Assignment

Primary Task Response: Within the Discussion Board area, write 300-500 words that respond to the following questions with your thoughts, ideas, and comments. This will be the foundation for future discussions by your classmates. Be substantive and clear, and use examples to reinforce your ideas.

Drama (Playwriting)

When an author writes a dramatic piece, he or she does so with the expectation that it will result in a performance. Complete the following for this assignment:

Access The Stronger, a one-act play by August Strindberg, through this Web site. You can read the play, or you can listen to it on this Web site. Note: The audio version is number 9 in the list at the top.

Part 1

• In 1 paragraph, discuss the following:
• Identify the two characters in this play, and give a brief description of each.
• Identify the protagonist. Support your answer.
• Identify the antagonist(s). Support your answer.
• Identify the setting. Explain why this is important to the overall theme of the play.

Part 2

In 1-2 paragraphs, discuss the following:

• How are the theme/characters in this play familiar to a reader today? Explain using details from the play.
• How are the theme/characters in this play unfamiliar to a reader today? Explain using details from the play.
• What do you think the playwright's intention was in creating this play? Explain using details from the play.
• What can you take away from this play as a reader, and how can it be applied to your own life?

Responses to Other Students: Respond to at least 2 of your fellow classmates with at least a 100-word reply about their Primary Task Response. To help you with your discussion, please consider the following questions:

• How do you think readers today would enjoy this play? What parts would they have trouble understanding?

• How did your analysis of the meaning of the play compare with those of your classmates? Why do you think different readers might understand the play differently?

• How do you think seeing this play staged is different from reading the play? Are there elements of seeing the play staged that might help an audience understand it better? If so, what are they and how do they work?

• What questions do you have about how your classmates have understood and analyzed this play and its meaning for their own lives?