In such a setting, a more self-consciously "hybrid" text like a fanfic would serve the writer poorly.
Due to the educational system's rigid rules on what is and isn't considered a tool for learning linguistic rules and practices, things such as fan fictions tend to be locked in a state of informality, when they don't necessarily need to be.
At times, however, it appears that both gifts could have benefited from the assistance that contact with their teachers or classmates might have provided.
Noticeably absent from Eileen and Rhiannon's fanfic audience were their teachers.
Among the numerous points that resonated for us in the framework was the authors' contention that schools and other dominant institutions have historically privileged language, particularly written literacy, over all other modes of communication, thereby neglecting the possibilities of those other modes.
Literary studies are predominantly focused in non-fiction works or other subjects based heavily in reality. To break away from this promotes creativity and can help those with more imaginative minds to flourish in a setting where they may otherwise struggle.
Rhiannon reported devoting far more time and energy to her fanfics than she did to school assignments she dismissed as "the essay part of my writing"
Many students feel apprehensive about sharing their more creative work with their teachers due to the stigma around fan fiction, as well as the question of its validity and usefulness as a tool.
Rhiannon herself showed ambivalence about bringing her personal writing into school when we asked if she had ever shown her stories to one of her teachers: "[No, and] I don't think I'd want her to read them anyway," she replied, "because they're in a fashion that she probably wouldn't understand even if I tried to explain it to her. I just think that she isn't open-minded."
. In that school, where every student had a laptop, teachers' attempts to honor students' online-created content were often in conflict with centuries-old notions of what constitutes "quality" information.
The value placed on traditional texts tends to be much higher than that placed on fan-related content, regardless of the time, effort, and skill put into the latter.
audience appeal (e.g., having a space in which to affiliate with others who share interests or goals) and time for in-depth discussions around a finished text (perhaps one that was collaboratively authored) are the main factors in young people's decisions to create content destined for informal sharing after school.
A shared personal interest and connection increases engagement, regardless of what sort of environment the conversation takes place in. It just so happens that online spaces are the easiest environments to express such interest and make such connections.
When school work is deemed relevant and worthwhile, when opportunities exist for students to reinvent themselves as competent learners (even rewrite their social identities), then literacy instruction is both possible and welcomed.
Kristof, N. (2020, May 20). Opinion | Let’s Remember That the Coronavirus Is Still a Mystery. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/20/opinion/us-coronavirus-reopening.html
These growing feathers pluck’d from Caesar’s wing Will make him fly an ordinary pitch, Who else would soar above the view of men, And keep us all in servile fearfulness.
Shakespeare utilises this extended metaphor to highlight the apprehensive sentiment that many higher class Romans had towards the newfound power Caesar had gained, and the upper class' incredulity of Caesar’s overwhelming support with the plebeians. In context, this scene is a dialogue between two Tribunes, Flavius and Murellus, with them fearing the ever-increasing power and arrogance of Caesar, and their concern that the blind worship of him would elevate Caesar to an untouchable god-status.
They discuss about plucking the feathers from Caesar’s wing to make him fly an ordinary pitch, which is to tow Caesar back from the lofty status of power he has assumed. In this scene, they disrobe the lavish ornaments placed on the monuments of Caesar in an attempt to bring Caesar down to the level of an ordinary man, and in a bid to remove the perception of a deity the plebeians had towards Caesar. The uneasiness they had was that if they did not bring Caesar down, he would ‘soar above the view of men’, and would rule over the people by keeping them in a subservient status.
It is debatable whether or not the Tribunes and Senators who were against Caesar did so in fear of him gaining too much power, or if they were against him to further their own ambitions and desires. However, this scene helps foreshadow the further conflicts that will occur, and helps define the higher classes and their viewpoints. In fact, in Act1 Scene2, it is stated that Murellus and Flavius were put to silence for defacing Caesar’s images, which helps solidify the concerns of many Romans as to whether or not Caesar’s rule would be dictatorial.