Shakespeare – To read or not to read?

Shakespeare - To read or not to read?

Kun Hong, Features Editor

This man is seen by many as the greatest writer and ambassador of the English language. Studying his works has long been required for American students upon their high school graduation. It is a stable element of the Common Core English Language Arts standards ruled  by federal law as essential to students’ understanding of literary works and the universal human condition.

Reading Shakespeare is a ritual, a tradition. However, many today would argue that it should no longer have a place in high school classrooms. Californian English teacher Dana Dusbiber is among one of them.

“Because there is a world of really exciting literature out there that better speaks to the needs of my very ethnically-diverse and wonderfully curious modern-day students.” Dusbiber wrote in her article explaining why she is an English major who dislikes the idea of sticking with Shakespeare.

She believes that Shakespeare’s works contain languages and worldviews that are too outdated for the comprehension of today’s American students, and while he is indeed important to the development of the English language, students and educators should “acknowledge him as chronicler of life as he saw it 450 years ago and leave it at that,” instead of clinging to the singular, eurocentric writing style and view of life the bard’s works provided.

Dusbiber even steps further and argues that American schools today should move forward to teach their kids more diverse choices of literature works, in English or in translation to English. She believes it is the educators’ “imperative duty to open [the students] up to a world of diversity through literature,” especially in America.

It is probable that many high school students find Shakespearean works to be dull, archaic, and unrelatable. It certainly does not help that many English teachers can not find a sufficient way to channel this unique style of writing to modern day kids.

According to a new report by The Washington Post, it is no longer a requirement for English majors in many ofthe country’s colleges and universities to complete an in-depth Shakespeare course. If that is the case, perhaps it is time to think about whether or not the Bard should remain a fixture in the present day secondary education.