Edmodo Shakespearean Play Assignment - Miscellaneous - R.I.P. in Pieces English Class

Miscellaneous

For my final exam, I chose an old Edmodo report I did that was due on May 22, 2015 that forced/made to analyze a scene in my Shakespearean play (which was Macbeth at the time) through either reading about it in a book, watching a live performance of it, or listening to it (in, I don’t know, an audiobook). Then I put some of my personal opinions about what was going on and what I thought of it. It was pretty messed up.

Here are some of the guidelines of the project to better explain it.

“Since we're deep into our Shakespeare research projects this week's reading reflection will have a Shakespeare focus. This week you must READ, LISTEN TO, or WATCH a performance of a scene from the play you are studying. After experiencing the scene, reflect on your thinking about the scene. Be sure to start with a topic sentence that states the play, act, and scene you read. Then use one of the thinking stems below within your reflection. Be sure to use text evidence within your reflection this week. I have written an example reflection in the comments section below. Thinking Stems: I liked...because...I was entertained when...because...I wonder why...because...I wish that...because...

Helpful Hint: "No Fear Shakespeare" has complete plays with side by side translations. The library and YouTube have lots of audio and video scenes.”

I chose this particular paper/assignment because back in 6th grade (or any other grade before), I knew I would’ve done terribly on it because I wasn’t that great with reports about analyzing literary masterpieces. I always thought that it was way too serious for me that you have to be like a robot droning into the distance and it too boring for people like me (who hate it). So being my usual self, I put an unnatural amount of sass and sarcasm while putting “relevant” references to modern culture in my work, which made the job less of a hassle. So when I got a decent grade on my Edmodo assignment (10/10), I made myself more confident in doing more reports for school on a random topic without being severely annoyed, then it was brutally crushed, but that’s not relevant in this situation. Have fun reading!

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(416 words altogether below)

I just finished watching PBS's Great Performances of Macbeth, set in a modern Scotland with the same plot and exact same Shakespearean script (yes, old English in a modern Scotland with Sir Patrick Stewart and lots of blood, so it was very cool), specifically, watching the scene where Scene 5, Act 8 took place. I also looked at the same act and scene on Sparknotes No Fear Shakespeare script to understand what was actually going on in our modern English language. My reaction to the scene/act was that it was pretty awesome and exciting, you know, for a Shakespeare play. Though it may not have been all FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT in the beginning or they didn't show Macbeth's head getting chopped off (because of "too much violence"), but it was very, very tense while you watch/read Macbeth and Macduff confront each other and have a nice conversation with each other about surrendering and murder. To sum up the scene and act, Macduff, Macbeth’s (the evil, ambitious, murderous Scottish king) vengeance-filled opponent are ready to duel and "1v1 PVP IRL" before bored Macbeth is like (in Scene 5, Act 8, page 1), "Thou losest labor. As easy mayst thou the intrenchant air. With thy keen sword impress as make me bleed. Let fall thy blade on vulnerable crests; I bear a charmèd life, which must not yield. To one of woman born." Which just means in Modern English, "You can't kill me unless you were born through your mother naturally (because of a prophecy that Macbeth can’t die fighting someone unless they were born through your mother naturally)”

But then, Macduff (in Scene 5, Act 8, page 1) is like "Despair thy charm, and let the angel whom thou still hast served. Tell thee, Macduff was from his mother’s womb, untimely ripped." Which that means, "Well, screw you, because I was cut out of my mother's womb get destroyed mate" which is also the best comeback to any insult ever confirmed. Then Macbeth is like YOLO, fights Macduff, gets head cut off. Not a good decision.

So it was cool to see Macbeth get totally destroyed, thinking that the witches' prophecy would protect him from Macduff, only to see that Macduff countered Macbeth's protection from Macduff...very confusing concept that isn't very confusing because I made it confusing. Also the tense conversation between the two characters (yes, “tense conversations”) really set the ominous mood for the rough beheading. So moral of the story: don't trust witches. Just don't.

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About the Author: Leland needs help. Mental help, specifically. He probably needs a counselor or a therapist, but apparently Leland can’t only write about that as a description of himself, because that isn’t “ethical.” Leland has improved greatly on his writing skills than last year because last year, Leland was a scrub and hated writing. Now he only hates it less. Leland, on his computer, which he spends most of his time on, writes satirical books about questionable topics, listens to music on his playlist at that YouTube website that promotes questionable topics, and play popular video games that not only is questionable in itself, but makes you question how Leland isn’t on a crazed murder spree or illegally participating in the U.S. Marine Corps.  

Leland plays the French Horn, the piano and he used to play the violin, which makes him very sad internally and externally for some reason. So I don’t know what other seriously private things Leland would like to put on this description, so I’ll just put a cool quote to end it. In general, Leland is a student who's dead inside.

“You must end joy to enjoy” -- Leland Xu, 1927  

And that, boys and girls, is how you make an English teacher regret her entire job decision.