Please turn in and submit your Clybourne Park/Raisin in the Sun Project draft. See previous posts for details about the project.
Let's take about 5-10 minutes to respond to this question/task: After reading these plays, post a COMMENT in the COMMENT section of this blog about what you learned about writing plays by reading these two play scripts. Please be specific (examples are great!) for full credit.
Please drop off your play scripts on the table. I'll take these down to the library for you.
Our next unit will cover speeches and non-fiction.
Today, let's start with a couple short motivational videos, then a short speech exercise. After this, we will read some personal essays by Jenny Lawson. As you watch the videos below, please take notes in your journal on anything you think is important or relates to you as a beginning writer. We'll check to see what the class thought right after viewing.
Choose one of these 10 topics or create a topic of your own on which to speak. Here are some examples. Feel free to make up your own if you have a different or better idea.
How to write a speech in 5 minutes (2 min.)
Next, let's take a look at some short essays by Jenny Lawson as models for our next assignment.
As we read, try to notice if the author did any of these things to make her work more interesting and creative or enjoyable for a reader...
21 Tips and Tricks of the Trade -- How to Write Better Non-Fiction (and Fiction)
Happy Thanksgiving! Get some rest!
Let's take about 5-10 minutes to respond to this question/task: After reading these plays, post a COMMENT in the COMMENT section of this blog about what you learned about writing plays by reading these two play scripts. Please be specific (examples are great!) for full credit.
Please drop off your play scripts on the table. I'll take these down to the library for you.
Our next unit will cover speeches and non-fiction.
Today, let's start with a couple short motivational videos, then a short speech exercise. After this, we will read some personal essays by Jenny Lawson. As you watch the videos below, please take notes in your journal on anything you think is important or relates to you as a beginning writer. We'll check to see what the class thought right after viewing.
- How to Cure Writer's Block (4 min)
- How to Motivate Yourself to Write Every Day
- Being a Professional Writer (3 min)
Choose one of these 10 topics or create a topic of your own on which to speak. Here are some examples. Feel free to make up your own if you have a different or better idea.
1. How is social media [narrow the type] uniting the world? How is social media ruining the world? [pick one side and defend it]Choose one topic. Review the video for tips on what you might include or how you might "write" and prepare your speech, then take 5 minutes to write your speech and deliver it to the class!
2. Why is having a pet [specify the type: dog, cat, goldfish, snake, horse, badger, etc.] better than having a brother/sister/parent/friend/grandparent/neighbor [pick one]?
3. The best kind of food in your opinion is... And explain why.
4. My wish for humanity is ________. And explain why.
5. Why we should be vegan/vegetarian/carnivores [pick one]. And explain why.
6. The best movie/video game/novel/tv series of all time will always be... And explain why.
7. If I were an animal/object, I'd want to be... And explain why.
8. How is money/religion/technology [pick one] the root of all evil in our society? How is money/religion/technology [pick one] the only thing we should be concerned about in our society? [pick one side and defend your position]
9. If I won the lottery I would: ____ And explain why.
10. What advice would I give to my parents before I was born? What advice would I give to them now?
How to write a speech in 5 minutes (2 min.)
Next, let's take a look at some short essays by Jenny Lawson as models for our next assignment.
As we read, try to notice if the author did any of these things to make her work more interesting and creative or enjoyable for a reader...
21 Tips and Tricks of the Trade -- How to Write Better Non-Fiction (and Fiction)
- Often the most powerful stories are about your family and the childhood moments that shaped your life.
- You don’t need to build up tension and waste the reader's time by padding or delaying the subject matter of your story. Instead, surprise the reader by telling it like it is. Be truthful as you see it.
- Don't try to impress. Try to tell a story!
- You can use real documents and quotes from your family and friends. It makes it so much more personal and relatable. But if you can't remember the exact wording or what happened, make up the detail--but aim for the truth.
- Reflect and make a point about the human condition. You can start off with this theme in mind and then go away from it. At the end of the essay, you may come back to the first theme to close the circuit.
- Using poetic language is totally acceptable, as long as it improves the story.
- Style comes from your unique personality and the perception of the world. It takes time to develop it.
- Never try to tell it all. “All” can never be put into language. Take a part of it and tell it the best you possibly can.
- Avoid cliché. Try to infuse new life into your writing. Cliches are old hats. Don't wear them.
- Write about you. Paint a picture of your former self. What did that person believe in? In what kind of world did he or she live in? Write about you before you became you now.
- “The day that turned your life around” is a good theme you may use in a story. Memories of a special day are filled with emotions. Strong emotions often create strong writing.
- Use cultural references, slang if necessary, and allusions to create a context for your story.
- Create brilliant, yet short descriptions of characters.
- Don’t be afraid to share your intimate experiences. Write boldly. The reader wants a bold writer.
- Intertwine a personal journey with philosophical musings. Reflect on your subject. Write about beliefs and meaning, not just recorded events.
- By voicing your anxieties, you can heal the anxieties of the reader. In that way, you say: “I’m just like you.”
- Admit your flaws to make your persona more relatable.
- Don’t worry about what people might think. The more you expose, the more powerful the writing.
- You come from a rich cultural heritage. You can share it with people who never heard about it. You are more exciting and interesting than you think you are.
- Never forget about your identity. It is precious. It is a part of who you are.
- Show rather than tell. Paint the scene/picture with words. Don't forget to establish your setting. Describe.
Happy Thanksgiving! Get some rest!
12 comments:
I learned how to format plays and how to set them up. You need characters, you need a setting- having one setting is easier than having multiple- and keep stage directions to a minimum so the actors can be themselves on the stage. Having an interesting plot line is key, you need some sort of conflict and adding someone that is not suppose to be in the setting adds even more to your play.
