Understanding Romeo & Juliet, pt 3B

Understanding Romeo and Juliet Part 3B This is a continuation of Part 3A, in which we considered who or what might be most responsible for the tragic ending of this play. Whatever your opinion, I invite you to write about it now in a three-paragraph response journal question. These three paragraphs will demonstrate your comprehension, reflection, and application. Here's the URL to my response journal rubric. This journal question is: Who is most responsible for the deaths of Romeo and Juliet? Romeo and Juliet themselves? Their society? Fate? A different option? Explain. In the first paragraph, answer this question. Who or what is most responsible for their tragic end? Take a clear position. And be sure to touch on the matter of fate vs. free will. Demonstrate a deep and personal understanding of the play. Justify your answer with evidence from the play that supports your opinion about Romeo and Juliet's deaths. For example, if you think Romeo and Juliet are to blame for their own deaths, then write about that being an example of free will determining their destinies. Answering that on a literal level, in the first paragraph, shows comprehension. Show me that you really understand what's going on. As always, there isn't a single correct answer to this question. In the second paragraph, explain why you believe in fate or free will, or whatever it is you believe. And if your answer contradicts your answer to the first question, then explain that too. Always explain your thoughts fully. I have to tell you that people often conveniently believe in a combination of the two. They believe whichever makes them feel good at the time. When something good happens, they say it was free will. "I made that happen!" When something bad happens, it was fate. "It was meant to be." You know what? That's kind of a cop-out and you should make an effort to avoid that kind of lazy, inconsistent thinking. Deeply examine this profound, eternal, and deeply human question. This is called reflection. In this paragraph, you'll get at the heart of the question, which is, who is in control of your life? Or as Romeo might say, who hath the steerage of your course? In the third paragraph, apply your ideas to your real life in the real world. Apply this situation to the world you live in right now. If you believe in fate or some form of predetermination, how should you live your life? What should you do in school? How should you interact with your family? What do you do about a career? Will you live passively, surrendering yourself to a higher power? Or is the vigorous exercise of your free will interwoven with your fate? If you believe in free will, how will that opinion affect the way you live? What will you do about school and family and career? And what will you do when you run smack into your own limitations, as will inevitably happen or into events of random chance over which you did not have control? That's application. This is where you use the values and wisdom you're creating in your own mind right now to make good choices about your life. And here are 10 words from Acts IV and V that are still being used in contemporary English. The page numbers come from my Folger paperback edition. You can take a screenshot. Romeo and Juliet is a really fun play, but it's also a deeply meaningful exploration of our place in the universe. It doesn't get much bigger than that. I hope you enjoyed it. It's a play you can read over and over again as you get older and you gain new insights and new life experiences. OK, take care.