Welcome to Classical Mentoring!

Hello, my name is Andrew Smith and I’m an aspiring genius.

This isn’t, of course, the way I would have imagined beginning a description of myself. Growing up in Alaska I always had a hard time feeling like I belonged. I think that’s the way a lot of kids view themselves growing up, and I was no exception. I wasn’t very comfortable in my own skin and I just wasn’t sure if I fit in anywhere. I just wanted to be cool, and to the younger me, “nerd” was just about the worst thing I could possibly imagine being called. I wanted to be cool! However, with a little perspective now, I recognize that there's more to life than feeling cool. Life is about discovering what your talents and good attributes are and then developing them into your inner genius. 

I grew up heavily involved in many different schooling programs, from a Christian school, to homeschool, to public school, to private school, I did just about everything. Throughout all of this my parents had my siblings and me immersed in a “Thomas Jefferson Education,” often referred to as leadership education. The philosophy of this essentially is that the purpose of education is to help develop an individual’s inner genius. There are many historical examples we can look at, most notably Thomas Jefferson, who were educated in this manner.

It was in the midst of growing up with my parent’s helping me to seek after my genius that I discovered two things I really enjoyed: Theatre and Shakespeare. Oh, boy. I was like a kid in a candy store, I loved those things so much. I was begging my parents to let me audition for local shows and rent all the Shakespeare films I could from Blockbuster. It wasn’t long before I was seeking more and more opportunities that eventually led me to be trained to teach Shakespeare, theatre, and public speaking classes to teenagers.

Me as a missionary in upstate New York

I taught and mentored for a few years locally in Alaska before deciding to take two years off to serve a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in upstate New York. May I just say, if you have an opportunity to go on a service trip of a similar nature I would highly recommend it! I learned so much about working together as a team, helping those who were struggling, and essentially to be a good neighbor, (not like State Farm. Well, maybe like State Farm). I loved it and I wouldn’t give back those two years for anything!

I returned from New York in April of 2015 and am currently studying theatre arts education at Brigham Young University. I love teaching and working with teenagers! I had several incredible mentors growing up who helped me stretch and always strive to be better and to this day I look up to and seek advice from these men and women. These men and women are who I now strive to be; I want to help people find their genius, and I want them to understand that knowing and developing their genius is the coolest thing of all. 

___________________________ 

______________________________________

Check out the blog right below this post to see info on class happenings, my activity and more!

Resonation Part One: Defining Poetry

Resonation

Part 1: Defining Poetry:

First of several parts to come on the subject of understanding, enjoying, and creating poetry.

Several months ago, as I was researching and preparing to give a presentation designed to help youth gain an understanding of and an ability to write better poetry, I had a sudden epiphany. In retrospect, the realization I gained during this “aha” moment may seem quite obvious. And while the realization may SEEM obvious, I think it’s something that many people unconsciously choose to ignore when preparing to delve into the study or creation of poetry.

My epiphany began with an almost too obvious question.

What IS poetry?

What I mean is that most people regard poetry as some form of text written in a rhythmic or imaginative fashion. But what I realized as I sat at my desk preparing slides on couplets, quatrains, and different poetic meters, was that while a sonnet may be considered poetry, poetry is most certainly not defined as a sonnet. Nor is poetry defined by any other conventional meter or form. How, then, could I define poetry for these youth I was preparing to mentor?

You see, many people choose to view poetry through this sort of tunnel vision, not understanding that perhaps poetry means something more than what dictionaries and Wikipedia choose to define it as. Poetry is one of those words, like love, hate, and beauty that seem impossible to define with complete justice. What one person may hold up as the epitome of beauty another may throw out as garbage. The same, I think, holds true for poetry.

I realized at this point that I could never attempt to teach poetry without having my own personal definition of what poetry is to ME. And so I set about it. I reread some of my favorite Shakespeare plays, made a list of my favorite books and why I loved them, laughed my way through Shel Silverstein’s “Where the Sidewalk Ends,” perused some of my favorite poets’ works, and I didn’t stop there. Realizing that there was more to poetry than the written word, I also listened to and made a list of music that I had an enduring love for, television shows and movies that I considered my personal classics, and moved on from there.

