The Value of Life

Developed by Jennifer Fletcher, Peter Kittle, and Rochelle Ramay

MODULE: STUDENT VERSION

Reading SelectionsforThisModule

A Human Life Value Calculator.Web.

Feinberg, Kenneth. “What Is the Value of a Human Life?” This I Believe. National Public Radio, 25May 2008. Web.<

Jobs, Steve. Commencement Address.Stanford University Commencement Weekend. Stanford, CA. 12 June 2005. Address.<

Jones, Chris. “Roger Ebert: The Essential Man.” Esquire 16 Feb. 2010. Web.

Ripley, Amanda. “What Is a Life Worth?” Time 11 Feb. 2002. 22-27.Print.

Shakespeare, William. Hamlet. Act III, Sc. 1: Hamlet’s “To be, or not to be” soliloquy.

ReadingRhetorically

Prereading

Activity 1:Getting Ready to ReadPacket Item (Quickwrite)

Before you read what others say about the value of life, take a few minutes to respond in writing to the following quickwrite prompt:

Whatdoesbeingalivemeantoyou?Howdoyouassignvalueto life?Whatmakeslifechallenging?Whatmakesitworth living? Describea fewexamplesthathelpshowyourthinkingabouthow peopleshouldvaluelife.

Activity 2:ExploringKeyConcepts

This activity will help you build your understanding of the many meanings suggested by the concept of “life.” Use the model below to explore the ways in which society defines “life” in various contexts.

ModelConceptMap
Concept: / Sentence:
Synonyms: / Contexts:
Examples: / Non-Examples:

Text—“Hamlet’sSoliloquy”

Activity 3:Surveying theText

The first text you will read is the famous “To be, or not to be” speech from Shakespeare’s play Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, which was published in 1604 under the title The TragicallHistorie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke. That speech is a soliloquy, a convention used by playwrights to allow the audience to hear the thoughts of a character. Take a few moments to look over the text, and then answer the following questions:

  1. Whatpriorexperienceshaveyouhadreadingplays?
  1. Whatdidyounoticeaboutthepageformat andannotations?
  1. Whatdidyounoticeaboutthetext’sstructure?

Activity 4:MakingPredictionsand AskingQuestions

When approaching a new text, you should always try to draw on your prior experiences to help you predict what the text might be about. The following questions will help you do so:

  1. Whatisa tragedy?Whatthemesandoutcomes would youexpect tofindina tragedy?
  1. WhatdoyouknowaboutthelanguageinplayswrittenbyShakespeare?
  1. Whathaveyoudoneinthepasttohelpyourself readShakespeareeffectively?
  1. The soliloquy here begins with a famous quotation: “To be, or not to be—that is the question.” What do you think is “the question” Hamlet is asking? How do you think he might answer it?

Activity 5:Understanding KeyVocabulary(Looking at the Text)

Shakespeare’s texts are often difficult because he uses words thatare no longer in frequent use, even though they were common when he wrote his plays. Several words in Hamlet’s soliloquy fit into this category. You will see in the text that some words are marked withan asterisk (*); a definition or synonym is provided to the right of the line for those words.

Polar Opposites

An important rhetorical device Shakespeare uses in Hamlet’s soliloquy is antithesis, or a balance of opposites. Hamlet explores a series of oppositional relationships in his speech, beginning with the question of “to be, or not to be.” For this vocabulary activity, you will explore some of these antithetical relationships by brainstorming antonyms for the terms listed below.

Term / Antonym
oppression
action
endurance
mystery
life

WordFamilies

Listas manywordsas possiblethatarerelatedtothefollowingfive conceptsfromHamlet’ssoliloquy:

  1. action
  1. thought
  1. suffering
  1. mortality
  1. fear

You may include synonyms directly from the text along with any other words you believe are related to the concept. Word families are not simply lists of synonyms; they may include any sets of words that frequently appear together. For example, “brackish” and “water” are part of the same word family.

