Dual Enrollment English has helped me immensely with my writing skills. During the first semester of this course, I have learned many new and important talents. This course provided me with plenty of handouts and helpful tips for us to excel in a Dual Enrollment class.
Throughout the first semester, we have worked out of two textbook/notebooks: The College
Writer and Vocabulary for Achievement. The College Writer provided us with tips and exercises to help us amplify our grammar. The Vocabulary for Achievement book helped us increase our terminology so we could use them in our papers. During the second semester, we worked out of the “They Say I Say” book. This book gave us a lot of articles to read, and it also provided us with templates. Those
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The book Night really entertained me so writing about it was a breeze. After writing my first paper, I wanted to make sure that I fixed all the mistakes that I did wrong in the first one, so that was my goal for the papers to come.
I would say the hardest paper to write was the literary analysis paper. First off, we had to read Shakespeare’s Hamlet. That was a very difficult play to read. I have always found it tricky to make sense of what Shakespeare is saying in his plays. We first had to read the play and then analyze what we think Shakespeare was trying to tell us in his play. To get a better understanding of the play, I had to do a lot of research about Hamlet. I read a lot of articles and looked at databases that provided good information on Shakespeare’s writing styles. This paper was challenging to make five pages long because I couldn’t think of anything else to say about the topic! Although, this essay really gave me insight on Shakespeare’s writing.
This class has taught me so many helpful writing tips. I have learned so much and I feel like I have become a better writer after taking this class. I came into this class with a lot of weaknesses, but with the help of Mrs. Miller and the books from this class, they disappeared.
"Hamlet." Shakespeare for Students: Critical Interpretations of Shakespeare's Plays and Poetry. Ed. Anne Marie Hacht. 2nd ed. Vol. 1. Detroit: Gale, 2007. 193-225. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 28 Nov. 2011.
In the past three months I feel like I have accomplished a great deal. As the semester comes to an end I find myself reflecting not only how I have survived the first semester but also what I have learned. The most important thing I have learned so far is how to become a better writer. I did not think it could really happen to me. I did not think I could handle all the work. I did not think I could actually become a better writer. Some how after all the hours of writing, and putting effort into the papers that I wrote this semester, I became a better writer. I did this because I concentrated on two very important areas, with the attitude of, if I could just become better in those then I would become a better writer. With help from an awesome teacher and a reliable tutor I have become a better writer by improving my skills in the areas of procrastination and content.
Othello, Hamlet, and Henry IV, Part 1 explore these concepts in various ways. Shakespeare’s plays show that people are not black and white. They react and act differently to situations. Their motives can either be transparent or ambiguous. Their masks may hide the truth for a time, but reality has a way of coming back around. The complexity of humans seemed to greatly intrigue Shakespeare, yet with characters like Iago, Hamlet, and Hal, Shakespeare realized that he could never fully figure out the human puzzle; so he created his own puzzles of the will, motive, and
Corum, Richard. Understanding Hamlet: A Student Casebook to Issues, Sources, and Historical Documents. Westport: Greenwood, 1998. Print. Literature in Context.
Ahlman, Marti. "Hamlet Study Guide." AP English. Calvary Christian School. Georgia, Columbus. 08 Mar 2014. Reading.
William Shakespeare’s plays are being made into box office film hits at an incredible rate. Films such as Much Ado About Nothing with Kenneth Branagh and Emma Thompson, Hamlet with Mel Gibson and Glenn Close, Othello with Laurence Fishbourne and Henry V with Kenneth Branagh have been seen by a surprising number of teenagers. Often they have not understood it all, or even half of it, but they have been affected by the powerful characters and by the Shakespearean magic which has affected audiences around the world for centuries. They want to know more, they want to understand, and what better motvation can any teacher ask for than that students WANT ? That alone is sufficient reason for any English teacher to start a course in Shakespeare.
The impression made by a character in a play is one of its most complex and debatable components, for each individual, from the director to the audience, forms an idea based on their own interpretation of the work. Each character can be read differently, with each perception having its own implications beyond the text. The analysis of alternate perspectives of Hamlet can provide insight into possible hidden motivations and underlying plot elements invisible in the original text.
Hamlet by William Shakespeare is one of the world’s most revered literature. The main character, Hamlet, is arguably one of the most intriguing characters the playwright ever developed. Hamlet is daring, philosophical, mentally unstable at times, and clever. Throughout the play though, these characteristics change and/or diminish as Hamlet is put through a plethora of unfortunate events. His father is murdered by Claudius, his mother soon after marries Claudius, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern betray him, and his girlfriend most likely commits suicide. While Hamlet is incredibly philosophical, indecisive, and full of resentment in the beginning of the play, he becomes violent, instinctive, caring and sympathetic towards the end of the play.
In today’s world the quality of the art form called writing is said to be somewhat diminishing, it is important for English literature to keep some studies of classic literature, such as Shakespeare. I think well rounded education must have a strong foundation in both modern and classical literature, for the foundation in classical literature, an in-depth study of Shakespeare’s works would be more than sufficient. Not only was Shakespeare so skilled in his writing that he has become a significant point in the history of literature, but a majority of his works were written on such basic human themes that they will last for all time and must not be forgotten.
The life William Shakespeare lead was not an easy one. Shakespeare had been middle-classed and his circumstance had been no easier than of most people today. He had to apprentice at his father’s shop, and then, after marriage, travel away from his family to start his career. When Shakespeare started, no one would have thought of how successful he would be, and he was even criticized for his work. Through his determination and individuality Shakespeare gained fame and fortune. Shakespeare life story then came to be preserved in Samuel Schoenbaum’s biography of Shakespeare and many other biography of him. If there was a lesson to be taught in Shakespeare’s life, then it would be this: “We know what we are, but know not what we may be.” (Hamlet, 4.5).
Throughout Shakespeare's play Hamlet, the main character; Hamlet displays his contemplative side and his sexual deviancy wrapped up in his enigmatic character that makes for a thought provoking play with many interesting twists and turns to keep the reader on their toes. Hamlet’s creative character allows for the viewer and the characters in the play alike to search deeper into the meaning of Hamlet’s words hoping find something more about Hamlet than meets the eye. As for Hamlet’s sexual deviancy, his dirty jokes and interest in his mother’s sex life are just another loop Shakespeare employs to get the reader engrossed and slightly disgusted in the story. Hamlet’s philosophical and contemplative side involves the reader in Hamlet's quest to find and accept the whole truth however hopeless it is, due to Hamlet’s love of questions that cannot be answered with certainty.
Over the course of the semester, I feel that I have grown as a writer in many ways. When I came into the class, there were skills I had that I already excelled at. During my time in class, I have come to improve on those skills even more. Before I took this class, I didn’t even realise what I was good at. This is the first class where I felt I received feedback on my writing that helped me to actually review my work to see what areas I lacked in and where I succeeded.
Do you know the simplest method to learning about Hamlet’s character and his search for identity? Reading his seven soliloquies. The soliloquies showed Hamlet’s true and innermost thoughts.These thoughts help the audience come to conclusions about the character. Hamlet’s seven soliloquies provide raw evidence into his search for identity and his true character.
Corum, Richard. Understanding Hamlet: A Student Casebook to Issues, Sources, and Historical Documents. Westport, CT: Greenwood, 1998. Print.
Shakespeare’s Hamlet is a tragedy that revolves around three central themes. These themes are death, betrayal, and revenge. In order to both advance the plot and produce character motivations, Shakespeare uses a plethora of literary devices; including foreshadowing, imagery, symbolism, and indirect characterization. These devices have the additional effect of conveying a sense of suspense and danger, while also offering psychological insight into the characters’ minds.