A place for critical reading, compelling writing, and analytical thinking.
Friday, January 4, 2013
Thoughts TUESDAY 2--due April 30
Summarize & reflect on your experience with poet/professor
Patrick Hicks in 200+ words. If you were not able to be in full attendance, read and respond to the "Literary Scientist" article about him I gave you.
76 comments:
Anonymous
said...
Marso 1
I am very grateful that Professor Hicks came to teach our class for the day. First, he shared his wealth of knowledge about William Shakespeare and England during Shakespeare’s time. The information he presented us with was so valuable in helping understand the famous playwright and his works that I could not help but jot notes. Some of the information he shared was truly fascinating. Although I grumble about studying Shakespeare at times, I agree with Hicks’s opinion on why Shakespeare must be read and analyzed. He stated that Shakespeare is important because of the enormous impact his play scripts have on modern language, and supplemented his theory with a length list of common phrases. Also, he showed that Shakespeare’s plays, although not bias free, are vital to understanding London’s culture and its historical implications in the late 1500s. After a beneficial lecture, Hicks lightened the mood by reading a couple of his poems and answering any questions we had, a gesture I am appreciative of. Despite the variety of style in his poetry, I enjoyed many of his works. Finally, I was able to ask the professor a question at the very end of the period; although the question was not a simple fact based inquiry, I respected his attempt to provide a satisfactory answer while staying concise to deal with time constraints. Because of energetic, caring professors like Hicks who value students enough to come out to a high school and teach, I eagerly await my time at Augustana.
I appreciated having Professor Patrick Hicks come talk to us because I was able to listen to someone speak I had never heard before. As I sat and listened, I took a few notes. One thing I found very interesting was when he talked about Shakespeare’s titles. He told us that if the main character’s name is in the title, that character will eventually die. To me, this is a very interesting way of foreshadowing although not everyone may be aware of it until someone tells them or after reading the story. Another particularly fascinating this was hearing about Shakespeare’s work of Henry V. Giving the information that 1/10 of the population went to this play in just 10 days was very surprising. I thought it was cool that one play could make such an impact. I was also intrigued by the idea of his plays being gory because he was in real competition with the executions happening in London at the time. At the end of his appearance at BVHS, Patrick Hicks read us a couple poems, one of them being “At the Pub”. I remember reading this poem on my own in class but it was very alluring to hear where his inspiration came from. After hearing about the experience, it gives me a greater appreciation of the poem and him as a poet.
Bender 1 I found Professor Hicks to be incredibly refreshing. I personally always enjoy the history behind something as much or more than the thing itself. Originally I was slightly worried that today would just be a day for someone to come in and talk about how amazing he or she is. Professor Hicks proved to be anything but arrogant. I also thoroughly enjoyed that he was able to talk about the subject we are currently studying. One thing that I found most interesting about his lecture was his reasons we should still care about Shakespeare. What I found most interesting however was that he didn’t mention that Shakespeare’s play overly romanticized versions of love where the first of their kind and over time have played a major part in social revolution and to redefine “love”. He did mention however the profound impact Shakespeare has had on Hollywood. I believe his themes of love are timeless and will greatly affect movie making until the end of time. The other part of his lecture I found to be incredibly interesting was Shakespeare’s beliefs that his poems would be what history would remember him for. It is difficult to think about anything not being recorder forever in our digital age. I for one certainly could not picture a world where every English class across the country studies Shakespeare.
Larson pd 5 I enjoyed listening to Patrick Hicks talk about Shakespeare and College. Talking about Shakespeare was very interesting and I enjoyed that, but what I really appreciated was the talk about college. Patrick addressed topics of college that are crucial for a senior to understand. I really liked how he told us to sit in the front row to ask questions and feel proud to be a nerd. I do not think a lot of seniors understand how important college is and how they need to take college more serious than high school. Patrick Hicks also said some interesting statements about Shakespeare. I really like how he told us that the London of Shakespeare was a different place compared to the London today. When he explained the old London, I could almost picture it perfectly from his description. He really made me want to try study abroad programs when I am in college. He definitely proved to me that he knows what he is talking bout and he isn’t a fraud. I am almost sad I am not going to Augustana to have him as a professor. I really liked hearing Patrick Hicks talk today.
Larson pd 5 I enjoyed listening to Patrick Hicks talk about Shakespeare and College. Talking about Shakespeare was very interesting and I enjoyed that, but what I really appreciated was the talk about college. Patrick addressed topics of college that are crucial for a senior to understand. I really liked how he told us to sit in the front row to ask questions and feel proud to be a nerd. I do not think a lot of seniors understand how important college is and how they need to take college more serious than high school. Patrick Hicks also said some interesting statements about Shakespeare. I really like how he told us that the London of Shakespeare was a different place compared to the London today. When he explained the old London, I could almost picture it perfectly from his description. He really made me want to try study abroad programs when I am in college. He definitely proved to me that he knows what he is talking bout and he isn’t a fraud. I am almost sad I am not going to Augustana to have him as a professor. I really liked hearing Patrick Hicks talk today.
Beckman 1 I found Professor Hicks to be a very interesting man. He had no problem holding my attention throughout all of class with his interesting facts and great sense of humor. The overall experience of being “in a college class for 50 minutes” really excited me for my upcoming college classes in the fall. Professor Hicks was full of little—and big—facts about William Shakespeare and the Elizabethan Era. Before yesterday, I had no idea at all that if the character’s name was in the title of the play they would die at the end—that was a shocker! I also had never realized that Shakespeare may have been catholic and that a lot of his writing had to do with the division between Catholics and Protestants and that that was the entire basis behind Romeo and Juliet, after he told us that though it made more sense. The way he talked about London with so much passion was also great, you could just tell after one sentence about London that he truly loves every single aspect of that city—even if most people would be deterred from one little part, he still loved it. He gave me a huge longing to go visit London, and even Spain when he mentioned that if we ever got the chance to go visit Spain that we needed to take that chance.
Dutson 1 It was quite amazing to realize how influential Shakespeare really is. The amount of phrases and literature that are still used today is almost baffling. I also found it interesting that one man can have such an impact on society even though he was writing for his own gain. I also found Patrick Hicks way of getting inspiration intriguing. His way of viewing the world through a different mindset is fantastic. His hair is very luscious and beautiful. It attributes to his overall appearance as an author. Without it I doubt he could write as well as he does. It was a great experience to listen to an author talk about what inspires him to write what he does and how he does. When he was describing the train scene I definitely would not have thought about it in the manner he did or even express the situation in such a poetic manner.
Listening to Professor Patrick Hicks, I became even more excited for my upcoming college education. I am, however, saddened that I will not be able attend his classes since I will be attending USD's instead. He did, although, make me feel better about my anxiousness and that it's okay to be scared. Even though I may be scared of the unknown, I am fairly psyched for what is to come. He also inspired me to actually go through with much travelling and I am heavily considering majoring in literature since I have always greatly wanted to. He did wonderfully explaining the history of Shakespeare and why he is as important as he is. Shakespeare forever transformed literature by writing amazing sonnets and plays that were not even published until after his death. Shakespeare introduced many words we have today and will continue to use. And they continue to say that Shakespeare’s language is dead. Professor Hicks not only enlightened us on Shakespeare, but literature as a whole. To appreciate literature as a whole, history must be added. Just like to understand life you must know the past. This is the key to writing the beautiful poems that Professor Hicks masterfully writes.
I was not able to be in full attendance to hear Dr. Hicks speak and share his knowledge through poetry and blunt unasked for advice, but I was thankful to be in his knowledgeable and domineering presence for the last ten minutes of his display. In the time that I was there, Dr. Hicks read “Burka” and another about the bombings that occurred in London in July 7, 2005. I particularly enjoyed hearing the background stories and inspirations behind his poems. To me, that is the magic of poetry; poetry allows the writer to cope with troublesome or touching events taking place in the writer’s personal life. Dr. Hicks does so with little to no filter. His poem about the little boy in the deli in another country also intrigued me. It was the perfect summation of humanity and what it means to be human and to coexist peacefully because we are all, for lack of a better word, human. We all have a word to describe what bread is, what water is, what ice cream is. Even though these words are not the same from culture to culture, we all have the same basic understandings of life, however primordial. I am grateful for Dr. Hicks enlightening me and inspiring me to be grateful and kind to everyone.
Tew 2 Mr. Hicks had many points that I never thought of before but completely agreed with. When he first started talking about Shakespeare, he mentioned that if someone’s name was in the title, that person would die in the end. I have seen this happen many times but never put together the trend. I never liked Shakespeare, since all of the plays I’ve read are full of stupid people with terrible motives. I still do not like him to this day, but I now recognize his importance to the English language today. The fact that he created all of those phrases was quite impressive. “Budge an inch,” was one of the phrases I remember that Mr. Hicks used. I also found it ironic that Shakespeare married Ann Hathaway, who today is a major actress. I wonder if Ann Hathaway knows of this irony. When he spoke about how our famous playwright competed with executions, I was relatively surprised. I knew that executions were common and people went to watch them, but I never thought that a play would be in the same category of entertainment. Now that I think about it, to the people of the time it might have been like switching channels. Do I want the gory channel, or the love and gory channel? It sounds like people did not have their priorities straight.
I was grateful for having Patrick Hicks come speak to our class. Although I usually am not fond of Shakespeare, Professor Hicks changed my view on him. Even though we do not realize it, Shakespeare changed our language. Dr. Hicks read off a long list of phrases people say every day without knowing Shakespeare invented them. This surprised me! I had used half of the phrases at least once. Professor Hicks also mentioned that if the character’s name appears in the title, they will die in the end. I found this type of foreshadowing very interesting; I never realized how true this really was until now. Supplying us with many facts, Hicks said that Shakespeare’s play was shown to 2,000 people over 10 nights for a total of 20,000 people! At that time, 20,000 people was equal to 1/10th the population of London! Amazing! Not only Patrick Hicks’s knowledge about Shakespeare impressed me, he also gave us great advice about college. With 15 days left of high school, I took Professor Hicks’s advice into consideration. He told us that our best times will be spent between the ages of 18 and 24—college years. He suggested we should go out and see the world, travel, get involved, do not be afraid to ask questions. Since I am attending college four hours away from home, I cannot wait to take Dr. Hicks’s advice into consideration and explore every chance I get.
Patrick Hicks quickly announced he wasn’t a high school teacher and we quickly told him we weren’t a high school class. He gave a fleeting smile and went on a tangent/lecture on the history of England in the 1500’s and the history, and impact, of Shakespeare. His words were strong and experienced, experience gained after years of teaching in the England University system and the prestigious American college of Augustana and the University of St. Thomas. He told us of his time in England and his emotional encounter with the bombing that occurred on July 7th, 2005. Although he saw the horror of the aftermath of the bombings, Dr. Hicks “refused to be afraid” and “refused to live in fear” of the threat of terrorism. Instead of running away, he walked through the most Muslim parts of England and wrote about his encounters. “Burka” is a poem he had written about his encounter with a Muslim woman that needed help carrying her child’s stroller down the stairs—a simple encounter that was turned meaningful given the acts of violence that had happened the previous day. Dr. Hicks is a writer and a professor. He gets to do what he loves and still gets to support his family, something not a lot of writers are afforded. Dr. Hicks is a happy man living the life he dreamed of as a kid.
Westcott, 5 Professor Hicks spoke about many different aspects of Shakespeare, his time era, and the reasons behind some of his writing. He first spoke about the civil war England was experiencing in the 1400’s. The country switched from Protestant to Catholic multiple times following the civil war, and prosecuted those who did not change with it. Queen Elizabeth, a Protestant, changed this when she decided to no longer prosecute the Catholics. England finally had peace for the first time since the early 1400’s. One thing Professor Hicks said that caught my attention was that “Peace is needed to create art”. I found this statement very true, and highlighted it in my notes as something to reevaluate. In 1588, the Spanish armada decided to try to attack England to show its power. However, Queen Elizabeth was ready for the attack, and decimated Spain’s army to become the world power for the first time. Shakespeare came to London, England the same year in order to make money. Shakespeare’s first play, Henry V, took London by storm. Within ten days of performance, 20,000 people had viewed his show. Professor Hicks informed us of the slight irony in the titles of his plays; any character named in the title will end up dead by the end. Shakespeare intended to keep the Queen happy by making the people she despised the villains in his productions. One final thing Professor Hicks left us with was the statement that Shakespeare is meant to be watched, not read. His works are intended to be viewed, and the audience will not get the full effect by only reading his plays.
Johnke Pd.5 Having Professor Hicks come in and speak to us about Shakespeare was extremely helpful in my opinion. Last year in Honors we went over Shakespeare’s history and learned a lot about the Globe theater and other important events in his life but Professor Hicks was able to teach all of that to me again plus even more in less than a half hour. After listening to him, I have a much better understanding of what occurred in Shakespeare’s life and why he wrote the way he did. Perhaps more important than Shakespeare was the fact that professor Hicks clearly cared about what he taught. Just from the tone of his voice it was easy to tell that he had a tremendous amount of passion about teaching literature and enjoyed handing his knowledge down to others. Having a professor that involved in a student’s education is exactly what every college student wants. On top of all this he was able to give priceless advice to us about college. He encouraged us to study abroad and get a better understanding of the outside world while we were in college. I never planned on studying abroad but after listening to him speak I am will now give it much more consideration. All in all, I was very impressed by Patrick Hicks.
Professor Patrick Hicks was a joy to listen to in class. One of the things that I liked most about him was that he knew so much and was excited to share his knowledge. He also gave it to us in a way that made it easy to understand. I now truly know why Shakespeare is so important, even in today’s culture. So many clichés and phrases commonly used today came from William Shakespeare. Although Shakespeare is definitely not my favorite subject, I now possess greater appreciation for what he did as a play write and an author. Professor Hicks was very enthusiastic about sharing all of his knowledge with us. I also enjoyed the fact that after he had passed his vast intelligence on to us, he continued to help us out by answering questions about college next year because, after all, he is an expert in that topic too. I think that many seniors are nervous about college next year and any questions that can be answered are beneficial. Also, simple suggestions like sitting in the front row and asking a lot of questions are also good to hear. Although we may be nervous, we should do what needs to be done to get a good grade. I am grateful to Professor Patrick Hicks for coming in and enlightening our class.
I was really pleased when Dr. Patrick Hicks took over our class on Wednesday. It was a change of pace from our everyday routine and it felt almost refreshing. One thing I was impressed about was his extensive knowledge on Shakespeare. Even though we already learned about Shakespeare in earlier years of high school, it was good to refresh the background on him, especially since we are learning Othello. He later switched from teaching to tell us about what to expect about college. He told us how he treats his freshman differently than his seniors because we (freshman) needed to be pushed out of the high school mindset. Which was interesting to me; are all teachers similar to that? He also pushed us to pay attention and ask questions because we are going to pay at least $35 per hour each class. I have never thought about college that way and it defiantly shocks me to pay that much for my education. He was very passionate about learning abroad. He encouraged us to take those traveling opportunities and to not worry about the money for being away from home. He informed us that the experience was totally worth it.
Peltier 5 I was not able to be in complete attendance to participate in Patrick Hick’s sharing of his knowledge. I did hear about the last five minutes of his advice as we seniors move on to college. However, I found the article about him most inspiring. One thing I enjoy most about him is that he is such a diligent writer. He writes or re-writes at least 750 words a day. He has two rooms to write in—one for poetry, the other for novels. The most interesting piece of advice that I enjoyed reading about him is his diligence to learn more about what he writes. He has lived in several different countries, went to a couple of different camps to study the Holocaust, and he earned his Ph.D. from the United Kingdom. When Hick’s writes he makes sure that he knows what he is writing. He encourages his students at Augustana to write about things they do not already know. His example was a firefighter. If you do not know about firefighters, get to know some. Interview them, read and study about them. That way when you write, you can step into that person’s shoes and it will make your writing so much more exciting. I enjoyed learning about this educated man and was very appreciative of the time he took to share with our classes.
Yesterday, Professor Hicks visited our classroom and lectured us on both the world surrounding the time of Shakespeare and our futures. These two topics were both immensely entertaining to hear him talk about. Concerning the material on Shakespeare, I was quite interested and felt that I left the room feeling much more knowledgeable about the details of which he discussed. One fact that I found particularly interesting was Shakespeare’s success both while living and after his death. Nearly 10%of London’s population saw Shakespeare’s first play and after that particular premiere at The Globe Theatre, Shakespeare became immensely popular. This is an intriguing fact because for many acclaimed artists of literature, fame was not profound until after they were deceased. It was these detailed facts about Shakespeare that I had not ever heard before, and his desire for us to all be students that receive a full world view through travel that quite impressed me with him. I myself, hope to spend much of the next several years with traveling and learning in interesting places that I have never been to before and may never get the opportunity to explore again. As my classmates and I are all approaching graduation, we look back in retrospect at how quickly the past four years have gone. From Professor Hicks passionate discussion, I was reminded that it is important I remember to value all the time, freedom, and opportunities I am bestowed in the next four years—because in no time, they will be gone.
Although I was not able to attend Dr. Hicks’ lecture on Wednesday afternoon due to a conflict with the Region II Large Group Contest, I was able to read the “Literary Scientist” article that was given to us in class. I found this article very enlightening, and his credentials impressive. In addition to his international Ph.D., Hicks also has lived in three different countries. I agree with his assertion that studying abroad is a great way to spark creativity. His published works and nominations for various awards also fascinate me.
Dr. Hicks also answers an important question that perplexes all writers—how do I support myself financially? Many aspiring writers believe that in order to pursue the profession, one must give up all hopes of being financially wealthy. However, with his Ph.D. and drive to educate students, he remains not only financially stable but psychologically and financially wealthy as well.
The extrapolations of his views on poetry also interest me. Dr. Patrick Hicks compares writing poetry to taking photograph—it captures the emotion and feelings at on instance in time. This unique way of thinking is not only poignant but inspiring as well. Hicks goes on to say that he does not see a real difference between the creative arts and the sciences. He justifies this statement by arguing that they both start with ideas, then an experiment and lastly a result—approving or disapproving. I agree completely. Humanity is so enclosed on defining the differences between the humanities and the sciences but their similarities outweigh their differences.
