Monday 21 September 2009

Speak, or forever hold your peace

Did you (do you) speak in seminars? I didn't, out of nerves and feeling stupid. I now realise that when my students are silent as statues it's a mark of respect. Shakespeare leads the way, as so often.

Paulina:
I like your silence; it the more shows off
your wonder. But yet speak…

(The Winter's Tale, 5.3.31-32).

Zoot Horn offers this, from Romeo and Juliet:

Peace, you mumbling fool!
Utter your gravity o'er a gossip's bowl,
For here we need it not.


(There's no pun in this post title, hopefully, as it's from the wedding service of the Book of Common Prayer).

7 comments:

Lauren said...

I didn't used to speak for fear of looking, well a bit daft. Now I do, I often feel stupid sat there when I have something to say and then not saying it. Those class silences kill me sometimes. I know now that no one is going to kill me for speaking up and saying something in class even though sometimes it may be wrong, or an opinion one of my peers doesn't agree with, but that's a good thing because it's how we learn.

Ewarwoowar said...

I think seminars are rubbish so I rarely go, but if I'm there I can normally be relied upon to babble some rubbish in an over loud voice, a tell-tell sign that I do find it a bit nervewracking.

Lauren said...

Haha my voice is loud too, although not because i'm nervous just becuase I have a big mouth. Most of the things I babble out in seminars is complete rubbish, which results in a nod of the head and a 'hhmmm' from the lecturer. I don't like it when they do that it's not very reassuring. Still, as not many other people speak then who are they to pass judgement on my sometimes silly answers.

The Plashing Vole said...

Ewar, I'm sure you both impress everyone hugely. I always hope for a huge argument, but it never happens because mostly people haven't read the text, don't care, or don't want to sound stupid or uncool. I stayed quiet for the first year, then decided that everyone knew I wasn't cool anyway, so said what I felt (thus proving their suspicions).

Maximum respect to my friend Matt. He went to King's College London last year. In his first literature seminar, some snob said working class people shouldn't appear in literature. Matt stood up, shouted 'You sir, are a c**t' and left, never to return. He got a first for that module.

Ewarwoowar said...

Ha! Let me just write that one down for when I start this poetry malarkey...

Newton Heath 18 said...

I nearly got thrown out of a seminar once when I finished the tutor's sentence halfway through a saying/adage he thought no one would know.

Lou said...

In a pressure situation I run off at the mouth when I try to contribute - I just can't seem to make my point. Embarrassing as f**k.