Teachers are attempting to remove Shakespeare literature. An abundance of teachers find Shakespeare's writing Romeo and Juliet irrelevant and repulsive and aspirate not to take part in the reading of the play. Other teachers find Shakespeare’s writing not only captivating, breathtaking; praising the works of Shakespeare and teaching them. Students are taught Shakespeare’s miraculous works generation, after generation, and we must remain to teach it. Being able to comprehend and understand Shakespeare helps students become a better reader. From “Why it is ridiculous not to teach Shakespeare in school.” A passage wrote by Valerie Strauss she states. “Ms. Dusbiber’s argument is largely reductive, and it turns the English classroom into a place where no one should be challenged or asked to step out their comfort zone, where we should not look beyond ourselves. I, however, think English class is the perfect place to push and prod even piss off students sometimes, and I can’t do that if I’m only ever holding up a mirror. Windows are good, too.” (Strauss 71-75). If teachers make …show more content…
Straus emphasizes that “so what Shakespeare wrote 450 years ago is not applicable to her teaching today? Ethnically diverse students don’t foolishly fall in love and over-dramatize every facet of that experience? Or feel jealousy or rage? Or fall victim to discrimination? Or act desperately out of passion?” (Strauss 40-42). Feeling that occurred to humans hundreds of years ago, and feelings now remain the same. Although the events took place over a century ago Shakespeare writes of heartbreak, tragedy, and passion; all which humans feel. Even after centuries many ethnicities still experience oppression and being treated as less. Shakespeare could help a student find a role model someone they look up to, as they would a superhero, and stand up or fight against oppression
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
For as long as people today can remember there has always been Shakespeare in the classroom. Shakespeare is considered one of the greatest playwrights of all time and deserves to be presented as so, however his work is very old and as times have changed so has English. Teens don’t understand his work and struggle through these units in school. The least that should be done is changing a few allusions for an easier and deeper understanding for young minds. Teachers always talk about giving their students the tools that they need to succeed and this update is one of those necessary tools. In the words of Sir Winston Churchill, “To improve is to change; to be perfect is to change
Therefore there can be no doubt that knowledge of the works of Shakespeare is needed for any education of English literature to be considered complete and well rounded.
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
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 motvation can any teacher ask for than that students WANT ? That alone is sufficient reason for any English teacher to start a course in Shakespeare.
No matter how different we think that we are, as a human race, the feelings that are brought out in Shakespeare's plays bring us together in spirit.
In September of 2008, Professor Michael Mack gave a speech to college freshmen at the Catholic university of America about his opinions on the importance of reading Shakespeare. Mack forges an effective argument that though reading Shakespeare is troublesome, it is well worth the effort through his use of counterclaims and rhetorical devices.
The classic play Romeo and Juliet by the famous playwright William Shakespeare is one of the most beautiful love stories of all time and has captured and inspired readers everywhere. Regardless of the fact that it was written in the 1500’s, it is still being performed and extolled today. There is a multitude of reasons for such continuance of the play. First of all, its everlasting themes of love and hate enable people to deeply relate to the story. Secondly, its memorable characters deeply imprint on the minds of readers. And lastly, above all, is its magnificent language which many writers today regard in awe. These three elements make the acclaimed play, Romeo and Juliet, one of the most timeless stories of our lives.
Although William Shakespeare is considered to be one of the most revered and well-renowned authors of all time, controversy surrounds the belief that he actually produced his own literary works. Some rumors even go so far as to question the reality of such a one, William Shakespeare, brought on by paralleling the quality of his pieces with his personal background and education. With such farfetched allegations, it persuaded others to peek into the person we all are taught to learn as “Shakespeare”, but who is actually the person behind these genius works of literary promise and enlightenment? To some, Shakespeare is as much accredited to his works as frequently as you see his name placed. To others, Shakespeare is a complex enigma into which we the people are supposed to unravel; the true author behind a falsely-given pseudonym. The debate pertaining to the true authorship of William Shakespeare’s works are still questioned in today’s society.
Do you think Shakespeare should be taught in schools? If you say no, then let me tell you why you are wrong; most people believe that Shakespeare shouldn't be taught because it’s hard to comprehend or that doesn't relate to us, the readers. But in reality, it gives us a new perspective on how people must have lived back then or on how they responded to situations that we might never have to go through in our lives. For example, in Romeo and Juliet, we are introduced to two young adults that are enemies but they fall in love to show that love is blind and that is true love might exist ( even though they moved on from their previous crushes, Rosaline and Paris ) , this gives me the first situation I want to talk about, which is the problems teenagers or people in general have to deal with and those are love and relationships or commitment . People who say that it doesn't relate to us, please let me explain why it wrong; first, everyone, who has been in a relationship will know that relationship aren't always perfect because you will have problem, arguments, and obstacles.
I am not saying that classrooms should teach ¨The Taming of the Shrew¨, which some people will say it portrays that men have control on women and that you have to obey them like they are something they own. That is not at all what I am saying because everyone is their own person. Not all of Shakespeare is bad, but you should at the bigger picture.Teaching Shakespeare gives students a point of view from a perspective they are not accustomed to, which can result in the child learning a new idea and also an understanding of why and how things were done in the past when it came to marriage and other
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.
The first reason why Hamlet is taught in schools today is because of how it teaches students to be themselves. This is a good moral lesson because Polonius tells his son Laertes to be true to himself no matter what. He tells him, “Give thy thoughts no tongue. Nor any unproportioned thought his act. Be thou familiar, but by no means vulgar” (I.II.60). Polonius tells Laertes how he should act while he is away. Saying how he should always treat people with respect, but how he should not let them walk all over him. This goes for people reading the play too. To respect other but to not give too much respect
William Shakespeare's Relevance Today For as long as formal education has existed in Britain it has been a largely standard assumption that teaching the works of William Shakespeare is relevant and necessary. Perhaps the relevance of his writing is taken for granted, perhaps it is necessary to re-examine the role of Shakespeare for the modern audience. There are indeed many people who question the relevance of this 440 year old playwright to a 21st century audience, taking it even as far as perhaps the greatest heresy of all, questioning the necessity of GCSE pupils learning Shakespeare at all.
What is it about the works of William Shakespeare that appeal to us today? Is it the poetry, the violence, the humor, or the romance? Is it because all of these things relate to our times? No. These aspects of Shakespeare¡¦s plays have always appealed to audiences. Shakespeare¡¦s plays are timeless, and due to this enduring significance, the Bard¡¦s works have easily translated to film. Scarcely a Shakespearean play has not been made and remade numerous times into to a movie, and more often than not the film is either a hit at the box office or critically acclaimed. There is something about Shakespeare that has continued to capture the attention of audiences for the past four hundred years. In our present age of short-attention spans and exploding graphics, it is difficult to imagine that literature and poetry could attract people to the movies, but it seems that film has become the best medium for Shakespeare. All that the stage once limited can now be seen at the movies in its full glory; what the Bard wrote for everybody may now be known visually and in total splendor.