Tripp 7 I was very grateful that Professor Hicks was able to give his time yesterday to come speak to all of the English classes. I was very interested in the topics he discussed and I found it rather humorous how he announced that he was not a high school teacher and made it quite obvious that he would not tolerate people not paying attention. I enjoyed being able to hear of his experiences in other countries and his immense knowledge of Shakespeare. The fact that Shakespeare has had such an impact on our lives still today is something that I never realized before. The long list of phrases that he read off to us was things that are very common; interestingly, we use them every day without realizing it. His talk of college and studying abroad also presented itself as very helpful. I have considered travelling abroad many times and his ability to talk from experience is refreshing. It will make me think longer and harder about my decision as of now to travel abroad or not. His speech could end up swaying me one way or the other for my final decision but from his experiences, it seems like a very rewarding and educational experience and I would be interested in looking more into it. Overall, I really enjoyed the material he discussed with us yesterday.
I was very pleased and filled with joy that Patrick Hicks was able to put aside time to come speak to our class, telling us about his experiences as both a professor and a writer. One of my favorite things to study in history is Europe, and learning more about the time in which Shakespeare grew up really lends you more insight to the plays, and the culture they were written in. I had never realized before that many of the phrases I use everday actually came from Shakespeare, that the man actually created new phrases and words just to use in his plays. Shakespeare has had such an impact on the world, on literature, and I highly respect the man, and I was very grateful that Patrick Hicks was able to come in and speak to us about Shakespeare and what he did for the English language. He also spoke about living in England, and going to college in England, which he surprisingly said was much more difficult than going to school in the United States. This actually surprised me a lot, and made me think about my future, which he also talked about, how college is a new chapter, a blank page, how you're starting over. He was a very interesting man, and I really enjoyed listening to him speak, and I'm very grateful to have heard him talk to us.
I have an immense respect for Professor Hicks. As a musician, I know how difficult it is to make a living in the Arts. As Hicks mentions in the article, one of his earliest and most prominent concerns was whether he would be able to make a living with his writings. Obviously, he has figured out how to support himself financially. I know from experience and from observing others that self-esteem is crucial to “making-it” as an artist. After all, you have to believe in your own work before anyone else can believe in it, right? Unfortunately, some/many artists take this self-esteem bit a tick too far and develop an exceptionally large ego. I was most impressed by Professor Hick’s casual, respectful demeanor. At no point did I feel as though his ego was too great for his admittedly exceptional writing skills.
I also really enjoyed Hick’s perspective on the usefulness of poetry—a perspective I already highlighted in a blog task dealing with what we as students like and dislike about poetry. Truly, poetry has the power to reach our deepest capacity for emotion that ordinary writings simply cannot match. When Hick’s read his poem about racism and the London bombings, he stuck a chord in all present in the room—a simple glance about the classroom could confirm this—that the novels and, yes Shakespeare, that we have read have failed to strum. I am truly grateful that I was able to hear Hicks speak, and I can only hope that my college professors are as knowledgeable, passionate, and engaging as he was.
I loved listening to Patrick Hicks. I really enjoyed the way he taught. He was direct with everything he said in lecture, but he also said things in a way that they were easy to understand and retaliate later on. His way of telling us everything right away without a power point made things a lot easier to focus. I was focused more on what he was saying versus trying to write down what was on the board or power point. For me, the power points are distracting and I don’t fully listen to what the teacher is saying as I am distracted trying to write other things down. Having the choice of what to write made things easier as I could determine what I knew and what I didn’t, and from there, it was easier to decide what to write. When we are given notes, I tend to ignore them as they go on forever with a lot of excess information that I would not have choose to write as I already knew the information. He also elaborated a lot on how Shakespeare influences English language, making it fun to learn about how/why Shakespeare is such a great influence on our language.
Story 5, Patrick Hicks displayed an enormous amount of intelligence and his compassion in Literature. I absorbed much history and knowledge throughout his presentation. My favorite parts were undoubtedly the world history aspects that Shakespeare lived in and had to survive in. Shakespeare brought a new form of entertainment upon London instead of the usual pub hangouts and executions. He brought upon a 180 new style of theater. The actors stayed in one location instead of moving out to other areas while the spectators would have to go to them. The Globe Theater was built and from there on out the world never remained the same again. One-tenth of London went to the first play within ten days and this brought Shakespeare up from being a nobody to thee somebody. His plays sparked the ignition of critical thinking in audiences . . . and they enjoyed it. “He was generations ahead of his time,” Hicks stated with bold confidence. This proves to be true when we still use the phrases that were used in the plays he made today. My favorite (and the one I say the most) is “vanished into thin air.” I never had any form of an idea that this phrase developed 400 years ago and yet still remains here today. Overall, everything was a fascinating learning experience.
Arrowsmith 5 I hope all my college professors will be as informative and caring as Professor Hicks. To start the class period Hicks taught us about old London and a brief history of Shakespeare such as how he was an actor before going to London to make some money. He also told us how the atmosphere at the time affected Shakespeare’s writing such as the Catholic and Protestant flip-flopping of the time period. This background information on London and Shakespeare provided by Hicks greatly helps me understand Shakespeare’s writing more. You can tell Hicks loves his job just by the way he talks about it and the passion he has for the English language. In college I will definitely take his advice to sit close to the front and ask questions frequently, and not to just skip class and play video games. Hicks’ admiration for his students was clear as he said he even has many of them over to his house frequently and will be sad come graduation time. I hope to have as good of a relationship with my professors as Hicks does with his students. Overall, Hicks’ visit gave me knowledge about Shakespeare, advice for college, and a good feeling about the next four years of my life.
Professor Patrick Hicks definitely demonstrated how smart he truly is. His knowledge of old school England and Europe in general is impressive. He seems to thoroughly care about what he has to present to students, and he cares an awful lot about his students on the education he gives to them. He wants his students to succeed and you can tell this by simply listening to him speak. He is very passionate about what he does and it is easy to tell. His assessment of Shakespeare religion was pretty cool. He was able to break down how England's religion would switch from catholicism to protestant and back and forth. I hope to have a college professor that is as passionate about the subject he teaches as Patrick Hicks is about English. It was a neat oppurtunity to get to listen to an Augie professor in a classroom setting before reaching an actual college class. I found the experience to be very informative.
Professor Hicks was a very intelligent man. When I was told he was going to be in our class talking to us, I was expecting a boring lecture about Othello. When he came up to the front of the room, he had a glow about him. You could tell he loves what he does. I was surprised at how much he knew about the history behind Shakespeare and that time period. I like history more than I do English, so it was cool that I could understand and know exactly what he was talking about. When he talked about how England became a Protestant country, due to Martin Luther, I remembered learning about it in another class and it just helped me through the lecture. He also talked about all the accomplishments that Shakespeare had done, like building of an indoor theatre. It also made me laugh when he told us that if there is a name in the title, they will probably die. I never really realized that, but when I thought about it, it was obviously true. The last thing I found to be interesting, Shakespeare made phrases that we still use today. Who would have thought that we would still be using phrases that were made back in the 1500’s.
Although our visit from Mr. Hicks brought with it insightful details of Shakespeare in the past and future—how his plays were influenced by his time period and how they influence what we say and do today—personally, I felt Mr. Hicks’s most relevant information was composed in a single sentence, or perhaps a question. On the topic of college, when Mr. Hicks asked us if we knew what major we were planning to pursue, he added, “Good for you if you don’t know.” A few weeks ago, I (judge me if you will) myself judged other seniors who had not quite nailed down what they wanted to major in as poor planers. However, after reading several college prep books which were further verified by Mr. Hicks’s brief comment, I realize how wrong I truly was. One book, Getting the BEST out of College, a collaboration of numerous authors, recommends (like many other similar books) not choosing a major. In fact, many students end up changing their majors. The truth is most of us have do not have any idea of what we really, truly, and honestly want to do. (If you happen to be an exception, good for you; or congratulations on your stubborn denial.) The main point, and I hope Mr. Hicks would attest to this, is college should be used for exploration—in constructive ways of course. One should explore old interests, find new interests, and not be afraid to change (majors or even more).
Clemenson 2 I thoroughly enjoyed listening to Professor Hicks talk to our class. I found his lesson about Shakespeare to be interesting because I like learning about the history and background of authors and stories that we read. I learned a ton about Shakespeare that I did not know previously. I now understand why Shakespeare’s plays are so full of death and tragedy—they had to compete with the entertainment of public executions. I did know that Shakespeare catered to Queen Elizabeth I in his plays to please her and make her happy. On the other hand, I did not know that Shakespeare created so many cliques that we use even to this day, I was surprised to hear numerous cliques that I had heard previously on the list that he read. I liked that after Professor Hicks lectured he treated us like college students so we got a glimpse of what we would be experiencing next year. I am not thrilled about being randomly called on in class, even though teachers sometimes do it in high school, I will still dread it in college. Professor Hicks seemed to be full of interesting stories and experiences and taking classes from him would be very interesting.
Olesen 1 I found Patrick Hicks’s lecture on Shakespeare and the Elizabethan era to be quite intriguing. I enjoyed learning about Shakespeare’s background and the history behind his plays. He was born on April 23, 1564. Patrick Hicks explained how Shakespeare’s greatest accomplishment was living to the age of three. In his time period one-third of the children born died before the age of three. Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet is symbolic of the rivalry between the Protestants and the Catholics in England. I find it interesting that Shakespeare created his plays to favor the Protestants because Queen Elizabeth was Protestant. He also claimed to be a Protestant himself, but was most likely a Catholic. He even bought a house that was used as a safe house for Catholics. Next to this safe house was Shakespeare’s theater that he bought in 1613 called the BlackFriars. This theater was popular because it was indoor, which meant that it could be open in any weather, all year-round. Because executions were the norm for entertainment, Shakespeare’s was in competition with the gruesome entertainment. Therefore, most of his plays are written with the characters dying in the end. Overall I thought Patrick Hicks’s discussion on Shakespeare to be very informing and interesting. I would love to hear him speak again.
Bakke 7 My class’s experience with Professor Hicks was eye opening for me. Being able to have him talk and really give a history on Shakespeare was fascinating and much appreciated. Knowing about the time period and what Shakespeare was writing for and the circumstances and his background helps with understanding his work and enjoying it. Shakespeare is no longer a mysterious loathsome man writing difficult plays and poems, but a man that is (almost) relatable. This is thanks to Professor Hicks’s almost innate knowledge of the Shakespearian/ Elizabethan time and his literature. Professor Hicks explained everything so concisely that it was impossible not to understand and enjoy his lecture. I can now say that I believe Shakespeare is still a man whose literature is worthy of being studied. I see his importance to our modern language, writing, and culture. Shakespeare’s impact on society has been too great for him to ever disappear, and I do not want him to. Though I do not know if I will ever truly enjoy the vast works of Shakespeare, I do now have a greater appreciation for them thanks to Professor Hicks.
Dr. Patrick Hicks—like many professors would do—promoted his school very well. One of his main points on selling Augustana College was saying that it is a liberal arts school. At liberal arts schools, class subjects collaborate with each other. Their classes show how each subject is in relation with the other. Professor Hicks taught us Shakespeare giving us historical background of Shakespeare’s era relating history with literature. In the 1500’s, England’s religious views changed between being a protestant country and a catholic country. Every new ruler in England changed the country’s religion to his or her personal beliefs. In 1588, William Shakespeare came to London, England to make money. After a long period of war, England was ready to be entertained—the perfect setup for a brilliant artist. Shakespeare was very popular and so influential that his ideas and even phrases are still used today; he changed the English language. Shakespeare had the idea of having people come to the actors to watch a play and not the actors come to the people. This seems like common sense to us now but back then the idea had never been thought of. The Globe Theatre (holding 2,000 people) was built because of this idea. Shakespeare’s plays were obviously great successes. His first play, Henry V, was seen by ten percent of London—20,000 people! Overall, I am very appreciative and want to thank Professor Hicks for teaching me the history behind Shakespeare.
Koehn pd. 7 I was quite impressed with the quirky and informative Professor Patrick Hicks. The main purpose of his lecture that I was able to experience was mainly geared to why Shakespeare is important to today’s lifestyle and literature. He started off first by saying that our generation is spoiled and ruined by all of the constant entertainment we are exposed to. Shakespeare’s plays were some of the only entertainment all ages could enjoy during the 1500-1600s. Thankfully, Shakespeare’s plays were quite violent and therefore are still enjoyable to the increasing violent society of today’s world. Shakespeare’s plays were incredibly gruesome due to hangings and executions just blocks away from the Globe and Black Friar’s theaters. One new thing I found intriguing was that all of Shakespeare’s works were almost lost. If not for Thomas Thorpe gathering his plays and poems, there would be no other written collection of Shakespeare literature. Professor Hicks pointed out that even though one does not enjoy Shakespeare plays, simple phrases from his works are used in our every day vocabulary. A few examples were “woe is me” and “every dog has his day”. Imagine those little things lost! Professor Hicks also entertained our class of stories about living/studying abroad. It was helpful to hear from a college professor and gain a little insight on Shakespeare and what college life will include.
I found Professor Patrick Hicks visit on Wednesday highly beneficial in regard to my knowledge of Shakespeare and my future plans. Not only did Professor Hicks explain the history of Shakespeare, but provided me with a new perspective on the famous poet/playwright. The era of Shakespeare all began in 1588—just as Queen Elizabeth had created peace in England. One of Professor Hicks’ side notes that I found quite interesting was “we need peace to create artwork.” The statement proved true for Shakespeare who had advanced in his career at just the right time. Before Shakespeare’s era, actors were required to travel to perform. When the Globe Theater initiated, this no longer was necessary. Actors were able to remain in one place to perform. With use of the Globe, Shakespeare was able to start off a successful career. His first play, Henry the 5th, brought in 20,000 people in just 10 days. About one-tenth of the London population saw the play! Although his plays are what he is most commonly known for, many fail to recognize that Shakespeare actually changed our language. Professor Hicks read off several phrases that Shakespeare had placed within his literary works that are commonly used today. In addition to increasing our knowledge of Shakespeare, Patrick Hicks also provided us with advice about our future. One thing that particularly stuck with me was his outlook on studying abroad. I always have found an interest in traveling to a foreign country but actually listening to someone who has had experience with it makes it even more intriguing. Overall, I thought Patrick Hicks’ visit was a great learning experience.
Lenz 7 Listening to a lecture by Professor Patrick Hicks was absolutely wonderful. I was expecting him to come in and talk about how he wrote his poetry and the meaning behind each one of his pieces. He did almost the opposite of that. I was extremely surprised when he found what we were studying in class and related his lecture to our topic instead of one he just picked out of thin air. Also, I did not expect him to give a lecture. I am not absolutely positive on what I was expecting, but I think it was something along the lines of him coming in and reading his poetry. I became completely enthralled in his lecture because it was related to the materials we were learning the previous day in class. The fact that I understood his lecture and was able to gain knowledge from it instead of zoning out for the entire thing makes me excited to go to college. One of my fears of college was the difficulty of the classes. He came in with a disclaimer that he was going to teach that class the same way he did his college lectures. Since I was able to get information out of his lecture eased my worries about college a little bit. My college class teachers that I am in right now are actually extremely similar to the way he taught. I am glad that I got to experience Professor Patrick Hick’s lecture.
I was pleasantly surprised by Professor Hick’s lecture regarding Shakespeare. I haven’t always been the most optimistic towards Shakespeare’s work. I have also struggled to understand its relevance to today’s society. Yet, following that lecture I have become utterly enlightened. I have become consumed by a whole new appreciation for Shakespeare. So much of today’s language stemmed from Shakespeare! I also appreciate the fact that Shakespeare expressed such radical thoughts at times while adhering to the Queen’s wishes. Shakespeare was able to impact such a significant amount of people over the span of such a short amount of time.
Perhaps more so enlightening than the Shakespeare lecture was the knowledge Professor Hicks passed on to us pertaining to our upcoming years as undergrad students. Hicks expressed to us how the next couple weeks of school will essentially be the last where we will be receiving free education. Hicks also elaborated on the idea that these next four years ought not to be spent drinking away in our dorm rooms. Rather, we should be out meeting new people and enjoying the freedom we have. Last, and perhaps most significant, we were strongly urged to study abroad. This has surely been an exceeding interest of mine, so I listened in closely to all that Hicks had to say. Professor Hick’s lecture sparked a whole new brand of excitement in me.
K. Peterson Pd 7 Last week, we had the pleasure of hearing Professor Hicks talk to us. I am very enthralled that Mr. C. let us have this opportunity to actually hear a professor and learn how a college class would actually go. Mr. Hicks explain Shakespeare to us. Over the years, we have read many of Shakespeare’s plays and sonnets but in that fifty minute class, I learned more about Shakespeare than I ever have before. The goal was to get us interested in his writing by interesting us in his life and it worked for me. Putting the personal edge into his history and also relating his life and sayings to our life. Shakespeare was a normal guy that used his talents to create art and change the world forever. Another part of Professor Hick’s lecture was open for discussion. Our class chose college. He started our blunting saying,” Do not wear your letterman’s jacket to college!” This statement completely lightened the mood and we opened up and asked questions. I found it very interesting that in England you only take classes for your future job even if you end up hating it! I am very blessed to live in the United States. Another topic we had was his travels and he encouraged us to travel during college. I agree that I want to travel during college but I am not sure if I will end up doing that. Thank you Mr. C. for having Professor Hicks come and speak to us.
Rise pd 2 It is always interesting to hear the history behind something— it makes things more comprehensible. I appreciated that Professor Hicks shared the England history and the Turkish war with us, and he made sure to keep it short and simple. He was very in tune with our attitudes, he tried to make it interesting, and make Shakespeare matter to us. I loved hearing about all the sayings Shakespeare created, they are indeed still prevalent in our language. Receiving C’s for grades, Shakespeare was still a genius; he had his talent in playwriting. I had no idea he had not published his plays ever—that we owe the credit of his plays being discovered after his death and then published. I found Professor Hicks to be very friendly, he would be an enjoyable professor to have. I feel he is a professor who genuinely wants to help his students succeed. I think it will be interesting to see how my life and major will have changed in a couple of years. Professor Hicks wanted to be a writer but needed something more logical on the side and so he went to school to be a professor. I have no intention of changing my major but to think it is not possible would be naïve. I am glad we had a chance to listen to a different instructor, to experience a different structure of learning.
Larson 1 Professor Hicks lecturing to our class was a delightful event. Not only is it nice to mix things up sometimes and get a fresh perspective, but Professor Hicks passion was very evident. He was filled with knowledge about each and every nuance he lectured on. I particularly enjoyed his digressions. He had a main topic to focus on, but found himself so enthralled with what he was speaking about that he frequently went off on small tangents about some obscure fact. This to me is the most obvious way to tell that a person is passionate about what they are speaking on. Professor Hicks gave the class a tantalizing glimpse into college life, and no doubt increased everyone’s excitement to begin this next chapter. Professor Hicks made me personally want to seek out English courses in college, so long as all the professors are as engaging as he. I thoroughly enjoyed Professor Hicks visit, and hope to enjoy many more enlightening experiences such as this one.
