View a FREE sample

Objective

Objective: Act 1, Scene 1 The poetic language of the play combines poetic verse and prose, enabling the characters to remain realistic while commenting poetically on philosophical themes. The objective of this lesson is to discuss the combination of verse and prose in the play.

1. As a class, discuss the use of poetic verse and prose in a drama. What is often the general purpose of poetic language? How can poetic language express emotion or philosophy more effectively than prose? How is prose used in the play to make the characters appear more realistic?

2. In Act 1, Scene 1, Trock rails against the stupidity of the world in poetic verse. Have each student write a paragraph to share on the suspension of disbelief that is necessary for the audience to appreciate the opening scene. How believable is it for an ex-convict gangster to use such poetic language? Why might Anderson have...

(read more Daily Lessons)

This section contains 8,804 words (approx. 30 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample