Thread: Coal and Shakespeare: what to they have in common?

My daughters!

Hello everyone.

I know I have come to you before on behalf of my girls and you all have provided such a wonderful cross-section of views that they have both requested that I ask this knowledgeable forum for assistance yet again with their current projects as one is about energy (COAL) and the other is literature (Shakespeare), both topics often discussed on this forum. Any assistance you can provide is greatly appreciate.

So please, grab a cup of something and maybe a bit of chocolate, sit back, take a read and see if maybe you can help them out.

First up:

Project #1: Energy - Coal:

She is NOT asking you to answer ALL of the questions for her (of course in reality she would not mind)… that is not the point here of this forum doing her homework for her. HOWEVER, what she would like is if you see a question and it calls to you, if you have firsthand knowledge, thoughts, ideas, know of Web sites or articles that may offer information (age appropriate 11-12) and are willing to share them, she would appreciate it greatly.

She needs to make a one minute, four slide PowerPoint presentation at her “Energy Summit” and write a brief position paper on the energy source of Coal. She must include a bibliography and she must address the specific questions:

1. What is the energy (coal)
2. What the energy transformations required for the use of this energy?
3. What is the typical source for this energy? What are other sources?
4. How is it used to meet our energy demands?
5. How else could it be used?
6. What are the waste products and/or hazards involved with using this source of energy?
7. Why should we use this source of energy instead of others?
8. Why aren’t we using more of it?
9. What recent technological innovations or inventions have been made related to this source of energy?

This information must be challenging because this role requires that “you” know a little bit about everything. “You” need to understand the “Big Picture,” and know something about all of the other forms of energy as well. (this is the other reason daughter asked me to post this on MR)


Project # 2: Shakespeare

This project is for English Class and it is on William Shakespeare’s, A Midsummer Night Dream.

Her request from the forum… if anyone has read this play and has any good insight with Hippolyta (Queen of the Amazons and betrothed of Theseus) and can give her a good starting point or other really good nuggets of information for either the essay or the character traits, she would appreciate it greatly.

She also would like you to know that she has read the play not once, but twice this year (once in Theater and now in English class), so she is not trying to pull a fast one here by having you do the work for her.

She needs to write a multi-paragraph essay examining how Hippolyta’s choices influence the outcome of the story. She needs to support her explanation with examples and textual evidence.

She also has to do:
1. List of character traits, with reasons and evidence from scene.
2. A poster with set design and props and provide a list of and evidence from scene

Originally Posted by rockzmom

Project #1: Energy - Coal

There are some links I found to be suitable for the age of 11-12.
http://tiki.oneworld.net/energy/energy.html
http://www.eia.doe.gov/kids/energyfa...atsenergy.html
the subpage specific to coal http://www.eia.doe.gov/kids/energyfa...able/coal.html
http://www.energyquest.ca.gov/story/index.html
the subpage specific to coal http://www.energyquest.ca.gov/story/chapter08.html

Energy is the ability to do work (and homework as well ).

Coffe Cup,

Originally Posted by Sabrina

You are an angel sent from above!

Coffee Cup, I know that was A LOT of English to read for EVERYONE (even native speakers). My daughter kept telling me "Someone will step up!" and you did, so I am giving you the award of awesomeness!




Now we just need a Shakespeare fan to help out my other daughter. Both girls are spending their long holiday weekend working on reports and studying for final exams.

I might try and sneak in an hour or two go to the movies or pool for them as a surprise if they work really hard.

Rockzmom

UPDATE For Sheakspeare Project

Originally Posted by rockzmom

NEWS FLASH! I got the request for the 2nd assignment incorrect! Here are the correct characters for the essay part of the project ONLY

Hermia, beloved of Lysander
Helena, in love with Demetrius
Oberon, King of Fairies

She needs to write a multi-paragraph (5) essay examining how their choices influence the outcome of the story. She needs to support her explanation with examples and textual evidence.

Originally Posted by rockzmom

She also has to do:
1. List of character traits for Hippolyta, Queen of the Amazons and betrothed of Theseus, with reasons and evidence from scene.
2. A poster with set design and props and provide a list of and evidence from scene.

gosh, it's been a while since I've done Shakespeare, so I might not remember exactly.
If I recall it right, the most obvious consequences of their choices were as follows:
had Hermia not decided to escape, she would not have been followed by Helena and Demetrius. Oberon would not have seen Demetrius act cruelly towards Helena and would not have ordered Puck to do the thing with the eyelids to Demetrius, which eventually resulted in him falling in love with Helena, and enabling Hermia to marry Lysander. Don'tknow if that's what you meant, though?
I remember once reading this theory that "A Midsummer Night's Dream" was intended to be a comedy version of "Romeo & Juliet".

Has your daughter checked sparknotes.com? I found it useful back in the day when I was doing British literature course at uni.

Originally Posted by kamka

gosh, it's been a while since I've done Shakespeare, so I might not remember exactly.

Daughter says that you remember VERY well and she had been thinking those EXACT thoughts (she even showed me her notes). I think it helped her to know that her ideas were seconded by an adult!!!

Originally Posted by kamka

I remember once reading this theory that "A Midsummer Night's Dream" was intended to be a comedy version of "Romeo & Juliet".

Yes, it is a comedy, but she did not know if it was "based" upon Romeo and Juliet and she WILL ask her teacher!

Originally Posted by kamka

Has your daughter checked sparknotes.com? I found it useful back in the day when I was doing British literature course at uni.

Nope, but if we get stuck, now I know where to look!

Also, both girls LOVE your avatar!!!

Thanks kamka!!!

Originally Posted by CoffeeCup

the subpage specific to coal http://www.energyquest.ca.gov/story/chapter08.html

Coffee Cup,

Just wanted to let you know that daughter spent most of yesterday working on this project and she found that site MOST useful!

She also found this one on her own! http://science.howstuffworks.com/clean-coal.htm

Thanks again!!!!

Does anyone know HOW Puck came to be in the employ of Oberon?

We know that Puck is one of his children (supposedly); but, how is it that he began to work for him?

Thanks!!!

Originally Posted by kamka

I remember once reading this theory that "A Midsummer Night's Dream" was intended to be a comedy version of "Romeo & Juliet".

She asked her teacher today and here is the answer...

R&J is the forbidden love between the Romeo and Juliet and in MSND, it is Hermia and Lysander who have the forbidden love.

In both R&J and MSND, both of the girl's father's don't approve of who the girls WANT to marry and their fathers have already selected a husband for them, that the girls are NOT in love with.

In MSND, Bottom is performing a play at the end of MSND, that is actually the play of R&J (or very close to it). Both lovers die at the end and were forbidden to love each other.

So, Shakespeare is mocking his own R&J play and turned it into a comedy.

turns out I remember more than I had suspected from the British lit. classes

What DO they have in common? 1600. Basically the end of the middle ages/renaissance.
Shakespeare hit his stride as a writer and coal mining started to become more 'industrial'. Both leading to blah, blah, blah, better life in Britain. Elizabethan period, etc.
Very interesting correlation.

Search:
Shakespeare 1600
British coal 1600
Britain in 1600

Originally Posted by capecoddah

What DO they have in common?

When I had seen this topic first time my first thought was: "When we have shuffled off this mortal coil, Must give us pause: there's the respect. ..." although coil is not coal

They're both very old and not used anymore

how is coal not used anymore???

What do they have in common.... A's!!!!!!!!!!

Both girls recieved A's on their papers/projects.

Thanks again to George, kamka & Coffee Cup!!