10 Things I Hate About You Essays

Taming of the Shrew/ 10 Things I Hate About You Essays Taming of the Shrew/ 10 Things I Hate About You Paper Taming of the Shrew/ 10 Things I Hate About You Paper Essay Topic: The Taming Of the Shrew The story of The Taming of the Shrew is one that raises important issues both in the Shakespearean text and in the modern appropriation 10 Things I Hate About You. How does each composers use of this story reflect the time in which each was composed The Taming of the Shrew was written in the Elizabethan Era in England at a time when men were considered to be superior to women. The patriarchal society of this time is reflected to a large extent in the text and various implications of traditional values can be noted. The modern appropriation, Ten Things I Hate About You, goes along the same story line however it is quite evident that the different context has a significant impact upon the content. The most obvious indicator of the type of society is given through the medium that each text is presented in. The Taming of the Shrew is a play and was staged for audiences during the early 17th century. The fact that Shakespeare chose to write a play rather than, say, a comic strip or screenplay, indicated that it was the most popular form of entertainment at the time. The best way for Shakespeare to have his work known was through the most popular form of entertainment. The language of the text is another tell-tale sign of the type of culture prevalent in Shakespeares era. Shakespearean English is used, which is much more poetic and refined than our present day dialect, hence the people in society had quite sophisticated speech. In the film Ten Things I Hate About You, the language is fairly colloquial and rough-edged. Kat is called a heinous bitch by her peers, and the Principal of the school, someone in an authoritative position, has no problem with relaying that information to Kat. This is a large contrast to the Katherina of the Shakespearean text, whom others called a shrew and a wild beast. This exposes the crude English that society has developed, and that is being used by teenagers. The fact that a person in a position of power doesnt hesitate to use such language emphasizes that it is accepted not only by adolescents but by adults as well. Yet another illustration of the popular culture of modern society is the medium that Ten Things is shown via. Choosing to adapt the play, The Taming of the Shrew, as a film shows that it was one of the most popular forms of entertainment of the 20th century. Society in the Renaissance period was highly dominated by males, and they exercised their power over women quite regularly. We can immediately come to this conclusion after reading the beginning of the text, The Taming of the Shrew. Katherina is being defined by Gremio and Lucentio, and after their first meeting with Katherina Gremio states . .. though her father be very rich, any man is so very a fool to be married to hell Through the mens definitions the audience is given the first opinions of Katherina and she is not given a chance to voice her own opinion or thoughts on the matter. The appropriated version of Katherina, Kat, is a character that is given much more freedom. She is a non-conformist and an outsider at her school. She is defined by her own words, I dont like to do what people expect, why should I live up to other peoples expectations instead of my own, and her actions in the English Class Scene. Kat makes references to Sylvia Plath and Charlotte Bronte, both feminist writers, and we are led to believe that Kat holds strong feminist views. The music in the film also signifies how Kat feels, for example the beginning song that has the lyrics I dont give a damn about my bad reputation. In the film Kat is also given a chance to explain the reasons for her different behaviour when she tells Bianca about her relationship with Joey. Katherina of The Taming of the Shrew is never given the chance to explain herself and her actions therefore we can conclude that it is because her society does not allow for women like herself to have an opinion. Choice is a prominent symbol of the cultures that each text reflects. In the Taming of the Shrew Katherina is forced to marry Petruchio and she is not given any choice in the matter because it is unacceptable to go against the will of ones father. The culture of the early 17th century placed strong emphasis on the respect that children must show for their parents. Although Katherina rebels against many other customs she reluctantly marries out of respect for her father. In Ten Things Kat is given the choice of going out with Patrick or not. Patrick is given money to woo Kat but he never forces her to take up his offer because, in the society that they live in, it is not acceptable. This reflects that, in the modern context, men and women have greater equality, and also that parents have little or no part in the relationships that their children build with members of the opposite sex. The fathers in each of the two texts give a very good insight into the culture of the society in their particular eras. The Ten Things father is very protective of his daughters. He is aware of the availability of drugs and alcohol in teen culture, and the probability teens retain of having sexual relations. This shows that these are all prominent issues in society in the 90s. Baptista, from the play, is a contrast to the Ten Things father. He very much desires his daughters to get married because he doesnt want to risk losing his familys good reputation. We can tell that it is normal for daughters to be married by their fathers and the father is not worried about sex, drugs or alcohol, so we can gather that these issues were not around during the Renaissance. Hence it can be concluded that the culture of the time was not exposed to such matters, and did not need to concern themselves with them. The biggest force in society at the time Ten Things was made was peer pressure, and still is. We find this out when Kat talks to Bianca about her relationship with Joey. She said everyone was doing it so I did it. We can gather that Kat was a victim of this peer pressure and her reaction was to cut herself off from all the conformists and become her own person. Kat is not the only person in society that has a feminist view, though, and this is shown at Club Skunk where her favourite band performed. Kat was not the only girl listening to the band so one can assume that Kats interests were not entirely individual. Whereas Katherina of Shakespeares play is only one voice in the male hierarchical system and she is never aware of any similar voices so her oppression in society was inevitable. In modern society, it has become normal for all teenagers to attend university. In Ten Things Kat talks about wanting to attend a University out west, something her father isnt keen on, as the western Universities are known for their better marks and overall higher intelligence. Kats desire to go against her fathers will reflects that parents and children of the 20th century were more equal than they were in the Elizabethan period. Kats thirst for knowledge and attendance at a western university highlights her strong personality as she is willing to go against her father to get what she wants. In The Taming of the Shrew an indication of a characters wealth is by the number of servants they have, the size of their property, and the positions they hold in society. This is a direct reflection on Renaissance society as many of the richest people owned a fair few servants. This is fairly similar to today and in Ten Things, the movie illustrates the Kats familys wealthiness through their large pristine house, their fathers occupation as a Doctor, and the dialogue. In Shakespeares time wealth was admired a great deal. Men would marry women because of their fathers wealth and the good deal they could close. Well off men were much respected in society. The reason for Petruchios marriage to Katherina was solely because he wanted to have a share in her wealth. In the end the audience never finds out whether Petruchio and Katherina love each other but previously they didnt so it can be assumed either way. In Ten Things not much reference is paid to the impacts your wealth had on the respect you received in society. Bowy Lowenstein, on of the computer group is not considered cool because he spends a lot of time at his computer and not socializing, yet he is very wealthy. Overall The Taming of the Shrew and Ten Things I Hate About You contain many elements that reflect the society through which they were composed. The historical, cultural, and social context of the Taming of the Shrew influenced much of the action in the play and the film appropriation gives an insight into 20th century teen culture.

