Lab Reflection

The structure of our lab on Saturday left me thinking about the classroom setting and the difference between Eastern and Western schooling. During class I realized how much I rely on my teachers to guide my thinking. They ask a question, and I answer it. My thinking is guided and in some ways limited by that goal of reaching a destination. So when Rebecca asked us simply to meditate on the passages on Saturday, I think a lot of us felt lost. Where were the questions? If there were no questions to answer, what were we supposed to be doing? What were we supposed to be thinking? After we were left alone with our passages and the sculptures, I read and re-read the paper in front of me. I didn't have anything to fall back on, no question to guide my thinking, so every idea I had felt completely original. I spent more time with the reading because there was no destination. I couldn't answer a few questions and then sit around waiting for everyone else to be finished, so I took my time. I had a better understanding of the message and found myself connecting it to my own life. Overall, I got so much more out of this text than others just because of the way I was reading it. I can understand why many people would hate this kind of class structure, especially at our age when we've had a very specific, question/answer based education our whole lives. But I'm curious to know, did anyone get as much out of it as I did?

Shakespeare on women

Women seem to be depicted fairly to what societies views were back then. Arranged marriages were commonplace and I'm sure that their were some women back then that thought of running away than to be forced to marry or face death. Character's like Helena and Hermia were very brash and bold in the film. Though it doesn't seem as if this is Shakespeare's way of trying to uphold women's rights, at least not entirely. It seems more that he is toying with the idea of women rebelling against their current standings in that time period.

Femininity and Shakespeare

I think that Shakespeare is simply accurately depicting the role of women in society at this time. He upholds cultural traditions and religious practices. What I can commend him for is giving the women on this play distinct personalities. Both women take a forceful role in getting what they think they want. He could have made them passive and docile like the women of this time were supposed to be but instead he gave them very strong personalities. In this was, I feel that he was actually ahead of his time. He was definitely referencing a type of woman that wouldn't necessarily be the "ideal". I really like the fact that Hermia is even given the opportunity to disobey her father and I think it says a lot about Shakespeare's views on women that he allows her to be that out spoken.

Shakespeare and Women

I think Shakespeare is portraying women of the era. He does not hate women but points out that arranged marriages were acceptable for most women. Women rebelling in this custom made a clear statement in the play. It was the beginning of women speaking out for the right to choose their own mate as we do today.

The trickery to conduce women to fall in love with potions and such makes for a dramatic scene to enhance the play. But as in today it would be called date rape and the person would probably be incarcerated.

In that era, women were not seen as performers on stage. To be a woman actor, I think she would have to have a strong take charge attitude, yet had to be submissive.

Fear of Change

In that sense it would seem that we are our own worst enemy. I don't remember where I've heard that before, though I do agree that what you've experienced in the past will mostly determine how you act for the future. I am curious to wonder if those limitations in our minds would always be a bad thing.

We are always afraid of change. However, throughout our lives, we sometimes face situations that require a lot of change in us. Then, what makes us afraid of change and hesitate going forward? There would be many answers to this question, but I would say our thoughts and mistakes, which we made in the past, are the main reasons why we tend to stay where we are now. As humans we constantly screw things up and make mistakes. Our negative thoughts always trap us and limit our abilities. Someone might say humans are flawed in this way. But there is one thing I am for sure: We are stronger than our thoughts and mistakes.

Shakespeare and women

Shakespeare's female characters behave and are treated in a way that was appropriate for the time. i would not say that he stands up for women, but he does present a situation that often involves women having to give into the law of men like Hermia she is being forced to marry Demeterius by her father or face death. This could be shakespeare's way of bringing women's rights to the conversation. either way i don't believe he had any negative assumptions about women other than the time periods set standards.

Shakespeare and Feminism

In my own opinion, Shakespeare does not seem to be misogynistic. His female characters behave and are treated as it was common during the time period, but that nothing about their characters suggests that Shakespeare hated all women. Helena says at one point "you do set a scandal on my sex. Women cannot fight for love as men may do. We should be woo'd and were not made to woo." Obviously during the time period it was believed that all women were more timid then men, created to sit around looking pretty, whereas it is the men, ( like Hermia's father and Demetrius), have the ultimate say in any important decisions. Titania, although she's a powerful high-strung lady, fights with her husband, so he makes a fool out of her and she simply leaps back into his arms, thanking him for rescuing her. This seems to make a pretty strong statement about the place of women (at their husband's side), and the punishment should they disobey him (falling for an ass). The duke's wife seems to be forced into marriage because Thesues captured her from her native homeland or something, and yet she's cool with it, having a simple woman mind, or a short-term memory loss. Also, though as stated before, it's men who have to go out and do the wooing, Helena is the only one willing to be a spaniel to Demetrius. Demetrius doesn't have to demean himself for the sake of love, because he's manly. Maybe that's a little far fetched, and Demetrius just isn't trying as hard as Helena because he's already got Hermia via her father's permission. Anyway, besides the culture's general low opinions of women, I don't think Shakespeare had any unusually harsh criticisms of the fair sex.