Showing posts with label posted by Marsha. Show all posts
Showing posts with label posted by Marsha. Show all posts
Friday, December 14, 2012
The Story of Marsha's Paper
I wanted to choose a controversial text, because
I think censorship and book bashing is often bogus, so The Merchant of Venice was a good choice. As I read it, I was
fascinated by the idea of nature versus nurture (my original thoughts), and
wanted to find some evidence that Shakespeare was making a point about it. However,
I found myself extremely confused since I found evidence in every direction,
and it was difficult to formulate an argument. Fortunately, someone made a
comment on a Facebook post of mine that suggested some deeper implications
about that argument (my post about her help), and I began to think about why
that debate even matters. I began to realize that in this play it really came
down to how you judge someone, and so I began to look into prejudice. Once
again, I found there was no definitive conclusion in the play. I was really
frustrated with this, until I realized that in all my research everyone was
making it out like Shakespeare was promoting something one way or another, and
it was making me irritated, because I really felt they were wrong. I realized,
quickly, that that was my argument. I was planning on analyzing the whole play
(outline of original ideas) but found I had too much to cover, and so I just
went with Shylock for now.
As I mentioned, censorship irritates me often, so I wanted this paper to address that issue, and I am studying English Teaching, so applying this to censorship particularly in the classroom was an obvious choice. The end.
As I mentioned, censorship irritates me often, so I wanted this paper to address that issue, and I am studying English Teaching, so applying this to censorship particularly in the classroom was an obvious choice. The end.
Marsha's Learning Outcomes
1. Gain Shakespeare Literacy
Before this class I actually didn't realize how little I knew of Shakespeare. In the beginning Dr. Burton kept mentioning the names of these plays that I had never heard about, and even in the end I know I hadn't heard of at least one of the plays that someone did their final paper on. I learned about the history of the plays, as in the sequence in which they were written, and was fascinated by Shakespeare's apparent progression from his earlier plays to his later plays. I learned also about the differences in various versions that are out there. I already knew a fair amount about the early productions of Shakespeare and how those were formatted, but I had never learned about music in them before. I gained a better understanding of Hamlet most particularly in this class. I always hated that play before. It's a little tedious, what with Hamlet saying the same things all the time, and I never really understood him, but actually comparing the different productions that we watched and looking at different thoughts from fellow students and different directors helped me catch on to a little more of the depth of that play.
2. Analyze Shakespeare Critically
I have written analyses of Shakespeare's works before, but I had never gone in depth as much as I did in this class. I particularly enjoyed writing the first paper, which I did on Henry V. An issue I had always had with Shakespeare before was that it didn't appeal to me aesthetically, but I can always enjoy analyzing a work, so that helped me enjoy it more, and it helped me tie Shakespeare's genius into an appreciation of his work. I was amazed to learn this semester how much of Shakespeare's work was borrowed. I didn't realize a lot of the elements in his plays as well as many of the actual plots were taken from popular stories from his time. I was particularly interested, of course, in a contemporary production that was very similar to Merchant.
4. Share Shakespeare Meaningfully
My friend posted this to my Facebook wall while I was finishing up my final paper research:
"This is what I think of when you post Shakespeare things: http://www.demotivation.us/shakesbear-1258682.html"
I don't know if I would call this "meaningful," but it was fun to share my thoughts with friends, and my roommates definitely know a lot more about Shakespeare than they thought they would at the end of this semester. My roommate helped me prepare for the first video we did, and said it really made her think about Shakespeare again, since she hadn't since high school. I had never submitted a paper for actual publication until this year, and I am excited to have my research in the ScholarsArchive.
5. Gain Digital Literacy
I had never even heard of sites like LinkedIn before this class, let alone thought to use them for research. I learned how to use them for this semester. I also learned more about ways I can use more social networks for research. I had some useful ideas shared just on Facebook, and I even shared with a friend online how she could do the same. She thought I was kidding at first. I loved getting to make a video of my argument in the beginning. I will enjoy making another. This is incredibly helpful, and I think also more interesting for the consumer to view than to read.
Before this semester I didn't really like Shakespeare. I'd say the greatest success for me in this class was just me learning to appreciate his work better. I'm still not sure I'm on board the "Shakespeare is the greatest writer in the English language" bus, but I really enjoyed reading some of his work and getting more familiar with him. I particularly liked Henry V. I had never read any of the history plays before, so that was a great experience.
