Students will receive a hand-out on Azar Nafisi's brief interpretation on the women of 1001 Nights. We will discuss it. I want you to use it to hone your presentations.
Consider the following:
1. What are the three types of women in A Thousand and One Nights?
2. How is the king being unreasonable?
3. Why is the silence of the other maidens significant?
4. How does Sheherazade break the cycle of violence? What does she use (as opposed to what the king uses)?
As I was assisting various groups in their interpretation of one of the stories, I also suggested that they look at some of the passages in your Anthology's excerpts from the Koran. The most pertinent chapters are "Women" (871-874), "The Merciful" (884-886) and "Man" (887-888). Because Shahrazad is well-versed in the text of her faith, I want you to consciously incorporate the philosophy somewhere in your presentation. You don't need to insert passages word-for-word, though you could briefly and I do mean briefly.
Consider the following:
1. What are the three types of women in A Thousand and One Nights?
2. How is the king being unreasonable?
3. Why is the silence of the other maidens significant?
4. How does Sheherazade break the cycle of violence? What does she use (as opposed to what the king uses)?
As I was assisting various groups in their interpretation of one of the stories, I also suggested that they look at some of the passages in your Anthology's excerpts from the Koran. The most pertinent chapters are "Women" (871-874), "The Merciful" (884-886) and "Man" (887-888). Because Shahrazad is well-versed in the text of her faith, I want you to consciously incorporate the philosophy somewhere in your presentation. You don't need to insert passages word-for-word, though you could briefly and I do mean briefly.
Because I want these performances to be aimed at an audience of young children, you could do it by illustrating the principals found in your stories, by emphasis in your story. You might even ask the audience what they have learned at the end of the presentation.
Shahrazad will eventually teach her husband about wisdom, mercy, love, and forgiveness and she will do it by telling stories. She will bring out her husband's essential goodness. The three old men within the stories also reveal truths about their faith. For example, those who transgress are given other chances, but those that do not learn eventually meet Justice--a fate that they have chosen by their continued bad behavior. The last story reveals another principle of the Koran, one similar to Judeo-Christian texts (particularly the story of "The First Murder") about our roles as "our brothers' keepers."
We will spend the remainder of class revising, practicing or "dress rehearsing" the stories that will be presented on Thursday/Friday (because of PSATs and activities).
In addition to all drafts and notes and brainstorming and research, I want students to include a separate sheet (typed--no exceptions) with the names of each student and his/her role in the whole process. Roles might include: director, actors, writing, editing, costuming, casting, set design, or props (including puppets).
I also want a (typed--again, no exceptions, though it may be on the same page as the list of names and roles) brief statement about what your group has discovered about your story and about the series of stories as a whole (limited to those included in your text, beginning with The Story of King Shahrayar and Shahrazad [the one in your book or the one on the shared file] and ending with the last story).
Include statement about your process. Just answer the following questions:
- Where did you begin?
- Why did you start there and not elsewhere?
- What shape did your presentation start to take?
- If you made changes, why did you make those changes?
- How do you feel about your final product? What did you do well? What could you have done better?
After you have performed on Wednesday/Thursday (and all performances will be recorded), you will turn in the following and in this order--from top to bottom:
- Role(s) of each student with names (typed).
- Statement about your story and it context in the series of stories (could be on the same page as the first). Must be typed.
- Typed statement of process (again, could be on the same page as #1 and #2).
- Final draft of screenplay (by the way, a screenplay has the title at the top. Beneath that, write the name of the author/authors. Beneath that, write: "Characters." List the characters (perhaps with identifying characteristics--like "Shahrazad's sister"). Beneath that, you should have the setting, which may include props. And then the play (complete with stage directions, and scene changes, if applicable). At the end, you should write: THE END.
- Previous drafts and notes--beginning with the most recent on top to the first thing you did on the bottom.
Groups that do not have all of the above will lose 5 points per day (school day, not class day), so appoint responsible people to make sure that this is done. As I said in my syllabus, I do not take e-mailed work--as attachments or as e-mails. Because this is flu season, you might also assign keepers of the material to people who live near one of the members of the group or near school.
Wednesday/Thursday
Students will get fifteen minutes to arrange paperwork and acquire costumes and props. Performances will begin. Students will receive a form to critique their classmates' performances.
As usual, you should have your vocabulary books with you--in case there is time to begin work on the review unit. The review unit will be due on Friday. You can expect a vocabulary test next Thursday/Friday.
Friday
I will check your vocabulary homework. We will go over it. Remember that there is a test next Thursday/Friday (because of PSATs). Study for the test this weekend. I write my own tests. Expect sentences that relate to the literature we have studied so far this semester, including any short pieces like the assigned essays and poems.