To my surprise, I made an interesting discovery. For the most part, I found that the reason I loved these things so much was because they moved me emotionally in some way (Obvious, right?). With the exception of a few works, including numerous “romcoms” such as “The Wedding Planner” (I think we all have our guilty pleasures, right?) all of these works I had listed, read, and written about were works that had moved me. And so, finally coming full circle and sitting down back at my desk, I wrote the following definition for what I believe poetry is to me.

Poetry is anything that resonates within you.

I have used this as my definition of poetry since. Sure, poetry can be a Shakespearean sonnet. Sure, poetry can be a passionate ballad about “Odo the Hero” (non-Harry Potter fans may ignore this last reference). But poetry can also be a verse from your favorite song, or the way the sun shines through your window in the morning. Poetry can be watching your child ride his bicycle for the very first time or even the way the grandfather wistfully whispers the closing line of the Princess Bride to his grandson, “As you wish…”

If poetry is anything that resonates within you, what are some things you consider to be poetry? Try thinking outside the box, I once had a student inform me that poetry, to him, was the first bite of a fresh Cinnabon. Mmmm…

Potent Poetry – Six-Week Online Poetry Intensive

"Potent Poetry"

Six-Week Online Poetry Intensive

Goal: to give students an understanding of how to write poetry and what it means to be a poet through the life and works of famous poets from the past, present, and future.

In Shakespeare Conquest we believe in mentors. If you want to become a great businessman, find someone who is already a great businessman and ask him to mentor you. If you want to be a great basketball player, find someone who already is, and ask him to mentor you. And if you want to be a great poet, find someone who already is a great poet, and ask him to mentor you.

Well, we can’t exactly have the great poets of history come teach the class themselves. But we do have the next best thing: their lives and their works. The focus of this intensive is not on simply teaching about poetry, but teaching about the poets themselves. What does it mean to be a poet? What has made past poets great? What makes todays poets great? And what can we do to achieve that greatness ourselves?

Each week students will learn about different famous poets from the past, present, and future, as well as how to write their own poetry in the form of free verse, sonnets, quatrains, couplets, iambic pentameter, trochaic pentameter, and more! Each week students will write their own poems and present it to the class as a whole; all the while learning about the true meaning of poetry, what makes a poet great, and how poetry can help them in their future lives.

When: Thursdays, March 1st—April 5th 4-6pmAKST, 6-8pmMST.

Where: At your computer! Interactive web conferencing via Go To Meeting

Target Audience: Youth ages 12-19, or Participation at the discretion of the participant. (Younger and older participants are welcome if they believe they would enjoy the experience).

Cost: $40.00 per student, or $100.00 for three students.

What if I’m not sure I’ll like it? Come check out our FREE poetry Webinar this week, Thursday, Feb 9^th. This webinar is geared towards people who may be interested in the longer intensive.

How many spots are available? Only 15! So hurry!

How do I sign up? Go to our “Register” page, scroll down the bottom, and fill out the PayPal information under the “Potent Poetry” section. You should receive an email confirmation within 48 hours with all the necessary information.

What do I need?

·         A computer with high-speed Internet.

·         Preferable:

o   Headset with built-in microphone, (Available at Wal-Mart for around $25.00)

·         Optional:

o   Any headphones or speakers, and a phone. (Students can dial in and talk with the phone when presenting their poetry, but it’s not toll-free and slightly more difficult for the student).

·         Your imagination!

Freeing the Poet Inside of You—FREE Webinar!

Freeing the Poet Inside of You—FREE Webinar!

Have you ever tried to write a poem, but given up because you just “couldn’t find the right words?”

Have you ever written a poem knowing you need to have SOME kind of format and meter, but you just weren’t sure where to start?

Have your words ever made somebody smile?

Then this is the program for you.

What is Poetry? It seems that society today is under the impression that poetry is some mystical higher-state of writing. That poetry is complex, and should remain permanently entombed in some vault along with the rest of Shakespeare’s works. And yet, something doesn’t necessarily have to have two rhyming couples or a four-line quatrain to be considered poetry. Nor does it have to be iambic pentameter or rhyme royal.  The reality is that there are only two tools really necessary to create poetry: a dash of inspiration, and a dash of information. Once you have these, your words will cease to be just words and will become something more. Something new. Something that YOU created.

