Photoshop and "Barbie Doll"

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The power of Adobe Photoshop

Check out this video, folks.  It might provide some food for thought for anyone planning to revise an essay on Marge Piercy's "Barbie Doll".

Blogging at 41,000 Feet

I'm posting this weekend from my flight from San Francisco back home to the OC after attending the Fall CUE conference in Napa.  Look forward to some #eduawesome posts of some of the tips, tricks, and tools I learned!

For my students this week:

I'd like you to take one paragraph from your recent short works essay, a paragraph that you struggled with, as evidenced by the feedback from me and/or your peer reviewer.  First, post the paragraph in its original form, as you turned it in to me.  You will want to copy the text from Word into a TextEdit or some text program to remove all the formatting before you post it.  Then, under the original, I want to see your revision of that paragraph.  Think carefully about the topic sentence, the evidence you used (and how you set it up and analyzed it), and edit your word choices so your paragraph includes NO weak verbs (to be, to have, to go, etc) and is as concise--yet thorough--as possible.  And of course, be sure to address any and all feedback I gave you on said paragraph.

Happy editing!

Portrayals of Hamlet 1.3-1.5

For this week's post, I'd like you to look at how Act I has been performed in the past and consider the director and actor's choices in presenting these key scenes that set the tone for the rest of the play.

Select one of the following options:

1.  Look at this portrayal of 1.3 and discuss how Ophelia is portrayed in this scene. Do you agree with how this actress approaches her?

Now compare this portrayal with this scene from the Zeffirelli version:

2.  Watch Kenneth Branagh discuss Act 1, Scene 5:

And then watch the actual scene:

What strikes you about this portrayal of the scene and Branagh's approach?

Best version of Hamlet 1.3 I've ever seen...

Thank you, YouTube, for brightening my day...

Hamlet: First impressions of the royal family?

For this week's post, look over your annotations of 1.2, select one member of the Danish royal family (Hamlet, Gertrude, or Claudius), and post your initial impressions of this character.  If you plan to focus on Claudius, consider how Claudius strikes you as a king, as an uncle, as a father figure to Hamlet.  If you choose Hamlet, explore how Hamlet responds to his uncle and mother. What kind of prince is he?  And if you opt to focus on Gertrude, look at how she comes across as a queen, a widow, and a mother.

Make sure that your post is 350-500 words, and that you properly cite the play in your post--utilizing slashes between lines and MLA parenthetical citations of Shakespeare.

You should also include some sort of visual (photo or video) that you think best encapsulates your initial impressions of the character you've chosen.

Your post is due by class time on Monday, and you should submit your URL to Canvas.