Bell Ringer 11/25

1. Bell Ringer 11/25 • Please get out your Death of a Salesman summary. • Make sure you have updated it to the point where we left off yesterday.

2. Bell Ringer 11/25 • Please get a piece of composition paper and a partner and answer the following question: • What happens in each of the five acts of a traditional tragedy? • Bullet points are fine • Put your notes (traditional tragedy) into your own words. • If you just write down my words, you won’t get credit.

3. Tragedy • A tragedy is divided into five acts. • The first act – introduces the characters in a state of happiness or at the height of their power, influence, or fame • The second act – typically introduces a problem or dilemma • The third act – problem reaches a point of crisis in the third act, but it can still be successfully averted • The fourth act– the main characters fail to avert or avoid the impending crisis or catastrophe, and the disaster occurs • The fifth act – traditionally reveals the grim consequences of that failure or disaster

4. English III • EQ: How do Arthur Miller’s choices about structure (particularly Willy’s day dreams of the past) influence how we interpret DoaS as a tragedy? • Agenda • Bell Ringer/Discussion • Agenda/EQ • Reading Section 5 • Watching Section 5 • Examining Structure Activity • Sympathy in Tragedy Activity

5. Examining Structure • Please create a bulleted list that contains all of the flashbacks in Death of a Salesman. • Structure it like this: • Act I • Flashback 1: • Flashback 2: • Etc. • Act II • Flashback 1: • Etc. • For each flashback, describe what happens in the flashback and your prediction as to why Willy visited that particular moment in his past.

6. Examining Structure • Act I • Flashback 1: Willy is driving and gets distracted because he thinks he’s driving that little red Chevy that Biff loved so much. • Why? – because Biff has just returned from the west and Willy misses the time when Biff actually loved him.

7. Sympathy in Tragedy • On a piece of composition paper, please explain how authors of tragedy attempt to get you to sympathize with the tragic hero. • Use your traditional and Arthur Miller tragedy notes. • Write in complete sentences.

8. Sympathy in Tragedy • Using your Examining Structure activity, please write a response to the following question in the form of 1 paragraph. • How does Arthur Miller’s use of Willy’s flashbacks convince the readers/audience to sympathize with Willy even though he is not a “great” man? • Give a topic sentence that answers the question • Use at least 2 examples of flashbacks from Death of a Salesman (direct quotes) • Fully explain how all of your proof (quotes) supports your answer to the question.

9. Bell Ringer 11/25 • Please get out your Spooktacular Stories. • Make sure they are stapled and ready to hand in to me.

10. Creative Writing • EQ: How can we engage and orient the reader when writing short stories? • Agenda • Bell Ringer: Preparing to Read Stories • Agenda/EQ • Reading Spooktacular Stories • While each author is reading, write on your sticky note two things that you LIKED about his or her story. • Focus on what made it engaging or what helped you understand what was happening.