Zhu+Tina

=Assignment 4=

Creative Writing: Newspaper Article

 * OLD FEUD SURFACES IN NEW SKIRMISH **

VERONA, Italy – Early yesterday afternoon, in Verona’s bustling town square, yet another fight broke out between the Capulets and Montagues, two families well-known for their virulent, deep-rooted hatred of each other. The brawl originally began with servants from both houses and then escalated, with Lords Montague and Capulet themselves joining the fray. Fortunately, Prince Escales arrived to conciliate the dispute, threatening death to anyone who engaged in further violence.

Accounts of the origin of the skirmish have varied. Some speculate that two servants of the Capulet household are responsible for inciting the fight. Witnesses claim that one man made a highly offensive gesture towards servants from the Montague household who happened to be passing by. A quarrel resulted. In response to further insults on both houses’ honor, the servants drew their weapons and began to fight.

At that moment, Benvolio Montague and Tybalt Capulet reached the scene. Benvolio later told //The Verona Times//, //“//I swear, the Capulets started it. I tried to get everyone to calm down, but Tybalt wouldn’t hear a word. What else could I do?” Tybalt could not be reached for comment.

As more and more Capulets, Montagues and other citizens joined in, the skirmish threatened to erupt into a full-blown riot. The clang of swords filled the air. There were several very near misses; one witness reports seeing Tybalt’s sword miss Benvolio’s head by a fraction of an inch. Isabella Fitch recounted, “I was just walking by the town square, you know, and then I heard shouting – I couldn’t help going over there to find out what was going on. By my count, this is at least the third time the Capulets and Montagues have fought in public. They have some serious anger management issues.”

The violence came to an abrupt halt with the appearance of Prince Escales and his entourage. Both parties laid down their clubs and partisans and listened as he rebuked the Capulets and Montagues and issued a new decree: anyone who again disturbs the streets of Verona in continuation of the feud will face capital punishment. His threat has received a mixed response from the citizens of Verona. Some think it is unnecessarily harsh, while others think it will help maintain peace and harmony.

However, only time will tell if the Prince’s ordinance alone will be able to prevent a fourth Capulet-Montague clash from breaking out in Verona.

Rubric:

 * = **Category** ||= **3 pt** ||= **2 pt** ||= **1 pt** ||
 * < Understanding & Creativity (3 pts max) ||< Shows a good understanding of the fight scene. Demonstrates creativity and is not just a summary of the scene. ||< Shows a very basic understanding of the scene and very little creativity. ||< Does not reflect what actually happened in the scene. There is either no creativity, or the writer included unrealistic and obviously made-up details. ||
 * < Organization (2 pts max) ||< N/A ||< Clear organization and flow; first paragraph provides a summary of the article. ||< Organization does not make sense and article is difficult to follow. ||
 * < Newspaper-ness (3 pts max) || Writing is close to something in an actual newspaper. Journalistic techniques (like quotes) are used effectively and correctly. ||< Writing could pass as journalistic, but no techniques are used. ||< Writing style does not seem at all appropriate for a newspaper and is instead too informal/casual. ||
 * < Conventions (2 pts max) ||< N/A ||< Decent/readable grammar, spelling, capitalization, etc. ||< Atrocious grammar, spelling, capitalization, etc. Total disregard for the rules of the English language. ||

=Assignment 1=

Video:
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=Assignment 2=

Character Study


=Assignment 3=

Comic strip of Act 1
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