PANTHERPOST
March2017
AMessagefromtheManagingDirector:
MarchwillbeanexcitingmonthatPBAaswewrapourArtisticDirectorcandidateinterviews.
Thankyouforallofyourthoughtfulquestionsandparticipationintheprocess.Wehopethat
everyonefillsoutacandidateevaluationformforthecandidatestheymeet.Ifyoudidn'tget
one,pleasepickoneupintheoffice.
Ijusthadthepleasureofobservingthe4thand5thgraderspresenttheirscienceexperiments.
ThankyoutoMr.Leo,thestudents,andtheirfamiliesfortheirhardworkandcreativethought
thatwentintothoseexperiments.Veryproudofourstudentstoday!
Thankyouall,
JulieHoerl
1
th
6 Grade
MeganCole–Spanish
5thGrade
Theboyspresentedtheir"MiFamiliayYo"projects.Itwasso
nicetolearnaboutmystudent'sfamilymembers!Wedida
readingonchoresinSpanishandpracticedmorechoresand
activities.Boyscreatedandaskedeachother5questionsabout
whodoeswhatchoreintheirhome.TheyalsoplayedSpanish
GrowaFlower(akahangman).Toendtheweek,theboysmade
theirownSpanishvalentines!Somanycreativeandsweetnotes
tofriendsandfamilyallinSpanish!Afterbreak,wewillcomplete
apacketandstudyforaquizonhouseholditems,choresand
rooms.
Iintroducednewvocabularyandthentheboysplayedpictionary
withbodypartsandface.Wecontinuedwithmorepracticewith
arverbconjugationsandsentences.Wealsodidsomesentences
withclothingandtheverbGustar(tolike)wehadasurprisevisit.
FabrizioandhisfatherCedricsangSpanishsongs,teachingin
Spanish"LosPollitos"completedreadingandtranslation
dialoguesinSpanish.Toendtheweek,theboysmadetheirown
Spanishvalentines!Itwasnicetoseetheircreativityandsweet
notestofriendsandfamilyallinSpanish!Wealsoreadonestory
inSpanishcalled“Contrarios”afterlunchThursday.Afterbreak,
wewillstartfoodvocabularyandmoresentencesstructure.
th
7 Grade
Wereviewedtheentirechapterincludingvocabularyandthe
verbIr(togo).Thenwespententireweekwatchingand
discussingVocesInocentes.Wediscussedhowsimilarandhow
differentourlivesaretothemaincharacterChava.Theywrote
anessaycomparingandcontrastingandthenfinallyareflexion.
Weendedtheweekstartingthefoodandrestaurantchapter,
practicingvocabularyandreadingtheTelehistoria.Afterbreak,
wewillbeginpreparingforatriptoataqueriawhereeachboy
willorderacompletemealinSpanish!
th
8 Grade
IintroducedandwepracticedthePreterite(past)tenseor-ar
verbs.Wedidsomereadingcomprehensionquestionsoutloud
inSpanishafterreadingtheTelehistoria.Wealsoreadabout
OlympicathletesfromtheDominicanRepublicandBolivia.I
taughtthemhowtousetheverbdoler(tohurt)inSpanish
sentences.Wecompletedthechapterreview.Boymadeupa
songforrememberingthe-arverbconjugations.Toendthe
week,theytookaquizonPreterite-arverbsandVocabulary.
Afterbreak,Iwillintroduceregular-erand-irverbsinthe
Preteritetense,aswellasirregularverbsinthePreterite.
2
th
7 Grade
Mr.Leo–Science
th th
4 /5 Grade
Previouslyinscienceclassstudentsexploredtheadvantagesand
disadvantagesofasexualandsexualreproductionbylookingata
collectionoforganismsandtheirmethodsofreproduction.
Studentsthensharedtheirfindingsamongstthemselvesand
wereamazedbythedifferentstrategies,especiallythewhip
tailedlizard.Studentsexploredhowsucculentplantsreproduced
bytakingcuttingsandexposingthemtowaterovertime.
Studentscreatedmultiplestudytoolssuchasfoldablesforthe
anatomyofanangiosperm.StudentsparticipatedinaJeopardy
stylereviewgametohelppreparethemfortheirtest.Students
finalizedourunitbymodelingMeiosisusingOreo’sandsprinkles.
