Keys to Reading Drama

As a student, you may be assigned to read a play as homework and, as a result, you may find yourself in a difficult situation, one in which you do not have the benefit of other classmates reading the lines of the play aloud or acting out its drama.

Although drama is action and plays are meant to be performed, you have been asked, in this homework situation, to understand a play without the benefit of performance. You have been asked to understand a play solely from your reading of it. Alone, you have been left to create (perform) the action of the play in your imagination.

When in this situation, you must see the characters and hear their voices in your "mind's eye." You might also question, however, how one is able to understand drama through only a reading and not a performance of a play. How does one understand, for example, the motives and actions of characters and what their voices sound like? The following keys can help you answer such questions and better comprehend drama from your reading of a play.

While reading: 

1- Understand the vocabulary in the play. 

2- Read all stage directions. Do not skip or avoid reading them. 

3- Refer to the cast of characters (frequently, if necessary)., Know the ages of all characters. Know the relationships that exist between or among characters. 

4- Recognize shifts or changes between scenes or acts. 

5- Visualize the set for a particular scene and remember which characters are on stage during that scene. In addition, imagine costumes or props for characters. What might a character look like? 

6- Create or hear an appropriate or possible tone of voice for a character, given the situation in which the character appears in the play. What words in the lines suggest the personality of a character? How might a character feel towards another? 

7- Read aloud, imitating the tone of voice that you have created for a character in your imagination.

For analysis:

1- Know basic literary elements/terms of drama. Consult a handbook. 

2- Define the type or kind of drama you are reading. Is it a comedy or a tragedy, for example? A history? Biography? Some combination of these or other genres? 

3-Describe the setting of the play, not only of the time and place for any specific act or scene but also of the age or era that forms the general context of the play. 

4- What are the social, political, economic, or historical events present in the play? 

5- Explain the situation in which you find characters. A situation is a set of circumstances that creates tension and determines how a character acts or how other characters will respond to him or her. What is the main problem that must be overcome in the play?

Answer these questions:

1- What motivates a character to act, or what motives might the character have to act in a particular situation? 

2- What language in the play (what words in a character's lines) provides evidence for explaining a character's motives or motivation? 

3- What conflicts result from the actions of characters? 

4- Are these conflicts resolved, or are further actions taken? 

5- How do the conflicts of characters reflect human conflicts? 

6- Recognize the literary devices-metaphor or allusion, for example-used in the play. 

7- Access a performance of the play on tape (audio or video) from your school or local library. 

 

Modern American Literature

Course Syllabus - An Example

Modern American Literature is a semester long course focusing on reading and responding to literature by American authors from World War I to the present. We will approach this literature from the vantage point of three themes. Within each thematic area, we will explore various voices in multiple genres. We will examine how our literature reflects our American culture in its development and diversity: technological change, modern warfare, stylistic experiments, and the search for the American Dream. I encourage you to explore the library and book stores for titles that interest you, and which meet the general criteria for the course.

Throughout the semester, we will try to become closer readers of fiction, poetry, short stories, and some non-fiction. Reading closely means papying attention to the detail in the text. Language is critical. Your job is to watch how the writers use their words, and to discern what they are trying to accomplish with their choices.

One way to demonstrate close reading is by identifying key passages. These passages which help the reader understand character, plot, setting, theme, tone, subject, and/or speaker in the context of the written speech. You will be expected to choose passages on a regular basis and prepare an explanation for class presentation and discussion. Your class participation grade will be judged on the adequacy of your preparation of the key passages and the depth of their analysis. Please have a three ring binder for this class to house all papers, handouts, homework, etc.