Example:

resolution:end (line 5), consummation (line 8), will (line 25), decision, outcome, and result

Term / WordFamily
action
thought
suffering
mortality
fear

Reading

Activity 6:FirstReading(Oral)

Read thesoliloquyfromHamlet.Althoughitisquiteshort,itpacks muchmeaning intoits33 lines.Youmayneedtoreaditmorethan oncebeforeyoufeelyouhavea goodgraspoftheideasitcontains.

Background

Atthispointintheplay,Hamletfeelsthatheisina crisis.Hisfather dieda fewmonths earlierundermysteriouscircumstances. Hamlet discoversthathisfatherwassecretlymurdered—byHamlet’suncle, Claudius.Makingthingsevenworse,ClaudiusthenmarriesHamlet’s mother. Hamletdoesnotknowwhattodoaboutthisknowledge.He wonders whether hecantrustanyoneorifperhapsheisgoingcrazy.

As you first read the text, focus on what you see as the “big picture” Hamlet describes. Based on this first reading, would you say that Hamlet is an optimist or a pessimist? What are your reasons for thinking so?

Activity 7:ConsideringtheStructureof theTextPacket Item

Look again at the structure of Hamlet’s soliloquy. Then answer the following questions with a small group or partner about how this speech is organized:

  1. WheredoesHamletask thecentralquestion ofhissoliloquy?
  1. Wheredoesherestatethisquestion ingreaterdetail?
  1. DoesHamleteveranswerthisquestion?
  1. Doesheask anyotherquestions inthisspeech?
  1. WhoorwhatinterruptsHamletattheendofhissoliloquy?Do youthinkhewasfinished talking?

Activity 8:Noticing Language

Identifythemainclause(subjectandverb)inthefollowingsentence. Thenparaphrasethemainideaofthissentenceinyourownwords: “Forinthatsleepofdeathwhatdreamsmaycome/ Whenwehave shuffled offthismortal coil,/ Mustgiveuspause.”

Activity 9:Annotatingand Questioning theText

Because this series of texts focuses on the way people value life, you will now need to take a second look at the soliloquy. This time, read the text with a yellow highlighter or colored pencil (or devise some other way of marking the text in a unique and easilyrecognizable way), marking the places in the text where Hamlet describes what it means to be alive.

Example: In lines 2-3, Hamlet says life is “To suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,” so you could highlight that phrase as an example of what Hamlet thinks it means “to be.”

CharacterizingtheText

Take a look at the parts of the soliloquy you have highlighted, and compare them with a classmate’s markings.

Find a few examples that you both have highlighted, and mark the examples with a “+” or “–” to indicate whether the examples show a positive (+) outlook on life or a negative (–) one.

For the example above (“the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune”), you would mark a “–” because it compares being alive to being under attack.

After you have marked several such examples, reflect on the question asked earlier: At this moment, does it seem as if Hamlet is an optimist or a pessimist?

Activity 10:Analyzing Stylistic Choices

Continuing to work with your partner, identify three figures of speech Hamlet uses to express himself. These could include metaphors or personification. Remember, a metaphor is a figure of speech that compares two unlike items without using the words “like” or “as” while personification gives human characteristics to a non- human. For instance, when Hamlet calls whatever happens after death “the undiscovered country from whose bourn no traveler returns,” he’s metaphorically comparing the mysteries of the afterlife to dangerous, unchartered lands—something explorersfrom Shakespeare’s time period were deeply interested in. Use your annotations from Activity 7 to find more figures of speech.

Next, paraphrase these figures of speech. “Paraphrasing” means putting the ideas of another writer into your own words. Again using the “slings and arrows of outrageous fortune” metaphor, a paraphrase might sound something like this: “Hamlet comparesbeing alive to having fate shoot arrows at him.” As you paraphrase, pay attention to the style used by Shakespeare to convey his ideas.

What is the difference between having Hamlet say that life is like “the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune” and having him just say, “Life isn’t very pleasant”? What are the effects of Shakespeare’s stylistic choices as a writer?

Postreading

Activity 11:SummarizingPacket Item

Useyourannotationstoanswerthefollowingquestions:

•WhatisthebigissueinHamlet’ssoliloquy?

•WhatclaimorargumentaboutthevalueoflifedoesHamlet make?

