...not get to choose like students. Students do not get choices when it comes to in the classroom. They have no choices over books they read. They are forced to read books that they might not like, such as Shakespeare. Although it is a big part in culture, Shakespeare’s work should not remain in the high school curriculum because it is not relatable to students and it could potentially start bad cultural habits in the classroom. Shakespeare should not be in high school curriculum because it is not interesting or relatable to students....
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...Is Shakespeare really worth learning about in classrooms? I say no. Here are three reasons I think that Shakespeare should not be in the curriculum of today's classroom, and should be left to the individual reader to find and study his work outside of school. First of all. I believe Shakespeare's work to be irrelevant for the modern world. In Shakespeare's time, 400 years ago, relationships were very traditional, with the family being a husband and wife. Given the amount of information available in today's world, one can see that those traditional family and couples roles no longer apply. To the many couples that fit out of Shakespeare's norm, they do not connect with the author and the tales he writes. From the Victorian age to the Nuclear...
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...to Study Shakespeare in School I. Should students continue to study Shakespeare in school, that is the question? Nearly four centuries since of the death of William Shakespeare, the great classical poet and dramatist of the English language are met, and in addition to general acclaim for his work, the debate has increased with the discussion on the appropriateness or otherwise of teaching Shakespeare to American high school students today. a. High school curriculum should continue to keep such an important figure as part of their studies. b. The name William Shakespeare means so much to the history of literature; his ability to connect to the human emotion is timeless; however, his most important legacy is the lasting impression he had left on the English language and the world entertainment world. II. Historical importance - At first glance it would seem inappropriate to dispose of curricula US literary legacy so powerful, intimate and transcendent like Shakespeare. Somehow that is what, in the narrow field of education, defends Dusbiber Dana, a high school teacher in Sacramento, California, where most of the students come from families of minority and low income. a. For Dusbiber, according to the story in the Washington Post, Shakespeare is simply irrelevant. Dusbiber confesses he does not like Shakespeare and he does not believe an English white died in 1616 is the only way to teach your students about the human condition, and that the author should be taught in the...
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...Teach but Do Not Preach Teaching the Bible in public high schools is a very controversial topic. An article in TIME magazine written by David Van Biema, called “The Case for Teaching The Bible”, does a great job presenting the pros and cons of teaching the Bible. Some might argue that teaching the Bible promotes certain faiths. Although, there will be some teachers who share their opinions, the Bible should be taught in public high schools because it is extremely prominent in pop culture and is in fact constitutional, as long as the teachers are trained to teach, not preach. Because the Bible and its stories are commonly utilized in pop culture, the Bible should be taught in public high schools throughout America. According to Van Biema,...
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...In high school, there are always going to be those students who love English class, the students who hate it, and the students who could care less. Many people may like and dislike different parts of the class, such as poetry, grammar, writing, and literature. Literature is even used to help teach all of the other subcategories of the class. Reading novels, and close reading certain quotations are used to help teach students certain writing styles, grammar techniques, diction, themes and lessons, and even more. The aspect of literature that makes it worth studying is definitely going to depend on the type of student. The purpose of literature can range from, teaching, learning, enjoyability, culture and tradition, internal or emotional growth,...
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...Stratford-upon-Avon, United Kingdom, William Shakespeare is regarded as one of the greatest playwrights known to man. William Hazlitt, an English writer born April 1778, had said, “If we wish to know the force of human genius, we should read Shakespeare. If we wish to see the insignificance of human learning, we may study his commentators.” His works retain deep societal importance and interest to this day. His plays and sonnets amaze all as they withstand the tests of time. While many believe that Shakespeare should not be required in the ninth-grade curriculum, in reality, Shakespeare should be taught because his works are profound pieces of literature that require deep ponderation for young students to truly understand, and the themes of his plays and sonnets remain relevant in today’s society. Some people argue that studying Shakespeare is boring and confusing. However, when studied by diligent ninth-grade students, this will not be the case. “The language is so dense, so rich, the first couple plays they read are difficult. Not because the language is archaic, but because it is semantically dense. You have to read the lines over and over,” says Bayer, an associate professor and...
