Why read Shakespeare? No, this isn’t a rhetorical question. More of a general topic of a persuasive text. Although it doesn’t sound pleasing or appealing to your interest you should definitely read Shakespeare even though it might be complex to read at first. This is exactly what Michael Mack the author of “why read Shakespeare” is saying in the persuasive text. He told it to a class of an incoming freshman class of a christian college. First the author of “why read Shakespeare” did A decent job on relating to his audience by his use of saying “what would my bowling buddies think”. Although this is phrase is out dated but you can still get the message that he’s trying to get through. With this term he’s say that your friends might think less …show more content…
They think that Shakespeare isn’t going to he them in the real world with real daily problems! The author says “Shakespeare offers us a lens on the real world in which we live”. Also meaning that yes it does contribute to the real world and it’s just not some book you read for fun, because you will never get what Shakespeare is trying to say.
Third the author implies the importance of reading Shakespeare is just as important as any other subject you will cross paths with. Unless it’s basket weaving? The author Matt even said “we think biology and chemistry, history and politics, psychology and sociology as subjects that are focused on the real world”. But really Shakespeare has all these things in it and should be taken seriously like all your other courses. He also says that Shakespeare is hard to read and even he had to re-read and re-read it to understand it.
Lastly he uses a rhetorical device in which he states “literature teaches you about life ,and the better you understand literature, the better you understand life”. This is a great use of a paradox that literature means Shakespeare and where life in literature go hand and hand. The use of this is probably exaggerated and yet gets a nice point through by using
To start off, Shakespeare made his plays to entertain and not to study. According to Powell, Shakespeare’s “plays are not meant to be taught like this.” Shakespeare made his plays to entertain and let people escape reality. In addition, Powell stated, “ Shakespeare made students feel stupid and not
Also, Shakespeare has some very questionable topics which can give students the wrong idea and not be what the school is aiming for when teaching Shakespeare. Along with that, the school system is always setting expectations for being appropriate during class and around campus but Shakespeare pieces are sometimes directly contradicting what the school says. Since the school has high standards for being appropriate then they probably shouldn’t teach students all the inappropriate and controversial topics that are in Shakespeare. This is the second reason why students should not be forced to read Shakespeare at
hetoric – ars bene dicendi – is, according to the antique definition, the art of speaking and writing well, adequate to the situation, proving morality and the desire to obtain an effect, an expression which can attract the general interest. According to W. Jens, it contains both the theory (ars rhetorica, the art of speaking), as well as the practice (ars oratoria, eloquence). Rhetoric created, as theory (rhetorica docens), a multitude of categories to produce (and analyse) some efficient texts.
To conclude, reading the plays of Shakespeare is not only about an entertainment, there is more about learning manhood and the importance of the role that morality plays in everyday life. That is the reason of Shakespeare’s plays are so popular because through his work, he illustrates that: life is a play, which is performed on the earth stage, and his world stage will continue influences the past, modern and further.
In today’s world the quality of the art form called writing is said to be somewhat diminishing, it is important for English literature to keep some studies of classic literature, such as Shakespeare. I think well rounded education must have a strong foundation in both modern and classical literature, for the foundation in classical literature, an in-depth study of Shakespeare’s works would be more than sufficient. Not only was Shakespeare so skilled in his writing that he has become a significant point in the history of literature, but a majority of his works were written on such basic human themes that they will last for all time and must not be forgotten.
Micheal Mack gave a speech to a freshmen class at CUA on september 2008. His speech was constructed of an effective argument that reading shakespeare is hard work but worth the effort through his use of rhetorical devices and how he appeals to his audience.