Before this class I actually didn't realize how little I knew of Shakespeare. In the beginning Dr. Burton kept mentioning the names of these plays that I had never heard about, and even in the end I know I hadn't heard of at least one of the plays that someone did their final paper on. I learned about the history of the plays, as in the sequence in which they were written, and was fascinated by Shakespeare's apparent progression from his earlier plays to his later plays. I learned also about the differences in various versions that are out there. I already knew a fair amount about the early productions of Shakespeare and how those were formatted, but I had never learned about music in them before. I gained a better understanding of Hamlet most particularly in this class. I always hated that play before. It's a little tedious, what with Hamlet saying the same things all the time, and I never really understood him, but actually comparing the different productions that we watched and looking at different thoughts from fellow students and different directors helped me catch on to a little more of the depth of that play.
2. Analyze Shakespeare Critically
I have written analyses of Shakespeare's works before, but I had never gone in depth as much as I did in this class. I particularly enjoyed writing the first paper, which I did on Henry V. An issue I had always had with Shakespeare before was that it didn't appeal to me aesthetically, but I can always enjoy analyzing a work, so that helped me enjoy it more, and it helped me tie Shakespeare's genius into an appreciation of his work. I was amazed to learn this semester how much of Shakespeare's work was borrowed. I didn't realize a lot of the elements in his plays as well as many of the actual plots were taken from popular stories from his time. I was particularly interested, of course, in a contemporary production that was very similar to Merchant.
4. Share Shakespeare Meaningfully
My friend posted this to my Facebook wall while I was finishing up my final paper research:
"This is what I think of when you post Shakespeare things: http://www.demotivation.us/shakesbear-1258682.html"
I don't know if I would call this "meaningful," but it was fun to share my thoughts with friends, and my roommates definitely know a lot more about Shakespeare than they thought they would at the end of this semester. My roommate helped me prepare for the first video we did, and said it really made her think about Shakespeare again, since she hadn't since high school. I had never submitted a paper for actual publication until this year, and I am excited to have my research in the ScholarsArchive.
5. Gain Digital Literacy
I had never even heard of sites like LinkedIn before this class, let alone thought to use them for research. I learned how to use them for this semester. I also learned more about ways I can use more social networks for research. I had some useful ideas shared just on Facebook, and I even shared with a friend online how she could do the same. She thought I was kidding at first. I loved getting to make a video of my argument in the beginning. I will enjoy making another. This is incredibly helpful, and I think also more interesting for the consumer to view than to read.
Before this semester I didn't really like Shakespeare. I'd say the greatest success for me in this class was just me learning to appreciate his work better. I'm still not sure I'm on board the "Shakespeare is the greatest writer in the English language" bus, but I really enjoyed reading some of his work and getting more familiar with him. I particularly liked Henry V. I had never read any of the history plays before, so that was a great experience.
Tuesday, December 4, 2012
Twelfth Night (Branagh)
I see someone else has already posted on this movie, but I haven't read it yet, so hopefully I won't repeat everything that has already been said.
I was a little frustrated with this production. Shakespeare is difficult because in order to preserve the language, one has to preserve the historical setting, or else it is inconsistent. Some of the costuming in this production was inaccurate historically, and it made the language seem a little out of place.
What I did really like was that this entire production takes place out-of-doors, and all in essentially the same place. That holds true very well to the play-like qualities I often think of with Shakespeare productions.
I had never actually read or seen any kind of production of this play before. I had seen She's the Man so I had a very vague idea of the story, but other than that, I went into this pretty blind. And you know, this is possibly my least favorite of all Shakespeare I've ever seen/read. It was very pointless. So much of the plot is based on pranks and motives that seemed rather weak or under-explained that I definitely was not kept involved. As a production, however, it was fantastic. The acting was very good. The actor for Viola/Cesario was very expressive and convincing.
I was a little frustrated with this production. Shakespeare is difficult because in order to preserve the language, one has to preserve the historical setting, or else it is inconsistent. Some of the costuming in this production was inaccurate historically, and it made the language seem a little out of place.
What I did really like was that this entire production takes place out-of-doors, and all in essentially the same place. That holds true very well to the play-like qualities I often think of with Shakespeare productions.