Dr. Patrick Hicks was generous enough to come into our English classes last Wednesday, and for that I am extremely grateful. Going into the day I thought it was going to be a completely boring lecture about poetry—I was completely wrong. Patrick Hicks was able to engage the students—not only the students that thrive in English studies, but ALL the students. He was very intelligent and very insightful while remaining interesting the entire time. Patrick Hicks was able to help me understand the importance of Shakespeare. Dr. Hicks informed us that Shakespeare is responsible for a great deal of words and phrases in our vocabulary today. He then went on to read some of his own poetry—all of which I enjoyed—but this was not the only topic. We eventually wound up talking about college, and although he may be biased towards his college, he was very helpful and informative. He taught me two main things about college. The first is freedom. During our college years we will have more freedom than we will have for the rest of our lives. Dr. Hicks told us not to sleep in, but to exercise our freedom through travel. He also briefly mentioned that it was okay if we had not decided on a major yet. This lifted a huge weight from my shoulders. People have been judging me because I have not decided on a major yet. I have been written off as nothing more than a procrastinator, but a major is a huge decision, and now I know that I do not have to fret over deciding a major at this point in my life. I give my thanks to Dr. Patrick Hicks for coming to Brandon Valley High School in order to teach. He has taught me things I will never forget, and that fifty minutes he spent in our classroom might impact the rest of my life.
Though I missed a good part of Professor Hick’s lesson with my class period, I still took a lot with me when I left the classroom. What I thought about most in the period after Professor Hick’s talk was how, considering my engineering pathway, I may never have the opportunity again to be taught by someone with his brand of intelligence. I was really impressed by how fluently and descriptively he could talk off the top of his head; the man has obviously been around words more than most of us. I thought how great it would be to be as knowledgeable about literature as he is. A person who has read as much as he has must have a lot of things in life really figured out. One topic that Hicks talked to our class about quite a bit was the benefits of studying abroad. He explained how his studies abroad had a more profound effect on him than anything else in his life. While preparing for college I have received a lot of talks from parents, teachers, and professors with the same topic and message as Professor Hick’s and I am beginning to seriously consider the option. Caring and likable professors like Hicks are one of the many reasons that I look forward to my years in college.
Coyle 2 My experience with Professor Patrick Hicks was very enjoyable and enlightening. I liked how he began with a short history of Shakespeare, providing and reinforcing information about the author. However, I really enjoyed when he read off the list of common sayings that William Shakespeare coined in his plays such as in Othello and The Merchant of Venice, when he introduces the concept of the green-eyed monster of jealousy. “Dead as a doornail”, “night owl”, and “send him packing” are all famous sayings that people use or hear frequently yet may not know from where they originated, let alone guess it was Shakespeare. I also really enjoyed when Professor Hicks read to us some of his own poems, allowing us to hear the poem read the way it was written, and not how our minds had interpreted the words. I really enjoyed listening to the background stories of all of the poems that he had read to us, particularly his poem “Riding the Tube after the Bombings”. I also really appreciated all of the college advice that he gave us. I feel it will be very helpful for me when I enter college this upcoming fall. Overall, my experience with Professor Hicks was excellent.
I thought that Patrick Hick’s presentation was extremely unique. He definitely knew what he was talking about and even if he was lying to us, he sold me. One interesting fact that Hicks mentioned was that if a character appears in the title of the play, they will usually die by the end. I never really thought of that until he mentioned it but it makes so much sense! Shakespeare was born on April 23, 1564 and that his greatest accomplishment was that he made it to age three due to all the sickness at that time. I was blown away that if a family had ten children; they only expected 6 to live. There were always two factors that Shakespeare’s plays included: mimicking what London is like and competition with public execution. At that time, for entertainment, people of England would either watch executions or watch plays. Luckily for Shakespeare, his first play, Henry V, ran for ten evenings. Since there were 200,000 people living in London and 20,000 showed up to watch his plays, which that means one in ten people came each of those ten evenings. What I do not understand is that Shakespeare never once saw any of his plays published. But no matter what, Shakespeare gave us words in the English language that we still use today. He transformed our language.
I am very appreciative to have had the opportunity to be able to listen to a lecture from Patrick Hicks. His entire lecture from start to finish I found extremely riveting. Honestly, he my attention the entire time. The content I found to be rather interesting as well. Telling not only about Shakespeare’s growing up but more about the time period and the atmosphere in which he grew up was fantastic. Simply telling about where he was born, when he moved to London, and other trivial knowledge would have been much less enjoyable. Patrick Hicks, in my opinion as well as the rest of my peers I am sure, did such a wonderful job explaining with detail how Shakespeare truly grew up. He painted such a vivid picture in my mind that I feel I was actually there. I can literally visualize the London streets where Shakespeare lived and performed. I can tell that Patrick Hicks loves teaching and I am sure he makes an excellent professor. His time in our class really made me feel a little more at ease with the upcoming year of college courses. He has only made me more excited to start college and continue to expand my knowledge on a number of topics.
All in all, I enjoyed Professor Hicks’ talk with our class. At first I was mildly annoyed by how he started the period by saying he is not a high school teacher, but after a student in our class needed to be called out in order to stop talking during the lecture, I understood what he was infering. I believe this is a good example of how despite the fact that we are in a college level class, college will be much different than from what we are used to at Brandon Valley. I really enjoyed listening to Professor Hicks’ lecture on Shakespeare; I had not made the connection of the storm to the Spanish Armada incidence and underestimated just how much his surroundings influenced his plays. I think I will have a hard time getting used to questions at the end of a lecture next year, but I understand why the format of the class is the way it is. I had wanted to ask Professor Hicks’ opinion about the sort of “conspiracy theory” surrounding Shakespeare, which is the romour that Shakespeare’s plays were not the work of one person, but of many. I did not ask because I was not familiar enough with him to know if he would be annoyed of the question and did not want to offend him. Lastly, I really appreciated the emphasis he put on travelling in college, because I am eagerly awaiting an opportunity like that for myself in the future and hope others are as well.
Breitzman 1 I was unable to attend the lecture from Professor Patrick Hicks, and I am disappointed by this. However, I will respond to the article written about him instead. I find the statement he made about traveling to Warsaw and Krakow in order to better understand the occurrences of the Holocaust to be interesting. Hicks states, “It’s important as a fiction writer to actually go these places where history took place.” I think that he is correct, but this statement does not just apply to writing. I have visited Washington, DC two times in my lifetime, and I believe that these trips have made me a better person. Being able to see firsthand the memorials constructed for our veterans and greatest presidents help put what happened in American history into perspective. Everything appears more realistic than if I just read it in a history textbook. I also liked how Hicks discusses how he does not believe in writer’s block. While I know myself that I have experienced “stoppages” of “word flow” while writing before, I do not know if it could be labeled as “writer’s block.” I think it is more so just a moment in time where the ideas do not flow as naturally and one must put forth a little more effort in order to get detail on the page. I also like where Hicks discusses telling his students to “write what you don’t know.” I have never particularly looked at writing from this perspective before. I usually find it easier to write about topics that I know, as the ideas and words emanate from me more naturally then. Thinking about this, though, I suppose it would be helpful to write from the angle of a subject you do not know much about, as it would be a more beneficial learning experience and, as Hicks says, help you to think more about someone other than yourself. Overall, I enjoyed the article talking about Patrick Hicks’ writing experiences and wish that I could have present for his insightful lecture as well.
Well, I must say it was very interesting having a new teacher for one day last week. But, I was under the impression we would be introduced to more literary aspects of Shakespeare instead of historical. For the first ten minutes I felt I was sitting in world history again being taught information I already knew. However, it was very interesting to learn just how incorporated into our everyday life Shakespeare has become. I did not realize that some of the statements I find myself uttering everyday came from the great man himself. I find it quite comical that Shakespeare believed he would be remembered for his poems instead of his plays; I can name ten of his plays of the top of my head today but would struggle to find a poem that Shakespeare had concocted. Yep, Shakespeare was quite the catch and I am glad the English language had him for the short time it did. He worked some awesome magic, magic that is still alive today. It was also nice to have an inside look into the world that is college before this falls comes and we all journey off to start life’s next adventure.
Professor Hicks gave me a great deal of information about Shakespeare that better helped me understand his life and works. For example—the reason Shakespeare’s plays were so bloody was not only for dramatic effect, it was to compete with live executions in the entertainment industry of sixteenth-century England. I also found it interesting that pieces of Shakespeare’s plays were based on then recent events. The Capulets and Montagues in “Romeo and Juliet” related to the warring royal families of England in the late 1400’s; the demise of the Turkish fleet in “The Tragedy of Othello” related to the destruction of the Spanish armada in 1588. Besides the information I gained, I enjoyed hearing Professor Hicks speak about Shakespeare, and English in general. I could tell how passionate he was about his profession by the enthusiasm in his voice and the way he told us every little bit of detail that made his speech that much more interesting. Speaking to us the same way he would speak to a college class was another thing I greatly appreciated. I felt that he gave the entire class a good idea of what college lectures will be like this fall. My only complaints are the ways in which he occasionally spoke down to us. Once Professor Hicks began speaking about college, he began using sentences starting with “You will find…” or “You will have to…” or “As you learn about…” I realize that there are many things I will learn or do once I am in or done with college, but I already have teachers that expect me to research topics on my own, do several hours of homework in one night, ask thorough questions to learn more, and so on. As a whole, I felt like he underestimated most of the students in this class and what we are capable of. Like I mentioned above, this was only occasional; the majority of his lecture was informative and insightful. If I were attending Augustana College this fall, I would very much like to take one of his classes.
Patrick Hicks is truly an inspiring man, who one should follow his example. Doing what you love is how you can guarantee that you never work another day in your life and I admire him for that. The article on him brought up some very interesting ideas that sparked my imagination and creative thinking process. In the article Dr. Hicks states that he tells his students to “write what you don’t know.” By this he means for writers to write about experiences that they have never encountered or felt. This would be the equivalent of a high school teenager to write about what it’s like to be an astronaut. At first this statement puzzled me; wouldn’t you want to be the expert on your choice of topic? But as I thought more and more, it began to snap into focus. By researching a topic we don’t know we not only educate ourselves about more disciplines, but we also improve our writing and make it more enjoyable for the reader. By not directly experiencing an event, you can provide a new interesting angle to a topic from an outside prospective that encourages a reader to take a new perspective. I applaud Dr. Hicks on his ability to encourage his students to learn in a new interesting way.
Quite frankly, I enjoyed how blunt Professor Hicks had been. He looked at us and spoke in such a matter-of-fact tone. My favorite part of the day was the end when the class was asking him questions about college and his life in a different country. He told us that the four years we spend in college is the most free we will ever be. So true. Professor Hicks recommended living in another country for at least a semester to have a once in a lifetime experience. I mean, let’s face it, hardly anyone is going to have another opportunity in life to get up and go to another country. I feel blessed because I have already been able to visit three other countries: England, France, and Switzerland. The trip was phenomenal! After visiting and living different cultures for two weeks, I want to go back. Taking his words to heart, I may study abroad at some point during my college experience. I completely agree with Professor Hick’s advice. Traveling and seeing other cultures at hand is a blast and a life-changing opportunity. I am grateful to have been able to listen to him speak and open our eyes to many things we never knew or thought about.
Listening to Professor Patrick Hicks speak to our English class was an incredible experience. He easily grabbed my attention and kept it for a full fifty minutes while lecturing about a topic I normally do not find interesting. Hicks largely stressed the influence Shakespeare has around the world. The amount of references to Shakespeare’s plays we use today is immense. While analyzing the play Othello for my act presentation, I found an outstanding amount of sayings that have evolved over time into something we use in our conversations today. I thought I had experienced Shakespeare, but only reading a few of 37 plays, I realized I have more to discover about William Shakespeare.
Following his lecture about Shakespeare, Hicks discussed his college experiences abroad. Hearing from someone who taught and learned in a foreign country say they prefer to teach in America, let alone in South Dakota, is great to hear. This makes me proud to know I will be continuing my education at Augustana College, the college Patrick Hicks calls home. Patrick Hicks was a great addition to our classroom for the day and I look forward to potentially learning more from him in my near future.
In my opinion, Patrick Hicks’s lecture was not as important for factual knowledge about Shakespeare as it was for my future in college. Whenever a professor speaks, I am immediately drawn towards that school. His pitch on studying abroad really got me thinking about how life should not be so scheduled or planned. Studying abroad lets you experience something that is not just routine. You go out of your way in order to make that happen. He mentioned that the biggest thing that was in the way was the lack of bravery. I believe that would be the one thing if any that would stop me. Going to another part of the world with people I do not even know that well… that is scary. Back to the history of Shakespeare, I knew pretty much all of what he was saying but the real thing that I gained was the idea that he was teaching it like a college class. It brought relieve to me knowing that it was not that different from our high school classes. Sure he might of simplified the subject matter a bit and went a bit slower but it was the fact that he wanted us to experience college lecture was the true lesson in my opinion.
Unfortunately, I was unable to attend class the day when Dr. Patrick Hicks spoke us about college and Shakespeare. From hearing what others have said about their experience listening to Dr. Hicks, I truly wish I could have encountered his brilliance. Instead I was forced to play a dozen gong hits for a couple of judges. Because of this misfortune, I will be commenting on the "Literary Scientist" article that was handed out to us in class.
I greatly enjoy the analogy of how writing/reading is like a hypnotic magic trick. I was mesmerized by complex magic tricks as a child and I still today. Reading was also one of my favorite pass times. When putting those two elements into a story it creates a world of possibilities—for me at least. I like to think that the owl carrying my Hogwarts acceptance letter was accidently hit by a stupefy curse.
Ultimately, I think of Dr. Patrick Hicks as a great guy who is incredible in love with sharing his knowledge of writing. Having won numerous awards and nominations, I feel it is safe to say that Dr. Hicks has successfully made a living off of his love of writing.
Weidenbach 1 From reading my fellow classmates blog tasks I see I missed out on a very exceptional learning experience from Dr. Patrick Hicks speaking to our classes. I will have to make due learning about this man from the "Literary Scientist" article. Dr. Patrick Hicks from a very young age enjoyed writing and reading. He said, “That I could open a book and could be transported somewhere else. I just wanted to know how these writers could do that.” Dr. Hicks also has been nominated for many awards and has received quite a few throughout the years. From reading this article I can tell Dr. Hicks enjoys his teaching career and takes it very seriously. He says, “I feel my job is to nurture my students’ imaginations, and their bravery, to put themselves onto the page.” From reading this article about Dr. Patrick Hicks I can see how everyone enjoyed him speaking so much. He is a very interesting and knowledgeable man when it comes to understanding writing. Above all he clearly cares about students learning. Whether it’s his college class students or Brandon Valley’s high school students. This man has a love for education and he enjoys passing on his knowledge to anyone who will listen.
I really enjoyed listening to Professor Hicks when he came to our class last week. I truly hope my professors next year teach with the same passion Patrick Hicks showed. To be honest, I thought I was going to be really bored but he had no problem holding my attention throughout the conversations about Shakespeare and college. He was extremely knowledgeable and had an intriguing way of teaching it. The most interesting point he made in my opinion was that ten percent of the population in London saw Shakespeare’s first play. This shows how popular and influential Shakespeare really was and how much of an affect Shakespeare had on our English language today. I also really liked hearing about Shakespeare’s past and the history of his writing. Another topic Professor Hicks discussed with our class was college. This discussion really did a lot to calm my anxiety about next year and added to my excitement. It was really cool hearing about all of his experiences studying and teaching abroad. He was extremely enthusiastic and I’m so glad we were given the experience to listen to him. I learned a lot and feel much better about leaving for college soon.
Though I was unable to be in full attendance for Dr. Hicks’ presentation, I was delighted by the last ten minutes I was able to attend. Hicks is very well spoken and easy to listen to. I enjoy his poems about London the best because I can relate to them and know exactly what he is referring to, having been to London myself. I have ridden the tube many times. I am able to giggle when he writes about minding the gap. I am intrigued when he speaks of Jack the Ripper, from hearing stories told there. Though, they locked us up at night and kept us far away from where tourists do not tread. Unfortunately I did not witness prostitution or any other horrible deeds that go on in big cities. Paris was a different story. Anyway, one thing I love about Patrick Hicks’ poems is his imagery. He uses similes and metaphors that I would never dream of. In Red Light District he speaks of the prostitute sliding her body open like a button, which is so amazingly affective and impactful! There are countless other examples. Another aspect of Hicks that I appreciated was his willingness to play around with poem structure. In the poem with mind the gap, he literally put a gap in between the lines, which was brilliant! When I write poems I love to tinker with placement and structure, so I enjoyed that. Thirdly, Hicks is so fearless when it comes to word choice and topic. Many people shy away from topics such as sex and prostitution, yet Dr. Hicks writes with no filter. These types of poems are wonderful learning tools and tell very powerful messages. He is so real when he speaks and explains his thoughts. I thoroughly enjoyed my opportunity to hear him speak.
Tibke p. 1 I am really grateful the Professor Hicks was able to take time out of his schedule to come teach our class. It was nice to hear another person’s insight on Shakespeare’s works. The limit to his knowledge seemed unending as he brought up topic after topic. All though I am not a huge fan of studying Shakespeare’s work, he helped present the topic with an eagerness that caught my attention immediately. The main think I can come to agreeing with him is how Shakespeare has come to help form the language of today. Reading his words written in that time period I noticed bits a phrases here and there that have translated into more popular sayings of today. His poetry was very good. Not being big into poetry it was hard to grasp parts of what he was saying. But whenever I started to zone out it seemed like, he would break the ice with a small comment. My favorite being when he talked about writing in a bar when some loud futball fans came in, causing a disturbance in his writing. He said something along the lines of—I don’t think me asking them to be quiet so I could write poetry was a very wise decision. The passion and energy he brought to the class room gave me a respect of this man and I envy not being able to have an future opportunity to study under him.
When Dr. Patrick Hicks visited our high school on Wednesday, I got to have my first glimpse at what a college lecture would be like. While he was here, I got to learn about him from his own perspective, separate from my impressions from his poems that I had read. He told us about his experiences in Ireland and England, and how it gave him a better perspective on our own country’s advantages and problems. During his lecture he taught us all about the background of Shakespeare at the time he wrote his famous plays, and listed off dozens of Shakespearian terms we use today. We also learned that Shakespeare decided to risk traveling to London to pursue producing players. Patrick Hicks has also pursued what he loves; he decided to pair his love of composing literature with teaching the subject so others can enjoy it as well. When we got to ask him questions, he advised us that our greatest time to explore and learn about the world around us is in college. I remember all the fun experiences I had experiencing life in England while on a vacation in sixth grade. I plan on studying abroad, and plan on having these cultural learning experiences enrich the rest of my life.
