Shakespeare is Sweet Sorrow Shakespeare can be a tough read for students but when they get to the end they will be enriched and better for the experience. Campbell Tait reports… If Shakespeare can teach us anything it’s the value of never giving up. If students persist and wade through the language difficulties, they will think they can accomplish nearly anything. Shakespeare should stay in schools for this reason and many others, including the intriguing themes and how his language has influenced our modern expression. Persistence is a term meaning that we can push through anything, no matter what obstacles may come our way. This is definitely the case when reading Shakespeare’s work due to the difficult language descriptions and word
Many college students have the misconception that reading Shakespeare is a waste of time. Michael Mack presents a different view in his speech to college freshmen “From Why Read Shakespeare?” Mack’s speech constructed an effective argument that reading shakespeare will help you in life through his use of rhetorical devices and counterclaims.
Pursuing further why Shakespeare should not be taught in school is because Shakespeare is very difficult to understand. “Shakespeare's way with words can be tough for students to grasp”.(DeBlasis) Shakespeare is a lot to comprehend because the way Shakespeare speaks is very different from today's text”.(DeBasis) Shakespeare is very tough to understand now days
Students aren't the only ones who need to learn the message behind Shakespeare, adults at times need to as well. The message teaches people about the world, and about how peoples decisions catch up with them at times."Shakespeare Teaches us about love, honor, duty. About parents and children. About ambition and greed. These are the things that all of us face, the things that make us human." (J. Holtham, 2). The message is quite clear in a way. If Shakespeare can teach us about human conditions, then anyone can. "I don’t believe that a long-dead, British guy is the only writer who can teach my students about human condition. I do not believe that not viewing "Romeo and Juliet" or any other modern adaptation of a Shakespeare play will make my students less able to go out into the world and understand language or human behavior." (Dana Dusbiber, 1). There are other authors out in the world who have the same message, why not read a new author, rather than Shakespeare? Shakespeare uses his own words in his own way, to show that what he is trying to tell us about love and greed, are important, and no one else could teach us better. "Shakespeare is more then just a 'long-old dead British guy' and I believe he has as much to teach us about the
Much of the text is dated or archaic and is initially unknown to the typical student. Yet upon thorough study, the student will gain a deeper knowledge and understanding of Shakespeare's words and the English language.Despite the difficulty that dated text presents, the passions and emotions described by Shakespeare touch the hearts of his readers and audience, students included. Vivid imagery and poetic descriptions are presented effectively and have a great impact on the audience. Readers are provided with the opportunity to step into the lives of his characters; to feel their emotions and understand their motivations, a rewarding experience for the student.Although Shakespeare's wrote his plays more than 350 years ago, the relevance of their themes and subjects still exists.
The most common misconception is that reading Shakespeare is not worth your time and doesn’t help you in life. Professor, Michael Mack effectively argues the total disparate. When giving a speech to a group of college freshman, Mack establishes an effective argument that convinces his audience to give Shakespeare a chance and maybe it will help in life in life through his use of rhetorical devices and strong evidence.
Laurence Olivier describes Shakespeare as “the nearest thing incarnation to the eye of God” ; but is it really worth the read? College professor, Michael Mack presents a speech to his students convincing them to read Shakespeare. Mack fashions an effective argument that reading Shakespeare is worth the effort through his use of rhetorical devices and counterclaims.
Shakespeare is dead. Shakespeare is not relevant in today’s times. It is very boring for students to listen to the material, and only a certain type of personality can appreciate Shakespeare.
Walking into any ninth hour class you see eyes flitting towards the clock on the wall, fingers itching to respond to new text messages, and students fighting to keep their attention on the lesson. However this isn’t so much the case when I walk into my ninth hour english classroom during the Shakespeare unit. I see kids enthusiastically pulling out their plays, some avidly listening for their first cue, and others diving into the characters minds and actions. Schools should keep Shakespeare since he is a staple that our students need to experience at least once in their lifetime.
Shakespeare, the word famous playwright, poet, and actor, has been in the schools curriculum for many years now, but is it time to give him the heave ho? Students argue yes. Shakespeare was born in 1564 and lived up to the year 1616, he has written a whopping 38 plays, poems, and sonnets. His plays have been translated in 75 different languages around the world. Students believe that Shakespeare should not be taught in the ninth grade curriculum because his work is not fit for multicultural classrooms, the language doesn’t make sense to the students, and his work is outdated.
Many students often ask why we still study Shakespeare at school. Shakespeare is some 'amazing' poet and playwright who died a few hundred years ago. We know the popular classics like 'Macbeth', the ambitious Thane who snaked his way to the top of the pecking order by killing those closest to him. Though the answer to the question is quite simple. Shakespeare is valued in schools because he is a vital part of the English language. It is believed that by studying Shakespeare, students will achieve a balance of both modern and classic literature. You may think that Shakespeare is only for English but Shakespearean texts teach us values and about human nature. But what is it about 'Macbeth' that is valued in schools?
As stated in source 2” the great thing about Shakespeare is that he speaks to everyone”. Now as worthy of an argument that may seem, Shakespeare does not speak to everyone because of his choosing of words and phrasing in his plays as a result student are going to take way longer to learn ‘old English” before reading any of Shakespeare plays, student are better off reading a book made in the 21 century for the 9th grade
In the American school systems, curriculum for High School English and even sometimes college literature, require that students read Shakespeare's plays. Most commonly, we read The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth, and The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. Why do High Schools require that their students read Shakespeare? Why do we still care about Shakespeare? The answer lies in the human condition. The human condition is what connects all homosapeians and allows us to call ourselves Human. We experience birth, in more ways than one; we grow, on spiritual levels as well as physical; we have emotions, unlike any other creatures on earth; we show aspiration; we have conflicts with one another,
One of the largest oppositions to teaching Shakespeare is the time and cultural barrier. People who believe this often claim that “few people have realized how much English has changed” and that schools should not “teach outdated idioms that no one under the age of 40 uses” (Robshaw 401). The problem is these ideas are simply not the case. Shakespeare’s works are part of history and are a lifeline back in time. Even though the language used is considered “Old English”, Shakespeare managed to be one of the few writers from the time that uses the common story plot of heroes and villains that transcends time and cultures.
People avoid reading Shakespeare because it is tough to understand or even read. Ironically, that can be the reason why should high school students read Shakespeare. It improves students coping with difficult texts. It helps people understand what they can do with the English language or even the different types of English. Shakespeare challenges students to study and observe the history of English.
One of the most notorious authors in all of literature, who composed outstanding works such as Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth, and The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, still continues to influence people of the 21st century. Even through his success as a writer, there is very little known about the life of William Shakespeare. “England’s greatest ever literary genius, who's huge and varied output remains internationally known nearly four centuries later, remains today a shadowy figure shrouded in myth, rumor, and supposition.”- Peter Brimacombe