Textual Analysis

Through this research paper preparation I have changed my Shakespeare play every week.
Week 1: Macbeth with a textual analysis
Week 2: Coriolanus with a performance analysis
Week 3: A Midsummer Night's Dream...no analysis


I figured because I will actually be using A Midsummer Night's Dream in my paper I should go back and post a textual analysis for my play.

This play has multiple storylines. Here is a general summary of the storyline I will be focusing on in my analysis:

In A Midsummer Night’s Dream the fairy king- Oberon- interferes with a mortal love triangle. There are two women and two men, but the two men--Demetrius and Lysander--are in love with the same woman--Hermia--while each woman loves one of the men. (The girls got it right, why are the men so difficult?) Oberon observes this dilemma by hearing Helena chase Demetrius who does not love her. He resolves to help her and cast a potion on Demetruis’s eyes, because indeed women, “should be wood, and were not made to woo” (2, 1, 256-7). So begins the meddling of Oberon and his fairy Puck; they force change upon the mortal lovers. At first, the change is a disaster because Puck confuses the men and we end up with both Lysander and Demetrius chasing Helenia--whom they both before scorned--instead of Hermia. Eventually, everything is set straight and they are matched to resolve all conflict-- Hermia with Lysander, and Demetruis with Helenia.

Here are some excerpts that present relationships I will use in relation to my paper:


Hermia is completely subject to her father's will as students are subject to their teachers--

Shakespeare loves rebellious youth. In A Midsummer Night’s Dream Hermia is subjected to her father’s will and is bound by law to marry whom he chooses. Egeus invokes law and reason when he begs, “the ancient privilege of Athens,” stating that his daughter is his possession and, “[he] may dispose of her” (1,1,42-43). The law supports this ideology and Theseus, the duke of Athens, informs Hermia that she must “either prepare to die for disobedience to your father’s will or else to wed Demetrius” (1,1,86-88). Sometimes teachers and students portray a similar relationship. The teacher is unwilling to change their methods and listen to what the student’s wants. This creates a tense relationship between teacher and student because student opinion is not valued and they don’t feel invested in their own learning. We need to get rid of the idea that there is only one way to teach students. Every student learns differently and through implementing technology correctly teachers can bolster and support individual student learning. It is not healthy for students and teachers to develop a relationship similar to that of Hermia and her father. The law forces Hermia to regard her father, “as a god” and  she is just, “a form in wax...within his power to leave the figure or disfigure it” (1,1,47-51). Students will be more motivated and willing to learn if they are allowed involvement and choices in the classroom. Learning should be a collaborative activity. (I will add additional source quotes to support this idea)  

 Egeus is subject to Thesus's decisions and authority as teachers are subject to their administration-- 

Sometimes there are obstacles in incorporating technology into the classroom. Often schools do not allow access to social media- like facebook or twitter- or they do not have enough computers to make technological integration during class realistic. In A Midsummer Night’s Dream after the young couples come out of the woods Demetrius no longer wants to marry Hermia because his affections have turned towards Helenia. Thesus, the duke, and Egeus, Hermia’s father, are both present to hear this declaration. Thesus then asserts his authority and says, “Egeus, I will overbear your will” and the couples are to get married that day to whom they wish (4,1,179). Egeus recognizes Thesus’s authority over him and says nothing in protest. Sometimes teachers must accept opposition and recognize the current realities of their students situations and the administrative authority. *quote on barriers that you cannot change* Hopefully these obstacles will be overcome through future persuasion and circumstances, but teachers cannot overlook current realities.

**I will definitely rearrange this paragraph structure to fit the flow of my paper. I don't like the flow of it right now, but the ideas and beginning integration is there. That is what I wanted to show--the beginnings. 

Scary

Ok. So for this paper my writing process is completely different than ever before. I am very much so the type to work only in hard-copy sources (printing off all my online sources) and I simply type one rough rough draft then print it out and re-edit it until I'm satisfied. Well...to be completely honest it usually only makes one edit because of time and I am never satisfied.