I had never actually read or seen any kind of production of this play before. I had seen She's the Man so I had a very vague idea of the story, but other than that, I went into this pretty blind. And you know, this is possibly my least favorite of all Shakespeare I've ever seen/read. It was very pointless. So much of the plot is based on pranks and motives that seemed rather weak or under-explained that I definitely was not kept involved. As a production, however, it was fantastic. The acting was very good. The actor for Viola/Cesario was very expressive and convincing.
Monday, November 19, 2012
The Merchant of Venice, Finally
For publication, I intend to submit my paper to a few different journals just to increase my chances and explore the options out there.
The Valley Review
For this one I will have to change the paper to Chicago style, which shouldn't be too difficult, and I need to increase the length by just a hundred words or so. I will be going back into my original outline to see if there is anything I feel I can incorporate back into my argument to increase the length by just a little. Submissions due Dec 15.
Philologia
For this one I will have to do minor format changes, like make the citations footnote, as well as write a 200 word abstract and cover letter. This one doesn't accept submissions again for a year I think, so I will put it on the back burner, and possibly just consider it for future papers.
Criterion
For this one, too, I will increase the length ever so slightly. I won't have to change much else. My paper relates a tiny bit to the special topic for the upcoming issue. It probably doesn't really fit into the category directly, but it would be related, which I think is cool and would be interesting. Submissions due Jan 18.
Agora
This one doesn't really require much change for my paper. It is supposed to be about great books, so talking about a famous Shakespeare play is very appropriate. Submissions for next issue are due Dec 15.
And, finally, here is the finished product.
The Merchant of Venice as a Non-Racist Text
After reviewing past issues of each of these journals, I am considering writing a more interesting title for some submissions.
The Valley Review
For this one I will have to change the paper to Chicago style, which shouldn't be too difficult, and I need to increase the length by just a hundred words or so. I will be going back into my original outline to see if there is anything I feel I can incorporate back into my argument to increase the length by just a little. Submissions due Dec 15.
Philologia
For this one I will have to do minor format changes, like make the citations footnote, as well as write a 200 word abstract and cover letter. This one doesn't accept submissions again for a year I think, so I will put it on the back burner, and possibly just consider it for future papers.
Criterion
For this one, too, I will increase the length ever so slightly. I won't have to change much else. My paper relates a tiny bit to the special topic for the upcoming issue. It probably doesn't really fit into the category directly, but it would be related, which I think is cool and would be interesting. Submissions due Jan 18.
Agora
This one doesn't really require much change for my paper. It is supposed to be about great books, so talking about a famous Shakespeare play is very appropriate. Submissions for next issue are due Dec 15.
And, finally, here is the finished product.
The Merchant of Venice as a Non-Racist Text
After reviewing past issues of each of these journals, I am considering writing a more interesting title for some submissions.
Monday, November 12, 2012
Publishing and improvements on Merchant
From the beginning I've been told that I need to spend a little more time in the actual text to make sure my argument is well-grounded in proofs from the actual play. In order to better fulfill that requirement, I've gone through my outline and either removed or edited every main point that I felt could not be sufficiently supported by direct evidence in the text. While doing this I found some new proofs that supported my argument in new ways, but I did have to get rid of some things that I realized were pretty subjective in my argument.
Another improvement I have made is actually including some of the social proofs in the paper itself. Before this, I've just been using the material I've found as idea starters or personal encouragement or things like that, but now I'm planning on including in the paper quotes from a former high school Shakespeare teacher of mine, and an email response from the director of last year's BYU "family" production of Merchant. My former teacher shared her opinion on the racism in the text, how it teaches lessons appropriate for high school classrooms, and she even shared some tips on how she teaches it.
As far as publishing, some realistic options for publication are in the BYU English Symposium or the Criterion. There is also this blog which is accepting guest posts right now actually.
Another thought I have had is the NCTE journals, like the English Education one, or probably just the English Journal.
Another improvement I have made is actually including some of the social proofs in the paper itself. Before this, I've just been using the material I've found as idea starters or personal encouragement or things like that, but now I'm planning on including in the paper quotes from a former high school Shakespeare teacher of mine, and an email response from the director of last year's BYU "family" production of Merchant. My former teacher shared her opinion on the racism in the text, how it teaches lessons appropriate for high school classrooms, and she even shared some tips on how she teaches it.
