Quiz on Friday
Mr. Rogers' blog
Thursday, 16 July 2026
Animal Farm Chapter 1: Spelling!
Friday, 10 July 2026
English 10 Adapted: ESSAY TOPICS!
Essay topics for Harrison Bergeron.
- How does Kurt Vonnegut use George and Hazel to develop his message about the dangers of forced equality in "Harrison Bergeron"?
- What does the story suggest is more dangerous: too much power or people who stop thinking for themselves?
Thursday, 2 July 2026
Tuesday, 9 June 2026
English 12: Hamlet Essay
Jean-Paul Sartre
2. “Existence precedes essence.”
3. “Hell is—other people!”
4. “It is up to you to give life a meaning.”
6. “The meaning of life is the most urgent of questions.”
7. “One must imagine Sisyphus happy.”
8. “There is no sun without shadow.”
These quotes can be used to support your position in the synthesis.
Topic 1 — Freedom and Choice
Jean-Paul Sartre states, “Man is condemned to be free.”
Using this quotation as a central piece of evidence, analyze how Hamlet struggles with freedom, responsibility, and decision-making throughout the play.
- directly quote and analyze Sartre,
- incorporate evidence from Hamlet,
- explain how Hamlet’s choices shape his tragedy.
Topic 2 — The Search for Meaning
Albert Camus argues that “The meaning of life is the most urgent of questions.”
To what extent does Hamlet explore humanity’s search for meaning in a world filled with suffering, corruption, and death?
- directly quote and analyze Camus,
- use evidence from multiple scenes in Hamlet,
- explain whether Hamlet ultimately discovers meaning or remains uncertain.
Topic 3 — Identity and Self-Creation
Sartre claims that “Existence precedes essence.”
How does Hamlet struggle to define his identity throughout the play?
- directly engage with Sartre’s quotation,
- analyze Hamlet’s changing roles and behavior,
- argue whether Hamlet creates his own identity or becomes trapped by expectations placed upon him.
Monday, 8 June 2026
English 12 Essay Prep
- Camus → absurdity and meaninglessness
- Sartre → freedom and responsibility
- Hamlet → trapped between both
Camus
The world does not give us clear meaning.
Humans want:
justice
certainty
purpose
But the universe gives:
silence
confusion
death
This conflict is the absurd
Sartre
Humans are “condemned to be free.”
Meaning:
we always choose
even refusing to act is a choice
we are responsible for our actions
excuses cannot fully remove responsibility
This creates:
anxiety
guilt
pressure
Tuesday, 2 June 2026
Hamlet Soliloquies
- Act I Scene 2: Oh, that this too too solid flesh would melt...
- Act II Scene 2: Now I am alone...
- Act III Scene 1: To be, or not to be...
- Act III Scene 3: Now might I do it pat...
- Act IV Scene 4: How all occasions do inform against me...
Macbeth Soliloquies
- Act I, Scene 5, Glamis thou art: Glamis thou art… (line 14-29)
- Act I, Scene 5, Unsex me here: The raven himself is hoarse (line 41 - 57)
- Act I, Scene 7, Vaulting Ambition: He’s here in double trust… (line 1 - 28)
- Act II, Scene 1, The Dagger Speech: Is this a dagger which I see before me? (line 40 - 71)
- Act III, Scene 1, A Fruitless Crown: To be thus is nothing; but to be safely thus… (line 52 - 76)
- Act V, Scene 1, Insanity: Out spot. (only her lines - page 213)
List of scenes Hamlet
Act 1, Scene 1: Elsinore. A platform before the castle.
Act 1, Scene 2: A room of state in the castle.
Act 1, Scene 3: A room in Polonius' house.
Act 1, Scene 4: The platform.
Act 1, Scene 5: Another part of the platform.
Act 2, Scene 1: A room in POLONIUS' house.
Act 2, Scene 2: A room in the castle.
Act 3, Scene 1: A room in the castle.
Act 3, Scene 2: A hall in the castle.
Act 3, Scene 3: A room in the castle.
Act 3, Scene 4: The Queen's closet.
Act 4, Scene 1: A room in the castle.
Act 4, Scene 2: Another room in the castle.
Act 4, Scene 3: Another room in the castle.
Act 4, Scene 4: A plain in Denmark.
Act 4, Scene 5: Elsinore. A room in the castle.
Act 4, Scene 6: Another room in the castle.
Act 4, Scene 7: Another room in the castle.
Act 5, Scene 1: A churchyard.
Act 5, Scene 2: A hall in the castle.
Monday, 25 May 2026
King Cladius: Close Reading - III.iii
Part 1: Annotation
- Students annotate the soliloquy for:
- Religious imagery
- References to corruption/decay
- Contrasts or paradoxes
- Rhetorical questions
- Emotional shifts
- References to kingship/power
- Words connected to guilt or forgiveness
- lines that seem sincere
- lines that seem self-serving
- moments where Claudius contradicts himself