Mrs. Foster's Shakespeare Lesson by Megan

Mrs. Foster's Shakespeare Lesson by Megan - June 2019 Scholarship Essay

Mrs. Foster’s sophomore English class has taught me many things directly and indirectly. Directly, concepts like grammar, outlining, proper ways to stitch-and-weave, as well as how to annotate Shakespeare has shaped me indirectly to not only think outside the box, but to look around it, in it, on it, underneath it, next to it, behind it, and-last but not least-above it.

We learned about the motifs Shakespeare used in both Macbeth and Hamlet. We didn’t just touch on the motifs, and we definitely did not just annotate them in the pieces. We dove into it. We learned why Shakespeare brilliantly chose to use these specific motifs. We learned what these motifs portrayed toward the bigger picture of the pieces. We also learned that these motifs were not insignificant, and they definitely were not just little ideas that were coincidentally repeated multiple times. Shakespeare ignited a fire, and that fire spread from page to page until the very end in a neat and controlled matter. Now, this fire was not a boring fire. He used different materials: wooden planks (to connect different parts of the piece together), branches (to greater branch out the extent to which the purpose is to be carried out), sticks (to leave the reader on edge), shrivelled up leaves (which aided the creation of plot twists and cliff hangers), twigs (to add uniqueness to the piece), and a little dash of lighter fluid. Why would he use lighter fluid? This is the motivation factor of setting ablaze a wisely written piece like Hamlet. Something has to start the fire, like a life changing moment.

This had impacted my education in many ways, starting with the realization that everything has a greater meaning. From the formulas in math, to the stoichiometry in chemistry, to the mitosis in biology, to the stock markets in consumer ed, students everywhere are learning these for a reason. It helps us to figure out what exactly we want to do someday for a living.

Taking Mrs. Foster’s class was my life changing moment. She helped me realize that being a high school English teacher is the right route to take. My goal is to make a big impact on students’ lives the same way she impacted mine: through her deep love towards English. Her class has helped me throughout the remainder of my high school career to take a deeper dive into what I learn. It has helped me enjoy learning because it is not only about getting good grades. It is also about taking what we learn at school and bringing it into everyday life to impact others’ lives positively.