HOWEVER, this blog and process has completely changed the way I am doing things. The google doc I posted last time has developed into more of an outline/ break-down of my sources (which is shamefully incomplete) and I started writing on a clean slate. So here is my ROUGH DRAFT on a different google doc. Somehow I think I'm going to end up with three different google docs and somehow have to combine them for my final paper.... it might be more than my little netbook can handle. :)

Ever changing

Here is a link to my Google Doc. My research and writing is not as far along as I would like it to be yet, but I am rapidly consuming my new play (A Midsummer Night's Dream) and surrounding criticism.

I will be constantly working on this rough draft (and it is a VERY rough draft). I will start with a general thesis and outline, then begin to add a paragraph of body here and there. Depending on when you look at it, it may be drastically different (hopefully) than the next time.

Thanks for all your help!

Tweethis

So I posted a statement (sort of thesis) concerning my research paper topic on facebook Tuesday.

I wrote a statement trying to provoke responses so I wrote, "I believe that teaching Shakespeare (or any subject) can be improved with the use of digital technology and social media sources. Have you ever used facebook, twitter, or blogging for a class? What was your experience?"

My good friend, Stephanie Grimes, is a part-time reporter at ksl.com and student at Brigham Young University commented on my status. She is a passionate defender of technology and the advantages of social media--and an avid user.

It was also interesting because although Dave Hunt did not leave a comment, he liked my status. I was surprised to remember that I am actually facebook friends with a University professor who I did not contact about my research paper. So I followed up with a personal facebook message and am waiting for a response.

All of this outreaching through social media is really interesting, but I am saddened that my research paper is due next week and I still have so many personal sources that I could add to my paper with time. I have not heard back from previous BYU professors that I know have used facebook and twitter in their classroom, and I know an Orem High teacher who uses blogging frequently. I understand that teachers--especially professors are busy people (especially mid-semester) and may not be able to respond in a timely matter. However, I think I will continue to try to contact them and set up an interview, then add it to my research paper later on in the semester (I will talk to my professor about this during our interview to get his response).

Progress Report: Phase 2

This week my research paper has taken an interesting turn.

I created an Annotated Bibliography to document my research. During my research, I found several journals that talked about using technology in the classroom. There would be some obvious challenges in implementing using facebook, twitter, and blogging in a high school classroom, but I think at the University level there is no excuse for not using technology to enhance a student's learning experience.

So, in short, I have decided to write a research paper talking about the need, advantages, and challenges of using technology as part of an University classroom experience.

Earlier in the week I had e-mailed professors and asked about their methods of teaching Shakespeare and the digital media they brought into the classroom. I documented their responses on Saturday in a blog post titled Social Proof- Professors. Their responses made it clear to me that even in an advanced English course professors do not typically incorporate any more technology than a film adaptation or two of Shakespeare. There is a world of Shakespeare and learning online, yet these professors still use the typical classroom experience they had before the Internet.

Because I am writing this paper for a Shakespeare course I need to incorporate a Shakespeare play. I have been having difficulties on finding the most appropriate play to incorporate into my topic. I met with a group of fellow students investigated different aspects of Shakespeare on Wednesday during class. We determined to all research different plays, so I was turned away from Macbeth, and decided to take a look at Coriolanus. I discuss this change in Switching Gears.

To research this play I first read the original text on my e-book (an important first step). I wanted to get the audio book, but the library's version was checked out, so I just read it online for speed. I then found some Digital Media or digital art online and made a short bibliography on it. I also discovered a 2011 film adaptation. I really wanted to watch it, but could not find a version on it on Netflix, YouTube, blinx, or several other commonly useful websites that I found. I did some research and read some reviews on it, then was able to find some clips and analyze the movie through a couple of clips I found through YouTube and hulu. I wrote about a specific clip in my blogpost, Performance Analysis.

I am highly unsatisfied by the small amount of textual and performance analysis I have been able to do so far.  However, I have changed plays (yet again). So I this week I will post some analysis on my play of the week, A Midsummer Night's Dream.

Performance Analysis

I tried all week to get my hands on a film version of Coriolanus (I really wanted the 2011 version) to no avail.