•WhatdoyouthinkabouttheHamlet’sclaim?

At this point, you may jot quick, but complete, answers to these questions in your notes. Later, you’ll use these responses to begin completing a graphic organizer comparing all the reading selections you’ll analyze for this module.

(See the handout, “Charting Claims Across Multiple Texts”.)

Activity 12:Thinking Critically

Weidentifiedthegenreearlieras drama,butmorespecifically,this isa soliloquy.Asnotedearlier,a soliloquyisa dramatic convention thatallowsa charactertospeakaloudhisorherthoughts.From yourreadingofthesoliloquy,recordyouranswerstothefollowing questions:

  1. Doesthesoliloquyformseemtofavortheexpression ofemotion(pathos)orlogic(logos)?Explainyouranswer.
  1. DoesHamlet’ssoliloquyuseemotion(pathos)tocreatea specific effectonthereader?Ifso,describehowemotionisused.
  1. DoesHamlet’ssoliloquyuselogic(logos)tocreatespecificeffects onthereader?Ifso,describehowthelogicisused.
  1. WhenHamletspeakshissoliloquy,heisincrisis.Howdohis circumstancespositionHamlettospeakwithauthority(ethos) aboutthevalueoflife?DoesHamletseemtobespeakingabout hislifeinparticularoraboutthequality oflifeingeneral?
  1. Ascarefulreaders,weare,ofcourse,awarethatitisnotreally Hamletspeaking,buta charactercreatedbyShakespeare.Does Shakespeareseemlikesomeonewhoseopinionsandattitudes areworth considering?Why?

Activity 13:Charting Multiple Texts

Take a look at the chart constructed for this assignment. It is a “graphic organizer”—a device that helps you keep track of various pieces of information and the relationships among those pieces. Because the chart is rather small and you will be doing a lot of writing on it, you might want to get a larger piece of paper and create your own chart. The chart will prove especially useful in the writing assignment you will complete at the end of this module.

Asyoulookdownthesideofthechart,youwillsee thatitasks you forinformationaboutthedifferenttextsyouwillbereadinginthis assignment:

•Title

•Author

•Genre

The title and author are self-explanatory. “Genre” means “type,” so you are asked to describe the type of writing. For this first text, you would put “Drama” or “Play” as the genre.

Acrossthetopofthechartaretheideasyouwillbetrackingas you readthetextsinthismodule. Theyarepresentedintheformof questions:

•Whatisthetext’sbigissue?

Hereyouwillidentifythe“main idea” ofthetext.

•Whatclaimdoesthetextmake?

Thisasks youtoidentifythewriter’sperspective onthemain idea.

•Whatareexamplesorquotesfromthetext?

Thisiswhereyouwould putexamplesgivenbythewriter to helpthereaderunderstandhisorherclaim.Thequotesand paraphrasesyouworkedonearlierwillfitwellhere.Be sureto includepageorlinenumbers (orboth)toidentifywhereyou foundthequotationoridea.

•Whatdoyouthinkaboutthetext’sclaim?

Inthisbox,youwillexplainyourresponsetothetext’sclaim, includingtowhatextent(ifany)youagreewithit.

•Whatareyourexamples?

Inthiscolumn, givea fewexamplesfromyourownexperiences thathelpexplainyourresponsetothetext’sclaim.

•Howdoesthistextconnecttoothertexts?

Ifyousee a similaritytoanothertext,makenoteofithere. Connectionscanbemadeevenamongtextsthathavevery differentclaims.

Take a few moments to fill in the chart for Hamlet’s soliloquy. The final box on making connections may be left blank for the moment.

Text—“Roger Ebert:The EssentialMan”

Prereading

Activity 14:Surveying theTextOral Discussion

Thesecondtextisanexcerptfromaninterviewwithfamousfilm criticRogerEbertafterhelosthislowerjawbone andtheability to speak,eat,anddrinkas a resultofhisbattlewithcancer.Thearticle, writtenbyChrisJonesforEsquire,describesthejoyandsuffering Ebertexperienced inhispostsurgerylife.RogerEbertdiedonApril4, 2013 attheageof70.

