The BritLit Podcast

Listen in to Mr. Krake's 4th period class discuss propaganda techniques and logical fallacies like oversimplification and faulty cause and effect reasoning as they relate to politics, media, and George Orwell's 'Animal Farm.'

Listen in to Mr. Krake's 2nd period class discussion on the use of propaganda techniques like euphemism, ad hominem, glittering generalities, and bandwagon.

Join the expert soliloquist Austin and Mr. Krake for a very intriguing dialogue about soliloquys. This productions will help give a better grasp on what, why, and when to use a soliloquy as well as a special reading from Shakespeare's Macbeth.

Recording from an airport in Germany, Travis and Joelle discuss Promptbooks and Macbeth Act 2 Scene 2. A little Gwen Stefani gets us in the mood, and we dive into the motivations and objectives of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth on their crusade of evil.

We're continuing our way through Macbeth, tackling some different scenes this year, and we'll kick it off with a spirited performance of Act 1 Scene 3... complete with mood music! Perhaps one of our best dramatic performances to date.

Tune in to a very interesting discussion pertaining to the changing progression of how learning is changing. This segment includes the intellectual genius of Mr. Krake and the keen insight of one of his finest students, Elijah. Together they discuss how learn

Join Mr. Krake and Daniel as they dialogue about the history of the English language. This Episode is filled with archaic sound bites, new added words to Merrium Webster's Dictionary, interesting history facts, and even an original "origins" game.

Ballads- You may be wondering what a ballad is... Well, Mr. Krake and Courtney share everything you have ever wanted to know concerning ballads. It's origin, meaning, and evolution. Tune in for a scintillating discussion.

An insightful, thought-provoking discussion comes to life with the help of our hosts, Mr. Krake and Caroline. Together they lead the audience into a deeper understanding of the Wanderer and its theme, exile. Why is the wanderer in exile? Why is exile a relevant theme back then and today? Listen in and find out!

Beowulf meets Highschool Musical. There's nothing quite like modern adaptations to get the brain working.

Justin Timberlake's "Sexy Back" gets remade into a Beowulf-themed "Bringing Killing Back" as well as a rousing performance of Rianna's hit "Unfaithful" converted to "Unstoppable."

The Task: Create a soundtrack for "Beowulf" the movie. Two groups present their soundtracks and original songs. A dramatic performance of the hit song "Beowulf is our man" by Austin highlights this episode.

Another Installment of Book Reviews allows Stephanie and Olivia to share about 20,000 Leagues by Jules Verne and Courtney and Ashley share about Wuthering Heights.

Keaton, Richelle, and Casie present a "Super-Short-Show" reviewing Shakespeare's "Taming of the Shrew." Devond, Heather, and Tawny follow it up with their "hickified" version of a scene from the play. Enjoy!

Season 2 Episode 2 - Melanie & Kristin and Austin & Joy put together short book reviews on George Orwell's "1984".

We're back for another season. We've got several episodes lined up and ready to go. This season, we're going to try and be a bit more consistant by releasing our shows every Friday. So now, you can look forward to your weekend fill of British Literature. This week, we're starting out with some Book Reviews on Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. This season, we have the joy of hearing from two groups as British Literature has sprouted another section. So this week, we'll hear two group's take on "the modern Promethius."

Well, here is our first attempt at a lecture. Please excuse the poor sound quality, as I was trying to keep the file size down. This is mostly for my students, but feel free to listen in as we set up a framework for our first units on Anglo-Saxon Literature as well as Literature of the Middle Ages. This is really a foundation for us to dive into some Elegaic Poetry with "The Wanderer" as well as some language background to introduce "Beowulf." and move into Chaucer's "Canterbury Tales."

Hosted by Mr. Krake & Jacob Osborne, this discussion dives into the life and poetry of Dylan Thomas. Everything from a 32-second summary of his life to his connection with Bob Dylan. In this episode we play "Name that Poetic Voice," discuss characteristics of modern British poetry, and even present an original villanelle about villanelles. Here's the poem: A villanelle is a euphonious thing, It’s a French form of a poem that in the 1800’s came to be. Say it, chant it, write it, or just let it out and sing. It’s comprised of 19 lines in one fluid string, Two rhyme schemes repeat with pure, simple glee A villanelle is a euphonious thing. It can be about love, life, or death’s sting The meter is loose; the form is free Say it, chant it, write it, or just let it out and sing. To strict numbered syllables it does not cling. From alternating rhyme it will not flee. A villanelle is a euphonious thing. When the two lines repeat, unity they bring, They maintain the theme of the poem without a plea. Say it, chant it, write it, or just let it out and sing. And You, dear Listener, pick up your pen and fling All your fluttering ideas on paper in jubilee. A villanelle is a euphonious thing, Say it, chant it, write it, or just let it out and sing. by Carolyn Kirby For more study on Dylan Thomas, check out our TrackStar site: http://trackstar.4teachers.org/trackstar/ts/viewTrack.do?number=286564 Have a great summer!

Back by popular demand. While we were initially inspired by a 32-second script of Shakespeare's "Macbeth" that we found at www.folger.edu, this time we continued the tradition by writing our own! We compiled some of the key lines from George Orwell's "Animal Farm" and condensed the whole of the story into 32 seconds. Here's the script: All: Beasts of England, Beasts of Ireland Sheep: 4 Legs good 2 Legs bad Squealer: Comrades, Pigs need the milk and apples Boxer: I will work harder Farmer Jones: Death to Animal Farm! All Animals: CHARGE!!! Napoleon: The enemy has overthrown our windmill? Squealer: Snowball did it! Boxer: I will work harder Napoleon: Hens surrender your eggs Boxer: Napoleon is always right Pigeons: Death to Pilkington Mr. Whymper: The bank notes are all forgeries Pigeons: Death to Frederick Pilkington: Serves you right Moses: There it lies Sugar Candy Mountain Boxer: I will work harder “Boxer Dies” Knacker Truck: “sirens” All Animals: To the Hospital! The slaughter house? Napoleon: Pass me the Whiskey Squealer: All animals are equal, but some are more equal than others. THE END

Our final Propaganda Ad created by the DSJ Acting Company rounds out our section diving into propaganda. Leave a comment and vote for the ad you liked most!