“Paul Little and Sarah Frost express concerns that Shakespeare is unduly prominent in our draft English Curriculum (The Listener, 7 June). However, Shakespeare is mentioned only once there, and developers are obliged to prescribe what they consider the best readings for every subject.
Why such a negative reaction to the inclusion of one work of Shakespeare, when the works of many others will be prescribed, including Māori and Pacific authors?
Little says that calling English “the language of Shakespeare” represents a “monocular” focus, limiting our notions of great literature. However, the Curriculum makes no such claim. It says that by exploring selected texts from around the world, students gain insights into themselves and others. Prescribed works will include kupu Māori, stories from the Pacific and other countries, and diverse prose, poetry, plays and novels.
The Curriculum is neither discriminatory nor Eurocentric, but seeks to ensure world class education for all. The Supplementary List of titles remains under development, will include both prescribed and suggested readings, and the public can make submissions on literature that should be required.
Shakespeare is a white male from four centuries ago, and critics across many countries do question whether he represents the diverse societies of today. Of course, he presents an easy target, as symbolic of colonization. But his works are about the timeless human emotions of love, passion, kindness and selflessness, but also greed, ambition, hatred and deceit. Germany took him to heart, and also pre-Soviet Russia, the Soviet Union and the former Communist Bloc, China and Japan. Why?
Critics may perceive Shakespeare ill-posed as the only pinnacle of excellence. However, the Curriculum embraces many forms of excellent literature, and numerous literary and political figures over several centuries have judged the works of William Shakespeare as enduring masterpieces from a towering genius of world literature.”
Comment
I guess that our media editors and managers have the right to publish whatever they please and, of course, everyone who writes letters to editors knows in advance that his or her letters or opinion pieces may be declined.
However, our mainstream media does publish a great deal of left-leaning material, but very rarely the opposite perspective. Worse, they publish scientifically-incorrect pieces, such as advice on farming by the lunar cycle. A related theme has to do with marketing folk remedies as equal to “Western Medicine”, when most certainly they are not! See:
https://www.acc.co.nz/newsroom/stories/rongoa-maori-a-traditional-healing-choice-for-all
and
https://www.acc.co.nz/about-us/rongoa-maori-services
This is very dangerous advice, and some people may be taken in by it. I meet and talk on a regular basis to cancer patients in Wellington and I know that the last thing that they need is unverified folk therapy.
However, I and other scientists known to me have submitted several letters to editors that attempt to correct such factual errors, but not one has been published.
What has happened to our mainstream media?
David Lillis
Dr David Lillis trained in physics and mathematics at Victoria University and Curtin University in Perth, working as a teacher, researcher, statistician and lecturer for most of his career. He has published many articles and scientific papers, as well as a book on graphing and statistics.
11 comments:
Did the writer seriously expect the mainstream media to publish something like that? Most of the current generation of journalists would struggle to even name five Shakespearean plays, let alone be able to read and understand any of them. But the biggest threat of Shakespeare isn't that he was a white male. It is that he encourages people to think and experience things. That goes totally against the woke policies of dumbing everything down, with a docile population who uncritically accepts whatever propaganda they are told.
Most educational decisions seem to be about the self esteem movement, which began generations ago. I read something by a Samoan author; I, a Samoan, now feel that I can be a writer! Don't forget, we also are living in an age when only Maori can teach anything Maori and I suppose Maori can't teach anything non-Maori. Very sad.
David, your experience regarding sending letters to magazines and newspapers and not seeing them published is common in NZ as I can attest to, being an inveterate writer of letters, nearly all trying to correct an error of fact or biased view point , both of which are common in the media these days. It is not as if there is not space; the 'opinion pieces' that are published and often arouse my ire, are usually very long, many times the 200 words allowed in letters. No, the newspapers and magazines do not like to be shown up, and their racist, left-wing, anti-colonialist stances cannot be allowed to be disturbed by reason and truth. We can only be deeply thankful for Breaking Views.
I'm sure you know, David.
Simply, they were bought by Labour's PIJF. They are neo-Marxists who continue to foolishly promote decolonisation (aka, maorification) at every opportunity and have zero appreciation of the corrupt, dystopian, bankrupt society this will lead to.
They so deserve our distrust and contempt.
One reason people invoke Shakespeare is that he's a kind of short-hand for canonical British literature - the guy everyone has heard of, even if they've never read / seen any of his plays. Best, however, if students are exposed to a variety of literature from different eras and countries, as seems intended in the proposed syllabus. Classes can always discuss the viewpoints that seem to be emerging from the text, although good literature is often not decodable into advocacy of authors' views (especially not in drama). As regards the Listener, I had a letter on a political issue submitted and not published recently, and I'm a leftie (BV endangered species). Not for the first time either - although I have been published by them in the past.
Had the theme simply been well covered previously? I have written several L to E of Herald over the decades. What gets printed and what not is often a mystery. They often looking for something to fill a particular space. Irony sometimes elludes the simple mind allotted the L to E collating task.
Why do we even have stories of Maori, Pacific Island countries etc. to study in English lessons. Surely their distain of the colonialist language should mean their stories are written in their own languages.
For several years New Zealand has suffered from very biased media that includes opinion pieces from "journalists" who hold particular political or ideological views that they know in advance will be approved by a receptive, left-leaning audience.
This situation has done our nation no favours at all. It is time for a very big change, but how to achieve that change? I wish I knew. What can Government do? David Lillis
David, well said. Regrettably no surprise that the Listener didn’t publish this. It doesn’t support the decolonisation stance of our MSM, but pushback from those who want to preserve our European heritage in NZ must continue. If the government were to remove all Treaty references from legislation and policies in the public sector that might help, but our education system currently remains seriously at risk of further dumbing down. John R
I am very much looking forward to see how NZME publications change when the new Board starts having an influence. But maybe I'm chasing unicorns
As long as the Coalition govt funds the media (as Labour did) , then it could sack the current Board, establish fair standards and an independent body to monitor adherence.
Instead the Coalition is insulted /denigrated every day by the msm - and does nothing to stop this. This is what is astounding. More delay by Goldsmith ... on instructions.
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