Mistaken Identity By Sharon E. Cooper: Play Analysis

Describe a situation in which critical and creative thought could have been used for a better outcome. Describe why it is important to think critically and creatively in similar situations.

"Are we going to have any fun today?," is a cry heard in middle school classrooms across the country. Fun can be a sure fire way to brighten the day. The blog, Why Play? by Ann Larson Erickson, reminds us of the many lessons to be learned through the power of play. Below we share 4 of our favorite games that teach the blog's lessons.

. This play takes place in 1963, the year in which the Civil Rights movement was being fought for. The main topic of this play is to understand how race and stereotype can affect justice being served, and the only way around this would be to view facts and override race and stereotype with evidence.

creates a play that illustrates not only the struggle of growing up in a prejudiced world but also

But what happens if one experiences negative intersectional play? His or her life tends to be full of distress, hardship, oppression, discrimination, and hurt. This is evident in E.S.’s case.

For centuries, society has taught its men and women to behave in a clear way and to expect certain things from each other. Due to this, women have been placed second, below men, the submissive gender. Women have been taught to aspire to marriage, to not be too smart, to live their life according to society who tells them how to please a man. In fact, when women saw this degradation of themselves they decided to create a movement known as feminism, the social, economic and political equality of the sexes. Due to this standard of society passed through generations, an average reader would interpret Joan Murray’s “Play-by-Play” to be a poem about older women lustfully longing after younger men and fulfilling their purpose. However, if one were to delve deeper into Murray’s poem, it could be argued that she is taking a satirical approach to the way men objectify women. Marilyn French once said, “The same men who are blind and deaf to feminism are acutely sensitive to what threatens their dominance and privilege.” In looking at the symbols, diction, and tone in Murray’s poem, one can plainly see her disdain towards the societal standard and objectification of women.

The Whore’s Child is a famous short story by Richard Russo. The story follows the life of a nun, Sister Ursula, as she joins a college fiction writing course and begins writing her life story. As she writes, with the help of her professor and the feedback from her class, she discovers more about herself and the truth about her life. A key element of this story is the depth to which the characters are explored, given the limited amount of time for characterization. A primary way to explore this characterization is through the works of prominent identity theorists – one of which being Canary et al. This theory talks about some of the ways that identity is developed, through concepts such as social cognition, schema, and the four cognitive

Sanders explains, “Simply because a student reads a book with LGBT characters does not mean that student will gain a sensitivity or understanding of LGBT people” (Sanders 2). Not all books about the same subject matter approach it in ways that allow for advocacy beyond simply exposing students to a new form of inclusion that is founded in sensitivity and understanding of LGBT people. If the goal of If You Could Be Mine was truly to challenge the things that previous scholars praise progressive books for doing, the ending would not have Sahar saying, “I’m not waiting for you anymore, Nasrin. After the wedding we can’t carry on like we have been” (Farizan 205). As if their love was just something they were “carrying on,” this scene makes it seem as though it is a choice for the girls to continue their homosexual relationship or not. If readers are against this relationship, reading a scene where one girl actually enforces heteronormative viewpoints could actually harm the potential for the sensitivity and understanding that Sanders wrote

Individual reactions to situations of external or internal conflict are reflected in much of literature. In the play Hamlet by William Shakespeare, the character of Hamlet must deal with both external and internal conflict. He faces the death of his father, the knowledge that his uncle Claudius is his father's murderer and the knowledge that he must take revenge. Hamlet's responses to these external conflicts and his own internal views proclaim his nature and character.

In contrast, Nair challenges the dominant caste system by showing the romance between PK Dubey and Alice,

Conflict, in literary context, can be defined as “the opposition of persons or forces that gives rise to the dramatic action in a drama or fiction.” Conflicts can be external, between two or more persons, or internal, within one’s self. In most literature the conflict adds to the execution of the plot itself. Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” makes use of both forms of conflict as an essential element of the play. I will show how “Hamlet” presents inner and outer conflicts with examples of each and how their resolutions (if any) serve as a major part of the overall play itself.

The internal conflicts prevalent in William Shakespeare’s Hamlet are the reason why the play is viewed as a classic. Conflicts are imperative in tragic plays as conflicts are the stimulus for catastrophe in the end. The characters in Hamlet face inward conflicts that are equally important as their outward conflicts. Three characters who especially exhibit this are Hamlet, Claudius, and Ophelia. The conflicts that these characters face play a major role in their downfalls and, ultimately, their deaths. Through Claudius’ struggle to conceal the murder of King Hamlet, Ophelia’s guilt for Hamlet’s madness, and Hamlet’s inaction due to fear, Shakespeare conveys that each character faces a dilemma, in which there are no simple solutions.

In the play Hamlet by William Shakespeare conflict plays a very significant role. The play’s main protagonist, Hamlet, possesses both internal and external conflict due to the fact that he is fighting his inner conscience and suppressing his inner emotions, and he is seeking revenge on and conflicting with many other characters in the play. These internal and external conflicts this character is experiencing affect those around him. They also shape the events that occur in the drama and contribute to the overall outcome.

Deceit and lies are rampant in William Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Hamlet. It can be seen in the characters’ actions and words, as well as what they fail to say and do. It comes in various types of relationships -- between husband and wife, parent and child, siblings, and between lovers. Nearly every character in the play either deliberately spins a web of their own lies, uses another person for their trickery, or is used in another person’s deceitful plot. Each has different motives for their deceit -- to maintain power, to achieve their goals, to attain vengeance, or simply because it is necessary to function in this twisted society -- but all of them face a tragic ending no matter their initial intentions. In this play, deceit is so uncontrolled, intertwined, and multidimensional that it becomes impossible for either the characters or audience to ascertain what is true.

Defining play can be very difficult. The term play can be used to illustrate a wide range of behaviors and activities, and can be perceived as both essential and insignificant to the child at the same time. Santrock (2012, p.437) suggests a definition of play as "a pleasurable activity that is engaged in for its own sake." However, this is argued by Kernan (2007, p.5) who states that none of the potential definitions are broad enough to encompass all of the meanings associated with play. Despite the lack of such universal definition, Rennie (2003, p.22) claims, that "we can recognize play across barriers of language, of culture, even of species", which conveys its importance in the life and development of children, as it is