However, I was able to find several clips of the play and through information figure out the scene sequence. So I will talk about one of the specific clips I was able to get a hold of for an in-depth performance analysis.

HULU 'Coriolanus' clip HATE

In this movie, they made the setting the modern world. So in war you have the modern look of war--machine guns, camouflage, tactics. In this clip,  you have the two generals- hated rivals- have a one-on-one fight. The scene gets introduced with Coriolanus telling Tullus Aufidius that he will fight none but him because he hates him. Tullus matches his hate and brings the fight down to only knives. They show their equality and respect for one another by handing their machine guns to their men and going into a hand-to-hand combat with only knives and their skills. Their men stand about in a circle overseeing the fight, but respecting the pact between their generals. I do not imagine this style of war happens very often in the modern day; however, it is a needed addition to portray the Shakespearian play. It escalates these men's hate for one another, while also showing their respect for one another. 

I liked this scene because we get a very raw sense of these two men. It is hard for me to believe that Coriolanus goes to his most hated enemy to join with him in battle against his own country. Not only because of the level of betrayal, but I am amazed that Tullus would even trust him- I would have killed my enemy on the spot. However, this scene sets up 1) the mutual respect between the generals- they are both great warriors and they can see the value in each other as so. This helps set up Coriolanus's ability to go to his greatest enemy and join forces with him. Tullus may hate him, but he knows Coriolanus's value as a warrior and as the general of the enemy- he knows their secrets, strategies and weaknesses. 2) This scene sets up the tension and hatred between these two men. When Coriolanus joins forces with Tullus and his army we know the apparent level of hatred he has for them displayed here. This ripples into a greater audience understanding of the hatred and betrayal Coriolanus feels from his country in order to join with his most hated enemy. 

I am having a hard time finding resources for this Shakespeare play, but I will continue in my search for a copy of this movie and hopefully be able to watch the full version. 

Social Proof- Professors

Last week I determined that I need to move on and e-mail professors for their opinions and methods on teaching Shakespeare.

So I asked several BYU professors (Zach Hutchins, Rick Duerden responded) and one professor at the University of North Texas (Madhuparna Mitra) who all teach Shakepeare classes. Dr. Mitra teaches exclusively English majors while BYU offers a Shakespeare class to either English or non-English majors.

How do you introduce a Shakespeare text? Do you encourage use of cheat sites like Sparknotes? 
    Hutchings: "I provide introductory lectures and handouts;students can use sparknotes if they want"
    Duerden: "I tend to assume that they can follow the plot and characters on their own, so class time is spent on interpretation rather than clarifying what happens in the play. I post plot outlines online along with other handouts. If they turn to Sparknotes, Cliff notes, etc., that's okay with me"
     Mitra: "Depends on the play. I will teach Macbeth by laying out the historical context..."

How do you ensure that the students are reading the original text (not just using Sparknotes)?
    Hutchings: "I require them to write response papers that are grounded in a very specific bit of text (and that follow the ideas in that isloated bit of language throughout the rest of the play). If they can do that without reading the whole text I'd be surprised and impressed."
    Duerden: "I ask directly on exams if they have read and re-read/studied each play. When I used Blackboard, quizzes asked the same for each play. Exams also test for deeper knowledge than such study guides usually offer."
    Mitra: "Tests require the students to analyze specific lines/quotations. This is hard to do if you have not read the original."

Do you bring in media to help in teaching the text (audio plays, films, etc)? 
    Hutchings: "I show film clips as they help to make a point about the play's ideas- not just for entertainment or plot comprehension."
    Duerden: "Yes, at least one clip per class. We try to sample from two to four different performances, as well as lighter stuff like Reduced Shakespeare Company."
    Mitra: "Yes, I post the BBC productions of the plays I teach on Blackboard, and encourage my students to see them, and use clips in class occasionally."

Some various commonalities:
   They all assign reading Shakespeare as homework, some re-read important passages for discussion purposes.
   They all expect the reading to be able to follow along and read the original text without much difficulty.
   They all use videos as an aid to teaching Shakespeare.

