April 30, 2008

Things not to think about during a Beckett play.

1. What to put on the conlaw exam.

2. ...

3. ...

ADDED: Here's the link I had in the title before. And here's a link that includes this great photo of John Turturro:



The play is "Endgame." And I really do need to get my conlaw exam written. I'm dreading hearing lines like "Finished, it's finished, nearly finished, it must be nearly finished" and thinking about the exam.

17 comments:

Toby said...

"I can't wait for the action to start!"

lurker2209 said...

Do you find it gets easier or harder to write the con law exams over the years. I mean on the one hand, you'd know which questions work, and which don't. Which ones are going to give a nice spread of grades a cross the curve, which ones are too hard and which are too easy.

But at the same time all of the social networking and such makes it easier and easier for students to get a hold of old exams--even your students in Brooklyn can probably go online and dig up exams you've given in the past at UW. So does that present a more of a challenge, to constantly come up with new questions they haven't seen?

Ann Althouse said...

I've been teaching since 1984 and I've never reused and exam question. Didn't do it pre-web and don't do it now.

lurker2209 said...

That's impressive. Thanks for indulging my curiosity!

former law student said...

Have them explore the First Amendment issues in a state school banning a dildo party. They have to work Central Hudson and 44Liquormart into the analysis.

Original Mike said...

I reuse questions. I just change the answers.

bill sherman said...

Special MayDay performance: Barack Obama as Prince Hal and Jeremiah Wright as Falstaff in Henry IV (second part).

vbspurs said...

Special MayDay performance: Barack Obama as Prince Hal and Jeremiah Wright as Falstaff in Henry IV (second part).

Brilliant. I was conjuring that image myself, during all this talk of scripts and plays today.

But how about:

Rev. Wright's Iago to Obama's Othello?

Unfortunately, Iago is a very complex villain, and Reverend Wright is very easy to figure out because he's immoral, not amoral.

Immorality is dull and tawdry, whereas amorality is fiendishly clever.

Cheers,
Victoria

Fen said...

1. What to put on the conlaw exam.

2. ??

3. Profit

Palladian said...

" Things not to think about during a Beckett play."

2. Shakespeare.

Trooper York said...

Things not to think about during a Beckett play.
1. What to put on the conlaw exam.

2. Dog's urinating...oh crap I've
got to pee

3. Dildos

Ann Althouse said...

Actually, I did think about dildos at one point!

Christy said...

2. Stoppard's R&G Are Dead and how very like Beckett's Waiting for Godot

3. How it is no surprise that those of us who grew up on this stuff became the Prozac Nation.

fabius.maximus.cunctator said...

Ann Althouse:

Hamid Karzai ! Just look at the photograph again.

Old exams: I require the students to return the original exam page with their solution.
Usually I offer the old stuff as an option for those who wish to do a test exam before the real one.

blake said...

Victoria,

I have to disagree: Iago's not complex at all. He's simply evil. If you look at what he says--his justifications, they seem complex because they largely don't make sense, they don't jibe with each other. But that's because he's making 'em up as he goes along so as not to appear evil.

His power comes from remaining hidden. His words are his cover. But his actions are all evil.

Ann Althouse said...

I agree with Blake. And Wright (and his relationship to Obama) is much more complex that Iago (and Othello).

And by the way, Turturro adopted a Shakespearean actor style of speech. Not sure it worked all that well.

blake said...

Well, in fairness, he could hardly talk like this.