of analysis that aren't written in specific response to any essay question) and then attempt to write their own. By doing this they will be practising and implementing their own approach that can then hopefully be adapted for any number of HSC questions.

Kenneth Branagh's Hamlet: 9 Things That Stand Out

To date, Kenneth Branagh has appeared in 6 Shakespeare films (5 of which he also directed)

In what way could a director bring the themes of Hamlet into focus? As, quite possibly, the most revered and famous piece of fiction of all time, Shakespeare's play has gathered an unrivalled abundance of literary criticism. A Shakespeare enthusiast like Kenneth Branagh therefore has a vast depository of readings, identified themes, and critical appraisals to draw upon when crafting the definitive film version of the text. 

Filmed in 1996, Kenneth Branagh's Hamlet was the first (and so far only) unabridged film version of the play. As a 4+ hour piece of cinema about a play where the protagonist essentially spends the majority of the time wrestling with the idea of doing something or not doing something, Branagh's film was always going to be a hard sell in terms of finding financing. When the American production company Castle Rock Entertainment came to Branagh's rescue, it was on the proviso that he utilise as many 'big name' actors as possible.

So we get a range of surprising cameos throughout:

• Two-time Academy Award winner and Hollywood legend Jack Lemmon as the watchman Marcellus. Lemmon manages to turn a relatively small role into a figure of depth and weight; a wise and half-broken old man of the night's watch.
• France's biggest actor, Gerard Depardieu, as the one-scene wonder Reynaldo.
• Billy Crystal as the more talkative of the two Gravediggers (and he does a great job with the role too).
• Academy Award-winning screen legend Charlton Heston as the Player King.
• Oscar-winning British acting royalty John Gielgud, John Mills, and Judi Dench as characters who are only mentioned in passing in the actual play (Gielgud and Dench appear as historical figures from the story of Troy, who are referenced in the Player King's speech, whereas Mills appears a couple of times as 'Old Norway', the ailing leader of Denmark's neighbouring kingdom).
• The roaring and relentlessly beardy character-actor Brian Blessed as the Ghost / King Hamlet.
• Richard Attenborough (students may recognise him from the Jurassic Park films) as the English ambassador who appears at the end of the play.
• Renowned British comedian and 'music hall entertainer' Ken Dodd as Hamlet's childhood friend, Yorick. Dodd's lively and wordless cameo takes place in flashback as Hamlet stares into the jester's skull, and it's (in my opinion) one of the most surprisingly moving moments in the film. 
• Robin Williams as the pompous courtier Osric. Williams takes a role that could be interpreted as smarmy, or arrogant, and manages to make the character amusingly hapless and somewhat sympathetic. 

All these well-known actors mean that the film actually holds the record for the most Oscar-winning performers on the screen in a single film. A nice bit of trivia for you!

Hamlet peers into his past.

Branagh's extensive use of flashbacks to characters like 'Old Norway', Yorick, and the historical figures in the Player King's speech, helps to open the play up into something more cinematic and non-linear. Despite the film's daunting length, Hamlet (1996) presents the text in the most accessible way possible, with Branagh consistently finding inventive ways to add movement and simplicity to the narrative.

Take, for instance, the climactic showdown in Elsinore's court. Everything is turned up to 11 - Claudius is impaled by a flying sword, Laertes falls from a balcony in his death scene, and even Osric is killed! Branagh also liberally interprets Fortinbras's arrival as a violent political coup, with the Norwegian troops storming the castle during Hamlet's fatal duel. There's also the hilarious and bizarre arrival of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern earlier on in the film, with the interchangeable pair riding in with much self-made fanfare on a little tooting steam train!