I am grateful these professors responded to my e-mail and these responses will help guide me through my research paper.

Digital Media

I am not sure what 'digital media' incorporates besides YouTube videos and movies (which are to come later) so I decided to look at the digital art available.

I don't deal a lot with art, so I wasn't sure where to begin. I started browsing databases through our HBLL website. I was unsuccessful (probably due to my inexperience) at finding a lot of things, but I did come across one AWESOME website called art.com which has 'extensive' (compared to the other ones I found) collections of works surrounding William Shakespeare.

I wanted to try to find art specific to the play Coriolanus because that is the particular play I am looking into. So browsed art.com, amazon.com, and did just a general google image search.

I found a select few paintings that kept popping up as the only ones.

1) Unfortunately I could not find anymore information on this painting other than "A scene from Shakespeare's Coriolanus." I am trying to figure out which scene it could be representing, but I haven't ran into a satisfying answer yet so I will let ya know my opinion later.

2) This I found an amazon.com on sale for about $25. The description is "Pietro da Cortona (Coriolanus before Rome)" framed in a black trim. It is a poster print if you are interested: amazon.com. I like this painting because it is very dynamic- although it is a little busy it provoked a lot of emotion.

3) "George IV as Coriolanus" by George Cruikshank. I really like the faces in this painting. If you get close up you can see that George IV has a halo-like glow surrounding him as if to suggest his divine right to be king. The crowd around him has varied body language and facial expressions, it looks like they were protesting and then something divine happened to make them coward away from him fearfully. The combining of a historical figure into a Shakesperian tragedy brings an element of realism to this photo and connecting Shakespeare to the world.

Now for my favorite one!!

4) "The Interior of the Theatre During a Performance of Shakespeares Coriolanus" by Thomas Rowlandson. I highly suggest going on the website to check this one out (Art.com: Interior of the Theatre) because then you can zoom in to see the detail. I like this one because it shows how Shakespeare was performed in the olden days. It also gives you a general feeling of the immensity of the theaters, showing how many people went to watch Shakespeare and appreciated its entertainment.

Annotated Bibliography

I searched online through my University's library (lib.byu.edu) and found a couple of teaching journals, so I went to the library to check them out because they were *gasp* only in print. I discovered some articles I really liked in a couple journals- one that I had searched and some that were surrounding that journal. As I continued in my research I discovered a direction--technology and teaching at (I think) a University level.

1) An, Yun-Jo, and Charles Reigeluth. "Creating Technology-Enhanced, Learner-Centered Classrooms: K-12 Teachers' Beliefs, Perceptions, Barriers, and Support Needs."Journal of Digital Learning in Teacher Education 28.2 (Winter 2011-12): 54-62. Print. Online: JDLTE Abstracts 

        This article talks about the current realities of technology in education, and looks forward to what needs to change and be overcome. It really advocates the need of technology in the modern classroom and expresses how best to support this change. 

        I found this journal through browsing the shelves where I had found other journals concerning the same topic- teaching in the modern age. 

2) Clyde, William, and Andrew Delohery. Using Technology in Teaching. New Haven: Yale UP, 2005. Print. Online: Using Technology in the Classroom Book 

        This book goes through the standard methods and then suggests technological alternatives, after including the 'potential pitfalls.' I enjoy the structure of this book because it gives teachers obvious ways to adapt some technological resources that would smoothly fit into their classroom by replacing what they are already.

        I found this book in a general library book search for books incorporating technology and teaching (not to be mis-construed as teaching technology which reminded me to be careful in my specific wording). 

3) Petrides, Lisa Ann. Case Studies on Information Technology in Higher Education: Implications for Policy and Practice. Hershey: Idea Group, 2000. Print. Online: Case Studies Book

        I really like this book because it has real life examples of implementing technology in the classroom. It is also more geared towards a University classroom, rather than K-12. I believe that the implications of technology need in the classroom is as real for professors as it is for high school educators- if not stronger because professors have the internet access and student freedom to use technology easier. This book is a little bit dated (2000) but I feel like the argument is actually more valid now than it was then. The need for technological integration has increased rather than decreased with time. 