I appreciated having Professor Patrick Hicks come talk to us because he had insightful knowledge concerning Shakespeare, Shakespeare’s writing, and Shakespeare’s history. As Mr. Hicks spoke to our class, one thing that struck me as sort of odd is the fact that he explained to us that if Shakespeare’s plays contain a name in the title, that character will die eventually. I thought this was strange because the novels we have been reading lately in class, we have to dig a little deeper whereas these plays it basically tell you that there will be a death of whomever’s name is in the title. Another thing that shocked me was that Shakespeare may have been catholic and that a lot of his writing had to do with the partition between Catholics and Protestants and that that was the entire foundation behind Romeo and Juliet. Something that I found sort of comical was how he was so excited to teach our class. He would be talking about one thing and then get completely off topic because he wanted us to fully appreciate Shakespeare. Mr. Hicks then began to explain his writing as an author. It was a great experience to listen to someone talk about what inspires them to write about what they do and why they do. He explained to us that people who write poetry view the world different than people who don’t. Poets see a deeper meaning of everything around them, thus producing those certain kinds of poems that really make you think. I am so grateful to have this professor come to our class to speak. It helps me mentally prepare to leave the high school learning setting and experience what a college lecture would be like!
Boerhave 7 I thoroughly enjoyed listening to Professor Hicks and felt honored to have him come and expand our knowledge on Shakespeare. Hicks is very intelligent and I was amazed at how much he knew right of the top of his head- especially the specifics. One piece of information that shocked me was that 1/10 of London’s population saw Shakespeare’s first play within only 10 days. I was shocked because most looked down upon Shakespeare’s profession, and now look at how glamorized Hollywood is today. Shakespeare set our standards for society. Now everyone wants to be a movie star. Another fact that caught my interest was how Shakespeare believed that his poems would be most recognized after he passed, not his brilliant plays. This is most definitely ironic because now his plays are more popular than his poetry. I was impressed by how Hicks so highly encouraged traveling and studying abroad. It was fascinating how traveling to Europe changed his entire life. I plan to study abroad in college and travel around to gain vast knowledge and network within my field to provide myself with more opportunities to better ensure my future within my career.
While incorporating more of a college type feel to the classroom, I truly enjoyed Patrick Hicks in our class. As excellent as an instructor is as Mr. C, it is sometimes nice to shake things up by having a different approach to the class. Hicks, although quite windy, provided a solid change of pace to the class. I felt much more equipped to create knowledge in the setting he induced as oppose to just regurgitating information. Upon Hicks' lecturing, I could focus on making connections and finding the meaning of his point. I also could easily find reasons why it should matter so much to me. What I liked the most about the entire time is how he simply expected students to rise up and take their own initiative. I think high school teachers baby students along and do not give students enough challenging and critically thinking tasks. Hicks would simply expect you to take in his knowledge, create your own knowledge and pass his test. If you did not meet his expectations, then that's tough. I look forward to college classes that are executed in the same manner next year. I can definitely tell he is a popular teacher and a successful teacher at that. His charisma shows students who is boss and he has the mind set to back it up. Hicks, however, did not make any Rush references which slightly saddened me since I know he is a Rush fanatic even compared to myself.
Miller 5 Patrick Hicks was a refreshingly real speaker. By this I mean that he did not sugar coat anything or dodge any questions. He was an open book, a surprisingly funny open book. I really liked his comment about how in Shakespeare if a character’s name is in the title; they usually die by the end. One other comment that caught my attention was that in 1588 the Spanish armada was severely damaged by a storm before its attempted attack on England. This drew my ear, and Mr. Hicks commented on it as well, that in Othello the Turks are also wiped out by a storm. I like learning about Shakespeare from Patrick Hicks. I have always enjoyed Shakespeare’s work, which I know is a rarity in people my age, but I did learn many new things. For example, I did not know that Henry the V was Shakespeare’s first play, and that twenty thousand saw it within the first ten days. Mr. Hicks also told us that the plays were extra bloody because Shakespeare had to compete for an audience with public executions. One final thing I found interesting was that many of Shakespeare’s plays were made in such a way that they would hopefully please the Queen, who often attended.
Petersen 7 Patrick Hicks is a professor at Augustana, which is where I am attending next fall. I was excited to be able to sit through a short lecture from him. He spoke a lot about Shakespeare and his life experiences. When I was in grade school, I did a research project on Shakespeare and it was cool to be able to actually recall some of the information he brought up during his speech. Hicks noted the importance of Shakespeare even in present society. I knew Shakespeare was important; I just did not know that he contributed so much to present day English. Some of his phrases such as "tongue tied", "what a piece of work:, and "every dog has its day" are still used regularly. Hicks also commented that Shakespeare's works transcend time and are a cultural touchstone. I also enjoyed how Hicks incorporated the history behind Shakespeare's works. History is my favorite subject so adding that made me even more interested in what he was saying. Sometimes I forget Shakespeare was an actual person who lived during some hard times and I am glad we were able to be informed more about his life and his works. I also enjoyed getting to know Professor Hicks and learning about his travels. It made me look forward to what next year will bring.
Cain 2 Dr. Patrick Hicks’s visit was a treat for me. I truly enjoyed listening to him speak; my experience with him adds to my excitement about attending college and being part of the English department. I thoroughly enjoyed his story telling style of lecturing. It was easy to pick out the important details as well as the interesting facts he added. I found that I was taking a large amount of notes but never had an issue keeping up with comprehending what he was saying. The fact that he has experience in England’s education system and firmly believes in the education system in the United States speaks volumes about the opportunity that we have. Unfortunately many of us take our education system for granted and fail to apply ourselves. Dr. Hicks gave a lot of insight on how to approach the learning process and provoked some deep thoughts. I liked the way Dr. Hicks appeared to be teaching effortlessly and it makes me wonder how much better our education system would be if all educators had such a natural way about inspiring and motivating students to have a desire to learn. Dr. Hicks made me even more excited to begin the next chapter of my life.
Professor Hicks’ presence during our English class last week was much appreciated as well as eye opening. For one, I am thankful I had the chance to listen to a legitimate college professor explain a purposeful and relevant topic to me in a fashion in which he may teach his incoming freshman. Not only did I learn a plethora of knowledge on Shakespeare, but I was astounded in the way he went about it. Initially I believed I would be listening to a, well, pretty dull and lifeless explanation of some figure in literary history who we have studied for the past several years. But the ways in which he conveyed his knowledge to us was made his presentation more than that. He informed us with little details and history behind certain situations that lead me to believe learning at this level can and will prove to be substantially beneficial compared to the mostly petty stories and explanations provided by more than a handful of teachers I have learned from before. Although his presentation on Shakespeare was phenomenal, I truly enjoyed his debriefing on college life and the attitude you must carry starting at day one. His insight on campus life and academics was extremely appreciated and I am more than glad to have had the opportunity to listen to such an astounding and well regarded man.
Though I was not granted the opportunity to be involved in the entirety of Professor Hicks lecture in our second period class, I was still impressed by his classroom presence and his perspective on the world. In response to the article I read, I found that Hicks is, no doubt, a passionate and skilled writer who has clearly been successful in his line of work. I find it amazing how he found his talent as a young boy and continued to pursue it throughout life. His perception of the powers of writing is mesmerizing and I found his way of speaking to be intriguing while I was in class that day. He had a certain way of phrasing statements that I am afraid I may not be able to give grace to by explanation. Regardless, Patrick Hicks is a professor worthy of commanding a considerable amount of respect amongst his students and readers alike. When he spoke of the London bombing incident, I was drawn in by his world views. The very fact that he refused to judge the group of people by the actions of a few was a great thing to hear from such a successful man. He is an example of pure respect and awe for other cultures and religions.
Nifong 1 I deeply appreciated and enjoyed Patrick Hick’s presentation on Shakespeare. I felt I was deeply engaged into what he was saying. He enlightened our class with many useful and interesting tidbits of information. I especially loved the bits of background that Shakespeare alludes to in his plays. (I.e. The storm that wiped out the Spanish Armada is similar to the storm that annihilates the Turks in Othello.) Hicks pointed out many things I had never thought twice about, such as the importance of the titles of Shakespeare’s plays. He highlighted that the name in the title was the name of a character that would perish in the end. Having this pointed out to me, I tried to think of an exception and failed. I was also interested in the reasons behind making the plays so violent. I learned that in the late 1500s common entertainment consisted of prostitution or viewing executions. In order to compete with the grisly scenes, Shakespeare made his plays graphic and gory. As well as trying to compete with executions, he was also attempting to keep Queen Elizabeth content. In his plays he had to be sure he condoned Elizabeth’s rulings. If he failed to show loyalty to the Queen his life could be at risk. Overall, Patrick Hicks was a very impressive guy. I think the experience was a memorable one, and next year’s students should be able to have the same experience.
Professor Hicks’s visit was very enlightening. Not only did he give me a deeper understanding of Othello, but he also let me feel what taking a college class would be like (not that it’s not already a college class). In fact, I think this part of his visit was more important than learning about Shakespeare’s background and symbolism/meaning within “Othello.” Although our class is technically a college class, it is still taught in a high school environment by a high school teacher, so it was a welcome change of pace. I found that there is a lot more note-taking and lecturing in a college setting, which has its pros and cons. Although knowing what a college English class is like won’t really affect me (this year’s English classes are the only ones required for me), it is still nice to know what it might have been like if I had chosen a different school or major. However, I did learn a lot about William Shakespeare from Mr. Hicks. I found it very interesting that Shakespeare expected to be famous for his sonnets, and his plays were just a sort of hobby. It’s hard to imagine how he would think that knowing his fame today. I can’t name a single of his sonnets, but can name many plays. I’m sure a lot of things we think today will be completely flipped around in a couple hundred years.
Prof. Patrick Hicks is a poet and a teacher at the collegiate level, which is the perfect forum for him to spread his political and social-cultural views. He is undoubtedly socially liberal and has no problem letting hundreds of high school students know it. I have no problem with his views, he is entitled to those, but I do disagree with the abuse of influence that many teachers and professors display. I’m aware that I am expected to comment upon his poetry, but my mid-western conservative roots won’t let this one go.
As I said, I have no problems with people disagreeing with me, but I do have a problem with the people that have a great influence on you shaping your decisions to suit their liking. It is overwhelmingly liberal in the education field, mostly due to the lower pay and financial dependence on the government. Bigger government = more pay to government employees = more government employee become liberal. This is hard to dispute, but I’m sure it will piss off a fair number of individuals. Whether you accept it or not, it is still true that most teachers lean left. The political views of my teachers have not only been easily deciphered, but also often portrayed in a way that discourages discussion. I have often changed an essay topic or chosen not to talk in class due to the bias of my teacher. I fear this is all the more relevant in college, where less political slander is regulated.
Mr. Hicks wasn’t overly forceful in his opinions, but he did state them as facts. He never mentioned any specific names of congressmen or other politicians, but he was not afraid to go into depth about the “Muslim-phobic” people of our country. This was obviously correlating with recent news and definitely wasn’t overly balanced. The problem with him sharing his opinions is that he could change someone’s mind to suit his own for selfish reasons. It is difficult to trust someone about politics that is paid by the government.
Rant over. I apologize for not blogging about poetry…
Minihan 7, I am very fortunate to have gotten the wonderful opportunity to experience the teachings of Professor Patrick Hicks. Before going into the class, I thought the lecture would be way over my head, and strictly about the same-old “Old English”-styled Shakespeare. To my surprise, I was highly fascinated with the endless facts about Shakespeare plays, in which Professor Hicks unfolded. One of the interesting facts that this highly-educated man told my consumed class, was that is a name appears in the title of one of Mr. William Shakespeare’s plays, that character will end up dead sometime throughout the play. The topic that Professor Patrick Hicks talked about that really got my mind going, was when he started talking about studying abroad. Hicks told our class to go out, and travel to different countries now. Do things you have always wanted to do, because before too long we will be married, and settling down with children. Although this is not a bad thing, it will definitely tie you down and decrease your availability (freedom) to do things. Before I had always thought that studying abroad would be fun, but that it was never anything I would seriously consider. After Professor Hicks lecture, I may just end up in a Spanish-speaking country within the next couple of years! Thank you so much, Professor Patrick Hicks!
Rollag 5 Professor Hicks pointed out some very now obvious facts about Shakespeare’s work that I had not notice before. He pointed out that if a character’s name is in the title they will die at some point in the play. He also had a list of common sayings that were invented by Shakespeare even though they are hundreds of years old they are still commonly used today. I did like hearing about the history and the time period in which Shakespeare was born. I like history and that captivated by attention to learn and connect events I have known about for a while to the time period of plays I have been reading. Knowing that the sinking of the Spanish armada happened before the writing of Othello I helped to clarify that the two events were connected. His explanation for why Shakespeare’s plays are so graphic and full of death was one I was unaware of. Now that I know he was competing against public execution the many instances of death in his plays are justified in my eyes and no longer seen to be unnecessarily violent. I do hope when I go to London this fall I get the chance to visit the rebuild Globe theater as he portrayed it to be quite fascinating.
Redford 7 I found Patrick Hick quite interesting. His knowledge about Shakespeare and the events that happened during Shakespeare’s life was vast and intriguing. I also really liked talking to him about college after he got done sharing his knowledge about Shakespeare. He enlightened us as to what it would be like when we go to college and the types of opportunities we will be provided with. He offered words of wisdom to try to get us to enjoy the freedom of college life and take every opportunity we can to grow as people. He also told us that we should try to study abroad at some point in college. I had already been interested in doing this, but after hearing the passion he spoke about going to England and learning their culture made my determination to do this increase even more. He was inspiring as he talked about how the decision to travel changed his life. The knowledge to be gained by other cultures and other places is unlimited. He also spoke about the differences between the school systems between these two places and how it made him more thankful to have received the education here that he has. I highly enjoyed having him come in and share his experiences and knowledge.
Rogen5 I was privileged to see the second half of Professor Hicks’ presentation. He brought to my realization that the world we live in today would not be the same without Shakespeare’s influence in both the spoken and written word. Without the figures of speech used in his writing are still influencing the English language today. Hicks also brought to my attention that Shakespeare planned on being a poet and that his plays were not published for quite some time after his death. Sure they were performed, but the concept that his work was not published until he was dead truly baffles me. The question and answer segment of his talk was the most influential to me though. His words involving the stresses of college seemed to calm my nerves for the upcoming fall semester. Hicks’ encouragement for studying abroad sparked some interest for me. I have never considered the possibilities of leaving my country for studying, but after the wonderful experiences that he shared, studying abroad ranks as an activity I would like to be involved in. I found his time in our class extremely rewarding for both the literary and collegiate facts and advice that he brought with him.
Wehrkamp 5 Patrick Hicks lecture to our enhance high school class extensively attracted more attention than one would think. In my opinion his combination of history with English was intriguing my intellectual application. It amazes me that the London Hicks described in the late 1500’s would be a place for such an amazing artist such as Shakespeare, but just as explained, when the time is taken to reflect of his plays and poetry it makes perfect sense for Shakespeare to live in London during that time. A time of filth, disease, and death in London was all depicted through Shakespeare’s “gruesome” plays. If a character’s name was in the title of a script or a play, you could guarantee that character would die by the end of the story. Why did Shakespeare write such bloody tragic plays? Well during his time in London Shakespeare’s entertainment competition was literally the executions of anyone who committed a crime or went against the Queens rule. Shakespeare was watched extensively by the public, and watched closely by the Queen. In his plays Shakespeare depicted the London of his time, and his villains all glorified Queen Elizabeth’s ruling. For this reason, the Queen demanded every play be performed in front of her in her own palace (nice to be the Queen), and this was unique because none of Shakespeare’s plays were traveling theatrical practices but instead the first ever theatre plays where the people came to them to watch. Patrick Hicks is a renowned professor and it was a privilege to be intellectually enlightened by his endowed lecture.
The day Dr. Hicks came into class and shared his knowledge and passion about poetry and writing, I was unable to be there for most of it. However, I was able to be in attendance for about the last ten minutes of it. While I was there, Dr. Hicks read “Burka” and shared various stories and events. One event he shared the background on was about the bombings that occurred in London on July 7, 2005. You could tell he definitely loves the city of London with how much passion he had when speaking about it. Even after such a horrific event as bombings, he still loved it and felt safe. I have always wanted to visit London, especially after going to other parts of Europe last summer, but now that Dr. Hicks talked about London, I REALLY want to go. My favorite part was hearing the story and backgrounds that inspired him to write his poems. I think that sharing the backgrounds is what makes the poems more personal and relatable to everyone. I was able to connect with the poems in a new way after he shared the stories. For example, Dr. Hicks explained that “Burka” was about one of his former students who actually wore a burka. As he explained, the burka made this student feel liberating and free. I found this to be odd. One of the great things about poetry is being able to view things differently. Dr. Hicks was wonderful and I am thankful he was so enlightening and passionate about his love of poetry and writing.
Cylie pd 7 I thought it was extremely refreshing to hear about a historical literary genius and actually be entertained. If that is how college lectures go, I’m glad I’m signed up! The lecture was enjoyable and I am glad he laid out a bit of history to get us in the proper mindset to the time period that William Shakespeare lived. For some odd reason, I found it fascinating that his father’s name was John, and that he married an Anne Hathaway at age 18—my age. It’s ironic that his fame came over a spand of ten days which is the ideal American dream, yet his fame was born in London. It’s just another reason why Americans look up to him; he embodies our nation’s dream. The fact he thought he would be famous for his poems and not his plays just goes to show that no matter what we as human beings try to control our fate, we have no true control over how we are remembered. I also found it intriguing the amount of Shakespearian phrases we still use today. After the Shakespeare talk, I was excited to hear about college from a professor’s viewpoint (one that isn’t trying to swindle you into their school). I absolutely love that he urged the class to study overseas for a semester. The fact that he was from the Midwest and had actually traveled and lived all around the world inspired me more than I can say. I am writing my common essay on dreams, and one of mine is to not only travel the world, but experience it. To hear someone reiterate its possibility rekindled that dream for me and encouraged me to continue to pursue that dream. That day, I was not only educated, but inspired by Dr. Hicks.
