3WW: Awry, blame, Hiatus

Awry Blame Hiatus
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It’s fourth block.
The kids and I
are tired from a day
at school.

We are studying Hamletand his “to be or not to be” speech
is scheduled.

I have separated the parts
of the speech
to simulate
Hamlet’s dilemma
and run off copies
for them.

I divide the class
in two with desks
facing each other,
and have offered them
a challenge
to read the speech
in two voices.
The side with the loudest voices
wins an extra hundred
on their next quiz.

To make it fun
I have a tape recorder
ready to go.

First, we practice
and they mangle
most of the words,
especially the ending
where it says,

“Thus conscience does make cowards of us all;
And thus the native hue of resolution
Is sicklied o'er with the pale cast of thought,
And enterprises of great pitch and moment
With this regard their currents turn awry,
And lose the name of action.”
They trip over “sicklied”
saying sickled, instead,
but after a little practicing
they get it.

And then comes “awry”
and they all want to say “aw´ ree”
over and over again!

So, I tape them
and play it back
and we laugh
and they never get it right.

Finally, I give up
and can’t blame them
for hating Shakespeare,

especially at the end
of a long day
when we are all too tired
to sympathize
with Hamlet
and all they can think
about is the bell ringing
a hiatus
from learning.