aegis (n.) - a shield or breastplate (emblematic of majesty that was associated with Zeus and Athena)
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This week's word immediately made me think of medieval reenactment. My thought process: shield?...breastplate?...SWORDS AND WAR STEEDS! If you've ever been to a Renaissance festival (there are several within a few hours' drive, in Oklahoma, Kansas and Texas for example), then you've probably experienced a medieval reenactment. (Yes, there's often some muddling of time periods, but it's all in good fun.) If you haven't yet been to one, you should try it sometime with a big group of friends. People dress in medieval period costumes, drink mead, bow to their kings and queens, and call you "Sir" or "Lady." There are also usually knights in shining armor (literally) who stage reenactments of jousting tournaments or battles. I used to belong to an all-woman jousting group and learned to handle a lance, sword and shield pretty well myself, and thinking about this week's word, I wondered if such a culture of "living history" existed in France. Lo and behold, it does!
Among others I am sure, there is actually an annual reenactment of the Battle of Azincourt, which took place in October 1415 during the Hundred Years' War, near Azincourt, France. (Spoiler alert: the French lose--boo!) People travel, apparently from distances, to both attend and participate in this yearly reenactment of the battle. It's organized by the Azincourt Alliance, which describes the event as a "living history" of the medieval world.
Here are a few videos of past events, if you're interested:
Longbows on the field of Azincourt - This shows a reenactment of the British archers, which were a key part in England's victory of this battle.
The 2010 reenactment of the battle - it's a good 9 minutes of video, but it's kind of fun to watch the two armies go at it!
The idea of medieval reenactment, to me, is a celebration of history. It's a hands-on way to discover a part of the past and bring it to the present. And though this particular reenactment depicts a French defeat, I find it fascinating that it seems to be a well-attended annual event for both the English as well as the French. Those who attend and participate are bringing a part of their history to life. I remember a (very general, of course) study of medieval history in elementary school, which culminated in a little medieval festival of sorts at our school. All the kids loved it! Wouldn't it be fun to incorporate ideas such as these into foreign language teaching? Okay, maybe we shouldn't arm our students with bows and arrows, but a little reenactment could be just the kind of escape into the subject matter to really bring it to life.
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That is such an interesting idea bringing reenactments into foreign language teaching! I'm sure that will really engage the class into the cultural and religious motives of the time period and help them gain insight into the standards of that time period. That's awesome that you did jousting!
ReplyDeleteAshley, thanks for commenting! I agree, it could liven things up. This can even apply to acting or roleplay in general, not even necessarily historic reenactment. I always find that bringing some sort of creative or interpretive aspect to whatever topic we happen to be discussing in class makes the students a little more enthused about it. So maybe they don't like learning about a new verb tense - but using it to act out a scene with their classmates is usually a little more entertaining!
DeleteKatie,
ReplyDeleteFirst off I love the way in which you write your blogs because I can always hear your voice as I read them and it makes it so wonderful! Secondly, it does not surprise me at all, knowing you, that you would choose a topic like this when you hear the word shield. I love the aspect you took of this and also I love the fact that I learned something very interesting from your blog! Not only is your writing superb, but I love the videos you posted along with your explanations!
I also like how you put that "the idea of medieval reenactment is a celebration of history." I, myself, had never truly looked at it that way; however I may have to start doing so now. I like that the French and the British can come together to watch and partake in this reenactment even though their countries have clearly had their differences. Furthermore, I do think we should arm our students with mini forms of bows, arrows and of course shields! Do you think, however, this idea of incorporation of the medieval theme would be better for primary levels of education or do you think this could work at the secondary level as well?
Randi, thanks for commenting! Well, I thought about trying to fanangle my way into S.H.I.E.L.D. and reverence the Avengers, but alas I don't think there's as nice and neat of a connection to French culture as there is in knights and war ponies.
DeleteWhat you mentioned is one of the things I also found so intriguing from the Azincourt reenactments - two different cultures and a mutual celebration of their history. It's awesome!
I don't know, I wonder if college students would get a kick out of a medieval themed unit. Possibly! I guess I'm not even thinking solely of medieval reenactment. Just sort of roleplay in general. I think some kind of creative application to what's going on in the classroom is really engaging for most students.
Oh man I freakin' love the battle of Agincourt! (g for us British fans ;) One of my favorite movies of all time is Kenneth Branagh's rendition of Henry V. It has the battle of Agincourt in there and they make it suuuuper gory. As an archer it's only natural that I lean towards the British, however, as a horseman I'm sure you root for the French knights.
ReplyDeleteDaniel, thanks for commenting. Yeah, it's called Agincourt in all the English references, but being a student of French I *must* spell it "correctly." Hah! I don't think I've actually seen that Henry V movie, but I'll have to check it out. Perhaps it'd be a good reference to use for piquing students' interests if one was to teach a unit on the Hundred Years War (keeping in mind of course the 4 Ps, and warning sensitive students of aforementioned gore).
DeleteKatie - I see that great minds think alike and I'm glad that you "got medieval on yo' aegis." (I apologize to anyone reading.) I've never gone to a Renaissance fair but it does sound like fun. I second what Randi said: your comment about how reenactments celebrate history persuades me to reconsider their value for teaching purposes. Are there any moments in French history that you think would be especially fun to reenact? The Revolution seems like an obvious choice, but it's sort of a broad topic.
ReplyDeleteKate, medieval interpretations of aegis REPRESENT! Also, field trip to the Faire! :) I think just about any point in history could be made fun for a student if they got to interpret it in their own way. Let's divide all of WLLC into armies and reenact Napoleon's conquests!
DeleteKatie, your idea can also be linked to Culture. Maybe we can have students have a drama show in class where we invite all French majors at the University to be the audience. By dressing in Medieval costumes , students will have a better understanding on how individuals portrayed they live during this period and doing so with the shiled.
ReplyDeleteNii, that's exactly my train of thought. We could apply the dramatic aspect of reenactment to any period really. Giving the students an opportunity to experience some aspect of what they're studying can give them a better connection to the material.
DeleteMaybe we can add some students in our play in the Medieval class this semester :)
ReplyDeleteStupendous topic, Katie!! A perfect representation of Aegis!! Good reflection and responses... may have to bring my medieval dolls to class (:
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