Priortoreading,trytoanswerthequestions below.Theyare designedtohelpyouactivateyourschema,whichisa technical term thatmeansyougeneratesomepriorknowledgesoyouwillbe readytoreadandcomprehendmoreactively.Ifpossible,firstvisitEsquire’sWebsiteandviewthepost-surgeryportraitofRogerEbert byEthanHill( Thenquicklyscan,orlookover,thetextbeforeansweringthe followingquestions:

  1. WhatdoyouknowaboutRogerEbert?Ifyoudonotknow anythingabouthim,trydoinga quickInternetsearchandsee whatcomesup.

Roger Ebert was one of the best-known movie reviewers of our time. A PulitzerPrize winning film critic, Ebert appeared on television and in print for decades, perhaps most famously with Gene Siskel for the TV show At the Movies. He and Siskel popularized the phrase “two thumbs up.” In 2006, thyroid cancer led to the removal of Ebert’s lower jawbone, causing him to lose his speaking voice. In the years following his fight with cancer, Ebert became an even more prolific writer, publishing a cookbook and a memoir, in addition to his many movie reviews. Ebert also had a large following on Twitter (see ebertchicago). He refused to undergo additional surgeries that could restore his voice

  1. Whatkindofwriting—whatgenre—doyouthinkthistextis?
  1. Whatkindofwriting—whatgenre—doyouthinkthistextis?

Activity 15:Making Predictions and Asking Questions

Thefollowingquestions willhelpyoumakespecificpredictions aboutthecontentofEbert’stext:

•Whattopicsrelatedtotheissueofhowsocietyvalueslifedoyou thinkEbertmight havetalkedaboutinthisinterview?

•DoyouthinkEbert’sclaimaboutthevalueoflifewillagreewithHamlet’sornot?

Activity 16:Understanding Key Vocabulary

BecausetheexcerptfromChrisJones’sinterviewwithRogerEbertis a moderatelycomplex texttoread,youmight wanttoreviewa few vocabularywordspriortoreading.Whenyourunintothesewords during yourreadingofthetext,notethecontextofeachwordand writea “best guess” synonymforit.Noticewhichwordsseemto havea deeperordifferentmeaning fromtheirregularusage.Your teachermaywantyoutocompareyourworkwithyourclassmates.

ritual(¶ 2): a riteorrepeatedpractice

survival(¶ 5): endurance,life,orexistence

radiates(¶ 6): gloworexude

savoring(¶ 7): relishorenjoy

cinematic (¶ 9): grandordramatic; likea film

feverishly(¶ 10): excitedly orenthusiastically

rudimentary(¶ 11): basicorcrude

mandible(¶ 12): jaw

tracheostomy(¶ 12): a surgicalprocedure tocreateanopening throughtheneckintothetracheaorwindpipe

monologue(¶ 15): a speechpresentingthethoughtsofa single person

argument(¶ 15): anattempt topersuadesomeoneofsomething

facsimile (¶ 15): a copyorreproduction

nuanced(¶ 24): subtle;havingmultiple,complex meanings

sentimental(¶ 26): emotional

mystics(¶ 26): spiritualistsorsages

intervention(¶ 29): intercession;actiontakentomakea change

Whichsetsorpairsofwordsarerelatedtoeachother?Whichwords areassociatedwithpleasure?Whichwordsareassociatedwiththe body?Whichwordsareassociatedwithwriting?Doyouthinkyou might encounteradditionalwordfamilies inthisexcerpt?Which ones?

Be sureyouunderstandthemeaning ofthefollowingmedicalterms, as well:

salivaryglands(¶ 9)

radiationtreatments(¶ 12)

carotidartery(¶ 12)

breathingtube(¶ 12)

G-tube(¶ 13)

IV pole(¶ 13)

Reading

Activity 17:Readingfor Understanding

Read thearticlebyChrisJones.Asyouread,payattentiontothe wayEberttalksaboutthevalueoflife.AsyoudidwithHamlet,try todeterminewhether Ebertappearstobegenerally pessimisticor optimisticinthisinterview.Inaddition,answerthisquestion: DoesEbertalsopresentanargumentaboutthevalueofdeath?Be sureto distinguishJones’swordsfromEbert’swords.

