March 5th

1. Aristotle's Definition of Tragedy.

Six Conventions of Tragedy: 
Mimesis: Imitation of action
Hamartia: Tragic Error
Peripeteia: Reversal of plot
Anagnorisis: Tragic Recognition
Pathos: Suffering
Catharsis: Purging of the emotions of pity and fear (audience)

Six elements of Tragedy:
Plot
Character
Diction
Thought
Melody
Spectacle

2. ORAL COMMENTARY- Oedipus Rex and tragedy genre

Oral commentary assignment: Oral Commentary Oedipus Rex

Oral presentation scoring guide: Oral Commentary Scoring

The sooner you establish a thesis and outline, the sooner you get to practicing. Remember, once you have established your outline, start talking it through. Mark where you feel you are weak or struggling. Then work on those areas. Do not forget practicing integrating the literary text. This will take practice to get you comfortable with the process. Word of advice... do not use long quotes.. break them up. It will be easier to follow for the audience, and easier for you to relate back to your thesis.

Here are a couple of Individual Oral Presentation examples from IB students. Remember, your commentaries will not be this long, nor will you be using visual aids. The other thing to be realistic about is that these two students have more experience with literary analysis than you do... you will get there... This is how we start.
Pay attention to:
1. The manner in which they speak about literature (analysis, not plot summarization).
2. How they present their literary analysis thesis
3. How they integrate textual evidence into their commentaries.
4. Their use of notes... presentation is more conversation than reading.

IB Oral Presentation Example

IB Oral Presentation Example #2