wolfblog

As teachers, the most important thing we do is instruct and encourage our students to look at the world from different perspectives. As a student in a women’s literature course, I found it difficult to start looking at texts from a feminist perspective because obviously I am a man and have always viewed everything from everyday life events to literature from that perspective. As I learned, male students, in particular, have a great deal to gain by looking at characters and their actions and evolution through a feminine lens. Examples of texts in particular that especially lend themselves to such a perspective include Zora Neale Hurston’s “Their Eyes Were Watching God,’’ and Virginia Woolf’s “A Room of One’s Own.’’ Hurston’s Janie character was a woman driven by her own desires and a character who overcame many of the male-dominated societal expectations placed on her, at first from her grandmother and later from the various men in her life. In the end, she achieved a level of independence and free-thinking that was rare or nonexistent in male-written novels from the same time period in early part of the 20th century. Similarly, Virginia Woolf, “A Room of One’s Own,’’ as I recall, centered around the politics of whose works are often recognized among the greats of literature and openly questioned and argued that women’s works are just as worthy of their own recognition and status, equal to male dominated works; however, they shouldn’t necessarily have to share the spotlight with male works by such greats as Shakespeare, etc. Woolf called into question the whole idea of how could men really be qualified to make a reality for the women characters that they often portrayed. She also questioned the idea of how society pigeon-holed obviously talented women writers into minor societal roles, often thwarting their obvious talents.

“Shakespeare’s use of `thee,’’ `thou,’ `thy’’ and `thine’ can initially worry students. Those concerns are eased when, through active use, students appreciate that although these old-fashioned pronouns have now dropped out of use in English, they were common in Shakespeare’s time alongside `you’ and `your.’’ (Gibson p. 83).

As a teacher, the most difficult moment is when a student asks a question that I simply do not know the answer to. This was often the case when dealing with material such as Shakespeare and the language used. Many times, a student would ask, “so what do they mean by that?’’ Gibson provides a perspective on Shakespeare, which I didn’t have. As I read Gibson, I realize that my knowledge of Shakespeare as well as the importance of his works to literature run much deeper than I first thought. Language at any given time, is reflective of its users’ immediate surroundings. In all honesty, I thought the use of `thou’’ “thee`’’ “thine’’ and “thy’’ were all just flights of fancy by Shakespeare in an attempt to sound impressive and sophisticated. What I am starting to realize is that no devices were randomly used by Shakespeare and in order to achieve a desired effect, his language had a purpose. In fact, the use of language was his greatest skill. Getting students to understand the meanings behind Shakespeare’s words and to see characters and their predicaments as living and breathing with complexities beyond just what’s on the surface is my aim as teacher. Also, as I learn more about Shakespeare, the more empowered I become as a source of guidance for students when questions arise. It is a disservice to my students to remain uninformed about Shakespeare as I often now feel as though I am.

I would like to use this blog as a forum to discuss important issues in the teaching of literature and the theory of teaching. I see daily how education is played out in the classroom as a teacher and would like to have a better understanding of why I do the things I do in the classroom to impact student learning and what are the most effective means to reaching students. I also think this forum is an ideal place to help others as they enter the education field and to bounce genuine concerns off each other. I look forward to using this tool and the cooperative learning it should foster.