I’m a saturnine satellite; home on the range;
I’m a critic’s review that you would not arrange;
I’m a goat-footed god that might often seem strange;
And a mischievous boy who refuses to change.
Who am I?
UPDATE: Riddle solved by Ro. See comments for answer.
Real life or parody? Sometimes, I can’t tell the difference anymore. That’s when it’s time for the Headline Game.
Below are two headlines from CNN.com and two headlines from The Onion. Can you spot which are the real headlines and which are the fakes?
1. CBS to release own version of NBC’s The Office
2. MLB credits Hank Aaron with 50 lost home runs
3. Shadowy Iraq office accused of sectarian agenda
4. Tiny terrier saves kids from pit bulls
Note: Capitalization on the Onion headlines changed to match the style of CNN.
Answers: Story 1, Story 2, Story 3, Story 4
How did you do?
In a Venn Diagram puzzle, there are three overlapping circles, marked A, B, and C. Each circle has a different rule about who or what can go inside. The challenge is to guess the rule for each circle. You can find a more detailed explanation of Venn Diagram puzzles, along with an example, here.
You’ve told me that there’s not enough math on this site, and I have listened. Each of the eight items below is a number.
Have you figured out one of the rules? Two? All three? Feel free to post whatever you’ve got in the comments below. Just tell us which circle you’re solving, and what the rule is.
Enjoy!
UPDATE: Circles B and C solved by Kenneth W. Davis. See comments for all answers.
A reader has written in with an ethical dilemma. Since he has requested to remain anonymous, we will refer to him as “Busy in the Big Apple.”
Dear Shakespeare Teacher,
My wife and I enjoy attending summer performances of Shakespeare in the Park. As you know, while the tickets are distributed free of charge, patrons must wait in line – usually for several hours – for two seats each. Since I work near Central Park and have the flexibility to take an extended lunch hour, the waiting typically falls to me.
Last summer, though, I came up with a different idea, something I like to think of as a new paradigm. I hired the vagrant who panhandles in front of my office building, and whom I occasionally patronize, to go to the park, wait in line for about three hours, and pick up two tickets. I offered him $20 and carfare. He agreed and brought back the tickets. I paid him and threw in a five dollar bonus. I thought the scheme was a win-win. The panhandler earned some honest money, my work productivity was enhanced, and my wife and I enjoyed an outstanding performance of Macbeth.
Not until after the play, though, did I reveal to my wife how I had obtained the tickets. She was horrified. She says that I cheated two other theatergoers and took advantage of a needy person, most likely enabling any substance abuse habit he may have. I understand her arguments, but I must demur. Friends tell me that wealthy donors get free tickets to Shakespeare in the Park without the wait. I’d rather subsidize a down-and-outer, whom I see as master of his own destiny.
Summer is fast approaching, as my co-conspirator reminds me almost every day. My wife and I have agreed to turn the issue over to you and your readers, lovers of the Bard as they must be. If you validate my approach, I will go the same route this summer as last. If not, I’ll grab a folio and head for the hawthorn-brake.
What should they do?
The fifth episode of The Tudors airs tonight on Showtime and will be replayed throughout the week. You can also view the episode On Demand.
Use the comments section of this post to discuss the episode. Any comments I may have will be posted in the comments section as well.
WARNING: Comments may contain further discussion of the show, including potential spoilers. Click through only after viewing the episode. Commenters may discuss this episode as freely as they like, but are asked not to spoil future episodes.
By the way, did you know that the Showtime story of Henry VIII’s sister Margaret Tudor and the aging King of Portugal is based on the real story of Henry VIII’s sister Mary Tudor and the aging King of France? The real Margaret Tudor married the King of Scotland, and spawned a line of Scottish monarchs that would ultimately inhabit the English throne as well. That’s hot.
In casinos, I’m broke; In Monopoly, rich;
When a plane makes a turn, an adjustment in pitch;
I keep blood; I stack snow; in the pool hall, don’t twitch;
I am West in the East; I’m the edge of a ditch.
Who am I?
UPDATE: Riddle solved by DeLisa. See comments for answer.
I’ve been getting a pretty good response to some Shakespeare writing assignments I posted last week. Those of you looking for more assignments may enjoy the following.
About five years ago, I taught a graduate course on teaching Shakespeare. As part of their course requirements, students had to choose three out of nine assignments to complete during the semester. If more than one assignment involved choosing one of the plays were were studying, they had to choose a different play for each assignment.
Please choose three of the following assignments:
1) Choose a dramatic scene written in the twentieth century. It could be from a play, movie, television show, cartoon, etc. Rewrite the scene as though it were written by Shakespeare. Try to stay as faithful to the original as possible while remaining consistent with Shakespeare’s poetic style and period.
2) Identify ten references to Shakespeare in contemporary American non-theatrical popular culture. Each reference can be a play title, quote, or character, but not simply a word coined by Shakespeare. The references must be made during this semester (periodicals published, movies in the theatre, first-run television shows, political speeches, etc.) Describe the original context of each reference and evaluate its appropriateness.
3) Imagine that you are a screenwriter, and have been asked to write a modern-day movie based on a Shakespeare play. Choose one of the plays we’re studying this semester and select a modern-day setting and characters for the play. Describe the updated story scene-by-scene. What modifications are necessary? What essential elements remain?
4) Imagine instead that the movie studio has chosen to do a Shakespeare play in the original, but with big-name celebrity actors. Choose your ideal cast and edit three key scenes for production. Explain the rationale for your choices.
5) Choose one of the plays we’re studying this semester. Approach the play as a dramaturg and compile a comprehensive research file that might assist a production company in performance.
6) Choose one of the plays we’re studying this semester. Approach the scene as an education specialist and develop a resource guide for teachers who want to teach the play.
7) Choose one of the plays we’re studying this semester. Compare and contrast two published versions of the play (e.g. the Folger and the Arden). Be sure to discuss their treatment of the primary source materials (such as Quartos and Folios). Choose two versions with differences sufficient to make the assignment meaningful.
8) See a live production of one of the one of the plays we’re studying this semester. Write a 3-5 page essay describing the choices made by the production in interpreting the text.
9) With at least one other person, prepare and present a scene from one of the plays we’re reading this semester. (minimum 15 lines each). Memorization is required. In a one-page essay, describe your reasoning for choosing this scene and the approach you intend to take in interpreting it.
Nobody chose Assignment 2 because they thought it would be too difficult, but as the semester wore on, they were kicking themselves because they started to realize how ubiquitous Shakespeare references are. And the course was at NYU, so Assignment 8 was not a problem logistically.
Needless to say, I got some really great stuff back. Giving creative assignments like these makes learning more fun for both the student and the teacher. Plus, it helps discourage plagiarism.
Which assignments would you have chosen? What assignments could I have added to the list of choices? How could these assignments be adapted to make them more appropriate for high school students?
As if the video in Saturday’s post wasn’t endearing enough, here’s Norah Jones performing a modified version of “Don’t Know Why” on Sesame Street while sitting next to Elmo.
It’s kind of like Ernest & Bertram, but different.