Peer Review Two:

Hi Katrina,

It was great that you provided some detailed insight into the different aspects that were depicted during the virtual tour of the State Libraries Shakespeare room. I particularly enjoyed your reference to the stained glass window and the parallels drawn between the depictions on the series of windows and the enduring legacy of Shakespeare himself. The correlations drawn between the seven stages of man shown in the stained glass windows and the famous statement “all the [world’s] men and women [are] merely players”, shown a depth of contextual knowledge and a deeper appreciation and understanding of the significance of the Shakespeare room.

I also believe that your personal insight on the growing impact that Shakespeare’s works have had on you as you progressed out of adolescence and into adulthood provided a personal insight that elevated your blog response.

In your blog, you have clearly stated the composer and date for the Romeo and Juliet play that you studied. It would have been fantastic if you gave insight into whether or not you studied the play itself or the film adaptation for Othello as the Romeo and Juliet film adaptation would not have allowed you to fully explore the complexities of Shakespeare’s work which may have contributed to your lessened appreciation for the text.

Overall you have provided great insight and a clearly structured blog, well done!

Natalie. A

Poetry and prose in The Winter’s Tale:

Critically compare a short passage of prose with a short passage of poetry in The Winter’s Tale and comment on why you think Shakespeare modulated between these two genres within his play.

Shakespeare’s inclusion of both poetry and prose in The Winter’s Tale can be compared through two key passages of the play. The passage spoken by Leontes in Act 3.2.229, focuses on the burial arrangements of Queen Hermione and their son Mamillius. This is a short prose statement free from a metrical structure that symbolises Lenontes’ desensitised and cold persona. The passage incorporates the use of brevity to accentuate his hardened disposition towards the death of two members of his family. Despite stating that he will visit their grave and shed tears as recreation, the statement does not translate to be sincere as he can be directly linked to their demise, and thus his statements of sorrow become tainted.

Conversely, Shakespeare’s inclusion of poetry in the play can be witnessed in act 4.1.1, where the chorus who embodies the representation of Time, communicates the passing of sixteen years between the initial events that occurred in the play and the events that are about to unfurl. This is significant as the choice to include rhyming couplets for the duration of the speech greatly contrasts the verse structure of the rest of the play, accentuating the importance of what Time is attempting to communicate.

I believe that Shakespeare modulated between these two genres in order to communicate to the audience the shift in time that is taking place in the middle of the play. During the performance of this play in a theatre, the audience would need to be made aware of the significant change in setting. The incorporation of poetry to stand apart from the prose draws attention to this shift and allows time to be more than just a mere concept, but a character in itself. This is important as time is an essential theme that is explored throughout the play.

 

 

Image: Mary Anderson as Hermione, Henry Van der Weyde, 1887

Taken From: https://www.shakespeare.org.uk/explore-shakespeare/shakespedia/shakespeares-plays/winters-tale/

Peer Review One:

Hi Natalie,
I really love how your writing has captured the essence of modern day society and the almost biblical trials that Australia and the world have endured in the past few months. From the Australian fires and floods, to the worldwide pandemic, you have a done a really great job in not only making it a contemporary piece but making it relevant to your readers.
Your connection to Ophelia was subtle, however the strong links to nature and the line where you state that you feel as though the earth could swallow you whole, links to the death of Ophelia wherein the earth quite literally swallowed her as she drowned.

Again i really enjoyed the criticism on modern day society and the destructive impact we have had on the environment. My only suggestion would be to delve a bit deeper into the voice of Ophelia and make her more of a presence in the piece. But overall you did a really great job.

Natalie.A

 

Link to the original blog can be found below:

Blog Post 1

 

Image taken from:

https://imgur.com/gallery/JDAyc

https://imgur.com/gallery/JDAyc

Shakespeare in modern society:

Firstly, I must express my utmost disappointment in not being able to have visited the State Library in person as it was a trip I was very much anticipating. However, I was grateful at being given the opportunity to virtually take a tour of the Shakespeare room as well as the other facilities available at the State Library.