Eachteamwasinchargeofdelegatingtheseparatetasksand
theyweregivenatimelimittocreatetheirmodels.Luckily,all
teamscompletedtheirmodelsintimeandweretheninstructed
toeatthem!
Comingupstudentswilldotestcorrectionsandbeginournext
unitonheredity.
Previouslyinscienceclassstudentsbegantheirsecondtolast
activityinourForcesunit,puttingonaplayaboutSirIsaac
Newton’sLaws.Studentsweregivenrolesrandomlyusingour
popsiclesticks,andwenthomeandpracticedtheirlinesfor
homework.Wealsoworkedonbeingokwiththeroleyouwere
chosenforandgivingyourbesteffortnomatterwhat.Students
completedthefirst4scenesinclass,takingontheircharacters
anddeliveringexcellentperformances.
Nextup,studentswillpresenttheirScienceExpoProjectsandthe
ScienceExpoonMarch3rdfrom12:00PM-1:30PM.Allare
invitedandwewillhavesnackstostartofthefestivities!
Studentswillfinishupthe5actNewtonplayinclass.Students
willwrapuptheForcesunitwithaspecialactivityonmagnetism.
th
th
6 Grade
8 Grade
Previouslyinscienceclassstudentslinedup,weregivenarock
withaspecificpolarityonitandage.Theythendiscoveredthey
weremimickingonesideofthemidAtlanticRidge,withevidence
thatledscientiststotheTheoryofSeafloorSpreading.Students
begananextendedlessononGPSandhowscientistsuseitto
trackthemovementoftectonicplates.Eachstudentcreateda
GPSmonumentusingtoothpicksandagumdrop,andthen
modeledhowsatellitesinteractwiththesemonumentstogivea
precisecoordinate.
Nextup,studentswillfinishourextendedGPSactivity,learning
howtoreadTimeSeriesPlotsandthencreateavectortoplace
onamap.Thisactivityusesstudentsgraphingskills,
understandingtherelationshipbetweenriseandrunonanxand
ycoordinate.
Previouslyinscienceclassstudentsseparatedthehydrogenand
oxygenatomsinwaterthroughelectrolysis.Theytooktwo
pencils,attachedalligatorclipstooneendofeachandtheother
endattachedtoa9vbattery.Oncethepencilsweresubmerged
inthewater,studentsobservedbubblesforming,anddetermined
thatthesidewithmorebubbleswascreatinghydrogengaswhile
theotherwascreatingoxygengas.Studentsweretaskedwith
usingdifferentcolorgumdropsandtoothpickstomodelgiven
compounds.Theythenwereinchargeofdeterminingwhether
theycreatedanionicorcovalentbond,andfinally,theyhadto
drawtheLewisDotstructureforthesemolecules.
Nextup,studentsparticipateinaJeopardyreviewgame,take
theirtestanddotestcorrectionsbeforetheendofthesecond
trimester.
3
th
th
4 /5 Homeroom
CoachScottandMr.Hampton
Advisory
Fourthandfifthgradershadagreattimedesigningtheirown
chinesedragon!Wehadpulleysystemswithmoveableteethand
jaws!Theboysarefullofimaginationandhadgreatnamesand
storiesabouttheirdragon!BettyHongvisitedourclassandread
totheboysandtaughtusallaboutthehistoryandtraditionsof
theChineseNewYear!Inmath,fourthgradeismovinginto
decimalsandfifthgradeintoAlgebra.InSocialStudieswehave
beenenjoyinglearningabouttheRevolutionaryWarwhile
simultaneouslycontinuingourstudiesonslavery,spirituals,the
roleofslavesinthewar,andprominentblackleaderswhowere
influentialduringthistimeperiod.AperfectfitasweenterBlack
HistoryMonth.InEnglish,wecontinuetojournal,focuson
spellingandgrammar,aswellasfocusdeeplyonreading
comprehensionwithJuniorGreatBooks.Theclassisalso
learningaboutdifferenttypesofpoetryandhowdictionaries,
thesauruses,andpartsofspeechcanreallyenhancetheircreative
ideasbringingauniqueinsightanddepthtothepoems.