Activity 18:Mapping the Organizational StructurePacket Item

Maptheorganizationofthetextbytakingthefollowingsteps:

  1. Drawa lineacrossthepagewheretheintroduction,orfirst “chunk,”seemstoend.Is itafterthefirstparagraph, orare thereseveralintroductoryparagraphs?Is itinthemiddle ofa paragraph?Howdoyouknowthatthetexthasmovedonfrom itsopening section?
  1. Drawa lineacrossthepagewheretheconclusionbegins.Is itthe lastparagraph, orarethereseveralconcludingparagraphs?How doyouknowthatthetexthasreachedtheconclusion?
    Write responses to the following:
  1. Whatisthepurposeoftheopening sectionofthearticle?
  1. Whatisthepurposeofthemiddle sectionofthearticle?
  1. Whatisthepurposeoftheconcludingsectionofthearticle?

Activity 19:Annotatingand Questioning theText

FirstHighlighting:AsyoudidwiththeShakespearetext,youwill markJones’sinterviewwithRogerEbert.Thistime,useanorange- coloredhighlighterorcoloredpencil(ordevisesomeothermethod ofmarking thetextdifferentlythanyoumarkedthesoliloquy). Highlightthesentences,phrases,orwordsEbertusestodescribe whathethinksitmeanstobealive.RememberthatmostofEbert’s directquotationswillbeinitalics.

CharacterizingtheText

OnceyouhavehighlightedEbert’swords,comparewhatyouhave selectedtohighlightwiththechoicesa classmatehasmade.Then, workingwithyourpartner,marksomeofthecommonlyhighlighted partswitha “+”or“–”signtoindicatewhether eachquoteshowsa generally positive ornegativeoutlook onlife.Discussingtheresults withyourpartner,decidehowyouwould answerthisquestion about Ebert’soutlook onlife:Washeanoptimistora pessimist?

SecondHighlighting:Gothroughthetextoncemore,thistimewitha yellow highlighter.ImaginethatyouarereadingEbert’sstatements fromHamlet’sperspective. HighlightanypassagesthatHamletwould findparticularlyinterestingorcompelling.Someofthesemay bethesamewordsyouhavealreadyhighlightedwhileotherswillbe new.

Activity 20:Analyzing Stylistic ChoicesPacket Item

Respondtothefollowingquestions onyourownorwitha small grouporpartner.

  1. Whatdetailsinthefirsttwoparagraphs conveya senseofthe ordinary,behind-the-scenesroutines offilmcritics?Whatwords orphrasessuggestthelongevityofEbert’scareeras a movie reviewer?
  1. HowdoesChrisJonesdistinguishEbertfromhisfellow reviewers?Whyisthiscontrastimportant?
  1. HowdoesJones’sdescriptionofEbert’sreactiontoBroken EmbraceshelpusunderstandEbert’scharacter?Whatwordsor phrasesrevealEbert’sattitude toward theexperienceofwatching thisfilm?
  1. Whataretheconnotationsof“kid joy”?
  1. Joneswritesthat,attheendofthefilm,“it looksas though [Ebert’s]sitting ontopofa cloudofpaper.”Jonesthendescribes howEbert“kickshisnotesintoa smallpilewithhisfeet.” Why aretheseimagesimportant?WhatsideofEbert’spersonalitydo theyreveal?
  1. WhydoesJonesusetheword“savoring”todescribeEbert’s quietpauseafterthefilmends?
  1. WhatdoesJonesmeanwhenhesaysthatthemomentEbertsaid hislastwordsbeforelosingtheabilitytotalktocancer“wasn’t cinematic”?Whyisthissignificant?
  2. WhatdetailsareimportantinJones’sdescriptionofEbert’s second-floorlibrary?Whatdotheobjectsinthisroomsuggest aboutEbert’scurrentlife?
  1. WhydoesJonessayreadingEbert’spost-canceronlinejournalis like“watchinganAztecpyramidbeingbuilt”?
  1. Whatwordsandphrasessuggestthepost-cancer,post-voice surgeofproductivityEbertexperienced inhiswriting?