By reading plays and scripts, I've learned that it takes time to write scripts and you really have to think wisely when writing them. Like in A Raisin in the Sun there was specific stage directions and the characters had to look a certain way, also there were a limited amount of scene changes and the way scenes ended made a difference.
Plays can have different formats even though they all can tell a story. They are used to show emotion in a story and to tell that story. The tone can be obvious or subtle and when the play is acted out it can really show. Plays can show people's thoughts and emotions extremely well. If the play is changed or altered in any way it means that someone took the time to look through the entire play and throw their ideas into the pot as well. Plays are a way to share everyone's ideas and to gather a community to grow on that idea. Plays are the base for a sprouting online forum or community to get hooked on, which any play with the right development and actors can do anytime.
I learned a lot by reading thse two plays. They were packed with information on how hard life could actually be and how life was back then. It gave me an insight on much needed character ideas and how to create character flaws. I learned the structure of a play, how to make more dialogue and less action throughout the play. Before I would have tried to include too much action and know not enough talking between the characters. Although it something I still need to work on, I'm happy to say I have improved.
Looking back on the stories themselves however, especially through the hardship of A Raisin in the Sun, we can see how hard it was for them just to get by. I think everyone expects that when they say they have nothing, they've hit rock bottom but this family hit rock bottom and still made it work. They grabbed life and made it go the way they wanted even though many people were still against them.
After reading "A Raisin in the Sun" and "Clybourne Park" I have learned a lot about what a play looks like and how to write one. Both plays show the correct setup and transitions of a play, so its easy to follow along. Also, they both demonstrate a good plot line and complex characters, along with interesting dialogue that keeps the reader hooked throughout the story. Both plays covered issues that are still going on today, like poverty and racism. The author's took something serious and put a comedic spin on it, so it would be entertaining but also bring awareness to the situation. I appreciate the opportunity to read both plays, because they helped me improve my play writing skills and finish some really good pieces that I thought I would never be able to write on my own.
After reading that plays 'A Rasin in the Sun' and 'Clybourne Park', I have been able to successfully learn how to write a good play. 'A Rasin in the Sun' helped me understand the importance of conflict and character development. Through 'A Rasin in the Sun', the characters have a major conflict with money. The author uses this conflict to help with Walter Lee's character development, proving he is a man full of dreams of wealth.'Clybourne Park' on the other hand, helped me with description and to add in small details in order to catch the readers attention. For example, Act 1 Scene 1 of 'Clybourne Park' introduced the setting with lots of description, which helped the reader understand that the family in the home was moving. Also in Act 1 Scene 1, the conversation between Bev and her husband about the root of the word Neapolitan, which helped us see their literary connections and curiosity (Attention ti details.)
I learned to write plays my reading plays. It taught me how much description to use, it also got me familar with stage directions, something I've never was to use to writing in my places before reading these books. It also taught me a different way to tell a story or my story. Both plays developed complex charcters using dialouge and conflict. Reading these to plays I learned that a play can be both comical and get a message across. Showing a different prespective on a situation, for example in Clybourne Park. Although I learned all this by reading and writing small sketches, plays are something Ill never be able to write.
After reading that plays 'A Rasin in the Sun' and 'Clybourne Park', I have been able to successfully learn how to write a good play. 'A Rasin in the Sun' helped me understand the importance of conflict and character development. Through 'A Rasin in the Sun', the characters have a major conflict with money. The author uses this conflict to help with Walter Lee's character development, proving he is a man full of dreams of wealth.'Clybourne Park' on the other hand, helped me with description and to add in small details in order to catch the readers attention. For example, Act 1 Scene 1 of 'Clybourne Park' introduced the setting with lots of description, which helped the reader understand that the family in the home was moving. Also in Act 1 Scene 1, the conversation between Bev and her husband about the root of the word Neapolitan, which helped us see their literary connections and curiosity (Attention ti details.)
From reading the two plays "clybourne park" and "A raisin in the sun" I learned how to give an vivid description of a setting and how a character moves or reacts with the objects around them. I've been able to make the reader and/or actor imagine where they are in the play and what type of tone their voice has to be. The most important knowledge that I've held onto is to portray my characters feelings in their actions c and words.
I learned how to write plays by reading more plays. By reading "Clybourne Park" and :Raisin in the Sun" it showed me how a play should be formatted when writing one. I always thought plays were boring but something thing I learned is how to make a play more fun. For example adding plot twists and maybe drama. I also learned that it takes a great deal of time to write a script. You have to make sure all the characters know what their doing and all the stage direction. Not to change up the setting too much because then you constantly would have to change the scenery and props. That requires a lot of money.
I've been reading "Oedipus the King" in English, "Clybourne Park" and "A Raisin in the Sun" in PW&T which are all plays. After speculating each play to beyond the pages and beyond the words, I have learned that they aren't just stories told by just dialogue. As a writer, my job is to know how to to write in all different styles and forms and during the past few weeks I have gained a better understanding of how to write and read plays. Reading these plays have helped me as a writer since I've never really read plays before just because I want to. In the past, I usually tried to read plays like "Romeo and Juliet", but it never really stuck because I constantly would lose interest. These plays have given me the push I need to step out of my comfort zone and trying something new. I think that now I'm gonna try to write and read more plays. Even if I'm not that familiar with it because I actually enjoyed these plays and I would never have read them if I hadn't been required to.
Each of these plays held multiple lessons, themes, and messages that I really enjoyed.
I learned how to write more dialogue, format plays, and all together how to write one the right way. The structure of raisin in the sun was a bit of out dated, but was well constructed. The stage directions were very specific, but helped me understand how things would look. It also taught me not to write too much stage directions as they did in raisin in the sun.
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