Although the Shakespeare Room itself was filled with the works of Shakespeare and beautiful tributes to his work and life. Such as the stained glass window and the chair that was built from a tree outside of his home, I feel as though the recognition given to the author by society as a whole is not that of a high standard. My reasons being that the statue outside of the State Library depicting Shakespeare and characters from his works has been tarnished by the highway that is consuming it. I feel as though a much better way to pay tribute to the poet would have been to dedicate the space around for individuals to sit and write and be inspired. This would definitely be hard to do with cars soaring past on either side.

I believe that Shakespeare has had an immense impact on not only Australia, but the whole world and his literary works have paved the way for many in the literary world. I personally believe that the decision to place roads on either side of his monument was a decision made in poor taste and reveals the lack of appreciation placed on his contributions.

 

What impression did you get of the importance of Shakespeare to Australia from our visit to the State Library?

 

Image taken from: https://memorialisingshakespeare.com/shakespeare_monument/sydney/

Modern day Ophelia:

I have fallen into the depths of his love. I give and give and give pieces of myself to him, hoping to gain something in return. Alas, to no avail. I have been left to fall into the dark, endless, cold pit of unreciprocated love. The tunnel of light that was your love is growing ever smaller in the distance, the people passing by too consumed by their own lives and the screens in front of them to stop and help. Let alone see me. I am screaming out loud, but I am mute. I am falling in front of their eyes, yet I am invisible. The dirt and disarray of the world are choking out the rays of the sun, and no one seems to notice. Every semblance of peace is persecuted by the pollution in the air, the water, the streets and the minds. This world where people are too afraid to show love for fear of judgement. The destructive power of selfishness. Why won’t you let the world see, let others see, let me see that you are there, that you love me? Fear. Fear of commitment. Fear of judgement. Fear of love. I am now consumed by fear.

 

 

Image:

Arthipo. Miss Ophelia. 2020, https://www.arthipo.com/john-everett-millais-ophelia.html. Accessed 20 Mar 2020.

Summative Entry

Core Focus – Visionary Imagination, as expressed in the work of William Blake, Patrick White and Brett Whiteley has given me a new way of seeing and understanding the world.

 The Visionary Imagination unit has been such an impactful journey that has allowed me to develop new perceptions and gain a deeper understanding on how to approach life. This unit has been the most transformative for me and I believe that the core works of William Blake, Patrick White and Brett Whiteley have really encompassed the visionary values.  I have often found myself taking a step back and observing an environment as a third party and have grown quite fond of the thoughts that can be procured through isolation. The Visionary Imagination has shown me the significance of appreciating the natural world, free from materialistic constraints. In a sense this can be described as the key to happiness – giving yourself the opportunity to feel the weightlessness of life and unbridle the restrictions that prevent self actualisation.

The most pertinent works which stood out to me where William Blakes Songs of Innocence and Experience, I really loved the contrast between the two opposing sides of the human psyche. The comparison of the child and the wonder they behold, a joy for life that has not yet been tainted…compared to the sense of experience whereby the events of life can wither a person down to a mere husk of their former being. A hollow remnant of a once full soul. This reiterated the wholistic, spiritual value of seeing through the eyes rather than simply seeing with the eyes.

Patrick Whites Riders in the Chariot, was another amazing text that was so layered and detailed. The presentation of the four outsiders created multiple personalities which an individual could connect with. Personally I felt as though I connected most with Mary Hare, and I feel like each individual reading the novel will have their own opinion which is what I believe makes this novel so great. White explores a plethora of issues, challenging society both at the time the novel was written and today. The Jewish and Aboriginal experience was significantly eye opening, I feel as though this whole unit has achieved this eye opening factor. Opening my eyes to a greater understanding of the world, what is important and what is not, challenging conventions of society that ostracise individuals.