        I found this book while looking at the books next to #2. I often find the books around the book I originally found to be more useful than the original. 

I actually stumbled upon the broad topic of technology and social media in the classroom because in the beginning of my search I found articles that talked strongly about using Facebook and Twitter in teaching. I really connected with this because I have had professors use both of these social media pathways in their classroom. 

4) Fletcher, Luke. "Can Facebook Improve Students' Exam Writing?" Modern English Teacher21.1 (Jan 2012): 42-45. Print. Online: MET: Modern English Teacher

        This article is about a teacher- Luke Fletcher- in Europe who used facebook in his classroom. He points out some of the major advantages and disadvantages of using this medium. As well as, describing the specific ways he used facebook with his students. 

        This was actually the first journal I came across and the one I am most excited about. I am thrilled because they are a current journal- this article just appeared in their issue last month- and they incorporate a section specifically for technology in the classroom. 

5) Hart, Juliet E., and Trish Steinbrecher. "OMG! Exploring and Learning from Teachers' Personal and Professional Uses of Facebook." Action in Teacher Education 33.4 (Winter 2011): 320-28. Print. Online: Information on Action in Teacher Education

         This was an extensive article about how facebook is used/ can be used professionally and personally. They included some specific examples (that were quite extensive). I found the general ideas in the article helpful, but I am not sure I liked their example use. 

         I found this journal by looking around on the shelf by the other helpful journals I found. I actually almost didn't go back and look at this one, but I am glad I continued exploring. 

6) Jenner, Stephen. "Using Twitter in Teaching." Modern English Teacher 19.3 (July 2010): 39-42. Print. Online: MET: Modern English Teacher

         This article evaluates Twitter as a teaching tool. It evaluates the short messages/ character capacity of Twitter which explains why twitter and not another social media.  

          I found this article after searching through a few of the older editions of MET. I was browsing the indexes of the last issue for different years. 

After I found quite a few sources that gave me more of a direction for my general paper topic I researched in the direction of a Shakespeare play. I just changed my Shakespeare play focus from Macbeth to Coriolanus Wednesday morning, and to be frank that could easily change next week. However, I found a few criticism sources on Coriolanus to see what I could find and consume concerning this Shakespeare play. (I have not settled on a particular edition or audiobook to assist in me consuming the original text yet). 

7) Bloom, Harold, ed. Modern Critical Interpretations: Coriolanus. New York: Chelsea House, 1988. Print. Online: Critical Interpretations Book (Amazon)

          I have only had the chance to skim this book, but it looks like critics applying Coriolanus's time and day to the 'modern' day. This book is a bit dated, but Shakespeare criticism has value for a longer period of time than other books. I think this will be very useful in helping me connect my research paper topic to a deep textual analysis of a Shakespeare play.  

          I found this play by researching an edition of Coriolanus by Shakespeare. I looked around the different versions and the popular criticism concerning the play is right next to the original texts.   

8) Leggatt, Alexander, and Lois Norem, comps. Coriolanus: An Annotated Bibliography. New York: Garland, 1989. Print. Online: Coriolanus: Annotated Bibliography

          This is a very general bibliography of several topics surrounding the play Coriolanus. It is a bit exhaustive and dated, but I feel like I will be able to pick out a few articles and books when I get a greater focus to my research paper and Shakespeare connection.  

          I found this play by researching the original text of Coriolanus. It was a book I ran into while browsing the nearby books and shelves surrounding the original text and other criticisms. 

Switching Gears

In class there are several other students doing a study incorporating Shakespeare and Education. We discussed the general topic and directions we were taking. We are going to gear our individual projects to lead into a collaborative project later down the road.

My angle is turning out to be more of a "presenting the problem" and talking about different ways technology is incorporated into the learning experience. There are several limitations on public schools and situations are so diverse that we are thinking about leaning towards home-schoolers or unconventional independent learners can discover and learn about Shakespeare.

My previous thoughts were leaning towards how facebook, twitter, blogging, and sparknotes can play a role in this learning and the advantages or disadvantages of these tools.

