Constructing a debate on the presentation of Caliban in 'The Tempest' | English

Starter quiz

What does being 'powerless' mean?
- to have great influence
- to have no influence ✓
- to be thought of as inferior by others ✓
Language that is designed to convince you of something is called ______.
- persuasive ✓
- descriptive
- creative
Which two of the following are persuasive techniques?
- caesuras
- rhetorical questions ✓
- emotive language ✓
- enjambment
Throughout Shakespeare's 'The Tempest', Caliban is described using negative language by the other characters. Which two emotions might that make us feel towards Caliban?
- jealousy
- fear ✓
- pity ✓
- frustration
A debate is ...
- where one person speaks.
- where two teams argue a statement. ✓
- the only appropriate place to use rhetorical questions.
In Shakespeare's 'The Tempest', Caliban is called a 'thing'. How might that make us feel sorry for Caliban?
- It suggests other people think of him as nothing. ✓
- It suggests he has no emotions.
- It suggests he's not human. ✓

What is persuasive writing designed to do?
- summarise the information
- convince the audience ✓
- describe a scene
Which of the following are personal pronouns?
- I ✓
- you ✓
- the
- a
In Shakespeare's 'The Tempest', which of the following are reasons why we as the audience should feel threatened by Caliban?
- Caliban is mocked by the other characters.
- Caliban wishes death upon other characters. ✓
- Caliban uses animalistic language. ✓
- Caliban is enslaved by Prospero.
What is hyperbole?
- exaggerated writing ✓
- concise writing
- a comparison using like or as
- emotive writing
What does writing concisely mean?
- expressing something in a short and clear way ✓
- exaggerating something for effect
- expressing something dramatically
- using emotive language
In 'The Tempest', how did Shakespeare want the audience to feel towards Caliban?
- He wanted them to be afraid of him.
- He wanted them to feel sorry for him.
- We don't know for certain how he wanted the audience to feel. ✓

Loading worksheet ...

Loading presentation ...

While we may not know Shakespeare’s intentions, we can make an educated guess through looking at the language used.
The audience might interpret Caliban as a threatening figure or a sympathetic figure.
Persuasive devices can be used to convince the audience that your argument is correct.
A debate is where two teams offer their arguments either for or against a debate statement.

That we know for certain how Shakespeare intended his characters to be seen.

We don't know how Shakespeare intended the audience to perceive his characters - we can just look at the language and decide from that.

Intention - An intention is an aim - something you want and plan for.
Powerless - Someone who is powerless cannot control events or others.
Concisely - Expressing something concisely is expressing something in a short and clear way.
Construct - A construct is an idea or character that has been deliberately created, in a certain way, by a writer.