The DU Lounge

appmanga

(1,517 posts)

88. The fact they may not understand it is the reason we have schools...

Fri Apr 3, 2026, 06:56 PM

Apr 3

...and I don't get why we should go down a path where education is somehow supposed to be bereft of challenge, and people should only take in what they would natively understand. That's the concept that gives us flat-Earthers and fundamentalists. The idea of education is to go beyond what we don't immediately understand, that we can get beyond the denseness of a style of writing in order not just to understand what the writer is saying, but that there may be better ways of saying it, or maybe not. And that's just one way to approach that stanza.

Edit history

Please sign in to view edit histories.

Recommendations

1 members have recommended this reply (displayed in chronological order):

A-Schwarzenegger

108 replies

= new reply since forum marked as read

Highlight:

5 Reasons Why Shakespeare Should Not Be Required in Schools [View all] GreatGazoo Apr 1 OP

Shakespeare's themes are timeless. Unless this is an April Fool's prank, I find it ridiculous. hlthe2b Apr 1 #1

I'm sincere GreatGazoo Apr 1 #4

What total BS. Just like all but claiming the UK has no tanks but only royal horses hlthe2b Apr 1 #7

I have said nice things too about the UK GreatGazoo Apr 1 #21

Then you haven't read my post(s) hlthe2b Apr 1 #22

Um GreatGazoo Apr 2 #37

Once again, you have NOT read (or at least comprehended) my posts that do counter you. hlthe2b Apr 2 #39

Nonsense. Reasons why Shakespeare SHOULD continue to be taught in schools. wnylib Apr 1 #18

Thanks for your well reasoned response GreatGazoo Apr 1 #23

I was not saying that Shakespeare's plays are wnylib Apr 1 #27

I find that era fascinating GreatGazoo Apr 1 #32

That "tomorrow" quote from Macbeth is one that I've memorized. wnylib Apr 1 #35

My car broke down near Mechanicsville (appropriate name) CA GreatGazoo Apr 2 #38

Popular quote. wnylib Apr 3 #60

This message was self-deleted by its author NNadir Apr 3 #61

Then you are rather an idiot, good sir, Jilly_in_VA Apr 3 #79

The trolliest trolls are the trolls A-Schwarzenegger Apr 3 #91

Remind us of anyone in the here and now? Mme. Defarge Apr 1 #9

Guillotine! Guillotine! MyOwnPeace Apr 1 #31

So many shrouds Mme. Defarge Apr 1 #33

I was one of the 2 kids..... MyOwnPeace Apr 1 #34

Semi agreeable. It would close off connections with cachukis Apr 1 #2

We'll, as the old joke goes... perfessor Apr 1 #3

Or Cunk's line: GreatGazoo Apr 1 #8

Yeah! "To bee or not to bee" was first said by an apiarist! Wonder Why Apr 1 #11

I note your earlier post is asserting UK has 501 royal horses & only 334 tanks. (eyeroll) hlthe2b Apr 1 #5

Nix on "Streetcar". Never understood why that piece of crap is considered art. eppur_se_muova Apr 1 #6

I finally saw 'Glass Menagerie' last year GreatGazoo Apr 1 #12

Tennesse Williams' voice was eloquent and urgent. CTyankee Apr 2 #41

The fact they may not understand it is the reason we have schools... appmanga Apr 3 #88

Thank you! Jilly_in_VA Apr 3 #81

Agree with you MorbidButterflyTat Apr 3 #95

Exactly! Throw some deeply damaged, disturbed individuals together to see how, and how much, they can damage each other. eppur_se_muova Apr 3 #97

Yes MorbidButterflyTat Apr 4 #99

I think Williams' message was exactly that: the brutish, insensitive people exploit the sensitive, delicate ones. CTyankee Apr 6 #108

When I was in seventh grade, I read through all of the Shakespeare comedies. I loved them. Walleye Apr 1 #10

How did you feel about having to sit through them GreatGazoo Apr 1 #13

I saw a magnificent stage performance of Macbeth wnylib Apr 1 #20

Not A Fan ProfessorGAC Apr 1 #14

All the titles from 6, except the angry men were studied between jr high and high school questionseverything Apr 3 #78

There is one for today "King Leer"[sic] Wonder Why Apr 1 #15

You're not considering the historical significance... Rizen Apr 1 #16

Didn't mention it but yes Shakespeare is printed at roughly the same time GreatGazoo Apr 1 #25

I love the King James Version of the Bible. My father's Masonic Bible is a treasure I handed down to my son. CTyankee Apr 2 #42

Love Shakespeare. Always have, since first reading his plays in 6th grade. Years ago, two highplainsdem Apr 1 #17