Postreading

Activity 21:Summarizingand Responding—TheMockInterview

EbertandHamlet,intheirrespectivetexts,provide quitedifferent perspectives onthemeaning andvalueoflife.Working withyour partner,envision a scenarioinwhichHamletsomehowwould have theopportunitytointerviewEbertandviceversa.Oneofyoushould writeouta seriesofatleastfivequestions thatHamletwould ask EbertwhiletheotherwritesfivequestionsforEberttoask Hamlet.

Whenthequestions arecompleted,takeonthepersonasofthese twoandconducttheinterviews.Be suretogiveanswersthatare inkeepingwiththepointsofviewprovidedinthetwotexts.Afterconductingthemockinterviews,discusstherelativeviewpointsof thecharacters.Howwellwould theygetalongwithoneanother? Howwould eachrespondtotheargumentsmadebytheother?

Herearesomesampleinterviewquestions:

•Howdoyoufeelyou’vebeentreatedbyotherpeople?

•Areyouafraidofdeath?

•Are there any benefits to suffering?

•How do you approach challenges?

Activity 22:Thinking Critically

Jones’stextisanextendedinterviewinthestyleof“A Day in the Life.” Aswiththesoliloquyweexaminedearlier,theformofthiswritinghasaneffectonhowitisreadandunderstood. The questions below will help youassess howJonescharacterizesthe subjectofhisinterview,RogerEbert,andhowEbert’sstatements characterizehimself.

QuestionsaboutLogic(Logos)

  1. Aninterviewisa formofnonfiction—atextthattellsthe“truth.” DoyouthinkJonesisbeingtruthfulinhisobservationsofRoger Ebert?DoyouthinkEbertisbeingtruthfulinhisstatementsabouthimself?Areyoumorelikelytobelievewhatsomeoneelse saysabouta personorwhatthepersonsaysabouthimselfor herself?Explainyourreasoning.
  1. Howareemotionalpainandlossdifferentfromphysicalpainand loss?Can thetwobecomparedfairly?

QuestionsabouttheWriter(Ethos)

  1. Unlikesomecancersurvivorstories,ChrisJones’sinterview with Roger Ebertdoesn’tmakeitclearthatEbertissuccessfully winninghisfightagainstcancer.Howdoestheuncertaintyof Ebert’shealthimpactthewaywesee hisattitudetoward the valueoflife?WouldEbert’scredibilitybethesameifhehadlong agodefeatedcancer?
  1. CompareEbert’sattitude aboutdreamstoHamlet’s.Howdo dreamsaffectthesufferingofbothmen?Whatdotheirattitudes toward dreamsrevealabouttheircharacters?
  1. CompareEbert’sattitude aboutdeathtoHamlet’s.Howdoeseach characterize“the undiscoveredcountry”(Hamlet’swords)“ontheothersideofdeath”(Ebert’swords)?Howdotheirattitudes towarddeathandwhatmight happenafterdeathrelatetothe waytheyapproachlife?
  1. WhatdoesEbertmeanwhenhesays,“WhenI amwritingmy problemsbecomeinvisibleandI amthesamepersonI always was.All is well.I amas I shouldbe.”(par.18)?
  1. HowdoesJonescharacterizethepost-cancerEbertas being differentfromthepre-cancerEbert?
  1. Re-readtheparagraph beginning,“But noweverythinghesays mustbewritten…”(par.20). WhydoesJonessayofEbert’s newlife,“somanywords,somuchwriting”?Whatdoesthis statement helpusunderstandaboutwhatEbertvaluesinlife?
  1. Whatevidence,ifany,canyoufindthatsuggestsEbertismoreof anoptimistafterfightingcancerthanbefore?
  1. Whatevidence,ifany,canyoufindthatsuggestsChrisJones admiresandbelievesRogerEbert?