WeareveryexcitedtohaveMissSonamworkinginour
classroom!Shewillbeawonderfulhelptotheboys!
InFebruaryTownHallmeetingsandAdvisorysessions,we
discussed,watched,andwroteaboutthingsweshouldsaymore
often,keepingfriendships,tourtips,teamwork,and,asalways,
appreciationsforpeersandfaculty.Nextmonthweexploretime
managementandself-evaluation.
CoachScott
P.E–AllGrades
InPEclasswearecurrentlyworkingonourBasketballUnit.
Ourlearningobjectivesforbasketballinclude:
•
Icandribble
•
Icanbouncepass
•
Icanchestpass
•
Icandodge
•
Icandemonstrateajump-shot
•
Icandemonstratealayup
•
Icandefendsafelyandlegally
•
Iunderstandtherulesforagameofbasketball
•
Icandemonstrateallpositionsina‘pickandroll’play
•
Icandemonstrateallpositionsina‘giveandgo’play
•
Iunderstandbasicgame-flowandstrategy
Theactivitieswewillcompletetopracticetheseskillsinclude:
•
PersonFromMars
•
Marbles
•
StealtheBacon
•
3LineBasketball
•
BasketballMedic
•
Horse
•
Knockout
•
BasketballWarm-up
•
2v2Basketball
•
Variouslinedrills
Basketballisanexcitingunitanditisalsoimportanttorecognize
thevaryinglevelsofskillthatstudentsbegintheunitwith.As
alwaysinPE,weaimtolearnalloftheskillsnecessarytofully
enjoybasketball.WhenIstartedatPBAwecouldnotdoa
basketballtournamentbecausethegeneralskillleveland
understandingofthegamedidnotallowustoplayfullgames.
Now,aswecontinuetolearnandimproveourunderstanding,I
cangladlytellyouthatwedobasketballtournamentsinallofthe
grades!
ThanksforreadingandIlookforwardtoseeingyouaroundthe
school!
4
PBABasketball
Previously...onthecourt:
ThePantherswontheirfirsteverscrimmageontheWarriors
courtathalftime,goingupagainstSt.Anthony.Playersputthe
tourmotto“BeFlexible”intopracticeinthisscrimmage,astheir
teamswerechangeduprightbeforeheadingoutonthecourt.
Nocomplaintsweregiven,theyfiguredouttheirnewrolesand
wentoutandhadablast.TheJVteamgaveaspiritedeffortas
theyplayedthemselvesinthesecondpartofthehalftimegame.
Bestofall,playersshowedgreatrespectfortheopposingteam,
theSacramentoKings,astheywalkedpastusafterhalftime,
clappingitupforthemandtellingthemgoodjob.Newfound
NewOrleansPelican,Demarcus“Boogie”Cousins,wasvery
appreciativeandgaveonespecialplayerasmileandthanks.
Can’twaituntilnextyear!
Comingup...onthecourt:
ThePantherswillbeplayingagainstEcoleBilingueinBerkeleyon
March2nd,from4:15PMto6:00PM.Anotherscrimmageisin
theworkssobeonthelookout!
5
Mr.Leo
th
6 GradeMath
Mr.Kwett
th
8 GradeMath
Previouslyinmathclassstudentscompletedtheirunitonratios,
endingwithalotofpracticeonchallengingrealworldword
problems.Studentsmodeledtheratiosusingbar/unitdiagrams,
andthenshowedtheirworkstepbystepinordertoendupatthe
correctanswer.Studentsfinisheduptheintroductionactivities
fortheStockMarketGame.Theycreatedteamsoftwoand
assignedeachmemberarole,suchasresearcherormeeting
leader.Intheirinvestingfirms,studentslearnedhowa
corporationismade,howitgoespublic,howtoreadastock
quote,andthemostimportantpiecesofinformationtolookfor
beforeinvesting.
Nextup,studentswilltaketheirratiostestandbeginthenext
unitonrates.Studentswillalsocontinuetoinvestandwillbe
introducedtotheideaofabalancedportfolioandhowtoachieve
one.
