Hello my Friends,
This website I have found will be very beneficial for you to be instructed with the background information of the new book we will introduce which is Discourse on Method by Descartes. I sent the same post but I forgot Group 4 tag so sorry for that.
Thanks for your attention.
Background
Thursday, March 31, 2016
Descartes and God
While examining Descartes, his proof that god exist has a really importance place and it is really amazing to see. When it comes to details of his ideas about god, it is getting more exciting. He thinks that we could not completely understand god and comprehend how his power actually is capable of. Even a great mind thinks that we are too far from the idea of understanding so many facts about god .There is a video related to this subject to learn more. You can look at this link
Descartes & Religion
Through out the history, religion and the church made lots of impression to the people. Especially to the researchers and the researches that they didn't join. Humankind want to improve their life and change their mind in some of times in history. In lots of countries, scientists made lots of researches and gave the chance to the public and the way to think more like positivistic and in science base. However, the impression of the religious sites didn't give chance to them and makes people more fool. Descartes, made lots of researches in different topics and helped to the people to think more critically in their times. Descartes was the most important person for shown for this cases. For instance, the research about the polynomials makes a huge change in the math history and give chance to the researchers to think in both negative and positive side in mathematically conditions.
Descartes, made an important research about metaphysics which the catholic churches in France these years wanted to stop the research and didn't like these scientific prevents. Because, in these years churches had very important and bad impact on the people and never wanted to change the religious system.
Finally, Descartes was the very important person about the mathematic and metaphysics also for lots of other research topics. Descartes is a figure for the changing the mind of these ages.
Finally, Descartes was the very important person about the mathematic and metaphysics also for lots of other research topics. Descartes is a figure for the changing the mind of these ages.
Mathematician Descartes
Beside being a great philosopher Descartes also made great contributions to mathematics you can check them from here
Descartes and Cartesian Coordinates
Hi guys, did you know cartesian coordinates was invented by Descartes? I have learned this in class this week and as I read the book I realize that this invention actually represents his methods. In part two, first he suggest that we shouldn't accept anything as true without a doubt and the judgement should be clear and distinct. Second, we should divide difficulties into parts to solve the problem better. This two suggestions to find the truth also applies in cartesian coordinates to solve geometry problems easily because cartesian coordinates makes geometrical shapes seen clear and distinct with true ratios. Also we can divide them into smaller parts and examine separately to find the true solution.
Proteus
Hello,
I want to tell you about this mythological character that I have noticed in many of the materials we have covered in both hum 101 and 102. In Greek mythology, Proteus is described as an early sea-god.
We have discussed in the class that philosophers like Kant and Pico suggest that human nature is not fixed and obtains endless potential to exert its self. Proteus's versatile nature is a good metaphor in the sense that humans too have such powers to transform themselves into different forms of states.
(Protues ) here is a link you can check out!
Background
Hello my Friends,
This website I have found will be very beneficial for you to have a background about the new book we will introduce.
https://www.college.columbia.edu/core/content/discourse-method-and-meditations-first-philosophy/context
This website I have found will be very beneficial for you to have a background about the new book we will introduce.
https://www.college.columbia.edu/core/content/discourse-method-and-meditations-first-philosophy/context
I think, therefore I am
While reading part 4 of the Descates' discourse, this phrase caught my attention: "I think, therefore I am". For a brief moment, this phrase made me question the world's existence and immediately reminded me about the Matrix.