Hamlet the Film - and - Themes / Concepts

Where should I begin? Watching Branagh's film translation of the text helped to nail a lot of ideas down for both myself and my students. Here are some things that became apparent for me while I watched the movie - some are particular to the film, and some are just general observations about the way the play represents Shakespeare's ideas and context:

• Antithesis Visualised: Shakespeare was a big fan of placing antonyms up against each other in his dialogue. Part of the reason for this is that it helps give the actors direction in how they perform a line. For example, when said as a single line without thought, "To be or not to be" is simply six words, however, when said with emphasis on the opposing ideas, the line becomes much more significant. Branagh takes the Shakespearean motif of antithesis and renders it with clarity on the big screen through his introduction of Hamlet in Act 1, Scene 2, as a dour black-clad brooder juxtaposed against the bright and dazzling cheer of the Danish court; a resplendent hall of polished surfaces where white rose petals rain down in celebration of the coronation and marriage of King Claudius.  

An incredibly visual translation of the text's themes.

• The Private vs. Public: In Act 1, Scene 3, Ophelia tells her father about Hamlet's attempts to woo her. Branagh's Hamlet has Polonius cautiously close some impressive wrought-iron gates behind his son's exit so that he can establish privacy before broaching Ophelia's relationship with Hamlet. This simple piece of direction, completely unmentioned in the play's dialogue, highlights the political delicacy of Hamlet's affections for Ophelia. In other words, Polonius knows that Hamlet's status as Prince means that he will be unable to ever establish a formal and public relationship with Ophelia, and hence he does not want anyone to bear witness to the dimensions of any conversation along these lines. It's telling that Polonius is so paranoid and distrustful right from the get-go, especially in light of his own tendency towards spying throughout the remainder of the film/play. 

• Madness and Appearances: The introduction of 'mad' Hamlet in Act 2 sees Kenneth Branagh appear wearing a skull mask - an obvious but nonetheless neat piece of foreshadowing that emphasises the play's theme of mortality. The removal of the mask to reveal Hamlet's unhinged eyes also calls into question the layers of appearance that the play asks the viewer to buy into. Is Hamlet play-acting? Or is he genuinely distressed? The wearing of the mask suggests the former, but the eyes hint at the latter. Later, when Hamlet says, "Now I am alone", Branagh plays it as a cathartic release - suggesting that the pretense of madness is physically and emotionally exhausting; perhaps leading to madness in itself.

• The Great Chain of Being: This quote, paraphrased, "What a piece of work is man! How noble in reason, how infinite in faculty... in action how like an angel! In apprehension how like a god! ...the paragon of animals", perfectly demonstrates the play's concern for the Elizabethan idea of the Great Chain of Being. In context, this was a way of seeing the universe - a hierarchy that established man's place in relation to the natural and metaphysical worlds. In the aforementioned quote, Hamlet is pondering the contradictions of a man; set on the Earth amongst the animals yet also capable of godlike and angelic behaviour. All of a person's actions fall on a scale between the beastly and the divine, and it's this way of understanding humanity that drives much of Hamlet's plot. Think of Claudius's confession scene - he veers from one end of the spectrum to the other in his acknowledgement of guilt, sin, and criminal reward. Hamlet also wrestles with his place in the Great Chain, albeit implicitly, in the way he considers how revenge and thoughts of suicide fit with one's ascent to Heaven.

• Historical Allusion: Branagh manages to keep all of the Player King's speech (heck, the film is unabridged - meaning that everything is kept!) whilst simultaneously making this difficult section of the play more relevant. The Player King makes reference to the story of the Greek General Pyrrhus and the Trojan Horse, which Branagh boldly puts up on the screen as a means of highlighting one of Hamlet's key themes - the role of subterfuge in the Danish court and the hiding of intentions; elements in Shakespeare's play that were no doubt designed to hit home with Elizabethan audiences who were becoming increasingly acclimatised to the Machiavellian intrigues of the Queen's court.  The Elizabethans were also quite taken with Ancient Greek and Roman culture, which meant that this textual allusion would be a familiar allegory for audiences to identify with.

Osric is basically Polonius Mk II - another focal point for Hamlet's scorn.

