On Quoting Shakespeare
If you cannot understand my argument, and declare "It's Greek to me", you
are quoting Shakespeare;
if you claim to be more sinned against than sinning, you are quoting
Shakespeare;
if you recall your salad days, you are quoting Shakespeare;
if you act more in sorrow than in anger; if your wish is farther to the
thought; if your lost property has vanished into thin air, you are quoting
Shakespeare;
if you have ever refused to budge an inch or suffered from green-eyed
jealousy, if you have played fast and loose, if you have been tongue-tied,
a tower of strength, hoodwinked or in a pickle, if you have knitted your
brows, made a virtue of necessity, insisted on fair play, slept not one
wink, stood on ceremony, danced attendance (on your lord and master),
laughed yourself into stitches, had short shrift, cold comfort or too much
of a good thing, if you have seen bet ter days or lived in a fool's
paradise - why, be that as it may, the more fool you , for it is a
foregone conclusion that you are (as good luck would have it) quoting
Shakespeare;
if you think it is early days and clear out bag and baggage, if you think
it is high time and that that is the long and short of it, if you believe
that the game is up and that truth will out even if it involves your own
flesh and blood, if you lie low till the crack of doom because you suspect
foul play, if you have your teeth set on edge (at one fell swoop) without
rhyme or reason, then - to give the devil his due - if the truth were
known (for surely you have a tongue in your head) you are quoting
Shakespeare;
even if you bid me good riddance and send me packing, if you wish I was
dead as a door-nail, if you think I am an eyesore, a laughing stock, the
devil incarnate, a stony-hearted villain, bloody-minded or a blinking
idiot, then - by Jove! O Lord! Tut tut! For goodness' sake! What the
dickens! But me no buts! - it is all one to me, for you are quoting
Shakespeare.
Bernard Levin
Callum McPetrie
Libz youth spokesman
November 17, 2008
It could read like a Shakespearean tragedy: using the excuse of their
students' personal weaknesses, bureaucrats at the Ministry of Education
are trying to remove Shakespeare, arguably the finest mind ever in
literature, entirely from the national curriculum. Amidst fears that his
works are too removed from the mind of the average High School student,
Shakespeare could be scrapped.
Perhaps these bureaucrats should consider the reasons why students in New
Zealand are so out-performed in other countries. After years of
politically correct, postmodern "teaching" strategies implemented by both
Labour and National Governments, students, parents and teachers in this
country have been left with the short end of the stick. What we are
seeing today is a population so dumbed down that many lack basic skills
and knowledge, with many ending up on welfare. Indeed, the reason why
many students "don't get" Shakespeare has been through the curriculum
introduced by the same "education officials" now proposing this measure.
This latest proposal to remove Shakespeare, and letting a student who
studies a blog as a piece of English literature obtain the same marks as
a student who studies Shakespeare's incredible works, is simply the next
piece in the puzzle. Shakespeare's works are the best pieces of
literature around, and are still very relevant in today's world. Teachers
in schools are smart enough to know this. Said one, "I am genuinely upset
that the amount of literature students are required to study is being
reduced and replaced with ambiguous standards which seem to water down
the work students are required to do." Said another, "All the challenge
and in-depth analysis and skills required at each level are being
modified, and in my opinion, made easier. Is the implication that we
should not dare to challenge students, or heaven forbid, ask them to
engage with texts that really speak to the human condition in a superbly
crafted form? Dumbing down again."
Yet "education officials" who have no idea of how a child's mind works
dictate what gets learnt.
Politically correct, big government dictatorial thinking at work again.
Appealing to the lowest common denominator, and not challenging students
to think beyond the box of government-mandated thinking—the concepts of
"sustainability", "equality", or in my English class, "altruism". It is
taught much the same in countries such as Britain and the United
States—with similar results.
In a freer world, schools would be entirely free to teach whatever they
want, with the choices of parents and teacher deciding what ought to be
taught. As an interim measure, save us from yet more entrenchment of
political correctness at school—save Shakespeare.
Callum McPetrie callummcpetrie@yahoo.co.nz
Article: http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominionpost/4761440a23918.html
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