1. With Desdemona’s reasons for marrying Othello in mind, I’d like you to respond to the following questions: What are the qualities you desire in a significant other? What are valid reasons to marry someone? Invalid reasons? Jan 27 - Do Now

2. Agenda Do Now (10) Finish metaphors/race terminology (10) Diagnostic Discussion—How might we improve? (5) M.E.A.L.  Thesis Statements + Interpretive Sentences (15) Finish reading Act 1, Scene 3. Stereotype vs. Reality (30) Vocabulary Quiz (15 min)

3. Common Errors from Diagnostic Vague topic sentences Imprecise language Quoting without commenting Lack of topic/idea development Run-on sentences and fragments Questions about the diagnostic??

4. M.E.A.L. Plan Main Idea Thesis Statement Evidence Should support the main idea and verify the thesis statement Analysis Explains and connects evidence to main idea Link Last sentence/Conclusion that links the main points of the paragraph together

5. Main Idea: THESIS STATEMENTS First and foremost, make sure you answer the question at hand. State your argument clearly. It should be easy to pick out your thesis among your other sentences. Declarative (convincing) sentence—do not use qualifiers such as “seems,” “just might,” etc.

6. Evidence and Analysis: The Interpretive Sentence The Original (When/As) When Marlow recounts, “you lost your way on that river as you would in a desert, and butted all day long against its shoals…till you thought yourself bewitched and cut off for ever from everything you had known,” he reveals his disorientation and isolation in a foreign and burdensome environment. The Gerund Describing the strange yet serene setting, “it was a stillness of an implacable force brooding over an inscrutable intention. It looked at you with a vengeful aspect,” Marlow personifies the environment, suggesting its ability to control and constrain him. The Appositive Marlow’s depiction of the air, “warm, thick, heavy, sluggish,” parallels his own emotional suffocation in the jungle.

7. Let’s finish reading Act 1, Scene 3 Readers: Duke – Brabantio – Desdemona – Othello – First Senator – Iago – Roderigo –

8. Stereotype vs. Reality How does what Iago says about Othello contrast with what Othello reveals about himself through his own words? Discussion protocol: 1)One person speaks at a time. Always listen to your peers. 2) Ask clarifying questions; build on each other’s ideas 3) Try to provide textual evidence for your assertions.

9. In Pairs (10)… Please come up with a thesis statement that answers the question we’ve just been grappling with: How does what Iago says about Othello contrast with what Othello reveals about himself through his own words?

10. Homework Please read and annotate Act 2, Scene 1-2 of Othello. Scene presentations for Act 1, Scene 3, Act 2, Scene 1, and Act 2, Scene 2. Write a well-developed paragraph (8-12 sentences) addressing the following question: Does Othello’s status as an outsider in Venice affect the way others treat him? Please Follow the M.E.A.L format and use at least 2 interpretive sentences.