Reaching Lifelong Goals as a Nontraditional Student

My “fun” class this Winter term is ENG 202 “Middle Shakespeare”.   It is not officially a history class, but my instructor, Peter Jensen is one of the most interesting I have had.   His lectures are peppered with historical tidbits that get my History Geek juices flowing.   I have researched more about Elizabethan England over the past few months than my specialized topic of WWI Aviation.   Each term, Peter assigns 4 research papers based on the plays we are focusing on.   This term we are looking at Shakespeare’s middle career works, Henry IV part 1, Much Ado About Nothing and Hamlet.   A special study is the Sonnets.  (there is a whole blog post coming about my instructor’s theories about renaissance code imbedded in the Shakespeare Sonnets…fun stuff!).   For my first paper this term, I began looking at how the Bard would stage battle scenes in his history plays.   I stumbled across some very interesting information about what sources (historical “chronicles”) Shakespeare used in writing his history plays.   It is very difficult to write a Shakespeare paper for this teacher, you can’t tell him anything he doe not already know!!    HOWEVER!! I got him on this one.   I found a Journal Article in the Shakespeare Quarterly about a historical chronicle that Shakepeare probably used for this play.   I found a reference that my teacher had not yet heard about!!!   Major victory for the History Geek!   I guess he owes me TWO beers now (Last term’s Shakespeare In Love Historical Inaccuracies Paper found one that he had missed).   I wanted to share my A+ research paper about Shakespeare’s Histories and Henry IV. Part I.    The paper is titled:  SHREWSBURY: The Battle on the Grass Vs. The Battle on the Boards.

William Shakespeare’s interpretation of history is closer to real events than one might expect in a stage production.   Shakespeare’s histories are small vignettes of famous characters in the rich chronicles of England’s monarchies.    He relates the actual history to his audience with both accuracy and dramatic license.  The constraints of the “boards” can be challenging when trying to depict an epic battle scene such as Shrewsbury.

The actual battle was a major event  in the Wars of the Roses during the early 15^th century.   During  the Battle of Shrewsbury in July 1403, King Henry IV led an army of about 20,000 to a river plain near the strategic town of Shrewsbury.   Sir Henry “Hotspur”  Percy, leader of the rebellion forces was outnumbered, leading a force of possibly 15,000.   The archers he had gathered in Cheshire were superior to those of the King.   This was the first great battle where longbow faced longbow, and many of the casualties, believed to be about 3,000 on each side, came from the arrow-storms in the early part of the battle.  Henry IV faced more rebellions through his reign, so Shrewsbury was far from decisive. But it did show the future Henry V the power of the English longbow, an arm he deployed to devastating effect in France at Agincourt  in 1415(Britain).

Of course, the logistics of staging an epic battle scene are challenging to a playwright.   Shakespeare takes the real history of the battle and presents  it to his audience within the scope of the characters’ experiences on the battle field.   This gives the overall feeling of a huge dynamic conflagration and yet still furthers the plot of the play.   Shakespeare brings the two sides of the battle together on stage as Prince Hal and Hotspur confront each other in Act 5 scene 4.  While not historically correct, this hand to hand combat scene personalizes the entire Battle of Shrewsbury and its importance to England’s monarchy.  Hotspur himself was killed, not by Hal’s sword, but by an arrow through the mouth when he opened the visor of his helmet to get some fresh air.

Shakespeare gives us  accurate insights into history with Falstaff’s account of recruiting soldiers through the use of the “King’s Press” (Act 4, Scene 2).   The Elizabethan audiences would have been able to relate to this speech directly  or even personally.   Falstaff gives a historically accurate account of how armies were formed during the medieval period.   The King of  England’s professional, free standing army was still 200 years in the future.   The use of press gangs was in use  for Royal Navy recruits well into the 18^th century, even though the life of a British Sailor was far superior to the poverty that they came from.     As a historian, Shakespeare got quite a few details of the period correct.    Where did Shakespeare get his information about English history?

