William Shakespeare and Western Literary Tradition Essay Example for Free

William Shakespeare and Western Literary Tradition Essay When Shakespeare was a kid going to grammar school, a school open to boys only by the way! they learned Latin, Greek and rhetoric, persuasion through logical argument. Students read Latin and Greek writers to learn about the history of ancient Greece and the glory that was Rome† and this material was translated by them into English or French after many hours of work. Im glad the school curriculum of the 21 st century has evolved and we no longer spend our days doing boring stuff like that! Their old-fashioned, subjects that have little relevance in the modern world of the internet and space travel. The question is: shouldnt we allow our education system to further evolve and file Shakespeare in the same drawer where weve stuck Homer, Plato and Ovid? Given the society of North America in the 21 st century, Shakespeares relevance is declining with each new technical advance. The purpose of this essay is to prove isnt it time to address this question head on, even at the risk of causing legions of English teachers to collapse in horror? Speaking to the world may be the least of the challenges facing those who want the teaching of Shakespeare. Shakespeares English is the language as they spoke it 400 years ago. It is as ancient and antiquated and old as the Latin and Greek I spoke about in my introduction. Watch any class of high school students tackle Shakespeare and the first book youll see on theredesks is a student guide of notes explaining who characters are, the plot and the themes. Indeed, it is doubtful that the play itself is ever cracked by some students. How can students in the 21 st century understand any of the great themes raised in these plays if they cant even understand what some guy is saying? If students must read this stuff, switch it for a modern translation. I would like to write a graphic novel using Shakespeares plots, but maybe its been done. Consider how this problem is worse for those students whose first language is not even English. If were going to combat feelings of alienation we must not cling to cultural icons of a white, Anglo-Saxon culture. Given the modern, multicultural societies to be found in any Canadian city of to-day, can a writer from olde England† really claim to have any relevance? High school teachers need further training to examine the important literatures of Africa, Asia or the Muslim world. The succession of Anglo-Saxon monarchs can have little connection with the issues gripping the globe from Africa and the MiddleEast. As members of a global community; we need to be aware of the moral issues facing these cultures if were going to talk to them. I think the issue of AIDS and HIV in Africa is one of the most important problems we face. It is the western literary traditions refusal to look beyond Shakespeare that cements western, primarily British, culture as the dominant cultural group and causes other groups, African, Middle Eastern or Asian to exist in a mental cultural ghetto. How will we in the west understand the moral concerns of other cultural or religious groups if we refuse to look beyond Shakespeare? How can Shakespeare speak to the world? The really important argument put forward by those who want to keep Shakespeare in the curriculum is that Shakespeare is the greatest writer in the western literary tradition. Says who? I think importance is a relative value judgment? Shakespeares plays second in Shakespeares own mind to his poetry were written to satisfy the political fashions of his time. Why does Macbeth look into the cauldron and see A show of eight Kings, the last with a glass in his hand? We are told now it was to impress James the first of England and sixth of Scotland. It was James interest in the occult that caused the inclusion of the three witches who look not like the inhabitants o the earth, and yet an ont who Macbeth consults. You cant look at any copy of a Shakespeare play without finding obvious references to the monarchy of his time. Shakespeares plays, like any political propaganda found to-day, either concentrates on defending the status quo or attacking the unpopular leadership of an earlier time. So, in conclusion, as you can see I have pretty strong feelings about Shakespeare and his plays. In the 21 st century, spending time with the confusion that is Shakespeare is about as useful as training doctors in the value of bleeding their patients as a means of correcting a problem with the four humours. By examining the great works of other cultures and religions we can learn about a major part of the world. Through the literature of many different parts of the world theyre concerns will be understandable to us and well show our willingness to meet the rest of the world, not throw forts built of iambic pentameter with the occasional rhyming couplet to securely glue the walls together. If we ignore the future to sort of celebrate the western literary past well have a disaster of global proportions. Works Cited 1. William Shakespeare, Macbeth. Toronto: Longmans Canada. 1965

The Practice of Sex Selection :: Exploratory Essays Research Papers

The Practice of Sex Selection Sex Selection is usually thought of as a procedure that occurs prior to conception, however, that is not always the case. Sex selection is a method that is used prior to and after conception. Focusing on after conception and birth, sex selection can take place by genetically testing, or by taking ultrasound images of the developing fetus, resulting in abortion due to an undesired gender. The practice of sex selection can also take place after birth of the child, â€Å"[†¦] when one or both parents kill their baby† (Dixon). Partial birth abortion, which was banned by the Senate, was a major practice used by many around the world. In this procedure the abortionist, whom is guided by the use of an ultrasound, grabs the baby’s legs with forceps pulling the baby into the birth canal, ever so carefully delivering the entire body except for the head. Following the partial birth, the abortionist jams a pair of scissors into the bay’s skull, slightly opening then to increase the size of the hole. The scissors are then removed and a suction catheter is inserted into the hole enabling the brain to be drained and skull to collapse. The dead baby is then removed from the mother’s birth canal. More highly utilized is deliberates induction of a miscarriage. This procedure is practiced everyday all over the world and only takes approximately fifteen minutes. The cervix of the women is dilated with rods allowing a tube to be inserted into the uterus. The fetus and placenta are then â€Å" vacuumed† out. The uterus is then scraped with an instrument known as a curette to make sure no products remain behind. Practicing sex selection prior to conception is viewed as a more natural and more of a safe way to conceive a child of a desired gender. â€Å"The trouble is that society as a whole is not capable of handling Sex Selection without terrible results† (Dixon). The most practiced pre-selection is the laboratory. Here urine specimens are used to monitor ovarian steroid changes during ovulation. â€Å"Although methods of selecting sex before conception are not entirely reliable [†¦]† (British Medical Journal), it is obviously the practical route to go. A response to either practice of sex selection merely depends on the factor of cost and ease of access.

