Brentwoodian 2019

4 “What do you read my Lord? Words, words, words.” - Hamlet: Act 2, Scene 2 Hamlet’s sentiment has never been more fitting, considering the declining literacy rate across the UK, as young people swap fantastical, fictional worlds for the frightening reality of our own, through social media. Perhaps one of the key reasons for this is the supposed failure to keep texts relatable to modern society as they age. The median adjective for English Literature has worryingly become ‘boring’; after all, where is the allure in the study of words, when you could be blowing things up in a Chemistry laboratory? There is no denying the fact that, as a society, we need more pioneering scientists, medics and mathematicians, but how would their ideas be communicated were it not for books, journals and articles? In this way, words are inherent to success. My mission, however, is not set on trying to convince you that words are important, but what they mean and symbolise. The key criticism of Shakespeare (from young people), is that his work has failed to stay interesting; his women are heavily subjected to the patriarchy, his language is ‘wordy’, and the subjects of his plays don’t concede to modern issues, such as racism and feminism. This is a ridiculous stereotype, which needs to change. Whilst the Bard is not overwhelmingly radical, even in just one of his plays we can see that this is an unfair judgement: this can be poignantly exemplified by Othello as a play that deals with the racial attitudes towards the tragic hero, Othello. Whilst the fate of this protagonist ultimately ends in disaster, we see his struggle between societal manipulation and radical identification. Proto- feminism thrives in the character of Desdemona and her deviancy from societal norms to follow her own ideas and mind, undeniably modern themes. Possibly the text that elicits most dread from students is the heroine of GCSE English Literature, Juliet Capulet. Whilst the intensity of her romance with Romeo is not the most representative of a modern love, she can be paired with Desdemona in that the nature of her desire is radical in choosing her social rival over her social equal; in this way she is something greater than her literary quota: her character stands for the liberation of women. It is, unfortunately, more than just Shakespeare who receives criticism for supposedly ‘dull’ writing. The nature of literature lies in motifs and symbolism, from light imagery to the colours used: the latter of which that gets the majority of abuse, as it continues to raise questions such as ‘why are blue curtains actually symbolic of a lack of hope?’ Whilst it is almost impossible to give a prescription to find the author’s original intent, in reading we are able to find characters who encompass our feelings and fears, that make the world seem a little less overwhelming. The greatest thing that can be learnt from literature is that words have more meaning than you could ever think, whether that is blue curtains representing hope, or how a verb can shape the tone and presentation of our daily dialogues. Regardless of whether you consider yourself to be gifted at English or not, I present to you a challenge: to read a book, to savour its pages and meaning. Our world becomes less scary and more interconnected when we have someone to share it with, even if that is a character from a book. In the defence of English Literature, society mirrors itself in words , so why not read and try to find out more about yourself ? By Rachael White A Defence of English