Although it's only been a short time back from break, we have still managed to cover quite a bit and been pretty productive. Starting off the we concluded our discussion over Hamlet. Due to a "few" snow days, I don't think our Hamlet discussion was as deep and thorough as it would've been if it was sooner to when we had actually read the play, but, I still enjoyed it and am satisfied with the theme statement we came up with. There definitely was some struggle while our class tried to decide the six main plot points as well as the theme statement. I think the plot points were so difficult because most of us were so used to viewing the story just from Hamlet's view and what was going on with him that we didn't think to step back and look at the big picture. When trying to decide the points we often times found ourselves choosing parts that just focused on only Hamlet and his inner conflict rather than contributing to the story line as a whole. I think doing this exercise was very helpful though and made me much more conscious of how little details of a story can distract you from the underlining point. I will definitely be more careful of this from now on. This is a little side note, but this even applies in other subjects, like AP Bio. I have noticed now sometimes when I'm studying I'll be focused on memorizing the little details when I realize I haven't even gotten the full grasp on the bigger concept. Anyways, I am sad Hamlet is over, for I much enjoyed the challenge it gave me and the class but I am looking forward to seeing the other side of things in Rosencrantz and Guildenstern.
These past few days we have also been working on the collaborative final review...let me just say this is amazing! The best idea any of my teachers has ever had and I wish all of my classes did it! I think this is going to be such a great study tool and also allows everyone to know exactly what to expect on the final. Otherwise, personally, I really wouldn't have known what details and topics to focus on. It is nice to see each subject broken down by a fellow student making it easier to understand rather than just reading a boring text book like many of my other classes. Anyways, that's about all we have done since last post so that'll do it! Good luck to all on finals, if you already took them I know you did terrific!
Hi Sarena,
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, I enjoyed your positivity in this post! More importantly, I was impressed with the thoroughness in which you reflected our class work. It definitely was difficult to pick six important points out of the whole plot of Hamlet, but I think that was the point. Great point, Sarena, about getting so caught up in the details that the big picture is lost. What's important to remember is that the details MAKE UP the overall picture, and the overall picture influences the direction of the little details. This is especially important for analyzing poetry. You can't get caught up in figurative devices, and miss the overall structure. Overall, awesome post, Sarena!
Serena,
ReplyDeleteI agree with you on the difficulty on determining the main plot points. There are far more than six major parts of the play, and I think that is why we had to choose only six. It allows us to make decisions on which parts are the most important (it’s still crazy hard to decide, and I know that I’m not really satisfied by the ones that my hour chose.)
I also liked how you said that sometimes you focus on small, minor details, and forget about the whole, because I know that I do that a lot.
I think you did a really good job with this post, if I had to critique anything, I would ask you to relate what we did in class to how it will help you later when it becomes test time. You only really mentioned it once I think. Other than that you did a phenomenal job! Keep up the awesome work!