• Hamlet and Polonius: Prior to the performance of 'The Mouse Trap', the Prince of Denmark publicly mocks Polonius on the stage in front of all his peers. Branagh uses this moment to illustrate the depth of antagonism that Hamlet holds for Polonius; note the way he delivers the line, "He's for a jig, or a bawdry - or so he sleeps". This disparagingly suggests that Polonius can only appreciate texts of low culture and that he is too stupid to appreciate great works of literature and theatre. This exchange also demonstrates that, even when acting 'mad', Hamlet still cannot resist displaying his sharp wit.

• Set Design: There's a lot of scope for discussing the relevance of Branagh's choice of sets for this film. The interior shots for the main court of Elsinore take place on a huge and extravagant set, complete with ornate throne and mirrored walls. The use of reflective surfaces almost becomes an extra character in the film, forcing the protagonist to literally face himself as he delivers his most famous self-examining soliloquy. Behind these mirrored walls are also hidden rooms from which Claudius and Polonius can spy; symbolically reinforcing the theme of intentions concealed by a glossy facade.

• Ophelia, Misogyny, and Appearance vs. Reality: To quote Hamlet as he berates Ophelia, "God gives you one face and you paint yourself another". On a surface level this line of dialogue fits into Shakespeare's discourse on appearances and reality - the idea that each of these characters are publicly portraying themselves in a way that dramatically contrasts with their private, inner selves. But if we look at this line a little deeper we can see that Hamlet is speaking syllogistically. Syllogism is a rhetorical technique in which the speaker draws a specific conclusion by using a general example; in this case Hamlet is speaking both about all women and Ophelia. The result is something quite misogynistic, with the implication being that Ophelia (and women in general) are inherently deceptive - with Hamlet interpreting their use of make-up as being symbolically dishonest.   

• Claudius: Derek Jacobi is fantastic as Claudius; note that moment of realisation when he is confronted by Hamlet's re-enactment of the old King's murder - Jacobi speaks the line, "Give me some light. Away" in a cold and slow manner, rather than in the expected state of panic. The effect is apt, indicating the new king's propensity for careful and cautious calculation. This is a fury that Claudius holds deep inside, and a feeling that he must nurse to the surface so that he can remain, as ever, in control. I also appreciated the fact that Branagh seems to always have Claudius sipping alcohol, which comes across as the Victorian equivalent of a fat cigar between the teeth - a corrupt figure enjoying the spoils of his power.  

What a great play.

What a great film!

Antimetabole: Rhetorical Technique in 1984

First thing's first: don't ask me to pronounce the name of this technique... is it an-time-tabool? An-tim-eh-ta-bol-ey? Anti-meta-burlie? Anyway, it's a mouthful, and thankfully students wanting to discuss it in an essay only need to know how to spell it rather than pronounce it.

I mentioned a few weeks ago that I like to use a 'mini-lesson' approach when it comes to teaching new techniques in the classroom. This has been adapted from the work of American writing guru Nancie Atwell and WSU Education Researcher Wayne Sawyer, and allows for students to engage directly with the technique or literary device before placing it in context and developing a greater familiarity with it.

Antimetabole is a rhetorical device, and I'll note here that I've already spent significant time covering the persuasive genre of rhetoric with my Advanced English students before getting to this particular technique, which means that students already have contextual knowledge of what rhetoric is and how it works (and to what end). I cover this in passing with Year 10 students, and then in more detail when teaching Shakespearean language to Preliminary Advanced English for Othello.

At its most basic definition, antimetabole is when a phrase or clause is stated and then repeated in reverse order. A famous example is one used in a speech by American President John F. Kennedy:

"Ask not what your country can do for you - ask what you can do for your country"

Antimetabole can be used for a number of reasons:

• To call attention to certain key words.
• To hint that reality is not what it seems (illustrated by the reversal of words).
• To motivate/persuade an audience.
• When the first clause is spoken in a speech it may not be that noticeable, however, when the words are repeated in the next clause it immediately emphasises the elements that have been repeated. 
• It is a popular rhetorical device in political speeches, and is therefore used in literature to allude to political thought and intention. 
• It can sometimes seem confusing; forcing the listener or reader to re-examine the ideas therein.

