I heard recently that the school district I am in has decided to stop teaching Shakespeare. That alarms me for so many reasons, but also for a personal one.
Quite simply, I'm having a hard time finding books to use as examples in teaching fiction writing.
I used to have a lovely example, when trying to show what was meant by 'plot'. I'd ask my class: "What is the plot of Gone with the Wind?"
Several people would put up their hands, and say, "It's about the Civil War."
And I would say, "No it isn't. You've just described setting. The SETTING of Gone with the Wind is the civil war. The PLOT is something like this: Scarlet O'Hara falls in love with a man who does not return her love, and she spends the entire civil war chasing after him. Until in the end, she decides other things are more important."
Lots of Ohs! and Ahs! Smiles all around.
Flash forward to my last term. I ask the same question of the class (all adults): "What is the plot of Gone with the Wind?"
Not a single hand went up.
Nobody had read it or even seen the movie.
Me: "Come on, people! I can't use Harry Potter for EVERY example!" (lots of laughter)
Yes, Harry Potter seemed to be the only book everyone in the class had read. And - dare I say it - most had seen the movie Twilight (but not necessarily read the book.) This does not leave a lot for me to reference as examples.
Further gripe:
So here we are today, taking Shakespeare out of the school system. Does anyone honestly think kids will read Shakespeare on their own? Are we honestly to face a world in which no one knows the lessons learned in The Scottish Play, Hamlet, The Merchant of Venice, The Tempest, the Richards and Henry's? And so many more.
A world in which I could say, "He would make a great Caliban" in a business meeting, and no one would know what I meant? (I made the mistake of saying that once. Probably not my best political move...)
So this leads me to my latest fear:
I hear they are no longer teaching Cursive. Which means, in a few years, only a very very few people will be able to read any historical documents. Any manuscripts in the original.
In fact, I was told today that a California town is asking people who know Cursive to apply for town jobs.
Does this not scare others? When only a few can access original text, I worry that everything will be 'as interpreted' by a central body.
We already know how Homer's work was translated and tinkered with by men centuries ago to change and sometimes diminish the role of women in it.
Dammit, I'm worried. I want a world where everyone is given the chance to be exposed to ideas.
Not a world where only a few can refute the masters (AI or other) who control the narrative.
Melodie Campbell worries and writes on the shores of Lake Ontario. Her latest book (available for pre-order everwhere) was given the following review by BOOKLIST (we're permitted to post one sentence in advance of issue date):
It is frightening, isn't it? I guess they could always assign a book (Groans galore!) and MAKE THEM READ IT and ask what's the plot? Etc. But it is sad days when nobody reads anything but texts.
ReplyDeleteYes, Eve - makes it really hard to teach. What I find is an amazing number of people want to write a book, who don't actually read them! Baffling.
DeleteKids today are deprived of so much pleasure and excitement because of the truncated reading lists that I wonder what framework they will have for thought or morality when they get older. Or much of anything else.
ReplyDeleteCursive writing is important not only because older people could read it, but because aimless doodling in cursive connects your hand to your brain and helps you find ideas for writing when you're stuck. I had my students do this along with clustering and free-writing for years, so I know it works. My writing is nearly illegible now because of arthritis and other problems, but that's still my first tactic when I'm stuck on a writing project.
Shakespeare is the foundation. How can a house stand without a basement supporting it?
Think of the hundreds of titles alone that are quotes from his plays...
When I participated in theater, I was involved in about 20 Shakespearean productions as an actor, designer, technician, or director, sometimes several at once. I tried to get my school to bring kids over for field trips, but the other teachers were afraid the kids wouldn't understand. Significantly, a neighboring middle school class came to my production of Twelfth Night and loved it.
Every English teacher should be required to take a theater class and participate in at least one Shakespearean production before being certified to teach English.
Steve, there is so much wisdom in your post! I absolutely love this: How can a house stand without a basement supporting it? That's exactly what I fear. Also, I fear aspiring writers who don't have a basis of classic literature will think they are writing something new, when they simply haven't been exposed to what's already been done. Thanks so much for this important comment!
DeleteWithout cursive, how would one sign one's name? Also, cursive writing is much faster than printing letter by letter.
ReplyDeleteA very good point, Elizabeth! I guess electronic signatures are the model of the day - you type your name and choose Helvetica, Italic, etc. Easy for fraud, no question. Good observation!
DeleteThis is not new. My son, who's 55 and took his first computer class at age 8, can't write cursive, and my exasperated daughter-in-law once said, "He can't even forge my name on a check!"
DeleteNow THAT is funny! Nor forge the signature on an absence note from Mom- grin. Oh, how teens don't realize what they've lost :)
DeleteAs to signatures, mine became a personal scribble after signing thousands of cheques for my business. No Docusign could ever copy it.
ReplyDeleteLaff! Thanks for commenting!
DeleteMy younger son prints his name as his signature. I know.... Although he knows how to write in cursive and can certainly read it.
ReplyDeleteRemarkable how hundreds of years of accepted practice can be swept away in a single decade, sigh...
DeleteSome places are returning to cursive: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2026/02/28/is-cursive-still-taught-in-schools-trend/88827717007/
ReplyDeleteI am sure that some teacher a couple of millenia ago had the same thing to say about young people not being taught heiroglyphics anymore. And they were right then too! If some French soldier hadn't realized he'd come upon something of note, when he found the block we call the Rosetta Stone, we would never have found out that those little pictures meant. Misconceptions about AncientEgyptian history and culture were revealed.
ReplyDelete