Critical Analysis of Your Own Writing

Critical Analysis of Your Own Writing Critical Analysis of Your Own Writing Critical Analysis of Your Own Writing By Guest Author This is a guest post by Alice Peterson . If you want to write for Daily Writing Tips check the guidelines here. So you think you have something to say? How do you get past the stymieing effect of self-analysis? Is this good enough? Will your target audience be provoked to the point of discomfort? Are you â€Å"okay with that?† American literature today is in danger of being hampered by the three-minute attention span. Educators are being taught that that there is a â€Å"generational culture† (isn’t that an oxymoron? I’ll save that for a later article) wherein our audience no longer has the abstract-thinking ability to solve a complex problem. Our literary contributions are bound to suffer. How can we sidestep this problem and improve our critical thinking skills for writing? Here is I challenge I have for you: attempt to read the passage below and answer the following questions in four minutes. Are the characters consistent with their time and place? Is the dialogue appropriate to both the audience of the writer and the character? Is the writing original and thought-provoking? Some might call Big J a megalomaniac. Although a tradesman by day, he threw lavish outdoor parties on weekends in his fishing village of Golly Me for anyone who would listen to his bombastic diatribes against the status quo. He was known for preparing local cuisine with few calories but full satiety, for this strategy ever-expanded his circle of close friends. Tonight, with a full belly and the feeling of being in an exclusive club, I felt a sense of purpose and renewed energy in my middle age. I was ready to hear Big J’s pronouncements for the week. â€Å"I am the alpha and the omega,† he broadcast to 5,000 of us with only a megaphone to help his voice carry. Heads in the crowd restlessly turned right-to-left and left-to-right. Confused faces repeated the words in their native English. Sure, Big J is the smartest guy in the room. Few of us had been to college and studied foreign languages. What was he talking about? It was Greek to me. 1. â€Å"Why here, why now?† This is the simplest tool of critical thinking. Why did I have the character suddenly speak in a language foreign to his fictional audience? No one in my story was well-travelled, or had been to college yet. They might not even read well or at all. Perhaps it was to establish J as â€Å"the smartest guy in the room,† well-travelled and culturally astute. I have to determine if this anachronism detracts from the scene, or if it is worth it so I can later sell simple fish trinkets that are coincidentally shaped like the Greek letter alpha. 2. What about the first paragraph? Is it realistic to say low-calorie, highly satisfying food is a crowd pleaser? We are in a fishing village, so the local cuisine is fish. We know most fish contains protein and healthy fats which do produce a full feeling for fewer calories than meals heavy in carbohydrates. 3. What about the megaphone? Have I ever been at an outdoor event at the back of a crowd of 5,000 and heard the entertainment clearly over a megaphone? Personally, I am not a fan of the outdoor concerts with sophisticated electronic s and speakers. Just a few hundred people or so between myself and the stage will greatly reduce my acoustical enjoyment. Although we all look for time-savers throughout our day, practice is truly the best way to improve skills. This exercise probably took you between four and five minutes to complete. Keep applying this tool to everything you read and write, and you will be rewarded with expert skills, and maybe a little discomfort. Alice Peterson serves on the editorial review board for the Journal of Neuroscience Nursing. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Writing Basics category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:When to Use â€Å"That,† â€Å"Which,† and â€Å"Who†"Wracking" or "Racking" Your Brain?Glimpse and Glance: Same or Different?