Hello Professor Stearn & Class,
English Language Arts is a complex subject that is often simplified so much that only the surface is touched in middle and high school classrooms. Not only does this neglect the students’ right to learn and achieve their utmost potentials, but it hinders their opportunities of growing a love for English Language Arts.
Shakespeare, Chaucer and Poe, for example, need contextual analysis and personal input. For instance, when talking with a friend, it is always easier to provide advice and understand what he/she is saying if one can relate with the subject at hand. Therefore, the key to comprehension of literature is an emotional response and connection to the literary piece. Unfortunately, relevance is often forgotten in a classroom of Victorian and Middle Age texts. Provided alternatives, such as contemporary renditions of classic literature in addition to the original writings, students have the opportunity to grasp the topic better; thus being able to incorporate their lives into the readings assigned.
