These are the guidelines for the Peer Assessed Writing Assignment in Week 8, which is graded. These guidelines are virtually identical to the guidelines for the ungraded Week 4 writing assignment. For this assignment, however, you may compose a close reading of up to two lines from any play we have covered so far (Romeo and Juliet, Othello, A Midsummer Night s Dream, or Much Ado About Nothing.) See the Syllabus for details about grading. Introduction I would like to introduce an exercise in close reading-- something that, frankly, we don t do enough of in class, because of the need to cover the entire play and understand the narrative. First, a word on what this is NOT: an interpretive treatise on the grand messages of the entire work an impressionistic paraphrase a mere summary We will instead focus on a short passage, or even a single sentence. We may in fact have impressions and large ideas about a character, but we need to examine closely how we got those ideas by going back to the language itself, which is where all our knowledge about character should all start. When we discuss themes, we must similarly stay rooted in the specific language. We need to show, and not just tell. In this exercise we will focus on verbal details--how particular word choices, metaphors, rhythm, and other verbal qualities create the effects, impressions and ideas we have in mind. To help you get an idea of what close reading means, let s look at an example. 1
NOTE: This sample close reading is a more extensive and longer example than the one you should write. Look at it for examples of the types of analyses or arguments you might wish to make about the character who speaks your chosen passage. Your close reading should be no longer than two paragraphs. Sample Close Reading exercise We know that Brabantio has some negative feelings toward Othello. Well, what are they precisely? Let's look at how Brabantio begins his tirade against Othello when he first encounters him after being told of Desdemona's elopement: O, thou foul thief, where hast thou stowed my daughter? Damned as thou art, thou hast enchanted her! (1.2.80-81) This seems simple enough, but a close examination will reveal not only the vehement rancor of his attitude towards Othello and Moors, but also some conflicted complexities. We might first notice that he begins with an exclamation "O" hence signaling the need for a non-verbal expression of intense emotion. The emotion may be snarling outrage, and the sound itself may range from an understated release of tight breath to a full-fledged roar. In any case, it drives the sentence forward with momentum. Brabantio follows it with direct and blunt language that debases Othello. "Foul" can mean a number of things, all of which seem simultaneously to be intended: smelly and rank, and therefore revolting; unclean in a moral or religious sense, and therefore evil, corrupt, desecrated (which is the sense in which "foul" is often used in the play Macbeth about the witches); and simply ugly (as opposed to "fair"). It's a simple but loaded insult with great heft. Then "thief" implies of course that Othello has abducted her against her will (which figures Desdemona as simply a victim). The word "stowed" implies that Othello mistreats her like cargo. The question form of the sentence hence issues a demand as in an aggressive interrogation that resonates with multiple, severe insults. The next sentence sounds more interestingly conflicted. Brabantio begins by following suit, calling Othello "damned," and thus continuing 2
one of the senses of "foul" of being cursed. However, while accusing Othello of using spells or magic on Desdemona, he uses the word "enchanted." This word can be perjorative and mean, as Brabantio will explain more clearly later, "corrupted / By spells and medicines bought of mountebanks" (1.3.73-74) of being drugged in some dark, sordid and evil way. But "enchanted" can also have highly honorific connotations. Its root is to sing (cantare), and though "enchant" can mean to bewitch with evil incantations, it can also mean to transport with singing. To carry away someone's heart. To enrapture. So Othello could reply to Brabantio by saying, "Precisely!" When Brabantio is referring to physical actions that Othello may have taken, he can be graphic and direct; when he's dealing with what may have happened to Desdemona emotionally, he tellingly and ironically doesn't quite get that right word that is properly damning and insulting. Brabantio is not alone in not being fully able to wrap his mind around or having an adequate vocabulary for the emotional bond between Desdemona and Othello. Hence, I might reach two conclusions (or arguments) about the short passage and Brabantio. 1) The passage reveals intense distaste, outrage and disbelief. 2) Despite the vehemence, it also reveals a mind that is struggling to understand something that it can't quite grasp at the moment. 3
Instructions With the assignment introduction and sample close reading in mind, please choose a sentence or a passage of at most four lines from any of the plays we have read, and provide a short close reading in one to two paragraphs to share with the class. Here is the rubric (with which you will be graded) to keep in mind while writing, though it begins with the most important rule of thumb: Thou shalt not assume that the reader sees in the passage what seems self-evident to you. 1) Did you unpack the nuances and resonances of specific words and phrases? 2 points: The reading conveyed the general sense of the words. 4 points: Close attention to individual words produced insights into the language. 5 points: The insights made the words resonate in interesting ways. 2) Did the insights help to illustrate the thought of the passage (or sentence)? 2 points: The general thought was coneyed. 4 points: The insights made the thought more particular and vivid. 5 points: The particularity (or specificity of detail) gave the thought a richer dimension. 3) Did you connect the insights to forward a cohesive thought or argument about the passage? 2 points: The different points were generally related. 4 points: The points came together cohesively. 5 points: The cohesive argument made the passage resonate more fully within the play as a whole. 4
Grading Process After the deadline has passed for submitting your own close reading, you will be asked to grade the submissions of your fellow classmates. This grading period will last until December 10th, 15:00 UTC (10:00 AM EST). NOTE: In order to receive your grade on this assignment, you must grade at least five other student's close readings. The deadline for submission is December 3rd, 15:00 UTC (10:00 AM EST). Submissions will then become available for grading. The deadline for grading is December 10th, 15:00 UTC (10:00 AM EST). Your submission will be graded (and you will grade others' submissions) based on the rubric above, which utilizes the three questions I asked that you consider while composing and reading. Each question is worth a maximum of 5 points for a total of 15. When grading, you may feel free to add a comment explaining your scoring at the end. 5