Recently, I was having dinner with a couple whose son is in my son's English class. The boys are reading Romeo and Juliet. As a lover of some of Shakespeare's work, I was taken aback by some of their comments. Now, these boys are 14 and not particularly into "romance". Frankly, their idea of romance is letting a dirty sock hang around as long as it can before being snatched from them cruelly but necessarily, to have the stink blown off. The love goes deep.
I was however, shocked when I asked my son what he thought of the novel Romeo and Juliet. In his usual considered fashion, (about the time it takes to blink) he said "It sucked". I must have looked like I'D been poisoned. "No, Mom, you don't get it...it was "STUPID."
Then his friend joined in and pointed out the stupid points of language to us unenlightened parents who looked at each other bemused. "Nobody would talk like that today," one boy said. "It would take half an hour just to say hello!" I can see his point. That would clearly move in on his xbox time.
Other than the feud between the Montague and Capulet's, the boys seemed unable or perhaps unwilling to study the novel from the perspective of a different time. When I was 14, I loved picking up a good book and feeling like I was transported to a diffent time and place. I know my son enjoys that too, but clearly, not by reading Romeo and Juliet.
Perhaps the novel should be introduced later when boys are around 17. Or, God forbid, perhaps Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet has had its day in the Ontario English curriculum. In my house, reading it was a painful, colossol waste of time and my patience.
I just bought "The Old Man and the Sea" by Ernest Hemingway. I bought the book and the audio version so I can torture him in the car and read the novel at my leisure, quietly in bed, with Reese of course. I'm trying to teach her to turn pages with her paw. If I achieve this, I will take pictures lol Cheers,
Linda Grace
3 comments:
What a nice visit I've had to your blog. You write in a way that makes one want to read more. I had to laugh at the boys' reaction to Romeo and Juliet - it was the same with my son at that age!
Well I'm not surprised in you discovering that today's youth doesn't particularly think kindly of Romeo and Juliet.
In these modern times, where kids can only spell as good as they can text on their cell phone, or learn what they can Google, much of the romantisicm is gone. Their day-to-day examples of romanticism is really not conducive to that way of thinking - specially at that age.
Perhaps if someone translated this Shakespeare's work into "youthspeak" of today, they might understand in some weird way. Of course, the values and connotations on yesteryear would be next to impossible them to understand.
Maybe instead of " O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo? Deny thy father, and refuse thy name. Or if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love, and I'll no longer be a Capulet..." it should read: Hey Romeo, dude..like...why are you soooo totally a Montague? Like Dude! Hey, like, if not, ....like we can go to the Mall and...tell our friends that I'm no longer...like..last name..Capulet, like Stefani, or GaGa. But maybe, like maybe "Montague"...aww gawd..LOL..as long as you dig me, dude? "
Perhaps they will REALLY understand it when they mature.
But for now, sorry, I'm too old for youthspeak, but I try....!
Oh Spanish one...you are hilarious! I am also too old for youthspeak except when I'm mad. Then.."Hey you...pick up your crap!" seems to work pretty well. :)
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