As I learned through my research of Richard III, Shakespeare relied on Sir Thomas Moore’s Chronicles for a background of the history of that period.   I am convinced that for the history of Henry IV, there are two main chronicles that Shakespeare most likely had for reference.   There is substantial evidence that the historian Rafael Holinshed’s The Chronicles of  England, Scotland  and Ireland published in 1587 (Holinshed) could have been of great influence.   Being the consummate history geek that I am, I spent a couple of hours of research time reading the actual 1587 volume available online from the Furness Collection.   Although difficult to read in the Elizabethan English, I was able to find real details of Holinshed’s account of Henry IV and his negotiations surrounding the battle of Shrewsbury.   Based on this Chronicle, I am convinced that not only did Shakespeare get much of the history correct; he probably got it from this chronicle.

There is  also evidence that Shakespeare used John Hardyng’s Chronicle for information to develop Hotspur’s character.   In a journal article for Shakespeare Quarterly, Gilian West proposes: “It is hard to believe that  Shakespeare did not read this autobiographical declaration linking John Hardyng to the household of Sir Henry Percy, for, in writing I Henry IV, he seems to have studied with keen interest Hardyng’s brief account of Percy’s rebellion”(West).   The author presents a compelling argument listing some of Shakespeare’s lines for Hotspur that directly relate to Hardyng’s Chronicle.  She goes on to state: “More important, the play’s interpretation of the rebellion seems strongly influenced by the favorably biased narrative of Hotspur’s loyal retainer.” (West)   I agree with the interpretation that this Chronicle would be a secondary source that Shakespeare probably used to bring Sir Henry Percy to life on stage.

I have found through my historical study of both Richard III and I Henry IV that Shakespeare expertly weaves actual historical facts into beautiful stories that entertained the Elizabethan audiences on his stage.   Being able to portray an epic battle scene such as Shrewsbury with character- driven vignettes is truly one of Shakespeare’s greatest strengths as a dramatist.   Shakespeare’s Histories are turning out to be more than just great plays; they are new portals for my ongoing journey as a History Major.

Information Britain.com. “The 21st of July 1403 Ad, Battle of Shrewsbury, Famous Dates in History”. 2007. 23 Jan 2010. web.

Holinshed, Rafael. Holinshed’s Chronicles (1587). The Chronicles of England, Scotland and Ireland. Ed. Schoenberg Center for Electronic text and Image. London, 1587.

West, Gilian. “Hardyng’s “Chronicle” And Shakespeare’s Hotspur.” Shakespeare Quarterly Vol. 41, No. 3 (Autumn, 1990) (1990): 348-51.

Again, I have gone too long without posting.   I’ll have to make a strict goal about this…   One of the premier Christmas gifts from my wonderful wife this year was a membership in the Society for Military History.    Another professional historian association directly related to my area of study.   They publish a journal .   It is filled with scholarly works about military subjects (all eras) and reviews of other publications in the field.   I eat this stuff up, the wife says it would put her to sleep.   I have been able to digest a couple of issues now, and I am in geek heaven!!   As my college career advances as a nontraditional student and history major, this publication will be a great resource for me.   In addition, the contacts made through active participation in the Society will be extremely valuable down the road.   As I progress as a historian, essays and scholarly papers will be submitted for publication in the Journal.  To think that one of my historical essays could be a footnote in someone’s own paper is kind of a rush!! (history geek rush, but you get the picture…)   I pour through these types of papers every term in my research for assignments.   I have used my Endnote Program to develop my resource list for my Ernst Udet book and the Journal of Military History figures prominently in my saved notes.  My wife has a real knack for picking the perfect Christmas presents for me.   Thank goodness I thought better of giving her that lowly kitchen item as a gift.  It would be pale in comparison.   I will be looking forward to each quarterly edition of this journal, and will thank my wife for it each time.    Let’s see, quarterly publication, a dozen roses every few months…sounds like a win/win to me!!