76 comments:
Marso 1
I am very grateful that Professor Hicks came to teach our class for the day. First, he shared his wealth of knowledge about William Shakespeare and England during Shakespeare’s time. The information he presented us with was so valuable in helping understand the famous playwright and his works that I could not help but jot notes. Some of the information he shared was truly fascinating. Although I grumble about studying Shakespeare at times, I agree with Hicks’s opinion on why Shakespeare must be read and analyzed. He stated that Shakespeare is important because of the enormous impact his play scripts have on modern language, and supplemented his theory with a length list of common phrases. Also, he showed that Shakespeare’s plays, although not bias free, are vital to understanding London’s culture and its historical implications in the late 1500s. After a beneficial lecture, Hicks lightened the mood by reading a couple of his poems and answering any questions we had, a gesture I am appreciative of. Despite the variety of style in his poetry, I enjoyed many of his works. Finally, I was able to ask the professor a question at the very end of the period; although the question was not a simple fact based inquiry, I respected his attempt to provide a satisfactory answer while staying concise to deal with time constraints. Because of energetic, caring professors like Hicks who value students enough to come out to a high school and teach, I eagerly await my time at Augustana.
Hallstrom 1
I appreciated having Professor Patrick Hicks come talk to us because I was able to listen to someone speak I had never heard before. As I sat and listened, I took a few notes. One thing I found very interesting was when he talked about Shakespeare’s titles. He told us that if the main character’s name is in the title, that character will eventually die. To me, this is a very interesting way of foreshadowing although not everyone may be aware of it until someone tells them or after reading the story. Another particularly fascinating this was hearing about Shakespeare’s work of Henry V. Giving the information that 1/10 of the population went to this play in just 10 days was very surprising. I thought it was cool that one play could make such an impact. I was also intrigued by the idea of his plays being gory because he was in real competition with the executions happening in London at the time. At the end of his appearance at BVHS, Patrick Hicks read us a couple poems, one of them being “At the Pub”. I remember reading this poem on my own in class but it was very alluring to hear where his inspiration came from. After hearing about the experience, it gives me a greater appreciation of the poem and him as a poet.
Bender 1
I found Professor Hicks to be incredibly refreshing. I personally always enjoy the history behind something as much or more than the thing itself. Originally I was slightly worried that today would just be a day for someone to come in and talk about how amazing he or she is. Professor Hicks proved to be anything but arrogant. I also thoroughly enjoyed that he was able to talk about the subject we are currently studying. One thing that I found most interesting about his lecture was his reasons we should still care about Shakespeare. What I found most interesting however was that he didn’t mention that Shakespeare’s play overly romanticized versions of love where the first of their kind and over time have played a major part in social revolution and to redefine “love”. He did mention however the profound impact Shakespeare has had on Hollywood. I believe his themes of love are timeless and will greatly affect movie making until the end of time. The other part of his lecture I found to be incredibly interesting was Shakespeare’s beliefs that his poems would be what history would remember him for. It is difficult to think about anything not being recorder forever in our digital age. I for one certainly could not picture a world where every English class across the country studies Shakespeare.
Larson pd 5
I enjoyed listening to Patrick Hicks talk about Shakespeare and College. Talking about Shakespeare was very interesting and I enjoyed that, but what I really appreciated was the talk about college. Patrick addressed topics of college that are crucial for a senior to understand. I really liked how he told us to sit in the front row to ask questions and feel proud to be a nerd. I do not think a lot of seniors understand how important college is and how they need to take college more serious than high school. Patrick Hicks also said some interesting statements about Shakespeare. I really like how he told us that the London of Shakespeare was a different place compared to the London today. When he explained the old London, I could almost picture it perfectly from his description. He really made me want to try study abroad programs when I am in college. He definitely proved to me that he knows what he is talking bout and he isn’t a fraud. I am almost sad I am not going to Augustana to have him as a professor. I really liked hearing Patrick Hicks talk today.
Larson pd 5
I enjoyed listening to Patrick Hicks talk about Shakespeare and College. Talking about Shakespeare was very interesting and I enjoyed that, but what I really appreciated was the talk about college. Patrick addressed topics of college that are crucial for a senior to understand. I really liked how he told us to sit in the front row to ask questions and feel proud to be a nerd. I do not think a lot of seniors understand how important college is and how they need to take college more serious than high school. Patrick Hicks also said some interesting statements about Shakespeare. I really like how he told us that the London of Shakespeare was a different place compared to the London today. When he explained the old London, I could almost picture it perfectly from his description. He really made me want to try study abroad programs when I am in college. He definitely proved to me that he knows what he is talking bout and he isn’t a fraud. I am almost sad I am not going to Augustana to have him as a professor. I really liked hearing Patrick Hicks talk today.
Beckman 1
I found Professor Hicks to be a very interesting man. He had no problem holding my attention throughout all of class with his interesting facts and great sense of humor. The overall experience of being “in a college class for 50 minutes” really excited me for my upcoming college classes in the fall. Professor Hicks was full of little—and big—facts about William Shakespeare and the Elizabethan Era. Before yesterday, I had no idea at all that if the character’s name was in the title of the play they would die at the end—that was a shocker! I also had never realized that Shakespeare may have been catholic and that a lot of his writing had to do with the division between Catholics and Protestants and that that was the entire basis behind Romeo and Juliet, after he told us that though it made more sense. The way he talked about London with so much passion was also great, you could just tell after one sentence about London that he truly loves every single aspect of that city—even if most people would be deterred from one little part, he still loved it. He gave me a huge longing to go visit London, and even Spain when he mentioned that if we ever got the chance to go visit Spain that we needed to take that chance.
Dutson 1
It was quite amazing to realize how influential Shakespeare really is. The amount of phrases and literature that are still used today is almost baffling. I also found it interesting that one man can have such an impact on society even though he was writing for his own gain. I also found Patrick Hicks way of getting inspiration intriguing. His way of viewing the world through a different mindset is fantastic. His hair is very luscious and beautiful. It attributes to his overall appearance as an author. Without it I doubt he could write as well as he does. It was a great experience to listen to an author talk about what inspires him to write what he does and how he does. When he was describing the train scene I definitely would not have thought about it in the manner he did or even express the situation in such a poetic manner.
Andrews2
Listening to Professor Patrick Hicks, I became even more excited for my upcoming college education. I am, however, saddened that I will not be able attend his classes since I will be attending USD's instead. He did, although, make me feel better about my anxiousness and that it's okay to be scared. Even though I may be scared of the unknown, I am fairly psyched for what is to come. He also inspired me to actually go through with much travelling and I am heavily considering majoring in literature since I have always greatly wanted to. He did wonderfully explaining the history of Shakespeare and why he is as important as he is. Shakespeare forever transformed literature by writing amazing sonnets and plays that were not even published until after his death. Shakespeare introduced many words we have today and will continue to use. And they continue to say that Shakespeare’s language is dead. Professor Hicks not only enlightened us on Shakespeare, but literature as a whole. To appreciate literature as a whole, history must be added. Just like to understand life you must know the past. This is the key to writing the beautiful poems that Professor Hicks masterfully writes.
Shroll 2
I was not able to be in full attendance to hear Dr. Hicks speak and share his knowledge through poetry and blunt unasked for advice, but I was thankful to be in his knowledgeable and domineering presence for the last ten minutes of his display. In the time that I was there, Dr. Hicks read “Burka” and another about the bombings that occurred in London in July 7, 2005. I particularly enjoyed hearing the background stories and inspirations behind his poems. To me, that is the magic of poetry; poetry allows the writer to cope with troublesome or touching events taking place in the writer’s personal life. Dr. Hicks does so with little to no filter. His poem about the little boy in the deli in another country also intrigued me. It was the perfect summation of humanity and what it means to be human and to coexist peacefully because we are all, for lack of a better word, human. We all have a word to describe what bread is, what water is, what ice cream is. Even though these words are not the same from culture to culture, we all have the same basic understandings of life, however primordial. I am grateful for Dr. Hicks enlightening me and inspiring me to be grateful and kind to everyone.
Tew 2
Mr. Hicks had many points that I never thought of before but completely agreed with. When he first started talking about Shakespeare, he mentioned that if someone’s name was in the title, that person would die in the end. I have seen this happen many times but never put together the trend. I never liked Shakespeare, since all of the plays I’ve read are full of stupid people with terrible motives. I still do not like him to this day, but I now recognize his importance to the English language today. The fact that he created all of those phrases was quite impressive. “Budge an inch,” was one of the phrases I remember that Mr. Hicks used. I also found it ironic that Shakespeare married Ann Hathaway, who today is a major actress. I wonder if Ann Hathaway knows of this irony. When he spoke about how our famous playwright competed with executions, I was relatively surprised. I knew that executions were common and people went to watch them, but I never thought that a play would be in the same category of entertainment. Now that I think about it, to the people of the time it might have been like switching channels. Do I want the gory channel, or the love and gory channel? It sounds like people did not have their priorities straight.
Rist 2
I was grateful for having Patrick Hicks come speak to our class. Although I usually am not fond of Shakespeare, Professor Hicks changed my view on him. Even though we do not realize it, Shakespeare changed our language. Dr. Hicks read off a long list of phrases people say every day without knowing Shakespeare invented them. This surprised me! I had used half of the phrases at least once. Professor Hicks also mentioned that if the character’s name appears in the title, they will die in the end. I found this type of foreshadowing very interesting; I never realized how true this really was until now. Supplying us with many facts, Hicks said that Shakespeare’s play was shown to 2,000 people over 10 nights for a total of 20,000 people! At that time, 20,000 people was equal to 1/10th the population of London! Amazing! Not only Patrick Hicks’s knowledge about Shakespeare impressed me, he also gave us great advice about college. With 15 days left of high school, I took Professor Hicks’s advice into consideration. He told us that our best times will be spent between the ages of 18 and 24—college years. He suggested we should go out and see the world, travel, get involved, do not be afraid to ask questions. Since I am attending college four hours away from home, I cannot wait to take Dr. Hicks’s advice into consideration and explore every chance I get.
Guthmiller 2
Patrick Hicks quickly announced he wasn’t a high school teacher and we quickly told him we weren’t a high school class. He gave a fleeting smile and went on a tangent/lecture on the history of England in the 1500’s and the history, and impact, of Shakespeare. His words were strong and experienced, experience gained after years of teaching in the England University system and the prestigious American college of Augustana and the University of St. Thomas. He told us of his time in England and his emotional encounter with the bombing that occurred on July 7th, 2005. Although he saw the horror of the aftermath of the bombings, Dr. Hicks “refused to be afraid” and “refused to live in fear” of the threat of terrorism. Instead of running away, he walked through the most Muslim parts of England and wrote about his encounters. “Burka” is a poem he had written about his encounter with a Muslim woman that needed help carrying her child’s stroller down the stairs—a simple encounter that was turned meaningful given the acts of violence that had happened the previous day. Dr. Hicks is a writer and a professor. He gets to do what he loves and still gets to support his family, something not a lot of writers are afforded. Dr. Hicks is a happy man living the life he dreamed of as a kid.
Westcott, 5
Professor Hicks spoke about many different aspects of Shakespeare, his time era, and the reasons behind some of his writing. He first spoke about the civil war England was experiencing in the 1400’s. The country switched from Protestant to Catholic multiple times following the civil war, and prosecuted those who did not change with it. Queen Elizabeth, a Protestant, changed this when she decided to no longer prosecute the Catholics. England finally had peace for the first time since the early 1400’s. One thing Professor Hicks said that caught my attention was that “Peace is needed to create art”. I found this statement very true, and highlighted it in my notes as something to reevaluate.
In 1588, the Spanish armada decided to try to attack England to show its power. However, Queen Elizabeth was ready for the attack, and decimated Spain’s army to become the world power for the first time. Shakespeare came to London, England the same year in order to make money. Shakespeare’s first play, Henry V, took London by storm. Within ten days of performance, 20,000 people had viewed his show. Professor Hicks informed us of the slight irony in the titles of his plays; any character named in the title will end up dead by the end. Shakespeare intended to keep the Queen happy by making the people she despised the villains in his productions. One final thing Professor Hicks left us with was the statement that Shakespeare is meant to be watched, not read. His works are intended to be viewed, and the audience will not get the full effect by only reading his plays.
Johnke Pd.5
Having Professor Hicks come in and speak to us about Shakespeare was extremely helpful in my opinion. Last year in Honors we went over Shakespeare’s history and learned a lot about the Globe theater and other important events in his life but Professor Hicks was able to teach all of that to me again plus even more in less than a half hour. After listening to him, I have a much better understanding of what occurred in Shakespeare’s life and why he wrote the way he did. Perhaps more important than Shakespeare was the fact that professor Hicks clearly cared about what he taught. Just from the tone of his voice it was easy to tell that he had a tremendous amount of passion about teaching literature and enjoyed handing his knowledge down to others. Having a professor that involved in a student’s education is exactly what every college student wants. On top of all this he was able to give priceless advice to us about college. He encouraged us to study abroad and get a better understanding of the outside world while we were in college. I never planned on studying abroad but after listening to him speak I am will now give it much more consideration. All in all, I was very impressed by Patrick Hicks.
Volk 5
Professor Patrick Hicks was a joy to listen to in class. One of the things that I liked most about him was that he knew so much and was excited to share his knowledge. He also gave it to us in a way that made it easy to understand. I now truly know why Shakespeare is so important, even in today’s culture. So many clichés and phrases commonly used today came from William Shakespeare. Although Shakespeare is definitely not my favorite subject, I now possess greater appreciation for what he did as a play write and an author. Professor Hicks was very enthusiastic about sharing all of his knowledge with us. I also enjoyed the fact that after he had passed his vast intelligence on to us, he continued to help us out by answering questions about college next year because, after all, he is an expert in that topic too. I think that many seniors are nervous about college next year and any questions that can be answered are beneficial. Also, simple suggestions like sitting in the front row and asking a lot of questions are also good to hear. Although we may be nervous, we should do what needs to be done to get a good grade. I am grateful to Professor Patrick Hicks for coming in and enlightening our class.
Rusten 5
I was really pleased when Dr. Patrick Hicks took over our class on Wednesday. It was a change of pace from our everyday routine and it felt almost refreshing. One thing I was impressed about was his extensive knowledge on Shakespeare. Even though we already learned about Shakespeare in earlier years of high school, it was good to refresh the background on him, especially since we are learning Othello. He later switched from teaching to tell us about what to expect about college. He told us how he treats his freshman differently than his seniors because we (freshman) needed to be pushed out of the high school mindset. Which was interesting to me; are all teachers similar to that? He also pushed us to pay attention and ask questions because we are going to pay at least $35 per hour each class. I have never thought about college that way and it defiantly shocks me to pay that much for my education. He was very passionate about learning abroad. He encouraged us to take those traveling opportunities and to not worry about the money for being away from home. He informed us that the experience was totally worth it.
Peltier 5
I was not able to be in complete attendance to participate in Patrick Hick’s sharing of his knowledge. I did hear about the last five minutes of his advice as we seniors move on to college. However, I found the article about him most inspiring. One thing I enjoy most about him is that he is such a diligent writer. He writes or re-writes at least 750 words a day. He has two rooms to write in—one for poetry, the other for novels. The most interesting piece of advice that I enjoyed reading about him is his diligence to learn more about what he writes. He has lived in several different countries, went to a couple of different camps to study the Holocaust, and he earned his Ph.D. from the United Kingdom. When Hick’s writes he makes sure that he knows what he is writing. He encourages his students at Augustana to write about things they do not already know. His example was a firefighter. If you do not know about firefighters, get to know some. Interview them, read and study about them. That way when you write, you can step into that person’s shoes and it will make your writing so much more exciting. I enjoyed learning about this educated man and was very appreciative of the time he took to share with our classes.
Voigt 7
Yesterday, Professor Hicks visited our classroom and lectured us on both the world surrounding the time of Shakespeare and our futures. These two topics were both immensely entertaining to hear him talk about. Concerning the material on Shakespeare, I was quite interested and felt that I left the room feeling much more knowledgeable about the details of which he discussed. One fact that I found particularly interesting was Shakespeare’s success both while living and after his death. Nearly 10%of London’s population saw Shakespeare’s first play and after that particular premiere at The Globe Theatre, Shakespeare became immensely popular. This is an intriguing fact because for many acclaimed artists of literature, fame was not profound until after they were deceased.
It was these detailed facts about Shakespeare that I had not ever heard before, and his desire for us to all be students that receive a full world view through travel that quite impressed me with him. I myself, hope to spend much of the next several years with traveling and learning in interesting places that I have never been to before and may never get the opportunity to explore again. As my classmates and I are all approaching graduation, we look back in retrospect at how quickly the past four years have gone. From Professor Hicks passionate discussion, I was reminded that it is important I remember to value all the time, freedom, and opportunities I am bestowed in the next four years—because in no time, they will be gone.
Pham 7
Although I was not able to attend Dr. Hicks’ lecture on Wednesday afternoon due to a conflict with the Region II Large Group Contest, I was able to read the “Literary Scientist” article that was given to us in class. I found this article very enlightening, and his credentials impressive. In addition to his international Ph.D., Hicks also has lived in three different countries. I agree with his assertion that studying abroad is a great way to spark creativity. His published works and nominations for various awards also fascinate me.
Dr. Hicks also answers an important question that perplexes all writers—how do I support myself financially? Many aspiring writers believe that in order to pursue the profession, one must give up all hopes of being financially wealthy. However, with his Ph.D. and drive to educate students, he remains not only financially stable but psychologically and financially wealthy as well.
The extrapolations of his views on poetry also interest me. Dr. Patrick Hicks compares writing poetry to taking photograph—it captures the emotion and feelings at on instance in time. This unique way of thinking is not only poignant but inspiring as well. Hicks goes on to say that he does not see a real difference between the creative arts and the sciences. He justifies this statement by arguing that they both start with ideas, then an experiment and lastly a result—approving or disapproving. I agree completely. Humanity is so enclosed on defining the differences between the humanities and the sciences but their similarities outweigh their differences.
Tripp 7
I was very grateful that Professor Hicks was able to give his time yesterday to come speak to all of the English classes. I was very interested in the topics he discussed and I found it rather humorous how he announced that he was not a high school teacher and made it quite obvious that he would not tolerate people not paying attention. I enjoyed being able to hear of his experiences in other countries and his immense knowledge of Shakespeare. The fact that Shakespeare has had such an impact on our lives still today is something that I never realized before. The long list of phrases that he read off to us was things that are very common; interestingly, we use them every day without realizing it. His talk of college and studying abroad also presented itself as very helpful. I have considered travelling abroad many times and his ability to talk from experience is refreshing. It will make me think longer and harder about my decision as of now to travel abroad or not. His speech could end up swaying me one way or the other for my final decision but from his experiences, it seems like a very rewarding and educational experience and I would be interested in looking more into it. Overall, I really enjoyed the material he discussed with us yesterday.
