Jan 27 - Do Now
With Desdemona’s reasons for marrying Othello in mind, I’d like you
to respond to the following questions:
What are the qualities you desire in a significant other?
What are valid reasons to marry someone? Invalid reasons?
Agenda
 Do Now (10)
 Finish metaphors/race terminology (10)
 Diagnostic Discussion—How might we improve? (5)
 M.E.A.L. Thesis Statements + Interpretive Sentences (15)
 Finish reading Act 1, Scene 3. Stereotype vs. Reality (30)
 Vocabulary Quiz (15 min)
Common Errors from Diagnostic
 Vague topic sentences
 Imprecise language
 Quoting without commenting
 Lack of topic/idea development
 Run-on sentences and fragments
Questions about the diagnostic??
M.E.A.L. Plan
 Main Idea

Thesis Statement
 Evidence
 Should support the main idea and verify the thesis statement
 Analysis
 Explains and connects evidence to main idea
 Link
 Last sentence/Conclusion that links the main points of the paragraph
together
Main Idea: THESIS STATEMENTS
 First and foremost, make sure you answer the question at
hand.
 State your argument clearly. It should be easy to pick out
your thesis among your other sentences.
 Declarative (convincing) sentence—do not use qualifiers
such as “seems,” “just might,” etc.
Evidence and Analysis:
The Interpretive Sentence
The Original (When/As)
When Marlow recounts, “you lost your way on that river as you
would in a desert, and butted all day long against its shoals…till
you thought yourself bewitched and cut off for ever from
everything you had known,” he reveals his disorientation and
isolation in a foreign and burdensome environment.
The Gerund
Describing the strange yet serene setting, “it was a stillness of an
implacable force brooding over an inscrutable intention. It looked
at you with a vengeful aspect,” Marlow personifies the
environment, suggesting its ability to control and constrain him.
The Appositive
Marlow’s depiction of the air, “warm, thick, heavy, sluggish,” parallels
his own emotional suffocation in the jungle.
Let’s finish reading Act 1, Scene 3
Readers:
Duke –
Brabantio –
Desdemona –
Othello –
First Senator –
Iago –
Roderigo –
Stereotype vs. Reality
 How does what Iago says about Othello contrast with what
Othello reveals about himself through his own words?
Discussion protocol:
1)One person speaks at a time. Always listen to your peers.
2) Ask clarifying questions; build on each other’s ideas
3) Try to provide textual evidence for your assertions.
In Pairs (10)…
 Please come up with a thesis statement that answers the
question we’ve just been grappling with:
 How does what Iago says about Othello contrast with what
Othello reveals about himself through his own words?
Homework
 Please read and annotate Act 2, Scene 1-2 of Othello.
 Scene presentations for Act 1, Scene 3, Act 2, Scene 1, and
Act 2, Scene 2.
 Write a well-developed paragraph (8-12 sentences)
addressing the following question: Does Othello’s status
as an outsider in Venice affect the way others treat
him?
 Please Follow the M.E.A.L format and use at least 2 interpretive
sentences.