An example from 1984, spoken by O'Brien during his interrogation of Winston:

"One does not establish a dictatorship in order to safeguard a revolution; one makes a revolution in order to establish the dictatorship"

Get the students look at the quote above and then answer the following questioning after being walked through the above definition and breakdown:

Question: What is Orwell's intention in using this rhetorical device here, and through this particular character?

Orwell actually uses a few examples of this rhetorical device in 1984, another that comes to mind is, "Until they become conscious they will never rebel, and until after they have rebelled they cannot become conscious". Rigorous teachers might also like to point out the paradoxical, Catch 22-like nature of this additional example. 

Resource: 1984 and Antimetabole

Tricolon: Rhetorical Technique in 1984

One area that I've had some success in with Advanced English students is in extending their analysis by introducing 'new' techniques. In Standard English, and Years 7-10 English, it can be easy to get bogged down in re-teaching the base techniques - things like metaphor and personification. How many of us have started with a new class and had students complete a 'pre-test' diagnostic activity where we assess their memory on literary techniques? And then how many of us have been surprised (year after year) that the point and definition of a metaphor still hasn't become second nature for Year 10 students?

'Top' classes tend not to have this issue as much and this makes them ripe for extension with a proliferation of language devices and rhetorical techniques. With Advanced English, I tend to throw everything I have at them in the hope that a few new techniques will stick. At the end of the day I just don't know how each individual's brain will assign significance, so part of catering for this is to differentiate by offering a wide volume and variety of ideas. One student, Y. D. U. Cair, might remember what a motif is and excels at identifying these in texts, but struggles to vary his writing with diverse sentence structures. Meanwhile, his classmate Isle Try always seems to forget what motifs are but when she is reminded of the differences between simple, compound and complex sentences, it's something that sticks with her and begins to inform her writing style. 

Taking my cue from Nancie Atwell's pioneering mini-lesson approach, I've been using 1984 to drop a few new rhetorical techniques on the students. Today's is the tricolon.

The tricolon is a device in which three parallel phrases, clauses or words are used in a sentence together. George Orwell uses lots of these in 1984 to build layers of detail in his depressingly relevant view of the future:

"Sometimes he was flung like a sack of potatoes on the stone floor of a cell, left to recuperate for a few hours, and then taken out and beaten again."

The sentence starts with the adverbial part of the clause "Sometimes he was" and continues into "flung like a sack of potatoes on the stone floor of a cell". This in itself would constitute a simple sentence on its own but just before the verb 'flung' the sentence branches off into three separate clauses, essentially making the sentence - "Sometimes he was flung like a sack of potatoes on the stone floor of a cell", "Sometimes he was left to recuperate for a few hours", and "Sometimes he was taken out and beaten again". For a start, this makes sense of the use of an oxford comma at the end of the second clause, as it ensures that each clause can be taken for face value on its own. In using the tricolonic structure the overall sentence itself builds the sense that the protagonist, Winston, is undergoing quite a trial - endless, random, and brutal (see what I did there? That last part was tricolon too).

Another example of tricolon in 1984 can be seen here:

"Little dumpy men with short legs, swift scuttling movements, and fat inscrutable faces with very small eyes."

Resource: Tricolon worksheet

In the above worksheet, students are introduced to the technique and asked to observe the two examples and come up with their own definition. Discuss with them after they've had a go at analysing it for themselves.

After this the students then examine why an author (such as Orwell) might want to use the technique.

And, finally, they have to write their own example using something in the classroom for inspiration. It shouldn't really take more than 20-30 minutes. 

Also related: the tetracolon, bicolon and isocolon.