Grapevine 7
I was very pleased and filled with joy that Patrick Hicks was able to put aside time to come speak to our class, telling us about his experiences as both a professor and a writer. One of my favorite things to study in history is Europe, and learning more about the time in which Shakespeare grew up really lends you more insight to the plays, and the culture they were written in. I had never realized before that many of the phrases I use everday actually came from Shakespeare, that the man actually created new phrases and words just to use in his plays. Shakespeare has had such an impact on the world, on literature, and I highly respect the man, and I was very grateful that Patrick Hicks was able to come in and speak to us about Shakespeare and what he did for the English language. He also spoke about living in England, and going to college in England, which he surprisingly said was much more difficult than going to school in the United States. This actually surprised me a lot, and made me think about my future, which he also talked about, how college is a new chapter, a blank page, how you're starting over. He was a very interesting man, and I really enjoyed listening to him speak, and I'm very grateful to have heard him talk to us.
Gallo 2
I have an immense respect for Professor Hicks. As a musician, I know how difficult it is to make a living in the Arts. As Hicks mentions in the article, one of his earliest and most prominent concerns was whether he would be able to make a living with his writings. Obviously, he has figured out how to support himself financially. I know from experience and from observing others that self-esteem is crucial to “making-it” as an artist. After all, you have to believe in your own work before anyone else can believe in it, right? Unfortunately, some/many artists take this self-esteem bit a tick too far and develop an exceptionally large ego. I was most impressed by Professor Hick’s casual, respectful demeanor. At no point did I feel as though his ego was too great for his admittedly exceptional writing skills.
I also really enjoyed Hick’s perspective on the usefulness of poetry—a perspective I already highlighted in a blog task dealing with what we as students like and dislike about poetry. Truly, poetry has the power to reach our deepest capacity for emotion that ordinary writings simply cannot match. When Hick’s read his poem about racism and the London bombings, he stuck a chord in all present in the room—a simple glance about the classroom could confirm this—that the novels and, yes Shakespeare, that we have read have failed to strum. I am truly grateful that I was able to hear Hicks speak, and I can only hope that my college professors are as knowledgeable, passionate, and engaging as he was.
Andersen
Period 2
I loved listening to Patrick Hicks. I really enjoyed the way he taught. He was direct with everything he said in lecture, but he also said things in a way that they were easy to understand and retaliate later on. His way of telling us everything right away without a power point made things a lot easier to focus. I was focused more on what he was saying versus trying to write down what was on the board or power point. For me, the power points are distracting and I don’t fully listen to what the teacher is saying as I am distracted trying to write other things down. Having the choice of what to write made things easier as I could determine what I knew and what I didn’t, and from there, it was easier to decide what to write. When we are given notes, I tend to ignore them as they go on forever with a lot of excess information that I would not have choose to write as I already knew the information. He also elaborated a lot on how Shakespeare influences English language, making it fun to learn about how/why Shakespeare is such a great influence on our language.
Story 5,
Patrick Hicks displayed an enormous amount of intelligence and his compassion in Literature. I absorbed much history and knowledge throughout his presentation. My favorite parts were undoubtedly the world history aspects that Shakespeare lived in and had to survive in. Shakespeare brought a new form of entertainment upon London instead of the usual pub hangouts and executions. He brought upon a 180 new style of theater. The actors stayed in one location instead of moving out to other areas while the spectators would have to go to them. The Globe Theater was built and from there on out the world never remained the same again. One-tenth of London went to the first play within ten days and this brought Shakespeare up from being a nobody to thee somebody. His plays sparked the ignition of critical thinking in audiences . . . and they enjoyed it. “He was generations ahead of his time,” Hicks stated with bold confidence. This proves to be true when we still use the phrases that were used in the plays he made today. My favorite (and the one I say the most) is “vanished into thin air.” I never had any form of an idea that this phrase developed 400 years ago and yet still remains here today. Overall, everything was a fascinating learning experience.
Arrowsmith 5
I hope all my college professors will be as informative and caring as Professor Hicks. To start the class period Hicks taught us about old London and a brief history of Shakespeare such as how he was an actor before going to London to make some money. He also told us how the atmosphere at the time affected Shakespeare’s writing such as the Catholic and Protestant flip-flopping of the time period. This background information on London and Shakespeare provided by Hicks greatly helps me understand Shakespeare’s writing more. You can tell Hicks loves his job just by the way he talks about it and the passion he has for the English language. In college I will definitely take his advice to sit close to the front and ask questions frequently, and not to just skip class and play video games. Hicks’ admiration for his students was clear as he said he even has many of them over to his house frequently and will be sad come graduation time. I hope to have as good of a relationship with my professors as Hicks does with his students. Overall, Hicks’ visit gave me knowledge about Shakespeare, advice for college, and a good feeling about the next four years of my life.
VandeBerg 5
Professor Patrick Hicks definitely demonstrated how smart he truly is. His knowledge of old school England and Europe in general is impressive. He seems to thoroughly care about what he has to present to students, and he cares an awful lot about his students on the education he gives to them. He wants his students to succeed and you can tell this by simply listening to him speak. He is very passionate about what he does and it is easy to tell. His assessment of Shakespeare religion was pretty cool. He was able to break down how England's religion would switch from catholicism to protestant and back and forth. I hope to have a college professor that is as passionate about the subject he teaches as Patrick Hicks is about English. It was a neat oppurtunity to get to listen to an Augie professor in a classroom setting before reaching an actual college class. I found the experience to be very informative.
Herrick 5
Professor Hicks was a very intelligent man. When I was told he was going to be in our class talking to us, I was expecting a boring lecture about Othello. When he came up to the front of the room, he had a glow about him. You could tell he loves what he does. I was surprised at how much he knew about the history behind Shakespeare and that time period. I like history more than I do English, so it was cool that I could understand and know exactly what he was talking about. When he talked about how England became a Protestant country, due to Martin Luther, I remembered learning about it in another class and it just helped me through the lecture. He also talked about all the accomplishments that Shakespeare had done, like building of an indoor theatre. It also made me laugh when he told us that if there is a name in the title, they will probably die. I never really realized that, but when I thought about it, it was obviously true. The last thing I found to be interesting, Shakespeare made phrases that we still use today. Who would have thought that we would still be using phrases that were made back in the 1500’s.
Van Ede, 5
Although our visit from Mr. Hicks brought with it insightful details of Shakespeare in the past and future—how his plays were influenced by his time period and how they influence what we say and do today—personally, I felt Mr. Hicks’s most relevant information was composed in a single sentence, or perhaps a question. On the topic of college, when Mr. Hicks asked us if we knew what major we were planning to pursue, he added, “Good for you if you don’t know.” A few weeks ago, I (judge me if you will) myself judged other seniors who had not quite nailed down what they wanted to major in as poor planers. However, after reading several college prep books which were further verified by Mr. Hicks’s brief comment, I realize how wrong I truly was. One book, Getting the BEST out of College, a collaboration of numerous authors, recommends (like many other similar books) not choosing a major. In fact, many students end up changing their majors. The truth is most of us have do not have any idea of what we really, truly, and honestly want to do. (If you happen to be an exception, good for you; or congratulations on your stubborn denial.) The main point, and I hope Mr. Hicks would attest to this, is college should be used for exploration—in constructive ways of course. One should explore old interests, find new interests, and not be afraid to change (majors or even more).
Clemenson 2
I thoroughly enjoyed listening to Professor Hicks talk to our class. I found his lesson about Shakespeare to be interesting because I like learning about the history and background of authors and stories that we read. I learned a ton about Shakespeare that I did not know previously. I now understand why Shakespeare’s plays are so full of death and tragedy—they had to compete with the entertainment of public executions. I did know that Shakespeare catered to Queen Elizabeth I in his plays to please her and make her happy. On the other hand, I did not know that Shakespeare created so many cliques that we use even to this day, I was surprised to hear numerous cliques that I had heard previously on the list that he read. I liked that after Professor Hicks lectured he treated us like college students so we got a glimpse of what we would be experiencing next year. I am not thrilled about being randomly called on in class, even though teachers sometimes do it in high school, I will still dread it in college. Professor Hicks seemed to be full of interesting stories and experiences and taking classes from him would be very interesting.
Olesen 1
I found Patrick Hicks’s lecture on Shakespeare and the Elizabethan era to be quite intriguing. I enjoyed learning about Shakespeare’s background and the history behind his plays. He was born on April 23, 1564. Patrick Hicks explained how Shakespeare’s greatest accomplishment was living to the age of three. In his time period one-third of the children born died before the age of three. Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet is symbolic of the rivalry between the Protestants and the Catholics in England. I find it interesting that Shakespeare created his plays to favor the Protestants because Queen Elizabeth was Protestant. He also claimed to be a Protestant himself, but was most likely a Catholic. He even bought a house that was used as a safe house for Catholics. Next to this safe house was Shakespeare’s theater that he bought in 1613 called the BlackFriars. This theater was popular because it was indoor, which meant that it could be open in any weather, all year-round. Because executions were the norm for entertainment, Shakespeare’s was in competition with the gruesome entertainment. Therefore, most of his plays are written with the characters dying in the end. Overall I thought Patrick Hicks’s discussion on Shakespeare to be very informing and interesting. I would love to hear him speak again.
Bakke 7
My class’s experience with Professor Hicks was eye opening for me. Being able to have him talk and really give a history on Shakespeare was fascinating and much appreciated. Knowing about the time period and what Shakespeare was writing for and the circumstances and his background helps with understanding his work and enjoying it. Shakespeare is no longer a mysterious loathsome man writing difficult plays and poems, but a man that is (almost) relatable. This is thanks to Professor Hicks’s almost innate knowledge of the Shakespearian/ Elizabethan time and his literature. Professor Hicks explained everything so concisely that it was impossible not to understand and enjoy his lecture. I can now say that I believe Shakespeare is still a man whose literature is worthy of being studied. I see his importance to our modern language, writing, and culture. Shakespeare’s impact on society has been too great for him to ever disappear, and I do not want him to. Though I do not know if I will ever truly enjoy the vast works of Shakespeare, I do now have a greater appreciation for them thanks to Professor Hicks.
Etrheim 5
Dr. Patrick Hicks—like many professors would do—promoted his school very well. One of his main points on selling Augustana College was saying that it is a liberal arts school. At liberal arts schools, class subjects collaborate with each other. Their classes show how each subject is in relation with the other. Professor Hicks taught us Shakespeare giving us historical background of Shakespeare’s era relating history with literature. In the 1500’s, England’s religious views changed between being a protestant country and a catholic country. Every new ruler in England changed the country’s religion to his or her personal beliefs. In 1588, William Shakespeare came to London, England to make money. After a long period of war, England was ready to be entertained—the perfect setup for a brilliant artist. Shakespeare was very popular and so influential that his ideas and even phrases are still used today; he changed the English language. Shakespeare had the idea of having people come to the actors to watch a play and not the actors come to the people. This seems like common sense to us now but back then the idea had never been thought of. The Globe Theatre (holding 2,000 people) was built because of this idea. Shakespeare’s plays were obviously great successes. His first play, Henry V, was seen by ten percent of London—20,000 people! Overall, I am very appreciative and want to thank Professor Hicks for teaching me the history behind Shakespeare.
Koehn pd. 7
I was quite impressed with the quirky and informative Professor Patrick Hicks. The main purpose of his lecture that I was able to experience was mainly geared to why Shakespeare is important to today’s lifestyle and literature. He started off first by saying that our generation is spoiled and ruined by all of the constant entertainment we are exposed to. Shakespeare’s plays were some of the only entertainment all ages could enjoy during the 1500-1600s. Thankfully, Shakespeare’s plays were quite violent and therefore are still enjoyable to the increasing violent society of today’s world. Shakespeare’s plays were incredibly gruesome due to hangings and executions just blocks away from the Globe and Black Friar’s theaters. One new thing I found intriguing was that all of Shakespeare’s works were almost lost. If not for Thomas Thorpe gathering his plays and poems, there would be no other written collection of Shakespeare literature. Professor Hicks pointed out that even though one does not enjoy Shakespeare plays, simple phrases from his works are used in our every day vocabulary. A few examples were “woe is me” and “every dog has his day”. Imagine those little things lost! Professor Hicks also entertained our class of stories about living/studying abroad. It was helpful to hear from a college professor and gain a little insight on Shakespeare and what college life will include.
Backer Pd. 2
I found Professor Patrick Hicks visit on Wednesday highly beneficial in regard to my knowledge of Shakespeare and my future plans. Not only did Professor Hicks explain the history of Shakespeare, but provided me with a new perspective on the famous poet/playwright. The era of Shakespeare all began in 1588—just as Queen Elizabeth had created peace in England. One of Professor Hicks’ side notes that I found quite interesting was “we need peace to create artwork.” The statement proved true for Shakespeare who had advanced in his career at just the right time. Before Shakespeare’s era, actors were required to travel to perform. When the Globe Theater initiated, this no longer was necessary. Actors were able to remain in one place to perform. With use of the Globe, Shakespeare was able to start off a successful career. His first play, Henry the 5th, brought in 20,000 people in just 10 days. About one-tenth of the London population saw the play! Although his plays are what he is most commonly known for, many fail to recognize that Shakespeare actually changed our language. Professor Hicks read off several phrases that Shakespeare had placed within his literary works that are commonly used today. In addition to increasing our knowledge of Shakespeare, Patrick Hicks also provided us with advice about our future. One thing that particularly stuck with me was his outlook on studying abroad. I always have found an interest in traveling to a foreign country but actually listening to someone who has had experience with it makes it even more intriguing. Overall, I thought Patrick Hicks’ visit was a great learning experience.
Lenz 7
Listening to a lecture by Professor Patrick Hicks was absolutely wonderful. I was expecting him to come in and talk about how he wrote his poetry and the meaning behind each one of his pieces. He did almost the opposite of that. I was extremely surprised when he found what we were studying in class and related his lecture to our topic instead of one he just picked out of thin air. Also, I did not expect him to give a lecture. I am not absolutely positive on what I was expecting, but I think it was something along the lines of him coming in and reading his poetry. I became completely enthralled in his lecture because it was related to the materials we were learning the previous day in class. The fact that I understood his lecture and was able to gain knowledge from it instead of zoning out for the entire thing makes me excited to go to college. One of my fears of college was the difficulty of the classes. He came in with a disclaimer that he was going to teach that class the same way he did his college lectures. Since I was able to get information out of his lecture eased my worries about college a little bit. My college class teachers that I am in right now are actually extremely similar to the way he taught. I am glad that I got to experience Professor Patrick Hick’s lecture.
Wilde 7
I was pleasantly surprised by Professor Hick’s lecture regarding Shakespeare. I haven’t always been the most optimistic towards Shakespeare’s work. I have also struggled to understand its relevance to today’s society. Yet, following that lecture I have become utterly enlightened. I have become consumed by a whole new appreciation for Shakespeare. So much of today’s language stemmed from Shakespeare! I also appreciate the fact that Shakespeare expressed such radical thoughts at times while adhering to the Queen’s wishes. Shakespeare was able to impact such a significant amount of people over the span of such a short amount of time.
Perhaps more so enlightening than the Shakespeare lecture was the knowledge Professor Hicks passed on to us pertaining to our upcoming years as undergrad students. Hicks expressed to us how the next couple weeks of school will essentially be the last where we will be receiving free education. Hicks also elaborated on the idea that these next four years ought not to be spent drinking away in our dorm rooms. Rather, we should be out meeting new people and enjoying the freedom we have. Last, and perhaps most significant, we were strongly urged to study abroad. This has surely been an exceeding interest of mine, so I listened in closely to all that Hicks had to say. Professor Hick’s lecture sparked a whole new brand of excitement in me.
K. Peterson Pd 7
Last week, we had the pleasure of hearing Professor Hicks talk to us. I am very enthralled that Mr. C. let us have this opportunity to actually hear a professor and learn how a college class would actually go. Mr. Hicks explain Shakespeare to us. Over the years, we have read many of Shakespeare’s plays and sonnets but in that fifty minute class, I learned more about Shakespeare than I ever have before. The goal was to get us interested in his writing by interesting us in his life and it worked for me. Putting the personal edge into his history and also relating his life and sayings to our life. Shakespeare was a normal guy that used his talents to create art and change the world forever.
Another part of Professor Hick’s lecture was open for discussion. Our class chose college. He started our blunting saying,” Do not wear your letterman’s jacket to college!” This statement completely lightened the mood and we opened up and asked questions. I found it very interesting that in England you only take classes for your future job even if you end up hating it! I am very blessed to live in the United States. Another topic we had was his travels and he encouraged us to travel during college. I agree that I want to travel during college but I am not sure if I will end up doing that. Thank you Mr. C. for having Professor Hicks come and speak to us.
Rise pd 2
It is always interesting to hear the history behind something— it makes things more comprehensible. I appreciated that Professor Hicks shared the England history and the Turkish war with us, and he made sure to keep it short and simple. He was very in tune with our attitudes, he tried to make it interesting, and make Shakespeare matter to us. I loved hearing about all the sayings Shakespeare created, they are indeed still prevalent in our language. Receiving C’s for grades, Shakespeare was still a genius; he had his talent in playwriting. I had no idea he had not published his plays ever—that we owe the credit of his plays being discovered after his death and then published. I found Professor Hicks to be very friendly, he would be an enjoyable professor to have. I feel he is a professor who genuinely wants to help his students succeed. I think it will be interesting to see how my life and major will have changed in a couple of years. Professor Hicks wanted to be a writer but needed something more logical on the side and so he went to school to be a professor. I have no intention of changing my major but to think it is not possible would be naïve. I am glad we had a chance to listen to a different instructor, to experience a different structure of learning.
Larson 1
Professor Hicks lecturing to our class was a delightful event. Not only is it nice to mix things up sometimes and get a fresh perspective, but Professor Hicks passion was very evident. He was filled with knowledge about each and every nuance he lectured on. I particularly enjoyed his digressions. He had a main topic to focus on, but found himself so enthralled with what he was speaking about that he frequently went off on small tangents about some obscure fact. This to me is the most obvious way to tell that a person is passionate about what they are speaking on. Professor Hicks gave the class a tantalizing glimpse into college life, and no doubt increased everyone’s excitement to begin this next chapter. Professor Hicks made me personally want to seek out English courses in college, so long as all the professors are as engaging as he. I thoroughly enjoyed Professor Hicks visit, and hope to enjoy many more enlightening experiences such as this one.
