April 4th

Today marks 50 years since a powerful light was extinguished in Memphis, Tennessee. April 4th, 1968. Martin Luther King, Jr. was shot and killed while standing on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel.

Just the evening before, King delivered one of his most powerful, yet prophetic speeches, "I've Been to the Mountaintop".

Find the full text here: King's final speech

Video clip: I've Been to the Mountaintop

Robert Kennedy speech: RFK announcement


1. We are going to start with reading the article: Power and Gender in The Taming of the Shrew.

Take notes on the following:

• Notice that the article start with a research question. What is it?
• What thematic issues does the article address that are evident in Taming of the Shrew. 
• What similarities exist between the induction and main play addressing power and gender. 
• What is the significance of the final speech given by Kate? 

2.  After you have read the article, we will follow with small group discussions about gender and Taming of the Shrew generating from your journaling on the five specific lines you examined for class today.

• Refer back to the initial questions I gave you considering gender and Taming. 
• Add to your personal notes on the lines your group discusses, plus lines that you may not have had in your own notes.
• Start developing some initial ideas/conclusions from your findings/group findings. To do this, consider the "how" and the "why". 
• What literary devices are being used to present the issues of gender in Taming?