Susan Glaspell's Trifles (M6D1)

For this activity, you will role-play serving first as a newspaper reporter and then as a newspaper editor in the year 1900. You’ll walk in the shoes of Susan Glaspell who as a journalist reported on the Hossack Murder. You are asked first to assume the role of a journalist and write a newspaper article summarizing the plot and action of the play. In your response to a fellow student, you will next assume the role of the newspaper editor, preparing the report for publication. Read the following: •ALL of Susan Glaspell’s Trifles Glaspell, Susan (1916). Trifles: A Play in One Act. [Glaspell’s first play for the Provincetown Players, produced at the Wharf Theater in Provincetown, Massachusetts, sharing the stage with Eugene O’Neill’s Bound East for Cardiff]. Full text retrievable from University of Virginia Library at http://xtf(dot)lib(dot)virginia(dot)edu/xtf/view?docId=modern_english/uvaGenText/tei/GlaTrif.xml or at http://etext(dot)virginia(dot)edu/toc/modeng/public/GlaTrif.html •“The Hossack Murder,” the report by Glaspell from “The Story of the Week,” page 1 of 17 “The Hossack Murder: Susan Glaspell” (1876-1948). (May 13, 2011). From Story of the Week by the Library of America/ [From True Crime: An American Anthology]. Retrieved from http://storyoftheweek(dot)loa(dot)org/2011/05/hossack-murder.html •“Summarizing” article from the Purdue Online Writing Center (OWL) In a primary post of 250 words or more, respond to the following prompt: Quoting Glaspell’s play at least two (2) times, write a 250 word newspaper article summarizing the plot and action of the play. Remember, you are a newspaper reporter, and you must report on the facts only as they are revealed at the scene in the play. You may not discuss the innocence or guilt of the murderer; you are not to write an opinion about any of the characters or events. Only report the news as a careful observer. Journalism in 10 steps (or how to write a report on the murder scene in Glaspell’s Trifles): 1.Find something to write about (done – murder in Trifles). 2.Do your own interviews when possible (not possible in Trifles but you can report from perspective of men conducting investigation). 3.Choose the best quotes. 4.Report the facts. 5.Be objective and fair (leave out personal opinion). 6.Craft a great lead line to get readers’ attention. 7.After the lead, carefully structure your report in a logical order. 8.Attribute your information to your sources. 9.Check your spelling, grammar, and style (APA). 10.Always think of a follow-up story and/or closing line or question to keep audience enthralled. Next, create a substantive reply post of no fewer than 200 words to at least one (1) of your classmate’s articles, serving as the newspaper editor, analyzing the report for its conciseness and correctness in capturing sufficiently the facts at the scene without drawing any conclusions, and sharing your insights to revise or release the news report to the public. Compose your work using a word processor and save it, as a Plain Text or an .rtf, to your computer. Be sure to check your work and correct any spelling or grammatical errors before you post it. When you're ready to make your initial posting, please click on the “Create Thread” button and copy/paste the text from your document into the message field.