I made a little research on why Descartes said this phrase and found this video on Youtube:
Also, this phrase is somewhat related to the world of Matrix. So, here are some scenes about that:
I made a little research on why Descartes said this phrase and found this video on Youtube:
Also, this phrase is somewhat related to the world of Matrix. So, here are some scenes about that:
Descartes as a Father of Modern Philosophy
After reading the book of Descartes and discuss about him in the class, I found interesting him and his works. He is known as and famous for "father of the modern philosophy". That is what I really found interesting. What makes him a father of the modern philosophy, of course his ideas.http://www.iep.utm.edu/descarte/
DESCARTES AND MUSTAFA KEMAL ATATÜRK
MUSTAFA KEMAL ATATÜRK, the greatest leader, defeated the darkness and the ignorance by enlightening himself and reading all the time. He read the books of all fields such as science, art and especially philosophy. He explored and understood the principles of Jean-Jack Rousseau, Descartes, Voltaire, For example, his famous quote "Sovereignity unconditionally belongs to nation" is derived due to being affected by Rousseau's philosophy and of course strongly belive this ideology. In his speech on Turkish Grand National Assembly, he announced that he read the books of Rousseau and he wanted Turkish people to read Rousseau.Therefore, he wanted the books of the philosophers who impacted him to be translated into Turkish. The philosophy which was integrated and understood by Atatürk was one of the most pivotal cornerstones of the foundation of Turkish Republic because Turkish War of Independence was won by his philosophy. The greatest leader explored and studied the different ideas and point of views on philosophy. For example, he read the books of Montesquieu who supported monarchy although the greatest leader did not support monarchy.
Descartes contributed to the philosophy of MUSTAFA KEMAL ATATÜRK... The greatest leader comprehend Descartes' rationalism principles and Cartesian method;
- accepting only information you know to be true
- breaking down these truths into smaller units
- solving the simple problems first
- making complete lists of further problems
This method of Descartes was important because our greatest leader organized war tactics and strategy. Therefore, philosophical knowledge of the greatest leader played a key role in Turkish War of Independence. ATATÜRK used this method on economic developments after the foundation of Turkish Republic.
These historical events prove that how philosophy is important for us... Philosophy saves countries... Philosophy has huge impact on the politics. ATATÜRK's philosophy which was shaped by the ideologies of most important philosophers will enlighten Turkey because Turkey needs it in these conditions...
Insanity of Lady Macbeth
Lady Macbeth is one the powerful characters in the play. She is the driving force that encourages Macbeth to take action on the prophecy. But, before blaming her for being an evil, let us look at her mental health.
Although the lady of the play has a very colorful character, one can quickly recognize the insanity and instability of Lady Macbeth’s actions at first glance. We have been introduced with her questionable mental status in the very beginning of the play when she received a letter from Macbeth telling her about the prophecy. This letter triggered her to have intense delusions and fantasies about her husband becoming the King of Scotland.
The second sign of her mental deterioration is that she was clearly under a delusion that she is much greater and more powerful and influential than she really is. Summoning supernatural spirits to unsex her and to give her the strength she need for Duncan’s murder is a behavior which psychologists would agree that she has problems separating fantasy from reality and is under some delusions of grandeur, which eventually could be an evidence of paranoid schizophrenia.
Besides the murder of Duncan, the lady does not show any other manic behavior until near the end of the play. At this point, she deals with sleepwalking. This might be a problem all on its own but trouble sleeping also suggests bipolar disorder. People with bipolar disorder experience dramatic ups and downs in their mood. Also her manic behavior comes and go, this reinforces the idea that she has bipolar disorder.
The guilt she feels also causes a lot of stress and anxiety. This stress comes out in the form of visual hallucinations. She imagines her hands covered by blood. This might be a symbol of guilt but it also implies schizophrenia. Although, we do not know the exact cause of her death, we know that people living with schizophrenia at an increased risk of attempting suicide.
If she was alive today, she could be easily diagnosed with some sort of mental disease. We cannot be a hundred percent sure if being diagnosed would stop her from enticing Macbeth into wrongdoing. But I assume that it would make her condition more manageable.
4 Interesting Facts About Shakespeare's Macbeth (and the actual Macbeth)
1. Macbeth was a real king of Scotland. How did the actual Macbeth compare with Shakespeare’s fictionalized version? Well, the real Macbeth was a comparatively successful ruler.
From what we know, although the real Macbeth did usurp his predecessor Duncan, he was not a tyrant (see here for more info). He actually reigned for a considerably long time for this period (17 years) and Scotland was apparently so peaceful during his reign that he went on a pilgrimage in Rome, where he became to be known as very generous because he would frequently help and donate money to the city's sick and poor people. Even Malcolm, whose father was murdered by Macbeth, referred to him as "the Renowned". He was usurped by his son, known as Lulach the Idiot, who was assassinated shortly thereafter. Malcolm, Duncan's real son, took the throne after Lulach's death.