Theeighthgradershavebeenmakingwonderfulprogress
workingwithquadraticequations,andareaheadofschedulefor
theschoolyear.Theyreliablyknowhowtofactor,solve,and
graphtheseequationsusinghalfadozendifferentmethods.
We’regoingtodosomereviewwithhowtoidentifythebest
methodtouseforagivenquadraticequation,andthenwe’ll
moveontostudyingtwo-variablesystemsofequations.Iwas
alsoreallypleasedwiththeeighthgraders’progressinarithmetic
work,andtheyearnedatriptoFenton’sthispastFridaybefore
mid-winterbreakforscoringanA-classaverageontheirmost
recentquiz.
Mr.Kwett
th
7 GradeMath
Theseventhgradershavebeenlearninghowtographlinear
equations,andsofarhavethreedifferentmethodsintheir
toolboxforgraphingtheseequations:plugginginpoints,finding
x-andy-coordinates,andusingslope-interceptform(y=mx+b).
I’vebroughtbackoneofMr.Fox’sexercises,wherestudentsplay
SimonSaysandmaketheslopeofdifferentlinearequationswith
theirarms.They’vealsobeendoingsomeverytougharithmetic
work.
Studentshavebeenputtingtheirstudyofareatothetestby
helpingmedesignandsetupanartprojectfortheroom(see
picture),whichwillallowstudentstofreelyupdateapartially
begun“pictureofAmericanhistory”overtherestoftheschool
yearastheystudysouthAmericaandcolonization.Nextupin
mathwillbegraphinginequalities,studyingrateandratio,
scientificnotation,andunitconversion.I’mdesigningastatistics
projectfortheendofMay/beginningofJunethatwillinvolve
collaborationbetweenseventhandeighthgradersinstudyingthe
statisticalcorrelationbetweeneducationlevels,incomelevels,
incarcerationlevelsandothercriteriaacrossdifferent
neighborhoodsinOakland.Ilikeusinghistoricalexamplesas
fodderformathwordproblemsasawaytobetterintegratethe
twoclasses.
6
Mr.Kwett
th
7 GradeHistory
th
8 GradeHistory
StudentsofUSHistoryhavebeenrifewithquestionsaboutthe
politicalchangesofthepastfewmonths.I’vesoughttogivethem
somegood-old-fashionedhistoricalcontext,ofwhichthere’s
plenty.We’vediscussedtheconditionsofslaveryandJimCrow
racialcodesintheNorthandSouth,redliningandunequal
developmentintheBayArea,AndrewJackson’sBankWar(a
revoltagainsttheFederalBank,whichresultedinarecession)
andTrailofTears(arelocationprogramthatmovedthousandsof
CherokeeandotherNativeAmericanstopresent-dayOklahoma),
and,ontheotherhand,theabolitionmovement,first-wave
feminismandtheWomen’sRightsMovement,Transcendentalism
andThoreau’sessay“CivilDisobedience,”aswellasnewformsof
resistancethatemergedinthemodernCivilRightsMovement.
StudentsreadanaccountofTrump’selectionthatcontextualized
hispoliticswithintheframeworkofexistingAmericanpolitical
attitudes,specificallywithregardtoAndrewJackson’spopulist,
xenophobic,rurally-basedpoliticalplatform.Theythenstudied
andcritiquedJackson’sspeechdefendingtheTrailofTears,and
readandwrotepoliticalpoems.Anumberofstudentsshowed
remarkabletalentwritingpoetryforthefirsttime.Itaughtthem
tocopy,steal,change,anduserhythmicandsonicpatterns,but
neverend-rhyme,ideally.We’regoingtocontinueintegrating
historicalstudywiththisparticularformofhistoricalreflectionin
comingunits.
Inseventhgradehistory,studentshavebeenlearningaboutthe
RenaissanceandtheScientificRevolution.Inthenextfewweeks,
theseventhgraderswillbeembarkingonaresearchproject
wheretheystudyathinkeroftheirchoicefromthishistorical
periodandwriteareportabouttheirmethods,discoveries,and
historicalimpact.
