Before I tell you about the latest project in PLP 11 I wanted to share my opinion on the events of the past few months.
In the past months, we have seen our world turned on its head where the things we take for granted have been ripped from our very grasp. With a global pandemic that has infected over 6 million people worldwide and protests that have shone a blinding light on systemic racism; humanity is in the midst of one of its greatest tests. We can look at the start of 2020 as an unfortunate combination of events or we can look at it is as a moment for society to reflect and begin to understand its flaws. We must come together as a community to call out the manipulative nature of flashy headline media and ignorance in our day to day lives. As our world gets more and more politically polarized, we must be active in efforts to bridge the gap before it gets too far for any conversation to occur. As much as I question why systemic racism hasn’t been addressed by those in power, we have to be proactive as individuals of the human race to quell the horrors of inequality. Inequality is the antihero of freedom because it serves to lift certain people up on the backs of others. As a white kid in a wealthy neighborhood, I need to recognize my privilege in order to begin to understand what it’s like to not grow up with a white picket fence.
That being said, I would like to share with you some things PLP 11 was cooking up before the pandemic forced the world into quarantine.
For our Macbeth unit’s final project, we were to create a 1950’s adaptation of the play Macbeth. We structured the work with actual filming roles like director, producer, and scriptwriter.
All of us had a number of different roles during the creation of the film. We were told to incorporate themes found in our study of the play, Macbeth. We were required to set the film in the 1950’s complete with cultural, social, economic, and political references. Outside of that, we were given relative creative freedom under the direction of the members of the key creative team (Jessie, Luca J, Alivia, Giorgia).
When watching the film you may have noticed that our film was incomplete. We were in the middle of filming when school was moved online and policies of social distancing were enacted. I was annoyed at first because I felt we were on the path to creating a fantastic product. I had put in a ton of effort into the creation as an actor and in my roles so it felt like large portions of my work never saw the light of day. Our class had put in substantial effort into the understanding of Macbeth and the completion of the film would have been a great conclusion to a stellar unit of learning.
Script
I was chosen to be the script editor for the production. I worked with Jessie, the screenwriter to write the script in the celtx. Jessie took the brunt of the scriptwriting while I edited it and ensured its flow. Jessie had a fantastic vision for the play and I was happy to add in where I could. When writing, Jessie and I found including 50s lingo very challenging to make it sound natural. Neither of us had experience using words like “bee’s knees” so we were at a loss when trying to include so that they seem natural in conversation.
I felt like I was writing a foreign language of strange words. It is a testament to how ever-changing language is in our world. It paints a reason for why the work of Shakespeare and other great authors of the past is so important in our analysis of the English language. I have a newfound understanding of how my parents feel when I use words like “dope” and “chill”. Language is always evolving to the tune of the rapid changes in our culture, and Shakespeare’s work represents the English language in one of its most beautiful forms. His work is a time capsule back to the time of monarchies and the victorian era. Language will always be a bridge that can transcend the plane of time to shine a light on the previously hidden.
Acting
When I was cast as the character of Duncan I was surprised. I never thought of myself as a very good actor, but I gave it my best shot. The fact that my role fit similarly to who I am as a person made the acting much easier because I could remain within my normal sphere of action. However, it wasn’t simple When I was writing the script I had a rough idea of who Duncan was as a character but playing him allowed me to gain a deeper appreciation for who he was. In Macbeth, Duncan was killed by someone he trusted, but his death was aided by his ignorance. When the traitor, the Thane of Cawdor commits treason he makes the claim that he could see through him the entire time even though he was betrayed.
“There’s No Art To Find The Mind’s Construction In The Face”
-Duncan 1.4.13
In our film, Duncan was seen more as the savior similar to the way that Macduff was seen in the actual play of Macbeth. I think it was an interesting take on the character because it changed him from pompous and unaware to grounded and intelligent. In playing the character I found a greater understanding of who he was in our rendition of the play. His story reminded me that the greatest people don’t need to seize power for the are given it out of respect and admiration. In my life, I value others’ respect highly, and with PLP’s Duncan’s poise and attractiveness he is the epitome of an inspiring individual who is capable of great things. In Shakespeare’s Macbeth, he touched on the dangers of ambition, but Duncan in our play shows that with the correct qualities ambition can be far more of a virtue. I believe ambition while controlled is an extremely powerful tool in modern life. Those who have the drive to get ahead will be the ones who will secure their potential.
Quest’s
Like many of the PLP projects, we had assignments layered in conjunction with our final project. With the study of Macbeth, we explored many of the themes and literary tools. In our efforts to understand it we took an in-depth look at specific quotes to determine their deeper meaning. In 45 minute periods, we looked at how individual quotes retained to character, plot, and their greater meaning about the world around us.
In my first of 3 attempts, I found it really challenging to use the quotes as evidence. It was hard to connect how each quote’s importance connected to the three main points of character, plot, and theme. By attempt number 2, I had a more structured understanding of how to connect the evidence. I utilized a broader understanding of the play and of how to breakdown a quote to its major points in order to write a stronger narrative for my claims. In attempt number 3 I had shown even more improvement in my ability to draw connections from my claims to my evidence. I found it was really important to incorporate creative writing in order to mold a stronger argument.
This unit laid the basis for my skill in connecting evidence to my claims. It’s a skill that will be beneficial for me for years because it gives me the opportunity to back up my opinions with the firepower that supporting evidence provides. By writing out my opinions it helped me understand how to deconstruct a piece of evidence in order to prove how it supports my claim.
In our “hide your fires” unit I was taken down a journey of learning and reflection. We were given the chance to complete one of the most challenging final products in PLP. Ultimately we were unsuccessful but I think it is fair to blame the global pandemic that challenged the normalcies of society. Even though we were never able to complete the project the journey in which we traveled gave me many learning and reflective experiences that will serve me well.
