There’s been quite a buzz over the Sacramento, Calif., teacher who objects to teaching required sections on William Shakespeare:
If we only teach students of color, as I have been fortunate to do my entire career, then it is far past the time for us to dispense with our Eurocentric presentation of the literary world. Conversely, if we only teach white students, it is our imperative duty to open them up to a world of diversity through literature that they may never encounter anywhere else in their lives. I admit that this proposal, that we leave Shakespeare out of the English curriculum entirely, will offend many.
Writing on National Review Online/The Corner, Jay Nordlinger raises an interesting point about the relevance of old Bill:
There is a story I hope to heck is true, because I’ve been repeating it for years. Apparently, Maya Angelou once said, “When I was young, I thought that Shakespeare must have been a black girl. How else could he know exactly how I felt?”
In a subsequent post, he provides documentation that his recollection of African-American poet Angelou’s fondness for Shakespeare was correct.
Now, I’m not a huge fan of Shakespeare. The only play that really reached me was “Macbeth,” and I always thought Sir Philip Sidney, a contemporary of the Bard, wrote better sonnets.
To me, the Sacramento teacher’s rant (it qualifies as no more than that) about dead white males in general and Shakespeare in particular is disturbing because it rejects major elements of Western culture — the common culture of Americans. The idea of teaching African oral history, or modern writers commenting on modern issues, is just fine. But the foundation must remain, and Shakespeare is foremost among its components. Yes, reading Shakespeare and his contemporaries is tough for modern readers because the language is archaic, but are we really coming to a point where we stop doing something worthwhile because it’s difficult? Does that mean we white folks don’t have to try to understand different cultures and folkways because it’s hard for us? Nobody I know of is saying that.
A scene from the 1978 movie “Animal House” came to mind as I read Mr. Nordlinger’s posts. I’m referring to the scene where Donald Sutherland, as Professor Dave Jennings — a despicable character who introduces his undergraduate students to marijuana and has sex with one of them — expounds on 17th-century English poet John Milton. During class, Professor Jennings takes note of his students’ extreme lack of interest in his lecture on Milton’s “Paradise Lost” and says:
Don’t write this down, but I find MIlton probably as boring as you find Milton. Mrs. Milton found him boring, too. He’s a little bit long-winded, he doesn’t translate very well into our generation, and his jokes are terrible. But that doesn’t relieve you of your responsibility for this material. I’m waiting for reports from some of you. I’m not joking! This is my job.
Note the difference between the thought processes of Professor Jennings and Sacramento teacher Luther Burbank. Jennings succinctly, yet humorously, registers his objections to Milton, but he reflects the academic principles of his time by insisting his students must complete the assigned work regarding “Paradise Lost.” He does not comment on whether the students should be required to study Milton, other than to concede he doesn’t relish teaching the material. Burbank, citing many of the same objections to the requirement that he teach literature composed in a distant country, half a millennium ago, just wants Shakespeare gone. Note also the ethnic component. Jennings refers to Milton “not translating well into our generation,” without mentioning race; Burbank goes to great pains to analyze Shakespeare’s place (or lack thereof) in the education of white and minority students.
Mr. Nordlinger is quite pleased to note that literary icon Maya Angelou felt the work of Shakespeare was relevant to her experiences as an African-American child. I wonder how Mr. Burbank, who undoubtedly introduces his students to Angelou, dealt with that in class, if he dealt with it at all.
