Novelist C. S. Lewis once said, “Literature adds to reality, it does not simply describe it. It enriches the necessary competencies that daily life requires and provides; and in this respect, it irrigates the deserts that our lives have already become.” This is entirely true of Shakespeare. William Shakespeare was a playwright, poet, and actor who wrote 38 plays and 154 sonnets in the late 1500’s to early 1600’s. He’s often regarded as the greatest writer in the English language for many reasons. In my opinion, I believe Shakespeare should continue to be taught in the ninth grade curriculum because of his relevance in the modern age, his global influence, and how he has crafted the present day teenager. Shakespeare’s work should be apart …show more content…
In the article “Why it’s time to give the Bard the heave-ho” by Brandon Robshaw from The Independent, Robshaw emphasizes, “If it is to teach these things that literature is supposed to teach-aesthetic pleasure, understanding of character, moral sensitivity, liberal humanist values, an inkling of the technique by which literary texts work their magic-then Shakespeare is simply not delivering. In a way, this is true, such as the language Shakespeare uses being too hard to understand, the ideas in his works being too advanced for students, or even the stories not being interesting enough for ninth graders to read. While this may be true, current existing teenagers are the offspring of Shakespeare. What do I mean? Well, in the article “How Shakespeare Changed everything” by Stephen Marche, the Marche demonstrates, “Shakespeare created this category of humanity, which now seems organic to us as spring. In place of nostalgia and loathing, Shakespeare would have us look at teenages in a spirit of wonder. They’re us before we fall into categories: not children, not adults, not monsters, not saints. They’re beautiful because they do not fit. They’re too much themselves and not enough.” (Marche 385). What this means is that because of how well Shakespeare understood the human condition, he was able to construct young characters who have stayed alive over centuries through Shakespeare’s relevance and global influence only to be imprinted onto the modern teenager. Teenagers tend to stand out because of how they experiment and act in their lives in order to explore themselves. They are hard to understand. In creating these hard to understand carbon copies of Shakespeare’s hard to understand characters, freshman definitely have something to relate to, which helps give students an idea on what they’re
Should Shakespeare be taught in the 9th grade curriculum? Shakespeare was a writer and an actor. Shakespeare lived from 1564-1616 and wrote 38 plays, poems, and sonnets. If you ask students if Shakespeare should be taught, most will say Shakespeare shouldn’t be taught. Shakespeare shouldn’t be taught in 9th grade curriculum because his plays were made to entertain and not to study, they’re difficult to understand, and lastly, he is irrelevant.
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
Shakespeare is a very old and classic type of literature which is great if you like that kind of writing. Although these reads can be very interesting and stimulate the brain I do not think that students should have to or be forced to read these pieces. The first reason is that most students have trouble reading these pieces because of the language they use throughout the writing which leads to not understanding the work. Another reason that students shouldn’t have to read Shakespeare is that these writings can be very inappropriate at times which is sometimes not suitable for a school environment. The final reason students should not have to read Shakespeare pieces is the fact that most students aren’t going to be excited about reading these pieces of literature.
Shakespeare was and is an extremely crucial figure in the English language. Period. Some may say that “Shakespeare’s use of the English language is irrelevant in today’s modern world”(Dusbiber 1), or simply “Shakespeare is useless”. Some may also refute that there are other great writers out there that are from all sorts of different cultures, that can teach students of different ethnicities the same ideas and same topics that Shakespeare teaches, which may be the case for some people. However, if you look at the
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.
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
The other reason is that Shakespeare is a man for our time. He may have been a man "for all time". He certainly speaks directly to the students in charge. The passions and emotions which he describes find deep echoes in the hearts of the youngsters at the close of the 20th century. He probably was modern when he wrote his dramas.
One last reason why he shouldn’t be taught is because Shakespeare does not strike modern teenagers. As it says by Powell it states “Not strike modern teenagers with fear most of Shakespeare’s audiences were illiterate” (Powell). Shakespeare’s writings are hard to read and write and teenagers are confused. Another piece of evidence that shows he shouldn’t be taught is “Shakespeare is a lot to handle and manage. Student’s need to see themselves and be more engaged in the work” (Deblasis).
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.
Some may say that students should continue reading Shakespeare because he teaches readers about the human condition, while other might disagree. Students should not read Shakespeare in school because his work is hard to comprehend, and there are many different cultures of literature out there that students can acknowledge. One reason why students should not read Shakespeare is because it is hard to comprehend. For instance, according to article “Kill Bill; Why we must take Shakespeare out of the classroom” by Mark Powell. In paragraph 1 it states, “ his words were chosen to be spoken or heard, not to be read and deadened behind a desk-they wither when performance is removed.” Furthermore, in paragraph 5 it also states, “ English teachers agree that Shakespeare's language isn't intended to be desk-bound; it's crafted for stage.” This reveals that Shakespeare is not meant to be read, it's meant to be staged. Also, the audience understood Shakespeare through sounds and pictures, not his words since it was confusing to
Yes, Shakespeare is challenging. In the first year of high school for most of you, Romeo and Juliet will be studied. What will you do? For most people the first experience is horrible. The play is long and there are all types of words like ?thee? and ?thy? which no one understands. However, the only way to get used to and understanding this is by reading more of his literature. One cannot expect to understand Shakespeare if they do not try their best to honestly read his works. So it will be best if you can sort of take it all in and have a positive attitude. Life throws a lot of things at us that we do not like, this is one of them. Remember to always approach Shakespearean Literature with a positive attitude.
In the article on the Bard’s birthday, is Shakespeare still relevant?, The author Alexandra Petri, says that “High school students are forced to consult books like “No Fear Shakespeare”.” What she's saying is that students in high school are being forced to learn and know about Shakespeare. Furthermore, it's believed to say that for high school students don't think that it is relevant for them to know about Shakespeare. “Why do we keep dragging class after class, kicking and screaming, through the wilds of “Romeo and Juliet”(Alexandra Petri 373). Alexandra explains that students are taught the poems and plays when the students don't understand the language. Furthermore, students won't pay much attention to the work. So the real question is if people believe he's relevant to high school
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.
Shakespeare has created stories that are so powerful, emotional, comedic, tragic and romantic that they are still continuously remembered and studied in the modern era. Though the essence of his talents does not lie in the simple themes behind his plays, but more so in
Shakespeare’s plays were written in the 14th and 15th century in England, yet until this day it still has a huge influence on American English class. Why? Well because Shakespeare has a universal appeal with a rich language, complex characters with a theme that is timeless. Shakespeare should be taught more, one play per semester because it is part of American literature culture, it challenges students reading levels and as it expands students vocabulary and enriches their speaking. Shakespeare plays are relevant today as the themes of the plays involved what teenagers like and experience such as love, betrayal, courage,politics and corruption.The themes can be set in such basic forms that the plays are universal and timeless, it can set in