"Tweethis" Statement

I posted my "Tweethis" statement online on multiple social networking sites, such as Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and Goodreads.  My only responses were on Facebook.  The "Tweethis" statement was "Ophelia killing herself through drowning is a symbol of cleansing herself from the social roles and abuse that she had taken for so long."  My fiance responded with the fact that suicide is never the answer, and that is very true.  My paper is on why that was the only choice Ophelia felt she had left.  

 My friend Josh, who recently changed his major from English Teaching to English with an emphasis in Creative Writing.  He liked my theory and led me to another work, which I sadly have not had time to read.  This support of my theory and the responses to my discussion on Goodreads have helped me to see that my "Tweethis" statement is valid, and that people actually care about it.

I had taken a new direction from my original thinking by focusing on the decision of drowning and of the loss of identity at the loss of Ophelia's father, because she no longer had him to make all of her decisions.  From reading the responses online, I knew I was headed in the right direction.

"Tweethis" Statement

Posted on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+:
"Ophelia killing herself through drowning is a symbol of cleansing herself from the social roles and abuse that she had taken for so long."
What do you think about Ophelia's death in Hamlet?

Taking the Plunge Into Research...Getting My Feet Wet In Social Media

Doesn't she look like she is just releasing herself from life and from her social roles?

Honestly, at the end of this week, the picture above represented me pretty well.  Nothing seemed to go right for this class this week.  I was not able to do as many social connections as I wanted, simply because I did not have any time...which may have been because nothing went as planned for my research.  

Usually, I am pretty skilled at finding articles and making them fit my paper, but the articles that I had found an interest in and that applied well for my paper this time around could not be found anywhere on the internet for free.  As I explored more and more, I got pretty discouraged, but then I thought, "Why not try interlibrary loan?," which I have recently realized the value of as I have been doing research for my other research paper this semester, on Maori English for my linguistics class (I am pretty excited about it!).  Now, I am just waiting to hear back from them to get the articles, and I will continue exploring my options for research.

Before all the failure of article finding, I had watched the 1948 version of Hamlet, which was valuable, because a line caught my attention which never had before, "Frailty, thy name is woman."  Hamlet is referring to his mother's quick mourning time and marriage to his uncle.  But he is also referring to all woman and what he considers their normal fickle behavior.  That of course also made me more aware of all the violence, physical and emotional, that Ophelia goes through, especially from Hamlet and her father.  In a way, Ophelia killing herself through drowning is a symbol of cleansing herself from the social roles and abuse that she has taken for so long; she is freeing herself from the world.

I have not used Prezi much at all, so I thought that might be a good place to explore for what others are saying about Ophelia.  I found multiple presentations, and I posted a few of my favorite ones in a recent post along with what I learned from each one.  I gained some insight on how Ophelia lost part of her identity when she lost her father, because he had taken such strong control over her life.

My social connections were not as many as I would have wished, but I am really enjoying hearing what others have to say on my Goodread's discussion page.  I really enjoyed Katie's words on how many articles have a sexist undertone, because it is very true.  Tomorrow, I am hoping to write many of the scholars of whom I have read their articles on Ophelia.  It would be so exciting if I could hear back from at least one of them!

Also for this week, I need to get my "tweethis" statement finalized and posted on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+, to try to get some feedback on it.  I am planning on getting my first draft written and posted.  Then, I will give feedback on my peers' papers and hopefully get some feedback for my own paper.

Social Networking Follow-Up

I tried to start up a conversation on the Ophelia Community page on Facebook, but so far, there has been no success.  However...on my Goodread's discussion page, I have had some responses.

This has been my favorite social connection so far.  I am trying to get the conversation headed more towards the current direction of my paper, but I really liked what Katie had to say about many of the articles written about Ophelia.  Many of them do have a sexist undertone to them, and I am excited to write a paper showing Ophelia as something other than a silly weak girl.

Phase One- Exploring New Waters

For my Shakespeare research paper, I am required to document my research and writing process. During my exploration of a topic, one name kept coming to my mind: Ophelia. While listening to the play, besides being annoyed with the audiobook, I thought, "Hmm, Ophelia is an interesting character." Then, I read the Manga version of Hamlet, and I loved the way it was set up and the visual representations of Ophelia's character. In fact, the pictures used for Ophelia's suicide intrigued me, and I showed them to my roommates, opening up a discussion about her character and other visual representations of Ophelia. That is when it struck me, "Why not write a paper on Ophelia?!" The answer was so simple. While looking at other sources of information for Hamlet, I had found a common belittlement of Ophelia's character. This led me to the idea of exploring Ophelia's story between the lines in Hamlet, proving her as more than just a symbol or a tool for other characters in the play. As I explored different passages in the play, I found ways to support my ideas. Ophelia was not just a symbol; the story could be completely written with her as the main character, and it would still be an intense and dramatic tragedy. I also began my search for sources through social networking and exploring the Internet. I opened up discussions on Facebook and Goodreads. Then I searched for people writing about Hamlet online and found a personal website of compiled essays specifically on Shakespeare. Then, I found scholars who have written about Ophelia and discovered ways to contact them.