How we learn is rapidly teaching. It is changing so drastically it concerns me that as I have received e-mails from high school teachers and professors that the teaching methods have not changed- they are commonly void of technology. Shakespeare has been transformed in adaptation movies (The Tempest and it's 2011 movie), plays (Shakespeare in the Park), movie spin-offs (Taming of the Shrew and 10 Things I Hate About You). It is also highly discussed in facebook and blogs.

Here is an example of a student using Openstudy.com to ask a question about Hamlet. Openstudy.com is a collaborative learning tool that people can use to ask and respond to questions. Essentially you can study and discuss material online without ever being IN a classroom.

As I continue to blog about my research and analysis I (hopefully) will be able to take a specific direction which is very clouded to me at present-day.

Progress Report: Phase 1

I'm required to document my research and writing process for the Shakespeare research paper I'm doing this month. According to the assignment instructions, here are the components I must include. I have written about how I have fulfilled these requirements and included links to previous blog posts. 

Exploration- I have been exploring the idea of teaching Shakespeare while students have access to Sparknotes. Many students, high school and college, struggle to read their assigned texts and will use ways around lack of time. I have been exploring how teachers insure that students read the original text and not only use sparknotes or other 'cheat' sties. In my blog post Exploring, I go into a more in-depth explanation.  

Social Proof (finding)- To begin I e-mailed high school teachers- mostly English and some Drama. I specifically looked for AP English teachers and the head of English departments. To get a collection of e-mails I looked to my old high schools in TX- Saginaw and Boswell High. I also looked in the school district of my first University (University of North Texas)- Denton High. I was also able to contact some teachers of my friends high schools- Hattiesburg High (MS) and Lakeside High (GA). In addition, I reached out to local high school teachers in Orem High and Lehi High. I have gotten a few e-mails back and blogged about it in Responses- Social Proof. 

These responses are not what I anticipated and several teachers ensure reading the original text by incorporating it into their classroom activities. Because my concern and topic is not too much of an issue for them, my next step will be to look into Professors of Shakespeare and English Literature. I feel like the problem will be more apparent as the responsibility is greater in college and students schedules become more demanding.  

Textual Analysis- I enjoy Shakespeare because of all his universal themes that are applicable throughout time. In his play Macbeth there are three weird sisters that predict his future. Macbeth believes they are a credible source because their predictions come true (somewhat through his own devices). So he goes to them a second time to learn the future. However, despite his efforts to avoid his impending doom, death and overthrow, they come to pass. You could say this teaches the audience that there are no shortcuts in life and although you may try to know the future you still have to live through it. This echos the idea that you cannot use Sparknotes as a useful cheat site, you need to go back to the original text. I explore this topic in my blog post Textual Analysis. 

At this point, I am eager to continue exploring my research topic and hopefully a good direction will appear as I continue to explore and work at it. 

Textual Analysis

Shakespeare has several themes, moral lessons, and situations that are applicable to our modern day. In my opinion, this is what makes his work classic-- the ability to permeate time and place, creating something everyone can relate to.

The broad nature of my topic may lend itself to support through one of Shakespeare's plays or several to reinforce the ideas. To give myself a starting place I am looking at the play Macbeth.


Macbeth is one of my favorite plays because of the deep psychological situations that are presented. To connect to this play to my topic I look at the influence of the 'three weird sisters' or witches.

They are depicted in various ways, but typically surrounded by darkness and crazy. These three sisters are the catalysts for Macbeth and Lady Macbeth in the play. He believes they are a credible source because they called him "Thane of Glamis," "Thane of Cowder," then told him he would be "King hereafter." (Macbeth, Act I, scene iii). He is currently Thane of Glamis, and shortly after the sisters leaves he gets endowed with the title Thane of Cowder.

Macbeth becomes greedy, driven by his wife to take his fate into his own hands. In Act III, scene iv, Macbeth commits to go back to the visit the weird sisters to discover his fate. He wants to 'cheat' and have the weird sisters tell him what will happen to him and his future reign.