QuestionsaboutEmotions(Pathos)

  1. WhydoesJonesdescribeEbert’smedicalcrisesin2006 in graphicdetail?Whatwordssuggestthebrutalityofthecancer treatmentandrecoveryprocessEbertexperienced?
  1. HowdoyouthinkJones’sdescriptionofEbert’s“open smile”might impactreaders?
  1. WhatlanguageintheexcerptfromEbert’sreviewofBroken Embracesinthearticle’sconclusionsuggestsEbert’senduring passionforlife?

The followingquestionsmaybe usedwithstudents whohave all five actsof Hamlet.

  1. HamlettellsRosencrantzandGuildensternthathedoesn’tknow whyhe’srecentlylostallhis “mirth” orhappiness(ActII, sceneii, lines287-288). Doyouthinkhe’sbeinghonest?DoesHamlethave a reasontobeunhappy?DoesEberthavea reasontobehappy?
  1. DoyouthinkEbertwould agreewithHamlet’sclaiminActII, sceneiioftheplaythat“there isnothingeithergoodorbad,but thinkingmakesitso”(lines244-245)?WhatdoesJonesmean whenhewrites,“There areplaceswhereEbertexistsas theEbert heremembers”(par.15)?
  1. EbertseemstohavelearnedearlyinhissufferingwhatHamlet onlyacceptsneartheend:“If itbenow,‘tisnottocome.Ifitbe nottocome,itwillbenow.Ifitbenotnow,yetitwillcome—the readinessisall.Sincenomanofaughtheleavesknows,whatis’ttoleavebetimes?Letbe”(ActV, sceneii,lines158-161). Whatdoyouthinkhelpsbothmentoultimatelyreachthissame conclusion?
  1. BoththefictionalHamletandtheveryrealRogerEbertarebook loverswhounderstandtheheightsachievedbyhuman intelligence.CompareHamlet’s“Whata pieceofworkisman!” speechinActII, sceneiitoEbert’sstatement thatheis“gratefulfor[.. .]thegiftofintelligence,andforlife,love,wonder, and laughter”andtoJones’scommentthatEbert“stillfindsjoyin books,andinart,andinmovies.”Inwhatwaysarethetwomen similar?Howaretheydifferent?

Activity 23:ChartingMultipleTexts

MakeanentryinyourchartfortheEberttext.Fillitoutas youdid withthesoliloquy.Whenyoureachtheentryfor“Howdoesthistext connecttoothertexts?,” briefly describethewaysinwhichEbert respondstoorchallengestheassertionsShakespearemakesinhis soliloquyforHamlet.

Activity 24:ProcessQuickwrite:

Describeyourprocessforreadinga textrhetorically.Whatarethe differentstagesofyourreadingprocess?Whatdoyoudoduring eachstage?

Text #3—“What Is a Life Worth?”

Prereading

Activity 25:Surveying theTextOral Discussion

Thearticle“WhatIs a LifeWorth?”comesfromtheFebruary12,2002, issueofTimemagazine.Take a lookatitsformandlength. Howmuchtimedoyouthinkitwilltaketoreadthispiece?

  1. HaveyoureadanythingfromTimemagazine?
  1. Whatdoyouknowaboutthepublication?
  1. Whatkindsofarticlesarecommonlyincluded init?
  1. Whattypesofpeopledoyouthinkcomposethemagazine’s primaryreadership?

Activity 26:MakingPredictionsand AskingQuestions

This article includes the following subtitle: “To compensate families of the victims of Sept. 11, the government has invented a way to measure blood and loss in cash. A lookat the wrenching calculus.”

  1. Whatpredictionscanyoumakeaboutthearticle’scontentfrom thissubtitle?
  1. Whatconnectionsdoyouthinkyoumight see betweenthis articleandtheprevioustwotextsyouhaveread?
  1. Thefirsttwotextstookfirst-personperspectivesonthesubject.

Doyouanticipate thatthisarticlewillcontinue inthatvein,orwill itbedifferent? Whydoyouthinkso?