For the next phase of research, I plan on exploring different media forms of Hamlet, such as play performances, movies, and pictures, to hopefully discover new insights on Ophelia. I will complete an annotated bibliography of my sources so far, as a way to remember the information I have gained from each of them, as I contact them through means of e-mail. I will prepare for these interactions by reading the papers they have written and learn more about their research in the area of Shakespeare and women in literature.

Once, I have gathered my information. I will form my final "Tweethis" statement, post a first draft, and begin to refine my paper and use the information I have gained to hopefully help my fellow students.

To Gossip...About Shakespeare

For an interesting fact, the verb "to gossip" made its first appearance in Shakespeare's works.  Gossip is light, familiar, or idle talk.  None of which I will be doing with my social connections.  I want to prove Ophelia's worth as a character (the story could have been just as complete, tragic, and dramatic told from her point-of-view).  I have been posting on social networking sites, by posting a question on the Ophelia society wall on Facebook and by forming a discussion group on Goodreads (I already have some responses).

Someone I may contact is Ray Eston Smith, Jr.  He has developed a website completely devoted to his essays and work on Hamlet.   

I am also trying to find some scholars on Hamlet that I can contact to get their opinion on Ophelia.

Leslie C. Dunn wrote "Ophelia's Song's in Hamlet: Music, Madness, and the Feminine."  Dunn is an associate professor of English whose research focuses on music, gender, and representation in early modern England.  

Nona Fienberg wrote "Jephthah's Daughter: The Parts Ophelia Plays."  Fienberg was the Dean of Arts and Humanities at Keene State College for the past nine years.  She is now returning to her love of teaching.  While in college, Fienberg focused her studies on Shakespeare, the Renaissance, and women in literature. 

Matthew A. Fike wrote "Gertrude's Mermaid Allusion."  Fike is an Associate Professor of English at Winthrop University, where he teaches courses in Shakespeare and Renaissance literature.

Allison Findlay wrote "Hamlet: A Document in Madness."  Findlay is a Professor of Renaissance Drama in the Department of English and Creative Writing at Lancaster University.  Her research interests are in Shakespearean drama and women's writing of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.

Richard Finkelstein wrote "Differentiating Hamlet: Ophelia and the Problems of Subjectivity."  Finkelstein is an Associate Professor and Head of Design at James Madison University's School of Theatre and Dance.

http://www.rfdesigns.org/

http://www.jmu.edu/theatre/rf1.htm

http://www.scenofest.org/CVs/RichardFinkelstein/RichardFinkelstein.htm

Mary Floyd-Wilson wrote "Ophelia and Femininity in the Eighteenth Century: 'Dangerous conjectures in ill-breeding minds.'"  Floyd-Wilson is the Associate Professor of English & Comp Literature and the Assistant Department Chair at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.  Her current research is a book on the practices and mentalities of the Shakespearean stage.

http://englishcomplit.unc.edu/people/floydwilsonm

http://mems.unc.edu/faculty/mary-floyd-wilson-1

http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/cross_fac/ias/visitingfellows/0910alphabetaorder/floydwilson/

R. Chriss Hassel, Jr. wrote "Painted Women: Annunciation Motifs in Hamlet."  He is a Professor of English Emeritus at Vanderbilt University.  

Ronald Bradford Jenkins wrote "The Case Against the King: The Family of Ophelia vs. His Majesty King Claudius of Denmark."  I am still trying to find a way to contact him.

Kaara Peterson wrote "Framing Ophelia: Representation and the Pictorial Tradition."  Peterson is an Associate Professor and Director of the Literary London Program at Miami University.  

Kay Stanton wrote "Hamlet's Whores."  Stanton is a Professor of English at California State University.  

I am excited to read their works and contact these scholars.  I look forward to their insights on the character of Ophelia and the role she plays in Hamlet.

Ophelia Community Online

There is a community on Facebook for Ophelia.  I am hoping to open up some good discussions on Facebook, Twitter, and Goodreads.  Does anyone know of any other good discussion sites for literary topics?  Happy social networking!