M. C. Escher, Order and Chaos. Lithograph, 1950.

Transcription

1 Moon s Day, October 20: Chaos, Paradox, Self EQ#1: What is chaos, and why does it freak people out (if it does)? EQ#2: What is paradox, and how is it an expression of and reaction to chaos? EQ#3: How does knowing the difference help advance art, science, and life? Welcome! Gather pen/cil, paper, wits! o Unit 2 Cover Sheet: Chaos, Paradox, Self: Shakespeare s World Opening Freewrite Lecture: Chaos to Paradox, Chaucer to Shakespeare Reading/Freewrite: Werner Heisenberg, Physics and Philosophy M. C. Escher, Order and Chaos. Lithograph, ELACC12RI3: Analyze/explain how individuals, ideas, events interact, develop ELACC12RL4-RI4: Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in text ELACC12RL5: Analyze an author s choices concerning how to structure specific parts of a text ELACC12RI5: Analyze and evaluate effectiveness of the structure an author uses ELACC12RI6: Determine an author s point of view or purpose in a text ELACC12RI7: Integrate and evaluate multiple sources to address a question or solve a problem ELACC12RI8: Delineate and evaluate the reasoning in seminal British texts ELACC12W2: Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas ELACC12W4: Produce clear and coherent writing appropriate to task, purpose, and audience ELACC12W10: Write routinely over extended and shorter time frames ELACC12L1: Demonstrate standard English grammar and usage in speaking and writing. ELACC12L6: Acquire and use general academic and domain-specific words and phrases

2 Freewrite 100 words, obeying this set of instructions: DO NOT WRITE ANYTHING.

3 To many of you, that prompt looked and felt like Chaos Greek khaos "abyss, that which gapes wide open, vast, empty" A disordered situation in which the categories, rules and procedures that in a traditional system would be true becomes meaningless Chaos tends to paralyze us just as a deer is paralyzed by a sudden bright light when and where there should be no light. And many in Shakespeare s time felt that way.

4 Chaos from Chaucer to Shakespeare Don t write anything yet; just look, listen, think Politics: Long periods of chaos, with oases of stability o : Wars of the Roses 2 families fighting over throne produces 9 changes of monarchy in 85 years Economic, political, cultural chaos Monarchy loses power, Parliament gains power o : The Tudors Henry VII ( ): Last king to win crown fighting in the field; stabilized Britain Henry VIII ( ): Tennis champion, Wrote Greensleeves, Began the English Church; Greatly expanded British power Royal Mess ( ): 5 changes in 11 years (incl. Lady Jane Grey, The Nine Days Queen ) o : Elizabeth I The Virgin Queen reasserted authority and stability patron of arts and sciences, incl. Shakespeare tremendously increased British power worldwide

5 Chaos from Chaucer to Shakespeare Don t write anything yet; just look, listen, think Culture: In technology and belief, rapid and radical changes Gunpowder (early 1500s) o Knights become obsolete anyone can throw a bomb or shoot a gun, and both obliterate armor. o Birth of Terrorism: Guy Fawkes Gunpowder Plot (1603) Remember, remember, the fifth of November, the Gunpowder treason and plot The Gutenberg Printing Press (1450) o In Chaucer s time books took months and were pricey (the Oxford Cleric: 20 Books and a Starved Horse); consequently, very few could read at all o After Gutenberg, books could be produced quickly, cheaply As books spread, literacy spread New ideas can spread quickly and cheaply As literacy and ideas spread, individual power spreads The Protestant Reformation (1517) o In Chaucer s time, one faith Catholicism; and one Bible the Latin Bible approved in Rome. o By Shakespeare s time several Christianities Catholic, Lutheran, Baptist, Anabaptist, Presbyterian and some increased influence for Judaism and Islam; and Bibles in every European language, sometimes several, each with subtle differences

6 Chaos from Chaucer to Shakespeare NOW take note! Partly because of how technology (gunpowder, printing) altered traditional power and information structures, the Megatrend from Chaucer s time to Shakespeare s: trended away from centralized power structures which were based on things outside of a person s individual control (noble birth, family money); and trended toward decentralized power structures based on things within a person s individual control (reading, ideas, work ethic, courage). People could change their stars after all.

7 To people vested in traditional ways of thinking and the old centralized power structures, this new world looked and felt like Chaos Greek khaos "abyss, that which gapes wide open, vast, empty" A disordered situation in which the categories, rules and procedures that in a traditional system would be true becomes meaningless But one way to make sense of chaos is to call it Paradox Greek para against + doxia what seems true A statement or situation which seems to be impossibly contradictory, but which is nonetheless true and to make one s peace with that existentially, philosophically, and artistically. This is what Shakespeare is all about.

8 Freewrite 100 words, obeying this set of instructions: DO NOT WRITE ANYTHING. Paradox Greek para against + doxia what seems true A statement or situation which seems to be impossibly contradictory, but which is nonetheless true Submit FW!