A successful usurper king probably wouldn't be well-received by King James, who reigned during Shakespeare's time. This is likely why Shakespeare turned Macbeth into a tyrant.
2. King James had an incredible fascination with witchcraft; the three witches might have been included according to his taste. He instigated a mass witch hunt in Scotland, and even wrote a book on the subject of witches and witchcraft entitled "Daemonologie" (which endorses the practice of witch hunting and is available online). He is known to have had a paranoia about witches in general, as he believed they had tried to assassinate him on multiple occassions.
King James also believed he was a descendant of Banquo (as did most Stuart kings), who is something of a mythical figure in English and Scottish history (the actual Banquo is said to have aided Macbeth in murdering Duncan, which is pretty different from Macbeth).
3. Shakespeare wrote Macbeth during and after the famous Gunpowder Plot. In November 1605, a group of Catholics - Guy Fawkes among them - plotted and almost succeeded in blowing up James and the entire House of Lords (Catholicism had been banned under Elizabeth I's reign and King James, a devout Protestant, was no kinder to the Catholics in general). The brutal ending of Macbeth's reign and life might have been influenced by these events - Shakespeare might not have liked the idea of rebellion against the crown very much.
4. In 1849, Macbeth caused a riot in New York. The Astor Place Riot was caused by two rival actors arguing about whose portrayal of Macbeth was better. American actor Edwin Forrest and English thespian William Charles Macready were both playing the role of Macbeth in different productions at different theaters on the same night, and a longstanding rivalry erupted, leading to 120 people injured and 25 dead. In another case in the same century, Scottish poet William McGonagall - known for being "the worst poet in English" - played the role of Macbeth in a stage production, but he was so annoyed at being upstaged by his co-star (who played Macduff) that when Macduff went to kill Macbeth on stage at the end of the play, Macbeth just refused to die.
From what we know, although the real Macbeth did usurp his predecessor Duncan, he was not a tyrant (see here for more info). He actually reigned for a considerably long time for this period (17 years) and Scotland was apparently so peaceful during his reign that he went on a pilgrimage in Rome, where he became to be known as very generous because he would frequently help and donate money to the city's sick and poor people. Even Malcolm, whose father was murdered by Macbeth, referred to him as "the Renowned". He was usurped by his son, known as Lulach the Idiot, who was assassinated shortly thereafter. Malcolm, Duncan's real son, took the throne after Lulach's death.
A successful usurper king probably wouldn't be well-received by King James, who reigned during Shakespeare's time. This is likely why Shakespeare turned Macbeth into a tyrant.
2. King James had an incredible fascination with witchcraft; the three witches might have been included according to his taste. He instigated a mass witch hunt in Scotland, and even wrote a book on the subject of witches and witchcraft entitled "Daemonologie" (which endorses the practice of witch hunting and is available online). He is known to have had a paranoia about witches in general, as he believed they had tried to assassinate him on multiple occassions.
King James also believed he was a descendant of Banquo (as did most Stuart kings), who is something of a mythical figure in English and Scottish history (the actual Banquo is said to have aided Macbeth in murdering Duncan, which is pretty different from Macbeth).
3. Shakespeare wrote Macbeth during and after the famous Gunpowder Plot. In November 1605, a group of Catholics - Guy Fawkes among them - plotted and almost succeeded in blowing up James and the entire House of Lords (Catholicism had been banned under Elizabeth I's reign and King James, a devout Protestant, was no kinder to the Catholics in general). The brutal ending of Macbeth's reign and life might have been influenced by these events - Shakespeare might not have liked the idea of rebellion against the crown very much.
4. In 1849, Macbeth caused a riot in New York. The Astor Place Riot was caused by two rival actors arguing about whose portrayal of Macbeth was better. American actor Edwin Forrest and English thespian William Charles Macready were both playing the role of Macbeth in different productions at different theaters on the same night, and a longstanding rivalry erupted, leading to 120 people injured and 25 dead. In another case in the same century, Scottish poet William McGonagall - known for being "the worst poet in English" - played the role of Macbeth in a stage production, but he was so annoyed at being upstaged by his co-star (who played Macduff) that when Macduff went to kill Macbeth on stage at the end of the play, Macbeth just refused to die.