As far as publishing, some realistic options for publication are in the BYU English Symposium or the Criterion. There is also this blog which is accepting guest posts right now actually.
Another thought I have had is the NCTE journals, like the English Education one, or probably just the English Journal.
Thursday, November 8, 2012
Merchant Video and Outline
Some realistic options for publication are in the BYU English Symposium or the Centurion. There is also this blog (http://www.nosweatshakespeare.com/guest-blog-post/) which is accepting guest posts right now actually.
I've changed my argument a fair amount, so here's the new deal. Just read the bold parts and you've got my argument. Sorry this is so long. I don't have the patience to make a short version right now :]
I've changed my argument a fair amount, so here's the new deal. Just read the bold parts and you've got my argument. Sorry this is so long. I don't have the patience to make a short version right now :]
Tuesday, November 6, 2012
Responses to Tweethis and ROUGH
Well posting my tweethis on facebook was extremely helpful. A former classmate mentioned some ideas that expanded my view on the whole question I am addressing and provided new avenues for application both within and without the play. My thesis revolves around something of a moral question actually so I got a lot of personal responses to that question that weren't really particularly helpful since they didn't relate to the applications in the text, but they did make me think, and there might be new perspectives which will help me adjust the way I look at the play. My mom actually posted a link to a talk by President Monson which related to that moral question. I've added it to the list of articles I am still planning on reading, so it may come in handy, but we'll see. Overall, I'd say this was not only helpful but definitely encouraging. Success.
And here is my current draft of the real deal. It's mostly introductory material and the beginnings of my proof. (Also, do you think it would be better and more specific if I turned this into a reading of Shylock rather than a reading of the whole play?)
The reason I did not post this earlier is because about a third of the way writing through my first draft I decided to change the focus of my essay radically. And then, of course, there were the polls to stare at...If you've seen my previous theses and thoughts, you can see that although I'm still working within the same theme, my actual argument is fairly new here. I'm still working on weeding it to get rid of the stuff from before that is less applicable now. Bolded portions are main points, so you can scan this and still get a pretty good idea of the content:
And here is my current draft of the real deal. It's mostly introductory material and the beginnings of my proof. (Also, do you think it would be better and more specific if I turned this into a reading of Shylock rather than a reading of the whole play?)
The reason I did not post this earlier is because about a third of the way writing through my first draft I decided to change the focus of my essay radically. And then, of course, there were the polls to stare at...If you've seen my previous theses and thoughts, you can see that although I'm still working within the same theme, my actual argument is fairly new here. I'm still working on weeding it to get rid of the stuff from before that is less applicable now. Bolded portions are main points, so you can scan this and still get a pretty good idea of the content:
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Tweethis and Annotated Bib (Merchant)
Tweethis:
While racism and religious
prejudice are clearly foregrounded in the play The Merchant of Venice, their presence serves as a medium in which
to explore a deeper question—whether one’s nature can change, and what has the
power to change it.
After trying to support my previous thesis to
a couple of people I talked to, I found that I was actually more interested in
and had more evidence for an argument about one’s ability to change or not as a
theme in The Merchant of Venice, as
opposed to my previous, related topic on nature versus nurture. This way I can incorporate
both my ideas on racism and on conversion.
1. Social Graph: I sent a text to my little
sister and both my parents with a thesis statement. They obviously weren’t able
to give me super expert or educated advice, but they did give me opinions on
how interesting the thesis sounded so I did get some feedback on the intrigue
of the topic. When I talked to my roommate she said the topic was interesting
enough to her that she wanted to read the play, so that was at least
encouraging.
2. New Media: I found some blog posts that
interested me:
http://theshakespeareblog.com/2011/07/the-news-of-the-world-and-shakespeare%E2%80%99s-venice-notw/
(this one was just plain interesting, although I’m not sure it relates much to
my topic)
3. Social Networks: I have already posted my
thesis on facebook and gotten helpful feedback. It helps that I’ve befriended
some previous English classmates, but there are all sorts of perspectives to
get out there, so it’s up for anyone to see right now. I haven’t created an
account on linkedin yet, because I haven’t figured out exactly what that
entails, but I plan to, since it looks like an extremely relevant resource.