Whilst these literary texts were utterly enthralling, the experience of Brett Whitely’s Art gallery allowed me to become physically immersed in the Visionary mind. Alchemy was my favourite work, the flow of colour and the immense detail was pretty overwhelming at first. The grain of sand in the centre of the work really put things into perspective and you can clearly see the influence that Blake has had. The quote “To see heaven in a grain of sand and heaven in a wild flower” was something that really resonated with me. It challenged me to recognise that sometimes some of the most beautiful aspects of nature and the world are held in the small details.

I truely believe that the Visionary imagination unit has given me a new, refreshing outlook. My perception of self and others as well as the world around me have all changed. The Letter to Thomas Butts and The Sunflower Sutra are the works which I believe best reflect this. I do not believe that my interaction with the visionary works of William Blake, Patrick White and Brett Whiteley will end with the unit, I look forward to returning to the Brett Whitely Studio in the near future and I know that the literary works of Patrick White and William Blake in particular will fill my recreational reading time.

Peer Review Five

Hi Victoria,

I really enjoyed this creative piece, I felt as thought there were some really personal undertones and it reflected the struggle to stay true to yourself through the influence of others. I feel like this perspective was a really great choice because it resonated with me personally and i am sure it had the same effect with many other readers. I loved the contrast between the fire and the ice and the two opposing personalities trapped in each. My only critique is that I wanted more! I think that if you continued with the same tone and explored some new avenues perhaps broken up into a few stanzas it would have been fantastic. I say this purely because of how much I enjoyed this poem 🙂

Great job, Kind regards Natalie.

 

Blog Link: https://victoriakotsoris01.wordpress.com/2018/09/10/visionary-imagination-blog-post-5/comment-page-1/#comment-104

Peer Review Four

Hi Tom,

I really enjoyed reading your blog relating to the face and the potential persona preserved within it. I thought that your analysis was actually really well written and that there were some very strong ideas put forward. I particularly loved how you drew attention to the accentuated lines of the face and how that represented experience. The notion that vision is being rejected by man was another really strong idea. I honestly really enjoyed this blog and the plethora of possibilities that you unearthed. My only critique would be that it moved into a more critical analysis rather than a creative piece, however I still feel as though it was a great blog.

Great job, Regards Natalie.

Blog Link: https://literaturetom.wordpress.com/category/engl329/

Peer Review Three

Hey Maria,

I believe that your blog this week successfully captures the essence and the impact of Whitley’s Alchemy. I like how you have described how the progression of colour represents the progression of ideas, and I also like that you have gone into an analysis of what each of the colours mean. Your analysis is very in depth and well structured. My only advice would be to add in a personal aspect of how the representation of colour impacted you personally. Overall, I think it is a really well written blog that is well supported with visual cues.

Great Job, Regards Natalie.

 

Blog link: https://mariamai2.wordpress.com/2018/09/24/week-5-the-visionary-imagination/

Alf Dubbo

To what extent does Patrick White characterise Alf Dubbo to epitomise his own beliefs and values?

The presentation of Alf Dubbo as an artist, creates a parallel between his values and that of Patrick White. This deliberate characterisation is used to highlight the immensely powerful nature of Art. Alf Dubbo is employed to show that art can be transformative and healing, with the power to create new beginnings and renewed perceptions of the world.

In Chapter 14 of ‘Riders in the Chariot’ Alf Dubbo uses art to clear his conscious about not stepping in during the mock crucifixion of his Jewish friend Mordecai Himmelfarb. Painting was discovered by Alf during his adolescents through the inheritance of some paints and from that point forward they become a prominent part of his being. The painting undertaken by both Alf Dubbo and Patrick White encapsulate the importance of seeing through the eyes rather than simply seeing with them. It feels as though Patrick White is using Alf Dubbo to challenge his readers to see a clearer depth in life, and the painting becomes symbolic of this.