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...Renaissance Literature December 10, 2012 Should Shakespeare be taught to Minority Students? Shakespeare is a staple in the English curriculum in American schools. Beginning in seventh or eighth grade, students are fed a steady diet of his tragedies, comedies, histories, and sometimes even the sonnets. Before Michael, Madonna or Prince, he was the one-name artist everyone could relate to globally. This wasn’t always the case. The branding of the name is not accidental. Even more than “William Shakespeare play-wright to American school students” the word Shakespeare, has become a trademark representing the culture and values of a nation. I approached this project with the firm belief that teaching Shakespeare to non-white students was harmful to their development. Shakespeare being taught to non-white students is a problem because they are being told that their culture isn’t enough. Is this a message we want to send after the last 40 years of minority groups demanding, and receiving, inclusion into society? Aren’t there any other works that could be substituted for the works of Shakespeare’s? Plenty of good candidates are published every year but they aren’t taken seriously. Why not? One reason is of course the name brand recognition of Shakespeare. He has had 500 years to gain a position in the public eye. Another reason is the many contributions that he has made to the English language. Many of the tried and true turn of phrases used today come from his characters...
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...I do agree with his statement because as an educator because we cannot cover the whole syllabus so we plan ahead on what we are going to cover and what not to cover which leads to us being in control of all the events in the learning process for one or more of our learners. Fraser (1993) views curriculum with a much wider interpretation as the interrelated totality of aims, learning content, evaluation procedures and teacher-learning activities, opportunities and experiences which guide and implement the didactic activities in a planned and justified manner. I do agree with this Fraser because according to my own understanding curriculum is a guide which has been put in place for all educators to have clear expectations or outcomes that should be achieved whenever the curriculum is carried out. In support of Fraser view of curriculum NEPI (1993) broader...
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...Many say Shakespeare had his own language. People nowadays do not even notice that the words they use daily might have been originated because of Shakespeare. “Shakespeare's Non-Standard English, begins with the general prefatory aim to provide the student of Shakespeare with a series of authoritative guides to the principal subject-areas covered by the plays and poems. While demonstrating authority and command.” Says article writer, Curren-Aquino, Deborah T. Curren-Aquino explains that Shakespeare had his own way with words when it came to talking about women, music, food, etc. Curren-Aquino gives us an example of a word people use in today’s time that was created by Shakespeare himself, swagger. Swagger was used in Hamlet as a verb to describe...
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...It is often thought that Shakespeare was telling his audience that women should be “possessions” in his play, “Taming of the Shrew.” However, some argue that he is expressing the idea that man’s dominance and need for control is too extreme. In reality, Shakespeare expresses his opinion through the final words of Katherine. Many professionals can testify that Shakespeare’s time period was full of violence and malice toward women. With that in mind, it more than likely that he shared those same opinions. To ensure that we understand Shakespeare’s viewpoint on women, we must understand that his belief in women as possessions stemmed from the society and culture that he was raised and lived in. Let’s first consider Kate’s final dialogue in the play. She states in lines 164-165 “Such duty as the subject owes the prince, Even such a woman oweth to her husband.” Kate’s dialogue suggests that Shakespeare believed women were property because she...
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...First, ShakeSpeare has a very huge global influence through his plays. According to “Britain Puts on a Shakespeare Marathon as The Word Arrives for Olympic Games” the article states “ … Shakespeare is truly a writer for the whole world.” So then that being said that even though the Bard is dead he truly is an inspiring writer. That even though he is dead his plays are still being heard not only in America but even across the world and inspire many people today. Also, “His ability to speak to audience around the world is undimmed.” (“Britain Puts on a Shakespeare Marathon as The Word Arrives for Olympic Games.”) Another reason why Shakespeare has an global influence that his ability of writing could reach all people everywhere and of all size...
