"My Last Duchess" Assignment

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Select one of the following prompts, and write a short constructed response (here on the blog).  I would advise writing your response in a Word document, saving it to Google Docs or on your flash drive, and then copying and pasting it into a blog post. This is the best way to ensure that you do not lose your work if the blog freezes up. Don't forget to give your post an original title!

1. The Duke reveals himself to be an emotionally cold, calculating, materialistic, haughty, aristocratic connoisseur; on the positive side, he is a patron of such artists as Fra Pandolf and Claus of Innsbruck (both fictional). What does the duke value in art? What does he see as his role in the creation of great art?

2. The speaker is the arrogant, art-collecting Duke of Ferrara. We might even call him the protagonist, for, although we may not agree with him, we are virtually compelled to identify with him since he speaks directly to us, with a mediating narrator. How does Browning force us to place our sympathies with so objectionable a persona?


3. The Duke eliminated (divorced? sent to a convent? had executed or poisoned?) his last duchess because (he felt) she undervalued him and treated him much as she treated other men. Which trivial incidents in particular seem to have produced this response in the Duke?

Getting Started

Hello!
This is Mrs. Hendricks, your awesome English teacher. Today I want to introduce you to our very own class blog. You have a few assignments to complete while we're in the computer lab today. I'm going to provide instructions for you right here in this post. Eventually, you'll be able to create and publish your own blog posts for everyone in the class to read. Before we get started on that, here are a few tips for blogging etiquette.

1. Always sign your name at the end of every single post!
2. Remember that this is an academic blog. You should be appropriate at all times. Please proof your writing before posting. Your writing should reflect your best academic effort. This isn't like texting your friends or writing on Facebook. It should be more formal.
3. Be kind and encouraging of your classmates. Engage in helpful and constructive discussions.
4. Remember that this blog is a public space. Do not write anything that you don't want everyone in our class to know about.
5. Be creative, and have fun! This is your space. It's an electronic extension of our classroom. It should reflect your personalities, opinions, and creativity. Happy blogging.


TODAY'S ASSIGNMENT:There are a few parts to today's assignment. Please respond to the writing portion in a Word document which you will email to me before you leave today. My email address is the following: chendricks3@cherrycreekschools.org.

1. Create a Word document where you will respond to the below writing prompts.

2. Writing portion:
a) Quickly search the following term on the internet: "tragic hero." According to your findings, write a brief definition of the tragic hero in your own words.
b) Based on our Oedipus Rex performances, what can you guess might happen in Antigone?Make a couple of educated guesses.

3. Sign your name under your writing.

4. Email me your Word document.

5. Create a Gmail account.

6. Commenting portion: Read and comment on at least one post. It's okay if you comment on this post. I simply want you to understand how to comment on blog posts. If you do not get to this before we leave the lab, please remember to do it for homework.