Cartesian Thought vs Pragmatism
One of Descartes' arguments is that one cannot start learning without wiping their mind clean from their previous knowledge and all knowledge is open to doubt. These are two of the several reasons why pragmatists such as Dewey and Pierce are against Cartesian thought. One of Dewey's reasons is his argument, inspired by Darwinian thought, that our experiences shape our knowledge. For Pierce, knowledge is something that makes us happier, more comfortable. While he does not completely reject doubt, he is against the idea that everything needs to be doubted because too much doubt would only push the individual to an uncomfortable state of mind and unhappiness.
Quote of the day
"The reading of all good books is like a conversation with the finest minds of past centuries". This quote shows how much Descartes gives importance to knowledge and finding knowledge through books. Every book has thoughts, memories, experiences and knowledge from the authors and Descartes sees how vital it is to learn from past and present brilliant minds. Though this a great quote I was still surprised to see it from Rene Descartes as he read a lot of books before and while in University and was not satisfied with the results. He felt like books didn't give the whole picture and wanted to travel the world and see for himself if there was a single truth on the earth.
Some Facts About Descartes!
P.S: René Descartes walks into a bar. Bartender asks if he wants anything. René says, "I think not"and then disappears.
Philosophy and Science
I’ve read a blog of one of our friends talking about Descartes and math. So, I decided to talk about relation between philosophy and science.
Philosophy is based on curiosity. Curiosity may be about existence, purposes or something else. For example when you philosophize about existence, you investigate creatures. You look into details of it and you learn it. Actually, what you do is science. When a person wonders something, he starts asking questions about it(philosophizing). Then, he wonders the reality behind that thing. He does some processes which is related to science.
To sum up, philosophy directs people to science to know the truth. I think this is the reason why some philosophers did so much contribution to science. Freud and Descartes are some examples for these people.
Philosophy is based on curiosity. Curiosity may be about existence, purposes or something else. For example when you philosophize about existence, you investigate creatures. You look into details of it and you learn it. Actually, what you do is science. When a person wonders something, he starts asking questions about it(philosophizing). Then, he wonders the reality behind that thing. He does some processes which is related to science.
To sum up, philosophy directs people to science to know the truth. I think this is the reason why some philosophers did so much contribution to science. Freud and Descartes are some examples for these people.
"It is not enough to have a good mind. The main thing is to use it well."
This is one of the quotes of Descartes. He believes everybody has same features however everybody cannot use each and every features of himself. It is important to find and use that features. Similarly, a good mind brings you many good things unless you are able to use it on a good way effectively.
This is one of the quotes of Descartes. He believes everybody has same features however everybody cannot use each and every features of himself. It is important to find and use that features. Similarly, a good mind brings you many good things unless you are able to use it on a good way effectively.
Good Sense
"Good sense is the best distributed thing in the world."- Descartes
This is an ironic statement of Descartes that we talked about it in class. Almost everyone thinks that they are good at distinguishing the true from the false and they are able to make good decisions. However, it is impossible for all people to make the best decisions throughout their lives. Most of the people fail, just because of their wrong decisions. In other words, they don't have good sense. In order to have a good sense, we need to observe and understand the people and events around us. Only by doing this, we can find our ways which lead us to greater possibilities.
This is an ironic statement of Descartes that we talked about it in class. Almost everyone thinks that they are good at distinguishing the true from the false and they are able to make good decisions. However, it is impossible for all people to make the best decisions throughout their lives. Most of the people fail, just because of their wrong decisions. In other words, they don't have good sense. In order to have a good sense, we need to observe and understand the people and events around us. Only by doing this, we can find our ways which lead us to greater possibilities.
Rene Descartes is famous for his book named Meditations on first philosophy. However there are also some famous quotes of him such as the one given above. In his quote he has said that there is nothing strange that if it has not said by a philosopher. It is a fun quote by him that created a grin on my face.
Cogito Ergo Sum
Decartes states that the fact that we think is the reason that we can be 100% sure that we exist. This is a very interesting philosophical theory and it made me think about some other philosophical theories realted to existence of oneself and thinking.