Dawn 2
Dr. Patrick Hicks was generous enough to come into our English classes last Wednesday, and for that I am extremely grateful. Going into the day I thought it was going to be a completely boring lecture about poetry—I was completely wrong. Patrick Hicks was able to engage the students—not only the students that thrive in English studies, but ALL the students. He was very intelligent and very insightful while remaining interesting the entire time. Patrick Hicks was able to help me understand the importance of Shakespeare. Dr. Hicks informed us that Shakespeare is responsible for a great deal of words and phrases in our vocabulary today. He then went on to read some of his own poetry—all of which I enjoyed—but this was not the only topic. We eventually wound up talking about college, and although he may be biased towards his college, he was very helpful and informative. He taught me two main things about college. The first is freedom. During our college years we will have more freedom than we will have for the rest of our lives. Dr. Hicks told us not to sleep in, but to exercise our freedom through travel. He also briefly mentioned that it was okay if we had not decided on a major yet. This lifted a huge weight from my shoulders. People have been judging me because I have not decided on a major yet. I have been written off as nothing more than a procrastinator, but a major is a huge decision, and now I know that I do not have to fret over deciding a major at this point in my life. I give my thanks to Dr. Patrick Hicks for coming to Brandon Valley High School in order to teach. He has taught me things I will never forget, and that fifty minutes he spent in our classroom might impact the rest of my life.
Albertson 5
Though I missed a good part of Professor Hick’s lesson with my class period, I still took a lot with me when I left the classroom. What I thought about most in the period after Professor Hick’s talk was how, considering my engineering pathway, I may never have the opportunity again to be taught by someone with his brand of intelligence. I was really impressed by how fluently and descriptively he could talk off the top of his head; the man has obviously been around words more than most of us. I thought how great it would be to be as knowledgeable about literature as he is. A person who has read as much as he has must have a lot of things in life really figured out. One topic that Hicks talked to our class about quite a bit was the benefits of studying abroad. He explained how his studies abroad had a more profound effect on him than anything else in his life. While preparing for college I have received a lot of talks from parents, teachers, and professors with the same topic and message as Professor Hick’s and I am beginning to seriously consider the option. Caring and likable professors like Hicks are one of the many reasons that I look forward to my years in college.
Coyle 2
My experience with Professor Patrick Hicks was very enjoyable and enlightening. I liked how he began with a short history of Shakespeare, providing and reinforcing information about the author. However, I really enjoyed when he read off the list of common sayings that William Shakespeare coined in his plays such as in Othello and The Merchant of Venice, when he introduces the concept of the green-eyed monster of jealousy. “Dead as a doornail”, “night owl”, and “send him packing” are all famous sayings that people use or hear frequently yet may not know from where they originated, let alone guess it was Shakespeare. I also really enjoyed when Professor Hicks read to us some of his own poems, allowing us to hear the poem read the way it was written, and not how our minds had interpreted the words. I really enjoyed listening to the background stories of all of the poems that he had read to us, particularly his poem “Riding the Tube after the Bombings”. I also really appreciated all of the college advice that he gave us. I feel it will be very helpful for me when I enter college this upcoming fall. Overall, my experience with Professor Hicks was excellent.
Steffen 5
I thought that Patrick Hick’s presentation was extremely unique. He definitely knew what he was talking about and even if he was lying to us, he sold me. One interesting fact that Hicks mentioned was that if a character appears in the title of the play, they will usually die by the end. I never really thought of that until he mentioned it but it makes so much sense! Shakespeare was born on April 23, 1564 and that his greatest accomplishment was that he made it to age three due to all the sickness at that time. I was blown away that if a family had ten children; they only expected 6 to live. There were always two factors that Shakespeare’s plays included: mimicking what London is like and competition with public execution. At that time, for entertainment, people of England would either watch executions or watch plays. Luckily for Shakespeare, his first play, Henry V, ran for ten evenings. Since there were 200,000 people living in London and 20,000 showed up to watch his plays, which that means one in ten people came each of those ten evenings. What I do not understand is that Shakespeare never once saw any of his plays published. But no matter what, Shakespeare gave us words in the English language that we still use today. He transformed our language.
Waldera 5
I am very appreciative to have had the opportunity to be able to listen to a lecture from Patrick Hicks. His entire lecture from start to finish I found extremely riveting. Honestly, he my attention the entire time. The content I found to be rather interesting as well. Telling not only about Shakespeare’s growing up but more about the time period and the atmosphere in which he grew up was fantastic. Simply telling about where he was born, when he moved to London, and other trivial knowledge would have been much less enjoyable. Patrick Hicks, in my opinion as well as the rest of my peers I am sure, did such a wonderful job explaining with detail how Shakespeare truly grew up. He painted such a vivid picture in my mind that I feel I was actually there. I can literally visualize the London streets where Shakespeare lived and performed. I can tell that Patrick Hicks loves teaching and I am sure he makes an excellent professor. His time in our class really made me feel a little more at ease with the upcoming year of college courses. He has only made me more excited to start college and continue to expand my knowledge on a number of topics.
Callahan 7
All in all, I enjoyed Professor Hicks’ talk with our class. At first I was mildly annoyed by how he started the period by saying he is not a high school teacher, but after a student in our class needed to be called out in order to stop talking during the lecture, I understood what he was infering. I believe this is a good example of how despite the fact that we are in a college level class, college will be much different than from what we are used to at Brandon Valley. I really enjoyed listening to Professor Hicks’ lecture on Shakespeare; I had not made the connection of the storm to the Spanish Armada incidence and underestimated just how much his surroundings influenced his plays. I think I will have a hard time getting used to questions at the end of a lecture next year, but I understand why the format of the class is the way it is. I had wanted to ask Professor Hicks’ opinion about the sort of “conspiracy theory” surrounding Shakespeare, which is the romour that Shakespeare’s plays were not the work of one person, but of many. I did not ask because I was not familiar enough with him to know if he would be annoyed of the question and did not want to offend him. Lastly, I really appreciated the emphasis he put on travelling in college, because I am eagerly awaiting an opportunity like that for myself in the future and hope others are as well.
Breitzman 1
I was unable to attend the lecture from Professor Patrick Hicks, and I am disappointed by this. However, I will respond to the article written about him instead. I find the statement he made about traveling to Warsaw and Krakow in order to better understand the occurrences of the Holocaust to be interesting. Hicks states, “It’s important as a fiction writer to actually go these places where history took place.” I think that he is correct, but this statement does not just apply to writing. I have visited Washington, DC two times in my lifetime, and I believe that these trips have made me a better person. Being able to see firsthand the memorials constructed for our veterans and greatest presidents help put what happened in American history into perspective. Everything appears more realistic than if I just read it in a history textbook. I also liked how Hicks discusses how he does not believe in writer’s block. While I know myself that I have experienced “stoppages” of “word flow” while writing before, I do not know if it could be labeled as “writer’s block.” I think it is more so just a moment in time where the ideas do not flow as naturally and one must put forth a little more effort in order to get detail on the page. I also like where Hicks discusses telling his students to “write what you don’t know.” I have never particularly looked at writing from this perspective before. I usually find it easier to write about topics that I know, as the ideas and words emanate from me more naturally then. Thinking about this, though, I suppose it would be helpful to write from the angle of a subject you do not know much about, as it would be a more beneficial learning experience and, as Hicks says, help you to think more about someone other than yourself. Overall, I enjoyed the article talking about Patrick Hicks’ writing experiences and wish that I could have present for his insightful lecture as well.
Lippert 7
Well, I must say it was very interesting having a new teacher for one day last week. But, I was under the impression we would be introduced to more literary aspects of Shakespeare instead of historical. For the first ten minutes I felt I was sitting in world history again being taught information I already knew. However, it was very interesting to learn just how incorporated into our everyday life Shakespeare has become. I did not realize that some of the statements I find myself uttering everyday came from the great man himself. I find it quite comical that Shakespeare believed he would be remembered for his poems instead of his plays; I can name ten of his plays of the top of my head today but would struggle to find a poem that Shakespeare had concocted. Yep, Shakespeare was quite the catch and I am glad the English language had him for the short time it did. He worked some awesome magic, magic that is still alive today. It was also nice to have an inside look into the world that is college before this falls comes and we all journey off to start life’s next adventure.
Woodward 5
Professor Hicks gave me a great deal of information about Shakespeare that better helped me understand his life and works. For example—the reason Shakespeare’s plays were so bloody was not only for dramatic effect, it was to compete with live executions in the entertainment industry of sixteenth-century England. I also found it interesting that pieces of Shakespeare’s plays were based on then recent events. The Capulets and Montagues in “Romeo and Juliet” related to the warring royal families of England in the late 1400’s; the demise of the Turkish fleet in “The Tragedy of Othello” related to the destruction of the Spanish armada in 1588. Besides the information I gained, I enjoyed hearing Professor Hicks speak about Shakespeare, and English in general. I could tell how passionate he was about his profession by the enthusiasm in his voice and the way he told us every little bit of detail that made his speech that much more interesting. Speaking to us the same way he would speak to a college class was another thing I greatly appreciated. I felt that he gave the entire class a good idea of what college lectures will be like this fall. My only complaints are the ways in which he occasionally spoke down to us. Once Professor Hicks began speaking about college, he began using sentences starting with “You will find…” or “You will have to…” or “As you learn about…” I realize that there are many things I will learn or do once I am in or done with college, but I already have teachers that expect me to research topics on my own, do several hours of homework in one night, ask thorough questions to learn more, and so on. As a whole, I felt like he underestimated most of the students in this class and what we are capable of. Like I mentioned above, this was only occasional; the majority of his lecture was informative and insightful. If I were attending Augustana College this fall, I would very much like to take one of his classes.
Hensley 5
Patrick Hicks is truly an inspiring man, who one should follow his example. Doing what you love is how you can guarantee that you never work another day in your life and I admire him for that. The article on him brought up some very interesting ideas that sparked my imagination and creative thinking process. In the article Dr. Hicks states that he tells his students to “write what you don’t know.” By this he means for writers to write about experiences that they have never encountered or felt. This would be the equivalent of a high school teenager to write about what it’s like to be an astronaut. At first this statement puzzled me; wouldn’t you want to be the expert on your choice of topic? But as I thought more and more, it began to snap into focus. By researching a topic we don’t know we not only educate ourselves about more disciplines, but we also improve our writing and make it more enjoyable for the reader. By not directly experiencing an event, you can provide a new interesting angle to a topic from an outside prospective that encourages a reader to take a new perspective. I applaud Dr. Hicks on his ability to encourage his students to learn in a new interesting way.
Ullom 7
Quite frankly, I enjoyed how blunt Professor Hicks had been. He looked at us and spoke in such a matter-of-fact tone. My favorite part of the day was the end when the class was asking him questions about college and his life in a different country. He told us that the four years we spend in college is the most free we will ever be. So true. Professor Hicks recommended living in another country for at least a semester to have a once in a lifetime experience. I mean, let’s face it, hardly anyone is going to have another opportunity in life to get up and go to another country. I feel blessed because I have already been able to visit three other countries: England, France, and Switzerland. The trip was phenomenal! After visiting and living different cultures for two weeks, I want to go back. Taking his words to heart, I may study abroad at some point during my college experience. I completely agree with Professor Hick’s advice. Traveling and seeing other cultures at hand is a blast and a life-changing opportunity. I am grateful to have been able to listen to him speak and open our eyes to many things we never knew or thought about.
Hanzel 7
Listening to Professor Patrick Hicks speak to our English class was an incredible experience. He easily grabbed my attention and kept it for a full fifty minutes while lecturing about a topic I normally do not find interesting. Hicks largely stressed the influence Shakespeare has around the world. The amount of references to Shakespeare’s plays we use today is immense. While analyzing the play Othello for my act presentation, I found an outstanding amount of sayings that have evolved over time into something we use in our conversations today. I thought I had experienced Shakespeare, but only reading a few of 37 plays, I realized I have more to discover about William Shakespeare.
Following his lecture about Shakespeare, Hicks discussed his college experiences abroad. Hearing from someone who taught and learned in a foreign country say they prefer to teach in America, let alone in South Dakota, is great to hear. This makes me proud to know I will be continuing my education at Augustana College, the college Patrick Hicks calls home. Patrick Hicks was a great addition to our classroom for the day and I look forward to potentially learning more from him in my near future.
Rasmussen 5
In my opinion, Patrick Hicks’s lecture was not as important for factual knowledge about Shakespeare as it was for my future in college. Whenever a professor speaks, I am immediately drawn towards that school. His pitch on studying abroad really got me thinking about how life should not be so scheduled or planned. Studying abroad lets you experience something that is not just routine. You go out of your way in order to make that happen. He mentioned that the biggest thing that was in the way was the lack of bravery. I believe that would be the one thing if any that would stop me. Going to another part of the world with people I do not even know that well… that is scary. Back to the history of Shakespeare, I knew pretty much all of what he was saying but the real thing that I gained was the idea that he was teaching it like a college class. It brought relieve to me knowing that it was not that different from our high school classes. Sure he might of simplified the subject matter a bit and went a bit slower but it was the fact that he wanted us to experience college lecture was the true lesson in my opinion.
Myrlie 2
Percy
Unfortunately, I was unable to attend class the day when Dr. Patrick Hicks spoke us about college and Shakespeare. From hearing what others have said about their experience listening to Dr. Hicks, I truly wish I could have encountered his brilliance. Instead I was forced to play a dozen gong hits for a couple of judges. Because of this misfortune, I will be commenting on the "Literary Scientist" article that was handed out to us in class.
I greatly enjoy the analogy of how writing/reading is like a hypnotic magic trick. I was mesmerized by complex magic tricks as a child and I still today. Reading was also one of my favorite pass times. When putting those two elements into a story it creates a world of possibilities—for me at least. I like to think that the owl carrying my Hogwarts acceptance letter was accidently hit by a stupefy curse.
Ultimately, I think of Dr. Patrick Hicks as a great guy who is incredible in love with sharing his knowledge of writing. Having won numerous awards and nominations, I feel it is safe to say that Dr. Hicks has successfully made a living off of his love of writing.
Weidenbach 1
From reading my fellow classmates blog tasks I see I missed out on a very exceptional learning experience from Dr. Patrick Hicks speaking to our classes. I will have to make due learning about this man from the "Literary Scientist" article. Dr. Patrick Hicks from a very young age enjoyed writing and reading. He said, “That I could open a book and could be transported somewhere else. I just wanted to know how these writers could do that.” Dr. Hicks also has been nominated for many awards and has received quite a few throughout the years. From reading this article I can tell Dr. Hicks enjoys his teaching career and takes it very seriously. He says, “I feel my job is to nurture my students’ imaginations, and their bravery, to put themselves onto the page.” From reading this article about Dr. Patrick Hicks I can see how everyone enjoyed him speaking so much. He is a very interesting and knowledgeable man when it comes to understanding writing. Above all he clearly cares about students learning. Whether it’s his college class students or Brandon Valley’s high school students. This man has a love for education and he enjoys passing on his knowledge to anyone who will listen.
N. Peterson 7
I really enjoyed listening to Professor Hicks when he came to our class last week. I truly hope my professors next year teach with the same passion Patrick Hicks showed. To be honest, I thought I was going to be really bored but he had no problem holding my attention throughout the conversations about Shakespeare and college. He was extremely knowledgeable and had an intriguing way of teaching it. The most interesting point he made in my opinion was that ten percent of the population in London saw Shakespeare’s first play. This shows how popular and influential Shakespeare really was and how much of an affect Shakespeare had on our English language today. I also really liked hearing about Shakespeare’s past and the history of his writing. Another topic Professor Hicks discussed with our class was college. This discussion really did a lot to calm my anxiety about next year and added to my excitement. It was really cool hearing about all of his experiences studying and teaching abroad. He was extremely enthusiastic and I’m so glad we were given the experience to listen to him. I learned a lot and feel much better about leaving for college soon.
Stephens 1
Though I was unable to be in full attendance for Dr. Hicks’ presentation, I was delighted by the last ten minutes I was able to attend. Hicks is very well spoken and easy to listen to. I enjoy his poems about London the best because I can relate to them and know exactly what he is referring to, having been to London myself. I have ridden the tube many times. I am able to giggle when he writes about minding the gap. I am intrigued when he speaks of Jack the Ripper, from hearing stories told there. Though, they locked us up at night and kept us far away from where tourists do not tread. Unfortunately I did not witness prostitution or any other horrible deeds that go on in big cities. Paris was a different story. Anyway, one thing I love about Patrick Hicks’ poems is his imagery. He uses similes and metaphors that I would never dream of. In Red Light District he speaks of the prostitute sliding her body open like a button, which is so amazingly affective and impactful! There are countless other examples. Another aspect of Hicks that I appreciated was his willingness to play around with poem structure. In the poem with mind the gap, he literally put a gap in between the lines, which was brilliant! When I write poems I love to tinker with placement and structure, so I enjoyed that. Thirdly, Hicks is so fearless when it comes to word choice and topic. Many people shy away from topics such as sex and prostitution, yet Dr. Hicks writes with no filter. These types of poems are wonderful learning tools and tell very powerful messages. He is so real when he speaks and explains his thoughts. I thoroughly enjoyed my opportunity to hear him speak.
Tibke p. 1
I am really grateful the Professor Hicks was able to take time out of his schedule to come teach our class. It was nice to hear another person’s insight on Shakespeare’s works. The limit to his knowledge seemed unending as he brought up topic after topic. All though I am not a huge fan of studying Shakespeare’s work, he helped present the topic with an eagerness that caught my attention immediately. The main think I can come to agreeing with him is how Shakespeare has come to help form the language of today. Reading his words written in that time period I noticed bits a phrases here and there that have translated into more popular sayings of today. His poetry was very good. Not being big into poetry it was hard to grasp parts of what he was saying. But whenever I started to zone out it seemed like, he would break the ice with a small comment. My favorite being when he talked about writing in a bar when some loud futball fans came in, causing a disturbance in his writing. He said something along the lines of—I don’t think me asking them to be quiet so I could write poetry was a very wise decision. The passion and energy he brought to the class room gave me a respect of this man and I envy not being able to have an future opportunity to study under him.
Pederson 7
When Dr. Patrick Hicks visited our high school on Wednesday, I got to have my first glimpse at what a college lecture would be like. While he was here, I got to learn about him from his own perspective, separate from my impressions from his poems that I had read. He told us about his experiences in Ireland and England, and how it gave him a better perspective on our own country’s advantages and problems. During his lecture he taught us all about the background of Shakespeare at the time he wrote his famous plays, and listed off dozens of Shakespearian terms we use today. We also learned that Shakespeare decided to risk traveling to London to pursue producing players. Patrick Hicks has also pursued what he loves; he decided to pair his love of composing literature with teaching the subject so others can enjoy it as well. When we got to ask him questions, he advised us that our greatest time to explore and learn about the world around us is in college. I remember all the fun experiences I had experiencing life in England while on a vacation in sixth grade. I plan on studying abroad, and plan on having these cultural learning experiences enrich the rest of my life.