Intheirclass,studentsare,ideally,learninghowtothinkabout
thinking—howtostudynotjustthethinkersofearlymodern
Europe,butthewaystheythought.Ourbigquestionwe’vebeen
askingthispastmonthhasbeenhowandwhynewformsof
questioning(questioningtheCatholicChurch,questioning
politicalauthority,andquestioningassumptionsaboutnature)
emergedinaspecifichistoricalmomentandhavebeengaining
groundeversince.Inthesediscussions,studentsdiscoverhow
scientificdiscovery,religiousreform,andpoliticalrevoltwere
mutuallyreinforcingmovements.
We’repayingspecialattentiontothelivesofeverydayEuropeans
duringthistime.Middleschooltextbookstendtofocusonthe
eliteclassofeducated,literatecitizens,whichcanendup
overstatingtheprogressmadebyintellectualmovementssuchas
theRenaissance,inwhichmostoftheworkingclasswere
sufferingequalorinmanycasesinferiorconditionscomparedto
feudaltimes.Studentsaredoinglotsofclosereadingaswellas
writinginclass,aswehunkerdownonperfectingourgrammar,
vocabulary,spellingandstructure.
7
Mr.Gabri
th
th
Partsofspeechandwordorder
AnotherobstacletocomprehendingShakespeareiswordorder.
Whenthesubject,verb,andobjectofasentencearenotwhere
thereaderexpectstofindthem(whichisoftenthecaseinnot
onlyShakespearebutalsopoetryingeneral),thiscouldleavethe
readerconfused.Poetsplaywithwordordertocreatevarious
effects(intermsofsound,mood,and/ormeaning),andreaders
needtobecognizantofthisfactastheyread,sotheydon’tget
frustrated.Thepoet’sintentisnottocomplicatecomprehension
buttocommunicatesomethingthatgoesbeyondthesimple
meaningthatthewordsthemselvescarry.
Verbmoodsandmodalverbs
Thoughtheconceptofmood,intheEnglishlanguage,isa
controversialtopicamonggrammarians—theycan’tevenagree
onitsexistence—thereisnodoubtthatsomethingresembling
thesubjunctivemood(asitexistsinotherlanguages)existsin
English.Whereasthesubjunctivemoodishardlyusedtoday
and/orisoftenexpressedthroughtheindicative,itwasmuch
moreprevalentduringShakespeare’stime.Sinceverbmoods
andmodalstellusaspeaker’sattitude/feelingtowardswhatis
beingexpressed(i.e.,isitafact,acommand,awish,ahope,a
fantasy,apossibility,anecessity,acertainty,etc…)theyarevery
usefulfordissectingdramaticspeeches.Thetensionbetween
variousgrammaticalmoods,inaspeech,notonlygivesusinsight
intothespeaker’spsyche(i.e.,his/herintentions,motives,
feelings,etc…)butitalsohelpscreateacertainmood,orseriesof
moods,onstage(e.g.,inevitability,ambiguity,uncertainty,
ambivalence,suspense,anxiety,fear,optimismetc…).
Puttingitalltogether
Oneofthespeechesstudentswereaskedtoscan,grammatically
dissect,andparaphrase,isBrutus’famoussoliloquyatbeginning
ofAct2.
BRUTUS.Itmustbebyhisdeath.Andformypart
Iknownopers(o)nalcausetospurnathim
Butforthegeneral.Hewouldbecrowned.
Howthatmightchangehisnature,there’sthequestion.
Itisthebrightdaythatbringsforththeadder,
Andthatcraveswarywalking.Crownhimthat,
AndthenIgrantweputastinginhim
Thatathiswillhemaydodangerwith.
Th’abuseofgreatnessiswhenitdisjoins
Remorsefrompow(e)r.AndtospeaktruthofCaesar,
Ihavenotknownwhenhisaffectionsswayed
Morethanhisreason.//But’tisacommonproof
Thatlowlinessisyoungambition’sladder,
Wheretotheclimber-upwardturnshisface;
Butwhenheonceattainstheupmostround
Hethenuntotheladderturnshisback,
Looksintheclouds,scorningthebasedegrees
Bywhichhedidascend.SoCaesarmay.