Here are 2 outlandish philosophical theories that is related to both existence and thinking.
1. Solipsism: The idea that nothing exists but the individual’s consciousness. Although it seems silly at first. This idea is very close to what Descartes thought while he was thinking about the absolute truth. He stated that senses can sometimes deceive people he stated that anything related to senses is not the absolute truth and we can sense things in our dreams as well. Furthermore he stated that the thoughts created by the mind can also enter in dream like stages so the thoughts of one is not the absolute truth either after these realizations the only thing he finds as real is himself because he can think and doubt about his existence. So only thing he is sure is that he exists because he can think. This is pretty close to the idea of solipsism since it states that only thing that exist is the consciousness of an individual.
2. Second theory is the brain in a jar theory. This is a thought experiment that is discussed by the people who think that human’s understanding of reality depends solely on his subjective feelings.
For this scenario to work Imagine that you are just a brain in a jar that is run by aliens or mad scientists. You cannot know that and there is no way that you can figure out the truth (you are just a brain in a jar) and your entire reality is controlled by electric impulses sent to your brain by mad scientists/aliens. This thought experiment leads to the concusion that we cannot confirm the actual existence of anything except our consciousness. This is pretty much the same thinking process that descrates had in his quest to find the absolute truth when he started discrediting thinking and senses as doubtful. This sounds like the similar to the movie “The Matrix“,well guess what! This idea was the very basis of the story.
So as it can be seen here the philosophical conclusion of I think therefore I am caused many (sometimes outlandish) philosophical theories to pop up. So it can be said that this conclusion had a profound impact on philosophy.
Here are 2 outlandish philosophical theories that is related to both existence and thinking.
1. Solipsism: The idea that nothing exists but the individual’s consciousness. Although it seems silly at first. This idea is very close to what Descartes thought while he was thinking about the absolute truth. He stated that senses can sometimes deceive people he stated that anything related to senses is not the absolute truth and we can sense things in our dreams as well. Furthermore he stated that the thoughts created by the mind can also enter in dream like stages so the thoughts of one is not the absolute truth either after these realizations the only thing he finds as real is himself because he can think and doubt about his existence. So only thing he is sure is that he exists because he can think. This is pretty close to the idea of solipsism since it states that only thing that exist is the consciousness of an individual.
2. Second theory is the brain in a jar theory. This is a thought experiment that is discussed by the people who think that human’s understanding of reality depends solely on his subjective feelings.
For this scenario to work Imagine that you are just a brain in a jar that is run by aliens or mad scientists. You cannot know that and there is no way that you can figure out the truth (you are just a brain in a jar) and your entire reality is controlled by electric impulses sent to your brain by mad scientists/aliens. This thought experiment leads to the concusion that we cannot confirm the actual existence of anything except our consciousness. This is pretty much the same thinking process that descrates had in his quest to find the absolute truth when he started discrediting thinking and senses as doubtful. This sounds like the similar to the movie “The Matrix“,well guess what! This idea was the very basis of the story.
So as it can be seen here the philosophical conclusion of I think therefore I am caused many (sometimes outlandish) philosophical theories to pop up. So it can be said that this conclusion had a profound impact on philosophy.
DID YOU KNOW?
Most of us seen Math and Geometry in our highschool and colloge educations. We all used the same coordinate system in the most basic to the most complex mathemetical concepts. But did you know that the coordinate system, that we have been using for the last ten years of our lives, was created by Rene Descartes?
Descartes, was not only one of the best philosophers but he was also one of the best mathematicians. This development in geometry provided the first link between the Euclidean geometry and algebra. So not only Descartes conquered the world of philosophy but he also conquered the world of mathematics.
Are You Sleeping?
Descartes doubts everything he sees because he says that everything in life can occur realistically in dreams. We can have the most life-like dreams of being somewhere or doing something and not realize that it’s untrue until we wake up. Our dreams themselves prove that we can be deceived into believing a simulated reality. So how can we ever know that life itself is not a dream?