My wonderful wife has given me the perfect birthday present, (actually it is next Friday the 22nd) with a long overdue membership to the League of WWI Aviation Historians. After a lifetime of interest in the Great War, and 20 years of active research, model building and study I am finally part of a group of my “peers”.   I have known about the League for a several years, but it has always been one of those “things I need to do, someday”.   Being a History Major and a nontraditional student, memberships in professional organizations such as this are very beneficial to your college career.  Associations in your field of study are available for everyone.   Many have special student rates for membership.   I have been “shopping” around in the field of History Studies and have found over 20 different organizations that I would be a member of.   Maintaining that many memberships would be daunting, so it pays to be selective.   I am unique in the fact that I plan to specialize in one area of history so I can be selective in the associations joined.   The resources and networking possibilities of a membership in the League of WWI Aviation Historians will be invaluable to my goal of writing the ultimate book about WWI Ace Ernst Udet.   I have already made a connection with an author of WWI history through Facebook (there is a whole post in the works about this story…)   Putting together research about WWI history is challenging at best, but with new friends and associations with fellow historians in the field, the sky is the limit!   The league has biennial meetings with seminars and presentations of scholarly papers and books.   The next meeting will be in 2011 and my goal is to have a good part of my Ernst Udet book and research ready for presentation.   A lofty goal, but one that will drive my progress toward a real-time deadline! (continue reading…)

I was noticing today that again, the wheat has been separated from the chaff after the first week of Winter term.   Like last term, which was crazy crowded, a large number of students have disappeared from my classes.   I would assume that a lot of the drops came from rescheduling and not needing certain classes.   Of course, I notice in my 8:00 AM Math 065 class some of the “younger” and “traditional” students are not there this week.  Like last term, us older students, the Nontraditional ones, are still hard at it.   I have been focusing on undergraduate baccalaureate core classes while I’m getting my math requirements done.   These classes are the usual undergrad fare, ENG 201, BI-103, HST 202…the kind all folks need in their core.    The load in these classes is high at my local community college  and there is quite a variety of students in each.   After the first week of “thinning”, I notice that my classmates are the real students who are motivated and driven toward a goal.  (I thought that I would share some more photos of the Oregon Coast trip for my wife’s birthday in this post, I hope nobody minds…You can click on the photos for a larger version)   The frantic pace of the first week of Winter term is now settled down to the routine of studying and lectures.   The students who are left in my classes are busy with the ebb and flow of regular coursework.   I have been planning my research papers for my Shakespeare English class.   We are studying middle Shakespeare, which includes the Sonnets.   This is  my “fun” class for the term as my instructor fulfills my historical needs in his lectures with great tidbits about Elizabethan England.   I always seem to relate my classes to a Historian’s perspective, even with my science credits, I find myself researching the history of the geologists and biologists.   My advice to all of my fellow Nontraditional students is to just relax, get into the flow of your classes this term and simply enjoy the experience.     (I hope you are enjoying the photos) (continue reading…)

One of the major things I neglected with this blog at the end of last term was to post a link to my WR123 Research Writing class project.   This class was one of the most useful that I have taken so far.   The entire term was devoted to one major research paper.   The skills learned will be invaluable to me throughout my college career.   The textbook was a keeper as well, The Bedford Researcher.   Search for this one and add it to your permanent library.   When it came to selecting a topic and major thesis, I could have taken the easy road and wrote about my History Major topic of World War One aviation, but I decided to stretch myself.   With the topic of nontraditional students being top of mind for me lately, I wanted to produce a work that could be beneficial to my Non Trad community.    I finally came up with the thesis of: THE NON TRADITIONAL STUDENT PHENOMENON:  How has the Non Traditional Student Demographic Affected Teaching Methods and Institutional Accommodations in Higher Education Today. I must have done something right in this class due to my “A” grade.   (I received the second 4.00 GPA of my lifetime for Fall Term 2009)    Researching this paper was challenging, I did find some great sources about new teaching methods for Non Trads.   Statistics about the nontraditional student population in higher education today was a bit problematic.   US Dept of Education statistics were somewhat dated.   The numbers of nontraditional students have risen over the past couple of years due to the economic situation in the US at present.   This information was not as easy to obtain.   Just look around your classrooms this week and you can see that the number of older students is increasing.   This phenomenon is more pronounced in the Community College setting, but major universities have seen increases in enrollment as well.   The student population of Oregon State University has risen to 22,000 this year, up by 8.1% over last year.    The trend towards new teaching methods for older students has been addressed for a number of years, and I highlighted some of them (with resources for instructors…) in my research paper.   My instructor for Research Writing  provided the class with an online “wiki” format to publish our papers.   This website is based on a program called Wet Paint.   Many of my classmates posted their papers here as well.   Feel free to cruise around the postings on this site.  The website is WR123.wetpaint.com and this link will take you to the Nontraditional Student Phenomenon paper .   Pass this link onto your instructors as well, they may even get a kick out of it.