What High School Is?

â€Å"What High School Is,† is a chapter from a book called Horace’s Compromise: The Dilemma of American High School, and was written by Theodore R. Sizer in 1984. Mr. Sizer starts the chapter out with a story of a typical boy named mark who is in the eleventh grade. In this story the author describes in detail how Mark spends one of his time blocked days in high school. Mr. Sizer feels it is important to analyze how Mark spends his time because he feels it is a reflection, with some degree of variation, of how most high school students spend their time in school.Mr. Sizer argues, â€Å"taking subjects† in a systematized, conveyer-belt way is what is what one does in high school (Sizer). He feels that this process is not related to the rhetorical goals of education; however, it is tolerated by most Americans. In addition, Mr. Sizer argues that there is little demand for synthesis of subjects and that courses are too broad and there is just not enough time to cove r all the material. â€Å"The school schedule is a series of units of time: the clock is king†¦ ow much time do I have with my kids, is the teacher’s key question† (Sizer pg. 40). School periods are about fifty minute each and students and teacher have a few minutes to go from class to class. Mr. Sizer argues that going from class to class gives the school day a kind of restless and hectic quality and provides the students with many distractions. Mr. Seizer point is strong, restlessness and distractions seem to go hand and hand here, once the children enter the class they must be resettled and their attention refocused leaving even less time for learning.In addition, most schools have at least one class that is called a â€Å"split class†. During â€Å"split classes† the student starts their class period, then, half way through it is interrupted so they can go to lunch or attend another activity. After they have finished lunch or the other activity t hey then return for the second half of their class, talk about hectic, restless, and distracting. However, Mr. Sizer does not address the some of the strengths of taking subjects, for example, the importance of responsibility, punctuality, and time management kills acquired through this type of scheduling. Another point that Mr. Sizer argues is that there is little demand for synthesis of subjects; they are just loosely related. He feels that two or more subjects should be tapped in order to solve a complex problem as learning opportunity. In addition, Mr. Sizer argues that schools feel that covering all the material within the subject is key, however, the material is only â€Å"supposedly covered† because many of these courses are too broad and there is just not enough time.This point is strong, which leaves little room for change or new creative ways to learn. Mr. Sizer points out that the opposition will always challenge and usually win against new creative ideas on learni ng with statements such as, â€Å"what may be thus forgone†, â€Å"we won’t be able to get to programming or Death of a Salesman†, and â€Å"there isn’t time† (Sizer). This kind of scheduling is too rigid and too broad, thus, making it almost impossible for any type of change.In conclusion, Mr. Sizer does not look too fondly on our countries education system, he argues, taking subjects† in a systematized, conveyer-belt way is what is what one does in high school. He feels that this process is not related to the rhetorical goals of education; however, it is tolerated by most Americans. Lastly, Mr. Sizer argues that there is little demand for synthesis of subjects and that courses are too broad and that this type of scheduling too rigid.

Economic Tools and Concepts - 1133 Words

Economic Tools and Concepts Michelle HCS/552 University of Phoenix September 3, 2012 Professor Hamilton Economic Tools and Concepts The focus of this paper is to present economic tools and concepts pertaining to a health care issue. The issue is nursing shortage. Nursing shortage is an ongoing issue for the health care system. A supply and demand curve will be presented on the issue of nursing shortage. A marginal analysis will be presented. These tools are designed to explore and evaluate the nursing shortage. Registered nurses (RN) are the largest group of health care professionals in the United States, strengthening the entire health care delivery system (Caron, 2004). It is†¦show more content†¦73). These efforts also are to improve the nursing shortage crisis. Marginal Analysis Organization need to understand how a nursing shortage affects the quality of care and the perception of the organization. A market analysis is a way determining how many nurses and what resources are needed to produce high quality care for the patients. â€Å"Marginal analysis is most effective in the setting of an accurate and valid production possible frontier (PPF) or curve† (Jones Yoder, 2010, p. 45). As an administrator for the nursing units, this would entail assessing the number of nurses on duty with the volume of care provided to evaluate the efficiency of the unit. â€Å"Efficiency in medical care is not just a matter of technical excellence and minimizing the cost of production. More often, it depends on how much is produced and which patient gets treated† (Getzen, 2007, p. 27). Organizations need this understanding to maintain the expectations of the patients. Patients expect high quality service, and it is an organization responsibility to provide such re sources to get the service done. Patients do not want to hear about understaffing, they just want their needs met. Marginal analysis provides the assessment of the organizations resource inputs and production outputs.Show MoreRelatedEconomic Tool and Concepts1121 Words   |  5 PagesEconomic Tool and Concepts HCS/552 August 19, 2013 Economic Tool and Concepts The health care industry has been experience for many century the shortage of nurses. It is perceive by the health care industry the shortage of nursing supply than the demand across the country. The demand for nurses in every health care organization growth in a daily basic as the technology advance. The consumers are always demanding for more personalize and quality of health care services at the time they areRead MoreEssay on Economic Tools and Concepts1606 Words   |  7 PagesEconomic Tools and Concepts As one leader in the free world more money is spent on health care in this country than any other industrialized nation. The major expense to the health care system is managing chronic diseases and illnesses. 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