Well, John Locke has a very well-known argument against this. You probably know it too. Have you ever been so shocked that you pinched your hand to see if you were in a dream? Then you’ve heard of it. He says that the fact that we feel pain means we’re not living in a dream, because you can’t feel pain in dreams the way you feel pain in life. Of course, science has already put this argument to test. It would be nice to say they proved we’re not living in a dream but actually they proved that there have been rare cases where people could feel sharp local pain while dreaming. So you can actually feel pain in dreams! Still, we don’t know if we can feel “agonizing and ongoing pain” in dreams, so Locke might still have a point. But so far we have no way to tell.
Also, naturally there are many other (much less sophisticated and non-philosophical) ways people have suggested to tell dreams apart from reality. Personally I found this one little method very interesting: in the TV show Doctor Who when the characters are locked in a dream, they make up a “dream or reality” test: they each take a copy of the same book, open the same page and read the first word aloud. When they all read a different word, bingo! It means they're dreaming.
Our Place in the Universe
As a child I've always been amazed at stars, comets and any other celestial bodies, not because I was interested in them scientifically or used to question the importance of my existence or the meaning of life, I just loved science-fiction and wanted to learn more about space. History features numerous people who wanted to learn about space like me, but because of the motivations I listed earlier. People like Galileo, Kepler, Newton and countless many others tried to give a meaning to our surroundings and eventually to ourselves as well. Scaling the universe ad figuring out our location in it led them to question the purpose and function of our existence. This effort has not been vanished even in today. For example, James Webb Space Telescope, which is also considered as the successor of Hubble, still tries to explore the universe and help us better understand it and ourselves.
This is the official Youtube channel for James Webb Space Telescope project if you are interested in the recent developments:
James Webb Space Telescope
Is Life An Illusion?
This is one of my favorite quotes by Descartes, in which he argues that the existence of anything that you reason from your senses, like vision, can be essentially uncertain. Our reality could be a Matrix, or a simulation. We could never be 100% certain about anything. To illustrate, if you're looking at a tree, you don't know if that tree truly exists or if it is something you are creating in your dream. Likewise, if you’re viewing your reflection in a mirror, it doesn't mean that you exist. Therefore, you can always doubt the certainty of everything, BUT, even if life was an illusion, the fact that we question reality, proves that there's something thinking.
Seeing Is Believing
Is seeing really enough for believing?
The title of this article is kind of idiom and it means that if you see something yourself you will believe it to be exist or be true despite the fact that it is extremely unusual or unexpected. In this post blog I will share with you about ıllustration processes overview and example for the different type of image and why "seeing" is important that much.
Who Descartes really is
This caricature along with it is very funny, it gives me some kinda hope actually about our century. Who knows maybe in this century's geniuses will be found on their blogs :)
I thought since Descartes was a man of thoughts, he should have some interesting facts in his life,he shouldn't be easy, so I checked if there were any found this site, it is very funny, i will share the link but i will also write some of these facts here also.
- The man who invented analytic geometry, René Descartes (1596-1650), never got out of bed before 11 in the morning!
- DesCartes liked dressing up in fancy clothes.
On origins of knowledge
As many of the philosophers and developmental psychologists, we can see that Descartes thought and worked on the origins of knowledge. As we spoke in the class there is a big debate over the years about whether the genius comes from genes or experience. There are lots of ideas and experiments on this matter. Some include the ability of language. Language is a very curious thing because every young human being learns it and our ability to learn a new language decreases when we get old. This points out to some innate mechanisms we have. However, a child cannot learn language unless he is exposed to it. This on the other hand points out to an experiential learning. The debate about this matter still goes on. I think it is safe to say that both of them has an influence. As in language it is safe to say that some genius comes from genes and some from experience. Whichever may be true, it is proved that believing in the latest is more beneficial. Imagine a child who believes that genius comes from genes and he failed to get a good grade on his first exam of mathematics. The chances are he will lose confidence and he will see the way of getting a good grade is cheating. A child who believes in genius comes from experience on the other hand will try to study more when he fails in the first exam. The actual results of this experiment showed that there is a difference between the grades of second exams. The group that believed genius comes from experience scored higher. So whichever is true, it is wiser to think that we can get better with more hard work.
