Thursday, April 22, 2010

Roman Omens

It's that time of the year, when the blocks, stones, and worse-than-senseless things rise up to hail Caesar in spite of a manipulative Cassius and a Brutus (wrought from that which he was disposed) plotting to reverse their falling-sickness by removing the unshakeable North Star.

Yes, it's Shakespeare's Julius Caesar. Act 1, scene 3, to be exact. The Bruce Almighty clip scene (Cassius renders in nearly perfect Shakespearean, "Smite me you mighty smiter!" baring the chest and everything). The men walking around on fire, lion in the street, owl in the market place scene. Perfect time to make text to world connections. What are your personal superstitions?

My favorite student response in this conversation? Amidst the black cats, the broken mirrors, and the foreboding ladders, the classic step on a crack, break your mother's back came up. My student, and I quote in close approximation, piped up in agitation:

"Yeah, that one don't work. I've stepped on a million cracks and that woman is still up and walking around!"

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

How funny! Ha! I love moments like that in the classroom. Students never fail to say the unexpected!

Julie