In this free Webinar you’ll come away, not only with a sonnet written by you, but with a basic understanding of how to continue to write and discover the poet inside of you. You will become acquainted with poetry written by Shakespeare, Dr. Suess, Sarah Kay, and even the Backstreet Boys; all the while learning how to format the rhythm and meter of your poetry for a more resonant result.

Poetry was meant to be experienced, not just for the reader, but for the writer as well. So join us online for an experience that you’ll be sure to remember!  

When: Thursday, February 9^th, 4-6pmAKST, 6-8pmMST

Where: At your computer! Interactive web conferencing via Go To Meeting

Cost: Free! (But if you like it, be sure to sign up for our six-week Poetry Intensive!)

How do I sign up? Send us an email at shakespearealaska@gmail.com, put “poetry webinar” in the subject line, and give us your name and age. You should receive a confirmation email within 48 hours containing information on how to get into the webinar. (If you don’t receive a confirmation email, give us a call at: (907) 315-6813).

Target Audience: Youth ages 14-19, or Participation at the discretion of the participant. (Younger and older participants are welcome if they believe they would enjoy the experience).

What do I need? 

• A computer with high-speed Internet.
• Headphones or speakers, (If you have a headset with a microphone, that's preferable, but not a requirement).
• Your imagination!

Only 15 spots available, so hurry!

The Bard's Challenge: Week Eight, Pericles, Prince of Tyre

The Bard’s Challenge: Week Eight

Pericles, Prince of Tyre

In this post:

Pericles

Sonnets 24-29

Thoughts on Pericles

Wow…Can you say fiasco?

You can say fiasco… but wait until you read Titus Andronicus.

So I just have to wonder if anyone else was having the same thoughts as me while they were reading this play. It’s completely outrageous! I’m reading and I’d just go, “Wait, hold on. The riddle just HAPPENS to reveal Antiochus’s incest? And the fishermen just happened to retrieve Pericles’ armor, and Thaisa randomly decides to join a convent instead of meeting up with Pericles in Tyre? And in addition, why the heck does Pericles leaves Marisa in Tharsus for 14 years?!” It makes absolutely no sense. And as if the complete absurdities weren’t enough, the characters seem stiff and stereotypical, and nothing really HAPPENS in the play. I mean, stuff happens, but it’s mostly Gower DESCRIBING what happens, rather than it being played out onstage.

Two explanations:
Okay, so Pericles is definitely not one of Shakespeare’s best plays. In fact, a lot of people think it’s one of his worst. But there are a couple things that must be said of the plays.

First, it’s highly unlikely that Shakespeare wrote Pericles by himself. Most scholars agree that the play was collaborated on, especially in the first two acts. If it’s true, the collaboration explains a good amount of the discrepancies, abrupt shifts, and language faults in the play that are not normal for a more mature Shakespeare. The collaboration made things uneven, stiff, and different from scene to scene. So while some passages and scenes contain beautiful imagery and verse, the play can’t hold its own as a whole.  

Second, the characters and some of the circumstances are stereotypical and unrealistic for a reason. Let’s think about some of the characters, shall we? Antiochus: stereotypical evil villain. Dionyza: stereotypical evil stepmother. Helicanus: stereotypical loyal prince. Marina: stereotypical virtuous princess. If you’re anything like me, these characters were gosh darned frustrating! I’d like to go ahead and quote Charles Boyce here: “The figures are not realistic, but this is part of their point. They are symbols of the human potential for good and evil that is so much more complex and obscure in reality, or even in realistic drama. “

Resurrection

“She sings like one immortal.” (5.Chorus.3)

Shakespeare uses the theme of resurrection quite a bit in his plays, but in Pericles he uses it about three times as much as he normally would. First, Thaisa apparently dies giving birth to Marina, then Marina apparently dies, (Marina vividly reminds me of Snow White. Did anyone else get the same feeling?) and finally, after hearing of both his wife’s and his daughter’s death, Pericles dies on the inside. He can no longer even speak or communicate with the outside world because of his grief. I think it’s a bit ironic, then, that the sight of Marina is what brings him back. To quote Pericles himself, “Thou. . . Beget’st him that did thee beget.” Or, in other words, “You have brought to life the same person that originally brought you to life.”  

