2. Quiz #1: “Alexander Hamilton”
1. In the song “Alexander
Hamilton,” which
character begins the
song?
2. In your own words, tell
me what the word
“providence” means.
3. What city in the US
does the character
Hamilton arrive at in the
musical? (Though this is
not historically accurate.)
4. The character of
Alexander Hamilton only
has a couple of lines in
this song. Tell me one
thing he says (this is an
easier question than you
think!).
5. Chernow says that
Hamilton was a “prophet”
of our modern world. Give
one example of how we
live in “Hamilton’s world.”
Write your answers on scratch paper. Make sure your name is on it.
4. Historical Background
What time period are we talking
about here?
What are the key years?
What do you know about the
American Revolution?
Who was George Washington?
Who was Thomas Jefferson?
Who was King George III?
What were the colonies?
What were the key cities?
Why were taxation and slavery
important issues?
5. “Alexander
Hamilton”
reprise
What characters do we
need to know and
recognize?
What do we need to
know about them?
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7. Two ways of
telling a
migration story
Alexander Hamilton and the St. Croix hurricane of
1772
8. In 1772, a powerful hurricane
hits the Caribbean island of
St. Croix.
Alexander Hamilton is a poor
seventeen-year-old,
abandoned by his parents
and living with a friend’s
family.
But then he writes a letter…
9. What happens next?
(one version)
From Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow
(2004):
“Hamilton […] went home and composed
a long, feverish letter to his father, trying
to convey the hurricane’s horror. […]
Hamilton did not know it, but he had just
written his way out of poverty. This
natural calamity was to prove his
salvation. His hurricane letter generated
such a sensation—even the island’s
governor inquired after the young
author’s identity—that a subscription fund
was taken up by local businessmen to
send this promising youth to North
America to be educated.” (36-37)
10. What happens next?
(another version)
Excerpt from Hamilton: An American Musical
by Lin-Manuel Miranda (2015):
“Then a hurricane came, and devastation reigned,
Our man saw his future drip, dripping down the drain.
Put a pencil to his temple, connected it to his brain,
And he wrote his first refrain, a testament to his pain.
Well, the word got around, they said, ‘This kid is insane,
man.’
Took up a collection just to send him to the mainland:
‘Get your education, don’t forget from whence you came,
and
The world’s gonna know your name.’”
11. What are the differences and
why do they matter?
Chernow:
Hamilton […] went home and
composed a long, feverish letter
to his father, trying to convey the
hurricane’s horror. […] Hamilton
did not know it, but he had just
written his way out of poverty.
This natural calamity was to prove
his salvation. His hurricane letter
generated such a sensation—
even the island’s governor
inquired after the young author’s
identity—that a subscription fund
was taken up by local
businessmen to send this
promising youth to North America
to be educated.
Miranda:
Then a hurricane came, and
devastation reigned,
Our man saw his future drip,
dripping down the drain.
Put a pencil to his temple,
connected it to his brain,
And he wrote his first refrain, a
testament to his pain.
Well, the word got around, they
said, ‘This kid is insane, man.’
Took up a collection just to send
him to the mainland:
‘Get your education, don’t forget
from whence you came, and
The world’s gonna know your
name.’
Which brings us to your homework for next Tuesday…
12. Homework for Tuesday
Active Listening
No listening for
Tuesday (though you
could get a head start
on Thursday’s
listening).
Reading
1. bell hooks, “Why
Study Popular
Culture?” and “Critical
Thinking as
Transformation” (2)
2. Jeff Chang,
“Necropolis” (13)
Journal #1 is due in class. There could also be a quiz.