Weekly Post #5
Your fifth weekly assignment is the same as the first few you did: to make one simple post to your group and to comment on someone else's post. You can post a quote from the reading, a link to a website, an image, a video, whatever you think is interesting and related to what we have been talking about in class. If you are having difficulty finding something, please take a look at the list of websites I've provided you with.
This posting is due on Thursday, March 31 by the end of the day; your comment is due Sunday, April 3 at 12:00 noon.
For details on the option to write an early second essay assignment, see below....
This posting is due on Thursday, March 31 by the end of the day; your comment is due Sunday, April 3 at 12:00 noon.
For details on the option to write an early second essay assignment, see below....
Second Essay Assignment: Optional Early Deadline, Macbeth
Macbeth Essay Assignment
Considering Roman Polanski's film version of Macbeth as an interpretation, choose one scene, one character, or one aspect (period details, atmosphere, music, etc.) that you thought was particularly effective. In your paper, you should demonstrate why you think the director's choice was effective and what dimensions of the play it helped you see, feel or understand. Your argument should give specific examples from the film version, but also textual evidence from the play.
Be sure to focus on one particular scene, character or aspect of the film and use specific evidence to support your claims. Your essay should show that you understand some of the larger themes and problems explored in the play. However, do not merely summarize the film/play or discuss either only in general terms--focus on details!
Earlier, I sent you some information about Polanski, but you can also find it here. It might be helpful in writing your essay.
Remember: one of the goals of this assignment is to help you think critically and analytically, by asking you to develop an argument. This means that you should have a central, focused claim and support it with evidence. Please review the instructions below...
About the Course Project Response Essay Assignment
The essay is an opportunity for you to develop some of your ideas and impressions into insights, and articulate those insights in a brief argument. It should be 2-3 paragraphs long and have a specific focus: don't just summarize, but make a point backed up with evidence. This assignment is meant to be somewhat informal. It does not need to be a perfectly written essay of the sort you would write for a paper. It should not take you more than 30 minutes to write.
Before beginning, please read the more specific guidelines here.
The weeks that you have this assignment, you are not required to make your regular post. However, you are still required to comment on one of your fellow group member's short essay. These comments should be constructively critical and respond in some substantial way to the claim being made by the author. This comment will be worth 0.8 points and will count towards that week's weekly posting grade.
The essay is due on Saturday, April 9 by 19:00.
Your comments on another member's essay are due on Tuesday, April 12 by 19:00.
Considering Roman Polanski's film version of Macbeth as an interpretation, choose one scene, one character, or one aspect (period details, atmosphere, music, etc.) that you thought was particularly effective. In your paper, you should demonstrate why you think the director's choice was effective and what dimensions of the play it helped you see, feel or understand. Your argument should give specific examples from the film version, but also textual evidence from the play.
Be sure to focus on one particular scene, character or aspect of the film and use specific evidence to support your claims. Your essay should show that you understand some of the larger themes and problems explored in the play. However, do not merely summarize the film/play or discuss either only in general terms--focus on details!
Earlier, I sent you some information about Polanski, but you can also find it here. It might be helpful in writing your essay.
Remember: one of the goals of this assignment is to help you think critically and analytically, by asking you to develop an argument. This means that you should have a central, focused claim and support it with evidence. Please review the instructions below...
About the Course Project Response Essay Assignment
The essay is an opportunity for you to develop some of your ideas and impressions into insights, and articulate those insights in a brief argument. It should be 2-3 paragraphs long and have a specific focus: don't just summarize, but make a point backed up with evidence. This assignment is meant to be somewhat informal. It does not need to be a perfectly written essay of the sort you would write for a paper. It should not take you more than 30 minutes to write.
Before beginning, please read the more specific guidelines here.
The weeks that you have this assignment, you are not required to make your regular post. However, you are still required to comment on one of your fellow group member's short essay. These comments should be constructively critical and respond in some substantial way to the claim being made by the author. This comment will be worth 0.8 points and will count towards that week's weekly posting grade.
The essay is due on Saturday, April 9 by 19:00.
Your comments on another member's essay are due on Tuesday, April 12 by 19:00.
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