Sonnets:

Sonnet 24:

This sonnet was really tough for me, and I went and looked at a couple different explanations, then read the sonnet again. Then I almost cried! Look at these lines:

That hath his windows glazed with thine eyes.

Now see what good turns eyes for eyes have done:

Mine eyes have drawn thy shape, and thine for me

Are windows to my breast

It’s very tough to get at first, but what I think Shakespeare is saying here is that when he looks with his “windows” into the youth’s eyes, the youth can see his beauty reflected in them, and Shakespeare can see into his own heart.

Sonnet 25-29:

I don’t have too much to say one these except for one thing: Sonnet 29 is probably my new favorite sonnet ever. J I had this vague memory of having read it before, and then I remembered—it was the first sonnet I ever read! (Other than the “Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day.”)

Next Week:

·         Titus Andronicus

      Very bloody, very graphic, one of Shakespeare’s first plays. It’s not going to be inspiring. ;) Have fun.

·         Sonnets 30-33

The Bard's Challenge: Week Seven, The Winter's Tale

The Bard’s Challenge: Week Seven

The Winter’s Tale

In this post:

The Winter’s Tale

Thoughts on The Winter’s Tale

Comedy or Tragedy?

Most people think of Shakespeare’s plays in four categories: Comedy, Tragedy, History, and Problem plays. However, recently scholars have created a new genre to Shakespeare’s repertory: “Tragicomic Romances.” The name says it all. In his later years Shakespeare seemed to turn over a new leaf with plays like, Cymbeline, Pericles, The Winter’s Tale, and even The Tempest. These plays generally contained elements of both comedy and tragedy. The Winter’s Tale was Shakespeare’s first big success with this new genre. In it, he managed to perfectly capture the grim worlds of Othello, Hamlet, and Lear, as well as the visionary optimism in plays like Love’s Labour’s Lost, As You Like It, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream. In The Winter’s Tale, I noticed, Shakespeare almost splits it in half. The first half of the play, up until Act four, is almost pure tragedy, (killing babies!) whereas the second half sins are forgiven, relationships built, and happiness ensues.

What’s With the Title?

Even today when we hear the word “winter” we think of two things: Christmas, and cold. Up here in Alaska, Snow and darkness is usually involved. So the title of the play, just like the comedy/tragedy plot, is a mixed matter. The first half of the play is dark, cold, and foreboding, just like winter can often seem. The second half of the play is warm, light, inviting, and full of forgiveness. Similar to the Christmas season.

“It is requir’d / you do awake your faith.”

Was anyone else struck by the huge religious themes in the play? Most obvious of all being the Christ-like sacrifice and rebirth of Hermione? Or the sin and repentance of Leontes? I think what Shakespeare does here is brilliant. Usually in the tragedies we see a figure like Leontes with a huge character flaw fall and often die because of his faults. In this play Leontes is given a second chance. He still has to live with the consequences of his actions, (his son’s death, and his wife and daughter’s apparent deaths.) but he repents and vows to do whatever he can to make amends.

Human Virtue

Although there are a large number of religious themes running throughout the play, one theme seems to rise above all others: the capacity for human virtue. Although Apollo and the Oracle provide small roles in the plays events, the happy ending is eventually achieved not because of divine intervention or chance, but because people like Paulina chose virtue over selfishness or fear, and did the right thing. I loved reading this play because I was able to relate to the characters and their struggle, and for some reason their virtue boosted my own innate need to do good. In this play, Shakespeare manages to capture not only the dark and dreary world of jealousness and fear that are most assuredly a part of our human nature, but also our innate capacity of love and kindness that, if we let it, will far outweigh our darker tendencies.

Next Week:

·         Pericles, Prince of Tyre

·         Sonnets 24-29