Shakespeare’s language is so different from the slang teens use today so by reading his plays, it can improve teens’ speaking abilities. If teens were to read Shakespeare’s plays, it could expand their vocabulary and they would use more academic
Shakespeare is Important William Shakespeare’s plays are being made into box office film hits at an incredible rate. Films such as Much Ado About Nothing with Kenneth Branagh and Emma Thompson, Hamlet with Mel Gibson and Glenn Close, Othello with Laurence Fishbourne and Henry V with Kenneth Branagh have been seen by a surprising number of teenagers. Often they have not understood it all, or even half of it, but they have been affected by the powerful characters and by the Shakespearean magic which has affected audiences around the world for centuries. They want to know more, they want to understand, and what better motivation can any teacher ask for than that students WANT? That alone is sufficient reason for any English teacher to start a course in Shakespeare.
and that is to have a common knowledge in our societies. So many diverse groups of people can be brought together with Shakespeare's plays, for discussions, arguments, and more. The timeless ideas that are put into his plays are something that everyone can relate
“Why do you feel the way you do? Have other people felt this way before? What have they done about it, and how has it turned out?” (Why Read Shakespeare?, lines 118-120) Mack uses these questions to help him further explain how reading Shakespeare is beneficial to fully integrating your head and heart. The questions make the reader contemplate their own life, make them think that by reading Shakespeare, his plays, stories, and sonnetts, they will live a better life. In lines 66-75, Mack reasons that “...great books were thought of as mirrors.” He uses an analogy that is universally understood, to help the reader better understand his point of view. “What is more, as we hold the volume of Shakespeare in front of us, we see that it reflects not only the world around us, but also ourselves.” (Why Read Shakespeare?, lines 70-72) Professor Mack goes on to further explain that by reading Shakespeare, we can find a character that we relate to, or even a storyline in some cases. Shakespeare makes art, and art is supposed to make the viewer feel
Language and imagination are among the most dangerous weapons Iago has at his disposal in Othello. Jealous and angered by Othello’s - his commanding officer - passing over him for a promotion, Iago develops a fierce, antagonistic perspective the aforementioned character; this sentiment quickly corrupts his volition, and he subsequently concocts a plot bent on destroying Othello. He renders this revenge scheme credible by concealing his true feelings behind a facade of loyalty and trustworthiness, and fabricating a fictitious story concerning the infidelity of Desdemona, Othello’s wife. Until the play concludes, Iago utilizes purposeful rhetoric to drive his agenda, and also a mastery of deception to mislead the minds of his targets.
Shakespeare is probably the most well known playwrights of all time. Have we ever asked why his work is included in curriculums across the US? Why have his works stood the test of time? Why do schools still focus on Shakespeare instead of a more relevant piece of literature from modern times.
Reading Shakespeare is beneficial in that it helps build one?s comprehension skills. Shakespeare?s works are written in old English and so because of this, it is hard to understand. You will have to translate while reading. This is good because it improves your understanding capacity. It is excellent training for the brain. It will also help you to better understand and comprehend other works of literature. Doing this will help you to raise your grades, and who does not like good grades. With out it, you may not get into the collage you want or are capable of getting into.
William Shakespeare utilizes simplistic language to emphasize the themes in "Fear no more" however, he exercises complex metaphors to depict the struggles one undergoes during a lifetime and as a result urges the reader to overcome all melancholic sentiments that lead one to oppose a peaceful death. The diction applied in "Fear no more" efficiently creates emphasis on specific sections of the poem. In addition, the euphonic flow used by Shakespeare illustrates the author's serenity and resignation towards the subject at hand. In essence, Shakespeare's "Fear no more" employs rhetorical devices such as repetition, appeal to the audience, and imagery to reveal the desired theme.
The impeccable style and craft of Shakespeare’s writing has always been looked upon with great respect, and it continues to serve as an inspiration to writers and thinkers today even as it did when it was being first performed in London. Shakespeare’s modern audience, however, is far less diverse than the one for which he originally wrote. Due to the antiquity of his language, Shakespeare’s modern readership consists mostly of students and intellectuals, whereas in Shakespeare’s own time, his plays were performed in playhouses packed with everyone from royalty to peasants. Because of this, Shakespeare was forced to write on many different levels, the most sophisticated of which appealed to his more elite audience members, while the more straightforward and often more crude of which appealed to his less educated viewers, and the most universal of which still appeals to us.