A2 LITERATURE

If you haven't already discovered it, crossref-it.info is a decent website which can act as a study guide for The Pardoner's Tale  for you if you want one - click here to find it.

If you are ready to start thinking about the poem in relation to what previous critics have argued, then click here to read what George Kittredge has to say about the way the Pardoner tries his tricks on the pilgrims, having confessed all in the Prologue. Kittredge was a renowned American academic; this article was written at the end of the 19thC.

A2 COMMS & CULTURE

At the moment on BBC2, there is a series running called Mixed Britannia - perfect timing for our work on Post Colonialism. You can watch the last episode by clicking here - there are 13 days left to watch it. The next (& final) episode is on next Thursday at 9pm. Thanks to Hilda for flagging this up.

When we were talking about immigration in class today, we mentioned Enoch Powell's 'rivers of blood' speech. If you want to hear some clips from the speech & understand more about the effects of it on British society, then watch this:


Here's a good article which debates the rights and wrongs of colonialism, which is a must read: click here. Please make sure that you read this article this week...

IB English

Some critics view the Duke in Measure for Measure as a Machiavellian character. To find out who Machiavelli was and what the adjective 'Machiavellian' means, click here.

This short video also gives a good insight into Machiavelli's philosophy:



I also mentioned in class that the best on-line study guide I have found for Measure for Measure is the crossref - it one; click here to find it. Measure for Measure is not the easiest of Shakespeare plays, and if you are finding the language and/or ideas a bit tricky, then this online guide would be a good place to start.

A2 LITERATURE

We talked in class about the literary influences on Chaucer  - and the fact that the Pardoner's 'confession' in his Prologue may well have been modelled on the character of Fals-Semblant's 'confession' in Le Roman de la Rose. Click here to read a translated version of Fals-Semblant's speech.

A2 Comms - Gareth & Clare's class

Remember that I am setting work in place of next Wednesday's lesson (28th September) because I am out of college on a course. This is the work:

Watch Mark Steele's lecture on Karl Marx on Youtube (30 mins) & write down 5 key points made about Marx in your books. Click here to watch the programme - make sure you watch each section (each one is 10 minutes).

A2 COMMS & CULTURE

Please tell us how you think the AS course went last year by clicking here: Reflecting on AS - thanks!

A2 LITERATURE

There is another character on the pilgrimage, who is presented as the antithesis of our Pardoner- and that is the Parson. If you want to read the Portrait for the Parson, click here, and then consider the ways in which the two characters are presented differently by Chaucer...