Activity 27:Understanding KeyVocabulary

Below,youwillfindthreegroupingsofvocabularywordstakenfrom“What Is a Life Worth?” Thefirstgroupconsistsofwordsrelated tothelegalandfinancial aspectsofthearticle.Thesecondlist containstermsthatconveyinformationwithparticularemotional connotations.Thefinalsetofwordsismadeupoftermsthatareusedtodescribetheworkingsofthegovernmentalplanto compensate 9/11 family victims. Working byyourself orwitha partner,lookovereachlist,andprovide a briefdefinitionforthe wordsyoudonotknowwell.Pay particularattentiontothewaysin whichthewordsconnecttooneanother(e.g.,peoplelitigate, orsue, becausetheywantsomebodytocompensate themfora loss).

Financialandlegalterms

compensate (subtitle): makeupfora loss

disparity(¶ 2): unfairness, unevenness

valuation(¶ 3): determinationofa monetaryvalue

litigation(¶ 5): legalaction;suing

commodify(¶ 7): turnsomethingintoanobjectofmonetaryvalue

discretion(¶ 9): judgment

liability(¶ 10): debtordisadvantage

beneficiary(¶ 22): recipientofa benefit,usuallymonetary

tort(¶ 23): a civillawsuit toremedya wrongfulact

allocation(¶ 28): distribution,especiallyofmoney

Emotion-ladenwords

squeamish(¶ 2): easilyoffended

garish(¶ 2): offensivelybright andshowy

gall(¶ 10): impudence;insolence

traumatize (¶ 11): toinflict stressorpainuponsomeone

callous(¶ 11): uncaring, cold

inconsolable(¶ 13): incapableofbeingcomforted

indignant(¶ 13): fullofangeroveraninjustice

balk(¶ 21): resist;refusetoproceed

deteriorate(¶ 17): degenerate;graduallyfallapart

Descriptive terms

rhetorical(¶ 12): relatedtotheeffectiveuseoflanguage

Rorschachtest(¶ 11): aninkblot testthatrevealsa person’sparticular viewpoint

artillery(¶ 12): heavyammunitionusedagainstanenemy

analogy(¶ 12): a comparisonintended toillustratecommon

elementsbetweenseeminglydifferentitems

solidarity(¶ 17): unitybasedona commoninterest

orchestrated (¶ 18): carefully arrangedtoachievea particulareffect

concoct(¶ 12): toputtogether fromvariousmaterials

mechanism(¶ 21): technique forachieving a specificresult

Reading

Activity 28:Readingfor Understanding

Asyouread“WhatIs a LifeWorth?”forthefirsttime,lookforthe mainissuesandthevariousstancespeopletakeinresponsetothose issues.Be suretoalsolookforconnectionstotheideaofvaluing life andtowhatwaspreviouslysaidaboutvaluing lifebyShakespeare andEbert.

Howis“life”definedinthistext?Forexample,does“life” refertoa humanbody,a soul,humanexperience,existence,orquality oflife? Doesthisdefinitionincludea person’spersonallifeandprofessional orworkinglife?

Activity 29:Annotating and Questioning the Text

Choosetwohighlighterorpencilcolorsandrevisitthetextofthearticle on9/11.Thetwocolorswillbeusedtomarktwodifferentaspectsofthe article.Withthefirstcolor,highlightthewords,phrases,andsentences fromthearticlethatdescribevaluinglifeinlegalandfinancial terms. Withthesecondcolor,highlightthewords,phrases,andsentencesthat describevaluinglifeinhumanandemotionalterms.

Postreading

Activity 30:Summarizingand RespondingPacket Item

Usingthesectionsyouhighlightedintheprevious step,writea summaryofthearticle’sdescriptionsofhowlifeisvaluedand people’sresponsestothatvaluingoflife.Yoursummaryshould includeonlythemostimportantideasandmustbelimitedtosix sentences.Ifyourteacherallows,youmaywanttoworkonthis summarywitha partner.

Witha partner,readthesummaryyouwroteintheprevious step. Oneofyoushouldreadthesummaryfromtheperspective of Hamlet;theothershouldtakeonthepersonaofEbert.Discusswith yourpartnerhoweachwouldprobablyreacttothewaythat“What Is a Life Worth?” describesthevalueoflife.(Theanswerstothe questions willvarydependinguponwhateachsummaryhassaid aboutthearticle.)