Ultimately, the weird sisters prophecies come true because of Macbeth and his actions. Therefore, trying to take a shortcut and 'cheat' like Macbeth tried to cheat death and demise through the weird sisters' prophecies is as unsuccessful as students trying to get around original texts by using Sparknotes.

Responses- Social Proof

I sent out an e-mail asking questions regarding the methods of teaching Shakespeare to several high school teachers yesterday. I e-mailed several from my hometown area in TX, a few in MS, GA and some local ones here in Utah.

So far, I have received two responses from TX.

Here is a few samples of their answers:

Q: Do you encourage your students to use Sparknotes before/during their reading of Shakespeare? Why/ why not?

A: I do not encourage them to use any “cheat sites” like Sparknotes before they read because a) the real play is much better written, more moving, and more interesting than any summary, and b)  encouraging them to read the “cheat” sites would only undercut their confidence as readers and scholars.  If I gave them Sparknotes to read instead of the real play, then I might send the message that the students are not able to read the original text. 

A:  I do NOT encourage the use of Sparknotes because I don’t believe it gives them enough information (and most of my students no nothing about Sparknotes yet!) I want them to use the actual text and we discuss it a lot. I don’t even rely on the parallel versions with my pre-AP students. I DO use those with my on-level students, however, and Sparknotes has great parallel versions.  

Q: Do you think it is appropriate to teach Shakespeare to high school students? 

A: I do teach it, but yes, it’s appropriate. They need the exposure to Shakespeare to be able to understand allusions later in life, if not NOW.

Both teachers indicated that they utilize audio books and/or have their students read it aloud-- either way they are assured the students read the original text because they work it into their classrooms. 

I am thinking about asking Professors to get some varied responses. University students are more likely to know about and use Sparknotes with their demanding schedule and mostly assigned outside reading. 

What do you think? 

Exploring

Sparknotes-- a tool students of every kind use at one point or another, often to supplement actually reading an original text.
           Urban Dictionary (a dictionary for social definitions and common uses) defines it as: "mankind's greatest invention," "a lazy person's way to do a book report." Some of the context comments (censored) read: "I have a test on Macbeth tomorrow. Sparknotes to the rescue!" and "Give up [reading]?... No, I used Sparknotes."

So I have decided to look into a research paper about  Sparknotes and teaching.

I plan on gearing it towards a teacher audience concerning 'going beyond Sparknotes.'

I think it is important for teachers to realize that they are not going to get rid of Sparknotes, so they might as well use it as a launch-pad or create a teaching style that requires the student to go beyond what they can discover on this site.

Sparknotes is an aggregation of information including: general outlines and summaries of texts, symbolic meanings, character analysis, and more.

I plan on contacting a few high school teachers and see what their responses are to the influence of Sparknotes in their classroom and their methods of handling the reality that the majority of students use it. I will also focus them to the subject of Shakespeare because this is a paper for a Shakespeare class.

I hope to contact some English teachers--local and from my hometown. I also think that Drama teachers often encounter Shakespeare in their teaching, so I can reach out to a few of those. I think also contacting some professors who teach Shakespeare or general English classes would be interesting too.

Possiblities

I stumbled upon this guy named Bill who is traveling around reading Shakespeare plays aloud. 

He started in Stratford-upon-Avon and has read aloud in London, Paris, and Boston (to name a few). 

He calls is Shakespeare Aloud and has a Facebook, a Blog,  and you can follow him on Twitter. 

    Although I think the coolest thing is his YouTube Channel where you can watch some of his readings. 

There are also several different companies on Facebook. 

      One of my favorites is Shakespeare in the Park. I was introduced to them this past summer and it was a blast. They were concise and a blast to watch and interact with. 

During class yesterday I found a group called Hamlet Live through twitter. 

       They are streaming live performances from Toronto.  

Through all this connecting I still have yet to find a good research paper topic. 

I have been playing around with the idea of combining Macbeth and the study of psychology. 

      Although I am cautious in this endeavor because it can be so overdone. 

I found a blog called Literary Lew that talks about Macbeth and self-control. The author is a mental health counselor.  

     

I am not sure I will follow this direction... I am simply stumbling along in the dark until I find something that truly intrigues me.