You forgot the sarcasm tag. malthaussen Apr 1 #19

I listed five plays from the 20th century GreatGazoo Apr 1 #28

You must be fun at Shakespeare parties. A-Schwarzenegger Apr 1 #24

Get me to a nunnery! GreatGazoo Apr 1 #30

Did Timothy Chalamet post this? Sneederbunk Apr 1 #26

Ohhh. GreatGazoo Apr 1 #29

When I still lived in Louisville, Bayard Apr 1 #36

Anti-intellectualism at its finest. Coventina Apr 2 #40

Is the grammar of this sentence correct? GreatGazoo Apr 2 #44

By that logic, we shouldn't study art or music of the past either. Coventina Apr 2 #45

Music is subjective. Grammar isn't. GreatGazoo Apr 2 #47

Shakespeare has never been taught as "proper grammar." That notion is silly. Coventina Apr 2 #49

"greatest writer" implies that the grammar is as good as it gets GreatGazoo Apr 3 #64

It implies no such thing. Please cite scholars who claim this. Coventina Apr 3 #65

If you insist GreatGazoo Apr 3 #72

Both of those links are not actual support of your argument. Coventina Apr 3 #85

Can you not see or feel A-Schwarzenegger Apr 2 #48

Yes - I love that line GreatGazoo Apr 2 #50

Those arent errors. A-Schwarzenegger Apr 2 #51

We can't know what the author intended because they were deceased when The Tempest GreatGazoo Apr 3 #63

Curious, snot Apr 3 #70

"On" for "of" GreatGazoo Apr 3 #73

That's one; but I disagree that it's an error. snot Apr 5 #101

Literature is not required to follow the rules of grammar FSogol Apr 3 #80

You A-Schwarzenegger Apr 3 #94

Or, MorbidButterflyTat Apr 3 #96

I fear we are not taking earnestly enough A-Schwarzenegger Apr 3 #98

... Xavier Breath Apr 2 #43

Can anyone make sense of this? GreatGazoo Apr 2 #46

This is bullshit. Maybe modern high school students could handle it just fine Ocelot II Apr 2 #52

Bach is perfect GreatGazoo Apr 2 #56

Omigawd YES! snot Apr 3 #71

I've always loved Shakespeare. I took Shakespeare in my college English Dept. and acted in Twelfth Night... wcmagumba Apr 2 #53

I will take Shakespeare any day over some of the other dreck we read in high school. 3catwoman3 Apr 2 #54

I had a personal hatred for Shirley Jackson and Flannery O'Connor Coventina Apr 2 #55

I found many of the 19th century English novels in secondary school canon boring Ilikepurple Apr 2 #57

One big problem with writing at that time is that writers were paid by length. Coventina Apr 2 #58

When I learned that Dickens had been paid by the word, it explained a lot about why Great Expectations... 3catwoman3 Apr 5 #102

Most of them were, except for one Jilly_in_VA Apr 3 #86

I had a hard time getting into A Tale of Two Cities and haven't revisited it as I have other 19th century novels. Ilikepurple Apr 3 #92

I'm right with you there with the Russian literature JoseBalow Apr 3 #93

None of the plays you listed in number one would be here were it not for Shakespeare. OldBaldy1701E Apr 2 #59

Yeah, let's do away with beauty. It's trivial. Video games on cellphones are far more relevant to modern life. NNadir Apr 3 #62

Sounds serious Torchlight Apr 3 #66

Now do "Beowulf." Iggo Apr 3 #67

Totally disagree, and snot Apr 3 #68

You make your case well GreatGazoo Apr 3 #74

Thanks; understood. snot Apr 5 #100

Ugh. Our Town. In the top ten of the most boring plays ever written. mwmisses4289 Apr 3 #69

Thank you, I DETEST "Our Town" Jilly_in_VA Apr 3 #89

Our Town? Doodles Apr 5 #103

To each his own....exactly! mwmisses4289 Apr 6 #107

I couldn't tell if this was supposed to be satirical or not. Aristus Apr 3 #75

There is a reason why Shakespeare's plays have endured Zorro Apr 3 #76

My high school sure did Jilly_in_VA Apr 3 #84

You must have attended a very progressive high school Zorro Apr 3 #87

I rather think not Jilly_in_VA Apr 3 #90

"4. The subject matter is elitist and no longer relevant. " DBoon Apr 3 #77

Totally disagree ABC123Easy Apr 3 #82

I view teaching Shakespeare the same way I view teaching poetry. walkingman Apr 3 #83

Yes, to Shakespeare! Doodles Apr 5 #104

Here's an obvious point no one has raised as of yet. Morbius Apr 5 #105

Apocrypha GreatGazoo Apr 6 #106