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...understanding about the backdrop of the English language. Shakespeare gained the comprehensive knowledge and passion for the literature. Shakespeare was known to develop the Early Modern English language. He is the insightful genius of coined everyday phrases that is used in this generation. Shakespeare’s literary works used the world around him to disseminate the concepts of social class and human behavior. These concepts are demonstrated in The Tempest and Une Tempête. Une Tempête is a play by Aimé Césaire who shadowed Shakespeare’s, The Tempest. The problem is not Aimé Césaire’s version of Shakespeare’s play but it is the comprehension of Early Modern English. When students study the Early Modern English language, there is a debate of whether the use of SparkNotes embodies the understanding of what Shakespeare is exploiting. The use of SparkNotes only translates the plays in simplistic form; it does not give definitive historical facts about the words that Shakespeare uses. Shakespeare distinctively incorporated rhythmic patterns, play on words that exposed a character’s purpose in the play and his ideologies about society. Each play Shakespeare produced emphasized a specific theme that the audience or reader had to search for. The theme The Tempest is political romance about two individuals that are of a certain social hierarchy. Aimé Césaire’s Une Tempête is about social domination and the role of colonization. Students in high school would not be able to figure that out the basis of...
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...Classic Edition of William Shakespeare’s Macbeth 2 INTRODUCTION William Shakespeare developed many stories into excellent dramatizations for the Elizabethan stage. Shakespeare knew how to entertain and involve an audience with fast-paced plots, creative imagery, and multi-faceted characters. Macbeth is an action-packed, psychological thriller that has not lost its impact in nearly four hundred years. The politically ambitious character of Macbeth is as timely today as he was to Shakespeare's audience. Mary McCarthy says in her essay about Macbeth, "It is a troubling thought that Macbeth, of all Shakespeare's characters, should seem the most 'modern,' the only one you could transpose into contemporary battle dress or a sport shirt and slacks." (Signet Classic Macbeth) Audiences today quickly become interested in the plot of a blindly ambitious general with a strong-willed wife who must try to cope with the guilt engendered by their murder of an innocent king in order to further their power. The elements of superstition, ghosts, and witchcraft, though more readily a part of everyday life for the Renaissance audience, remain intriguing to modern teenagers. The action-packed plot, elements of the occult, modern characterizations, and themes of import to today's world make Macbeth an excellent choice for teaching to high school students. This study guide offers ideas for presenting Macbeth to a high school class. The activities have been divided into sections: 1. 2. 3. 4. a brief...
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...addressing the remunerations of the top management and openly filed their financial reports wrongly to please investors and attract more clients. The Lehman management was also profit oriented opting to reduce health insurance of its employees in order to maximize on profits. This shows the extent management was willing to sacrifice to fulfill the company’s appetite for money placing their staffs’ interests in the backseat. 3. What role did Lehman’s executives play in the company’s collapse? Were they being responsible and ethical? Discuss. The Lehman management openly violated the ethics code of business. For example they filed unverifiable, inaccurate financial reports openly contravening the Sarbanes-Oxley Act that states that companies should file correct and accurate financial documents. They also disregarded legit means of conducting business creating a culture where staff that practiced illegitimate means were idolized and rewarded thus encouraged to continue with their ways. In another case the management initiated a policy that reduced the health insurance of their staff showing openly that their main objective was profits. All this practices were extremely unethical openly encouraged by the top executives (Smith, 1997). 5. After all the public uproar over Enron and then the passage of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act to protect shareholders, why do you think we still...
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...characters, and themes. The play’s action is easily understood, the character’s motives are clear, and many of the themes are as current today as they were in Shakespeare’s time. Therefore, it can be read on a variety of levels, allowing all students to enjoy it. Less able readers can experience the swash-buckling action and investigate the themes of parent-child conflict, sexuality, friendship, and suicide. Because of the play’s accessibility to teenagers, able readers can view the play from a more literary perspective, examining the themes of hostility ad its effect on the innocent, the use of deception and its consequences, and the effects of faulty decision making. They can study how the characters function within the drama and how Shakespeare uses language to develop plot, characters, and themes. The most able students can develop skills involved in literary criticism by delving into the play’s comic and tragic elements and its classically tragic themes: the role of fate and fortune, the inevitable nature of tragedy, and the isolation of the tragic hero. This teacher’s guide will be divided into several parts: (1) a brief literary overview, including a synopsis and commentary on the play; (2) suggestions for teaching the play, including activities, discussion questions, and essay topics to be used before, during, and...
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