Poppenga 1
I appreciated having Professor Patrick Hicks come talk to us because he had insightful knowledge concerning Shakespeare, Shakespeare’s writing, and Shakespeare’s history. As Mr. Hicks spoke to our class, one thing that struck me as sort of odd is the fact that he explained to us that if Shakespeare’s plays contain a name in the title, that character will die eventually. I thought this was strange because the novels we have been reading lately in class, we have to dig a little deeper whereas these plays it basically tell you that there will be a death of whomever’s name is in the title. Another thing that shocked me was that Shakespeare may have been catholic and that a lot of his writing had to do with the partition between Catholics and Protestants and that that was the entire foundation behind Romeo and Juliet. Something that I found sort of comical was how he was so excited to teach our class. He would be talking about one thing and then get completely off topic because he wanted us to fully appreciate Shakespeare. Mr. Hicks then began to explain his writing as an author. It was a great experience to listen to someone talk about what inspires them to write about what they do and why they do. He explained to us that people who write poetry view the world different than people who don’t. Poets see a deeper meaning of everything around them, thus producing those certain kinds of poems that really make you think. I am so grateful to have this professor come to our class to speak. It helps me mentally prepare to leave the high school learning setting and experience what a college lecture would be like!
Boerhave 7
I thoroughly enjoyed listening to Professor Hicks and felt honored to have him come and expand our knowledge on Shakespeare. Hicks is very intelligent and I was amazed at how much he knew right of the top of his head- especially the specifics. One piece of information that shocked me was that 1/10 of London’s population saw Shakespeare’s first play within only 10 days. I was shocked because most looked down upon Shakespeare’s profession, and now look at how glamorized Hollywood is today. Shakespeare set our standards for society. Now everyone wants to be a movie star. Another fact that caught my interest was how Shakespeare believed that his poems would be most recognized after he passed, not his brilliant plays. This is most definitely ironic because now his plays are more popular than his poetry. I was impressed by how Hicks so highly encouraged traveling and studying abroad. It was fascinating how traveling to Europe changed his entire life. I plan to study abroad in college and travel around to gain vast knowledge and network within my field to provide myself with more opportunities to better ensure my future within my career.
Johnson 7
While incorporating more of a college type feel to the classroom, I truly enjoyed Patrick Hicks in our class. As excellent as an instructor is as Mr. C, it is sometimes nice to shake things up by having a different approach to the class. Hicks, although quite windy, provided a solid change of pace to the class. I felt much more equipped to create knowledge in the setting he induced as oppose to just regurgitating information. Upon Hicks' lecturing, I could focus on making connections and finding the meaning of his point. I also could easily find reasons why it should matter so much to me. What I liked the most about the entire time is how he simply expected students to rise up and take their own initiative. I think high school teachers baby students along and do not give students enough challenging and critically thinking tasks. Hicks would simply expect you to take in his knowledge, create your own knowledge and pass his test. If you did not meet his expectations, then that's tough. I look forward to college classes that are executed in the same manner next year. I can definitely tell he is a popular teacher and a successful teacher at that. His charisma shows students who is boss and he has the mind set to back it up. Hicks, however, did not make any Rush references which slightly saddened me since I know he is a Rush fanatic even compared to myself.
Miller 5
Patrick Hicks was a refreshingly real speaker. By this I mean that he did not sugar coat anything or dodge any questions. He was an open book, a surprisingly funny open book. I really liked his comment about how in Shakespeare if a character’s name is in the title; they usually die by the end. One other comment that caught my attention was that in 1588 the Spanish armada was severely damaged by a storm before its attempted attack on England. This drew my ear, and Mr. Hicks commented on it as well, that in Othello the Turks are also wiped out by a storm. I like learning about Shakespeare from Patrick Hicks. I have always enjoyed Shakespeare’s work, which I know is a rarity in people my age, but I did learn many new things. For example, I did not know that Henry the V was Shakespeare’s first play, and that twenty thousand saw it within the first ten days. Mr. Hicks also told us that the plays were extra bloody because Shakespeare had to compete for an audience with public executions. One final thing I found interesting was that many of Shakespeare’s plays were made in such a way that they would hopefully please the Queen, who often attended.
Petersen 7
Patrick Hicks is a professor at Augustana, which is where I am attending next fall. I was excited to be able to sit through a short lecture from him. He spoke a lot about Shakespeare and his life experiences. When I was in grade school, I did a research project on Shakespeare and it was cool to be able to actually recall some of the information he brought up during his speech. Hicks noted the importance of Shakespeare even in present society. I knew Shakespeare was important; I just did not know that he contributed so much to present day English. Some of his phrases such as "tongue tied", "what a piece of work:, and "every dog has its day" are still used regularly. Hicks also commented that Shakespeare's works transcend time and are a cultural touchstone. I also enjoyed how Hicks incorporated the history behind Shakespeare's works. History is my favorite subject so adding that made me even more interested in what he was saying. Sometimes I forget Shakespeare was an actual person who lived during some hard times and I am glad we were able to be informed more about his life and his works. I also enjoyed getting to know Professor Hicks and learning about his travels. It made me look forward to what next year will bring.
Cain 2
Dr. Patrick Hicks’s visit was a treat for me. I truly enjoyed listening to him speak; my experience with him adds to my excitement about attending college and being part of the English department. I thoroughly enjoyed his story telling style of lecturing. It was easy to pick out the important details as well as the interesting facts he added. I found that I was taking a large amount of notes but never had an issue keeping up with comprehending what he was saying. The fact that he has experience in England’s education system and firmly believes in the education system in the United States speaks volumes about the opportunity that we have. Unfortunately many of us take our education system for granted and fail to apply ourselves. Dr. Hicks gave a lot of insight on how to approach the learning process and provoked some deep thoughts. I liked the way Dr. Hicks appeared to be teaching effortlessly and it makes me wonder how much better our education system would be if all educators had such a natural way about inspiring and motivating students to have a desire to learn. Dr. Hicks made me even more excited to begin the next chapter of my life.
Collin Livingston Pd.5
Professor Hicks’ presence during our English class last week was much appreciated as well as eye opening. For one, I am thankful I had the chance to listen to a legitimate college professor explain a purposeful and relevant topic to me in a fashion in which he may teach his incoming freshman. Not only did I learn a plethora of knowledge on Shakespeare, but I was astounded in the way he went about it. Initially I believed I would be listening to a, well, pretty dull and lifeless explanation of some figure in literary history who we have studied for the past several years. But the ways in which he conveyed his knowledge to us was made his presentation more than that. He informed us with little details and history behind certain situations that lead me to believe learning at this level can and will prove to be substantially beneficial compared to the mostly petty stories and explanations provided by more than a handful of teachers I have learned from before. Although his presentation on Shakespeare was phenomenal, I truly enjoyed his debriefing on college life and the attitude you must carry starting at day one. His insight on campus life and academics was extremely appreciated and I am more than glad to have had the opportunity to listen to such an astounding and well regarded man.
Forster 2
Though I was not granted the opportunity to be involved in the entirety of Professor Hicks lecture in our second period class, I was still impressed by his classroom presence and his perspective on the world. In response to the article I read, I found that Hicks is, no doubt, a passionate and skilled writer who has clearly been successful in his line of work. I find it amazing how he found his talent as a young boy and continued to pursue it throughout life. His perception of the powers of writing is mesmerizing and I found his way of speaking to be intriguing while I was in class that day. He had a certain way of phrasing statements that I am afraid I may not be able to give grace to by explanation. Regardless, Patrick Hicks is a professor worthy of commanding a considerable amount of respect amongst his students and readers alike. When he spoke of the London bombing incident, I was drawn in by his world views. The very fact that he refused to judge the group of people by the actions of a few was a great thing to hear from such a successful man. He is an example of pure respect and awe for other cultures and religions.
Nifong 1
I deeply appreciated and enjoyed Patrick Hick’s presentation on Shakespeare. I felt I was deeply engaged into what he was saying. He enlightened our class with many useful and interesting tidbits of information. I especially loved the bits of background that Shakespeare alludes to in his plays. (I.e. The storm that wiped out the Spanish Armada is similar to the storm that annihilates the Turks in Othello.) Hicks pointed out many things I had never thought twice about, such as the importance of the titles of Shakespeare’s plays. He highlighted that the name in the title was the name of a character that would perish in the end. Having this pointed out to me, I tried to think of an exception and failed. I was also interested in the reasons behind making the plays so violent. I learned that in the late 1500s common entertainment consisted of prostitution or viewing executions. In order to compete with the grisly scenes, Shakespeare made his plays graphic and gory. As well as trying to compete with executions, he was also attempting to keep Queen Elizabeth content. In his plays he had to be sure he condoned Elizabeth’s rulings. If he failed to show loyalty to the Queen his life could be at risk. Overall, Patrick Hicks was a very impressive guy. I think the experience was a memorable one, and next year’s students should be able to have the same experience.
Kirkus 2
Professor Hicks’s visit was very enlightening. Not only did he give me a deeper understanding of Othello, but he also let me feel what taking a college class would be like (not that it’s not already a college class). In fact, I think this part of his visit was more important than learning about Shakespeare’s background and symbolism/meaning within “Othello.” Although our class is technically a college class, it is still taught in a high school environment by a high school teacher, so it was a welcome change of pace. I found that there is a lot more note-taking and lecturing in a college setting, which has its pros and cons. Although knowing what a college English class is like won’t really affect me (this year’s English classes are the only ones required for me), it is still nice to know what it might have been like if I had chosen a different school or major. However, I did learn a lot about William Shakespeare from Mr. Hicks. I found it very interesting that Shakespeare expected to be famous for his sonnets, and his plays were just a sort of hobby. It’s hard to imagine how he would think that knowing his fame today. I can’t name a single of his sonnets, but can name many plays. I’m sure a lot of things we think today will be completely flipped around in a couple hundred years.
Heisel 5
Prof. Patrick Hicks is a poet and a teacher at the collegiate level, which is the perfect forum for him to spread his political and social-cultural views. He is undoubtedly socially liberal and has no problem letting hundreds of high school students know it. I have no problem with his views, he is entitled to those, but I do disagree with the abuse of influence that many teachers and professors display. I’m aware that I am expected to comment upon his poetry, but my mid-western conservative roots won’t let this one go.
As I said, I have no problems with people disagreeing with me, but I do have a problem with the people that have a great influence on you shaping your decisions to suit their liking. It is overwhelmingly liberal in the education field, mostly due to the lower pay and financial dependence on the government. Bigger government = more pay to government employees = more government employee become liberal. This is hard to dispute, but I’m sure it will piss off a fair number of individuals. Whether you accept it or not, it is still true that most teachers lean left. The political views of my teachers have not only been easily deciphered, but also often portrayed in a way that discourages discussion. I have often changed an essay topic or chosen not to talk in class due to the bias of my teacher. I fear this is all the more relevant in college, where less political slander is regulated.
Mr. Hicks wasn’t overly forceful in his opinions, but he did state them as facts. He never mentioned any specific names of congressmen or other politicians, but he was not afraid to go into depth about the “Muslim-phobic” people of our country. This was obviously correlating with recent news and definitely wasn’t overly balanced. The problem with him sharing his opinions is that he could change someone’s mind to suit his own for selfish reasons. It is difficult to trust someone about politics that is paid by the government.
Rant over. I apologize for not blogging about poetry…
Minihan 7,
I am very fortunate to have gotten the wonderful opportunity to experience the teachings of Professor Patrick Hicks. Before going into the class, I thought the lecture would be way over my head, and strictly about the same-old “Old English”-styled Shakespeare. To my surprise, I was highly fascinated with the endless facts about Shakespeare plays, in which Professor Hicks unfolded. One of the interesting facts that this highly-educated man told my consumed class, was that is a name appears in the title of one of Mr. William Shakespeare’s plays, that character will end up dead sometime throughout the play. The topic that Professor Patrick Hicks talked about that really got my mind going, was when he started talking about studying abroad. Hicks told our class to go out, and travel to different countries now. Do things you have always wanted to do, because before too long we will be married, and settling down with children. Although this is not a bad thing, it will definitely tie you down and decrease your availability (freedom) to do things. Before I had always thought that studying abroad would be fun, but that it was never anything I would seriously consider. After Professor Hicks lecture, I may just end up in a Spanish-speaking country within the next couple of years! Thank you so much, Professor Patrick Hicks!
Rollag 5
Professor Hicks pointed out some very now obvious facts about Shakespeare’s work that I had not notice before. He pointed out that if a character’s name is in the title they will die at some point in the play. He also had a list of common sayings that were invented by Shakespeare even though they are hundreds of years old they are still commonly used today. I did like hearing about the history and the time period in which Shakespeare was born. I like history and that captivated by attention to learn and connect events I have known about for a while to the time period of plays I have been reading. Knowing that the sinking of the Spanish armada happened before the writing of Othello I helped to clarify that the two events were connected. His explanation for why Shakespeare’s plays are so graphic and full of death was one I was unaware of. Now that I know he was competing against public execution the many instances of death in his plays are justified in my eyes and no longer seen to be unnecessarily violent. I do hope when I go to London this fall I get the chance to visit the rebuild Globe theater as he portrayed it to be quite fascinating.
Redford 7
I found Patrick Hick quite interesting. His knowledge about Shakespeare and the events that happened during Shakespeare’s life was vast and intriguing. I also really liked talking to him about college after he got done sharing his knowledge about Shakespeare. He enlightened us as to what it would be like when we go to college and the types of opportunities we will be provided with. He offered words of wisdom to try to get us to enjoy the freedom of college life and take every opportunity we can to grow as people. He also told us that we should try to study abroad at some point in college. I had already been interested in doing this, but after hearing the passion he spoke about going to England and learning their culture made my determination to do this increase even more. He was inspiring as he talked about how the decision to travel changed his life. The knowledge to be gained by other cultures and other places is unlimited. He also spoke about the differences between the school systems between these two places and how it made him more thankful to have received the education here that he has. I highly enjoyed having him come in and share his experiences and knowledge.
Rogen5
I was privileged to see the second half of Professor Hicks’ presentation. He brought to my realization that the world we live in today would not be the same without Shakespeare’s influence in both the spoken and written word. Without the figures of speech used in his writing are still influencing the English language today. Hicks also brought to my attention that Shakespeare planned on being a poet and that his plays were not published for quite some time after his death. Sure they were performed, but the concept that his work was not published until he was dead truly baffles me. The question and answer segment of his talk was the most influential to me though. His words involving the stresses of college seemed to calm my nerves for the upcoming fall semester. Hicks’ encouragement for studying abroad sparked some interest for me. I have never considered the possibilities of leaving my country for studying, but after the wonderful experiences that he shared, studying abroad ranks as an activity I would like to be involved in. I found his time in our class extremely rewarding for both the literary and collegiate facts and advice that he brought with him.
Wehrkamp 5
Patrick Hicks lecture to our enhance high school class extensively attracted more attention than one would think. In my opinion his combination of history with English was intriguing my intellectual application. It amazes me that the London Hicks described in the late 1500’s would be a place for such an amazing artist such as Shakespeare, but just as explained, when the time is taken to reflect of his plays and poetry it makes perfect sense for Shakespeare to live in London during that time. A time of filth, disease, and death in London was all depicted through Shakespeare’s “gruesome” plays. If a character’s name was in the title of a script or a play, you could guarantee that character would die by the end of the story. Why did Shakespeare write such bloody tragic plays? Well during his time in London Shakespeare’s entertainment competition was literally the executions of anyone who committed a crime or went against the Queens rule. Shakespeare was watched extensively by the public, and watched closely by the Queen. In his plays Shakespeare depicted the London of his time, and his villains all glorified Queen Elizabeth’s ruling. For this reason, the Queen demanded every play be performed in front of her in her own palace (nice to be the Queen), and this was unique because none of Shakespeare’s plays were traveling theatrical practices but instead the first ever theatre plays where the people came to them to watch. Patrick Hicks is a renowned professor and it was a privilege to be intellectually enlightened by his endowed lecture.
Scholten 2
The day Dr. Hicks came into class and shared his knowledge and passion about poetry and writing, I was unable to be there for most of it. However, I was able to be in attendance for about the last ten minutes of it. While I was there, Dr. Hicks read “Burka” and shared various stories and events. One event he shared the background on was about the bombings that occurred in London on July 7, 2005. You could tell he definitely loves the city of London with how much passion he had when speaking about it. Even after such a horrific event as bombings, he still loved it and felt safe. I have always wanted to visit London, especially after going to other parts of Europe last summer, but now that Dr. Hicks talked about London, I REALLY want to go. My favorite part was hearing the story and backgrounds that inspired him to write his poems. I think that sharing the backgrounds is what makes the poems more personal and relatable to everyone. I was able to connect with the poems in a new way after he shared the stories. For example, Dr. Hicks explained that “Burka” was about one of his former students who actually wore a burka. As he explained, the burka made this student feel liberating and free. I found this to be odd. One of the great things about poetry is being able to view things differently. Dr. Hicks was wonderful and I am thankful he was so enlightening and passionate about his love of poetry and writing.
Cylie pd 7
I thought it was extremely refreshing to hear about a historical literary genius and actually be entertained. If that is how college lectures go, I’m glad I’m signed up! The lecture was enjoyable and I am glad he laid out a bit of history to get us in the proper mindset to the time period that William Shakespeare lived. For some odd reason, I found it fascinating that his father’s name was John, and that he married an Anne Hathaway at age 18—my age. It’s ironic that his fame came over a spand of ten days which is the ideal American dream, yet his fame was born in London. It’s just another reason why Americans look up to him; he embodies our nation’s dream. The fact he thought he would be famous for his poems and not his plays just goes to show that no matter what we as human beings try to control our fate, we have no true control over how we are remembered. I also found it intriguing the amount of Shakespearian phrases we still use today. After the Shakespeare talk, I was excited to hear about college from a professor’s viewpoint (one that isn’t trying to swindle you into their school). I absolutely love that he urged the class to study overseas for a semester. The fact that he was from the Midwest and had actually traveled and lived all around the world inspired me more than I can say. I am writing my common essay on dreams, and one of mine is to not only travel the world, but experience it. To hear someone reiterate its possibility rekindled that dream for me and encouraged me to continue to pursue that dream. That day, I was not only educated, but inspired by Dr. Hicks.
Post a Comment