4. Traditional Scholarly Sources: I have read
almost all these articles, and the rest are bookmarked to be read in the
future. They have really helped me to find evidence that I hadn’t considered, and
to explore what’s already going on in the conversation I hope to enter:
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
The Merchant of Venice: Nature, Nurture, and Conversion
Alright, I originally had four general ideas, but three of them have ended up pretty well merging. That has been the topic of most of my research. Here's what I've got:
I am studying The Merchant of Venice. Obviously I've found a LOT of material on racism, how it is manifest in TMOV, to what degree this can be read as a racial text, to what degree we can call Shakespeare racist, etc. However, while I was reading I found that the racism present in the play really presents a question of nature versus nurture more than anything, and scholars, surprisingly, seem to have very little to say on this topic.
The moments in the play which I think most illustrate this question are when Shylock claims that he has been called dog and a devil and all those things, so now he is acting like one; when Jessica and Lancelot discuss whether or not her Christian conversion will save her from hell; the fact of the absence of Jessica's mother; when Shylock is forced to "convert" to Christianity; the brief but still intriguing mention of Lancelet's unborn child by a black woman; and Portia's evaluation of the different suitors (especially, of course, the black Prince of Morocco).
One option I'm considering is staying mainly within the text and evaluating the question (I really haven't come to any conclusion whether we should read this as an argument for nature, or for nurture, or if it just explores the topic without coming to any kind of conclusion), in which case my thesis would essentially be that while racism and religious prejudice are clearly foregrounded in the play, at the root of their presence is really the question of whether the individual characters are shaped by their blood, or their heritage, or if the circumstances under which they live make them who they are.
I've researched some historical context concerning slaves, Jews, and even animals (Shylock is frequently referred to as a dog or a wolf) which has also contributed to this question of nature versus nurture in categories that were considered less than human.
Something else I have considered is very similar: the topic of conversion. I don't really have an argument with this one at this point, but we have some interesting examples of "Christians" who were born into the faith and revered for being Christian but really don't act as we might say Christ would. We also have Shylock who is forced to convert to Christianity, and the questions that raises. How can one be forced into conversion? And then, obviously, there is Jessica who marries a Christian and is "converted" in that way. Did she have a personal conversion? Does her Jewish heritage prevent her from being redeemed in the Christian sense? Does marriage to a Christian redeem her? Of course I'm not trying to answer all these questions, but just see what Shakespeare and history have to say about it.
I am studying The Merchant of Venice. Obviously I've found a LOT of material on racism, how it is manifest in TMOV, to what degree this can be read as a racial text, to what degree we can call Shakespeare racist, etc. However, while I was reading I found that the racism present in the play really presents a question of nature versus nurture more than anything, and scholars, surprisingly, seem to have very little to say on this topic.
The moments in the play which I think most illustrate this question are when Shylock claims that he has been called dog and a devil and all those things, so now he is acting like one; when Jessica and Lancelot discuss whether or not her Christian conversion will save her from hell; the fact of the absence of Jessica's mother; when Shylock is forced to "convert" to Christianity; the brief but still intriguing mention of Lancelet's unborn child by a black woman; and Portia's evaluation of the different suitors (especially, of course, the black Prince of Morocco).
One option I'm considering is staying mainly within the text and evaluating the question (I really haven't come to any conclusion whether we should read this as an argument for nature, or for nurture, or if it just explores the topic without coming to any kind of conclusion), in which case my thesis would essentially be that while racism and religious prejudice are clearly foregrounded in the play, at the root of their presence is really the question of whether the individual characters are shaped by their blood, or their heritage, or if the circumstances under which they live make them who they are.
I've researched some historical context concerning slaves, Jews, and even animals (Shylock is frequently referred to as a dog or a wolf) which has also contributed to this question of nature versus nurture in categories that were considered less than human.
Something else I have considered is very similar: the topic of conversion. I don't really have an argument with this one at this point, but we have some interesting examples of "Christians" who were born into the faith and revered for being Christian but really don't act as we might say Christ would. We also have Shylock who is forced to convert to Christianity, and the questions that raises. How can one be forced into conversion? And then, obviously, there is Jessica who marries a Christian and is "converted" in that way. Did she have a personal conversion? Does her Jewish heritage prevent her from being redeemed in the Christian sense? Does marriage to a Christian redeem her? Of course I'm not trying to answer all these questions, but just see what Shakespeare and history have to say about it.
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