Thenlesthemay,prevent.Andsincethequarrel
Willbearnocolorforthethingheis,
Fashionitthus:thatwhatheis,augmented,
Wouldruntotheseandtheseextremities.
Andthereforethinkhimasaserpent’segg,
Which,hatched,wouldashiskindgrowmischievous,
Andkillhimintheshell.
th
6 /7 /8 GradeEnglish
StudentsinallgradesarereadingShakespeare’sJuliusCaesar.
Thereismuchtosayabouttheplayanditsmanypoliticalthemes,
butIwillsavethatforanothertime.Today,Iwanttodiscussthe
mostimportantaspectofteachingShakespeare:comprehension.
Ofcourse,
comprehensioncantakeplaceonmanylevels,fromthebasic
understandingofwhatsomethingmeans(content),tohow
meaningisproduced(form),and,finally,tohowcontentand
forminteractwithand/oragainsteachothertocreatenew
meaningsandnewformsofexpression.
Scansion
StudentslearnhowtoscanShakespeare’sverse.Theylearned
aboutiambicpentameter,andappliedwhattheylearnedto
passagesfromJuliusCaesar.Studentsexpertlyscannedthetext,
markingstressedandunstressedsyllableswhilenotinganomalies
andaccountingforthem.Understandinghowtheiambicworksis
extremelyimportant,notjustbecauseitisagreatpoetic
inventionworthstudying,butalsobecausebyvaryingthetheme
(orbreakingthe“taDa,taDa”patternoftheiambic)
Shakespearegivessubtleclues,toactoranddirectoralike,about
theemotional/mentalstateofacharacterand/orthefeelings
informinghis/herspeech.Takentogether,thesevariationstothe
patternoftheiambicnotonlycreatetheemotionalcontentof
theplaybuttheyalsoproducethemusicalityofShakespeare’s
transcendentverse.
ParaphrasingShakespeare
OneofthebestwaystogetstudentstounderstandShakespeare,
isbyaskingthemtoputitintotheirownwords.Studentsinitially
findthelanguagetobearcaneanddifficult,butwithpractice
theirabilitytodecipherthetextimproves.
Elizabethangrammarandsyntax
Teachinggrammarandsyntaxincontext,ratherthaninthe
abstract(whichiswhatsometeachersdo),isagreatwaytonot
onlyteachstudentsgrammar,buttoalsoshowthemwhy
grammarandsyntaxmatterand/orhowtheyaffectmeaning.
3rdpersonfamiliar
StudentslearnedaboutasetofEnglishpronounscalledthe
"familiar"(thou,thee,thy/thine);onceusedamongclosefriends
ortoaddresschildren,inferiors,animalsandinanimateobjects.
Thisnowobsoletesecond-personpronoun,andtheverbendings
thataccompanyit(-est,-'st,or–st),presentachallengetoyoung
studentsstudyingShakespeare.AlthoughRomancelanguages
retainaversionofthe“familiar”you,intheformoftu,English
nowonlyusesthesecond-person“you,”which,incontrasttothe
familiar“thou,”usedtobethepolite/formalformofthesecondpersonpronoun.Onceexplained,theconceptisnotdifficultto
grasp,butitneedsexplainingsothatstudentscanfinally
understandwhyShakespeare’scharacterssay“yougive,”but
“thougivest,”or“yousing,”but“thousing’st,”etc…Something
asseeminglyeasyasthis(i.e.,thedistinctionbetweentwo
pronounsandhow/whytheverbendingschange)canstandin
thewayofcomprehension,ifnotproperlyexplained.
8
(Mr.Garbi’sEnglishContinuedfrompage8)
Inthisremarkablespeech,Brutusnotonlytriesrationalizekilling
hisfriendandcommittingacoup,buthealsotriestojustify
argumentsthatbearnoresemblancetothetruth(orthetruthas
itstands).Thelogic/rationaleofthespeech,likethesnake
imagery/metaphorBrutusdrawsupon,istwistedtosaytheleast.