Content - Examples:

United States in Literature, Harcourt, Brace, Jovanovich
On the Road by Jack Kerouac
In Country by Bobbie Ann Mason
White Noise by Don DeLillo
The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams
A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansbury
Collections of Selected Short Stories, Modern and Contemporary Poetry, and Non-fiction
Variety of novels from the school library
Selected films and supplemental material

COURSE GOALS
1. To discover the forces (for example, technological change, WWI, etc.) that forged the modern spirit.
2. To identify and appreciate the modern and contemporary traditions in Anglo-American literature
3. To explore recurrent themes in American literature via various genre.
4. To develop a critical approach to literature.
5. To develop effective discussion skills via key passage seminars.
6. To write clear and concise five paragraph essays with examples from literature.
7. To develop and utilize successful and practical editing strategies.
8. To critically evaluate the purposes and influences of the media in our culture.

Note: At any point, a student may go back and resubmit another draft of a graded essay for credit. This is to encourage as much rewriting as possible, and to develop the habits of a professional writer.

EXPECTATIONS 

- Arrive on time for class fully prepared to participate.

- Complete outside reading/written assignments on schedule.

- Participation in class discussion/key passage seminars/presentations/projects.

- Respect for other student viewpoints, opinions, and responses.
- Keep all materials in a three-ring binder. 

- Complete an assigned project/paper/presentation due at the end of the semester.

STUDENTS WILL KNOW

Upon successful completion of this course, including having been thoughtfully engaged in each learning task; with the group dynamic of the class, and having been willing to accept risks and challenges as a learner, and make attempts to apply the material of the class to his or her own life, present and future, the student will know...

1- that learning to write requires work and personal involvement.

2- that the different forms and styles of writing are required for different situations.

3- that writing is both private and public, and can be improved through interaction with other writers.

4- writing improves with practice and revision. 

5- all writing requires careful attention to organization, word choice, point of view, characterization, sensory detail, and a clear sense of purpose.

6- writing can be either formal or informal, and that formal writing has different requirements in terms of form and style. 

7- in the early stages of writing a writer needs to suspend judgment of own work, and be able to accept constructive criticism from peers and instructor for improvement.

8- that the chance to reflect on one's own work can help a writer to realize strengths/weaknesses.

9- that reading and analyzing a variety of other people's writing is important in the process of developing your own writing style.

10- that reading can provide ways to clarify your values and bring preconceived ideas into question, adding to personal growth.

11-that in order to become a better reader, one must practice reading with comprehension.

12-that good writers have sound reasons for everything that happens in their writing.

13-that growth as a reader requires work and personal involvement.

14- that oral reading can be an effective way of communicating one's understanding of literature to an audience.

15- that a thoughtful analysis of a piece of literature can enhance the performance of the literature in an oral reading.

16- that attention to pacing, eye contact, and voice inflection can enhance audience experience with literature read aloud.

17- that response to literature does not have to be limited to written or spoken language; that visual or dramatic representations of abstract ideas is a useful way of communicating one's understanding.

18- that visual media can be read and analyzed just as much as language, and can lead to similar understandings of concepts, ideas and self.

19- that discussion of ideas with a group of people can be useful in being exposed to other points of view; can give one a chance to try own ideas; can be effective in encouraging tolerance and open-mindedness.

20- that the rewards of learning need not be limited to the deferred rewards of future goals, but can be valuable to a person's life in the present.

 

STUDENTS WILL BE ABLE:
1. To discover the forces that forged the modern spirit in literature.
2. To identify and appreciate the modern and contemporary traditions in various American genre.
3. To explore recurrent themes in Anglo-American literature.
4. To develop a critical approach to literary analysis/key passages.
5. To develop effective discussion skills.
6. To write concisely and clearly.
7. To develop and utilize successful and practical editing strategies.
8. To critically evaluate the purposes and influences of the media in our culture.

METHODS OF ASSESSMENT 

May use the following assessment tools:

- key passage seminar

- daily work and homework

- class discussion 

- demonstrations and presentations
- performance/effort rubrics

- projects/research 

- teacher prepared questions and tests
- self/peer evaluations 

- teacher conferences
- journal entries 

- positive classroom involvement