Fiction Mentor Text Idea

William Shakespeare The Merchant of Venice Act 4, Scene 1

PORTIA:

The quality of mercy is not strain'd,
It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven
Upon the place beneath: it is twice blest;
It blesseth him that gives and him that takes:
'Tis mightiest in the mightiest: it becomes
The throned monarch better than his crown;
His sceptre shows the force of temporal power,
The attribute to awe and majesty,
Wherein doth sit the dread and fear of kings;
But mercy is above this sceptred sway;
It is enthroned in the hearts of kings,
It is an attribute to God himself;
And earthly power doth then show likest God's
When mercy seasons justice. Therefore, Jew,
Though justice be thy plea, consider this,
That, in the course of justice, none of us
Should see salvation: we do pray for mercy;
And that same prayer doth teach us all to render
The deeds of mercy. I have spoke thus much
To mitigate the justice of thy plea;
Which if thou follow, this strict court of Venice
Must needs give sentence 'gainst the merchant there.

          This is a great, inspiring short speech, and it relates into the subject matter the class is covering.  It is an example of great oration and clear speech.

         This is a speech intended to inspire. Portia is speaking about mercy and indicating that no one shows mercy because he has to. Mercy is the greatest attribute a man can display, the greatest part of himself he can give. This speech is Shakespearean verse written in iambic pentameter and taken from The Merchant of Venice. We learn about the beauty of the English language in reading Shakespeare's works and about ways in which language can be manipulated to serve various tasks. I particularly like his skill with barbs, as he often uses poetic measure to deliver scalding insults within his writing. I feel this is an aspect that will also appeal to an eighth grade male student and should be explored in study. Shakespeare displays a mastery of the English language that few can emulate. I feel that using this as a mentor text can help show my student - an aspiring writer - how language can be more than just words on a page, and Shakespeare is the greatest example of this. I feel that we can examine the depth of his work and use it as a lens in looking at the students' own work; does his writing have depth? Do his words have double-entendres? Does he convey meaning through his selection of phrases, or is he just describing the action in base language? These are all areas we can look at.

         While many students will not ever deal with Shakespeare once their schooling career is over, the class at Hawthorne is a gifted class and these students will in all likelihood study Shakespeare in high school, so learning about the nuances and beauty of Shakespeare's work will be an asset to their future studies and will help them in later years as they pursue their education.