A couple of things to add to the previous handout on the upcoming essay:

I want two pieces of writing from you:  

1.      One is an essay that deals with both Richard III and Othello. This could be a comparison essay (2 characters, 2 themes, 2 stages of Shakespeare’s development as a playwright) or an essay that finds similarities in both. This type of essay is rather formal: MLA format, introductory and concluding paragraphs with body paragraphs in between that are stitched together with transition sentences. This is an essay that sips tea with your pinkie uplifted; this is an essay that dabs at the corners of your mouth with a cloth napkin; this essay is you after drinking a gallon of starch.

First typed draft is for Monday, February 7^th (with three copies) and the final is for Wednesday, February 9^th. (On that day, bring a cassette tape and a “Dear Jimbo” letter that tells me how the class is going for you.)

2.      And I want you to write something rebellious, something unformed, something that growls. This is the skateboard you, the punk you, the tongue-piercing you that writes with wild music turned on high. Yes, it’s about Richard III and Othello but now let it rip. Dye your hair fluorescent pink and play your keyboard like you’re on the edge of losing your mind. And if you don’t want to write it, then create it in another medium. Bring this on Wednesday the 9^th.

Note: You might want to write these two simultaneously.