Brutusbeginshisspeechwiththethesisthattheonlywaytosave
orpreservetherepublicisbykillingCaesar.Themodal“must”(in
“Itmustbebyhisdeath.”)expressesBrutus’certaintyinno
uncertainterms.Andyet,whatfollows,i.e.,theevidencehewill
usetosupporthisthesis,isanythingbutcertain.Astheboys
discovered,Brutus’uncertaintyandambivalenceisexpressed
throughmodalverbs,conditionalstatements,andsubjunctive
clausesthat,ironically,worktoundermineand/orweakenhis
thesisorpremise.TohighlighttheeffectofBrutus’wordchoice,
andtoshowstudentshowsuchchoicesmakeadifference,I
askedthemtosubstituteBrutus’would(s)withthewordswill
(expressingcertainty)andcould(expressinguncertainty),andsee
howthatsoundedtothem.AndthenIaskedthestudentswhy
Brutusdoesnot(orcan’t)use“will”and“could”and/orwhyhe
chooses“would”instead.Brutus’would(whichexpressesmore
certaintythancould,andlesscertaintythanwill)seemstocreate
justtherightamountofuncertainty,orcertainty,dependingon
howonelooksatit,tojustifyBrutus’concernsandsubsequent
actions.
EvenmoredisturbingisthefactthatBrutusmustrelyonold
proverbsandsayings,insteadofcold,hardfacts,tojustifywhat
heisabouttodo.NotehowShakespearedrawsourattentionto
howthingsstand,versushowBrutuswantsthemtostand,by
placingthemodalmay(expressingpossibility)andtheindicative
“is”(expressingfacticity)instressedpositionsintheiambic
meter:
SoCaesarmay.
Thenlesthemay,prevent.Andsincethequarrel
Willbearnocolorforthethingheis,
Fashionitthus:thatwhatheis,augmented…
Additionally,asthestudentspointedouttome,manyofBrutus’
lines(atleast6)endwithanextra,unstressedsyllable(oraweak
ending).Therearemanywaystointerpretand/orunderstandthe
effectoftheseextra-syllabiclines.Ononelevel,theyreveala
mindatwork.Thisisnotanorationforpublicconsumption,or
evenaprivateconversationbetweenfriends.
Thisisaspeakerwhoistestingoutideas/argumentsastheycome
tohim,inthespurofthemoment,evenashetriestoconvince
himselftotakeadeadlycourseofaction.Onanother,more
unconsciouslevel,theweakendings(weakbecausetheyare
unstressed)couldpointtotheweaknessofBrutus’arguments.In
turn,theextrasyllablesliterallyintroduceuncertaintyintothe
iambicpattern,mirroringtheuncertaintyofBrutus’words.
Finally,theendingofthespeechmirrorsthebeginning,exceptin
invertedform.“Itmustbebyhisdeath,”leads,onceagain,tothe
conclusion,“Andkillhimintheshell.”Butwhereasthefirst
sentenceusesthemodal“must”(toexpresscertainty),thelast
sentence,alsoexpressingthepoliticalnecessityofkillingCaesar,
isapartofahypothetical,subjunctiveclausewhereBrutus
imaginesCaesartobeanunhatchedsnakethat“would”become
destructiveifhatched.AlthoughBrutus,onceagain,deploysthe
venomoussnakeanalogyhestartedhisspeechwith(“Itisthe
brightdaythatbringsforththeadder/Andthatcraveswary
walking.”),hissnake(i.e.,Caesar),hasdevolvedordegenerated
intoanunbornembryo.ThedevolutionofBrutus’metaphoric
snakemirrorsthewayBrutus’argumentdevolvesand/orgets
weakerorlesspotentasitproceeds—losingitsbite,sotospeak.
Inaway,thespeechcirclesorcoilsbackonitself,likeasnake
eatingitsowntail,anddestroysitsownpremisebycastingdoubt
onit.Allthewhile,thesnake,asasymbolofdeceptionand
cunning,unbeknownsttoBrutus,saysasmuchabouthim,andhis
betrayalofhisfriend,asitdoesaboutthedangersofCaesar’s
growingpower.ThoughBrutusdoesnothear,orisnotkeento,
theimplicationsofhisownlanguageorwords,theactorplaying
Brutus,byhittingtherightnotes,willmaketheaudienceaware
ofthatwhichBrutus(thecharacter)isdenyingand/or
suppressing.Butthatisatopicforanotherday…
9