I have always loved the play Twelfth Night, especially since one of my favorite movies was based
off of it: She’s The Man. Last year I
took a course on Shakespearean comedies and loved the play, although it did
register slightly below Much Ado About
Nothing. When I found out I had to read for this course I was really excited,
but slightly confused. Unlike The Miller’s
Tale there is no burning of bottoms and unlike The Adventure’s of Huckleberry Finn, there is no constant use of
offensive words. Why could Twelfth Night
possibly be banned? After looking it up, I found that it was banned in 1996:
School authorities in Merrimack, N.H. found
nothing amusing about Shakespeare's Twelfth
Night, in which a girl washes ashore after a shipwreck, disguises
herself as a page, and falls in love with her male master. That jolly
cross-dressing and fake-same-sex romance was deemed in violation of the
district's ‘prohibition of alternative lifestyle instruction,’ and copies of
the play were pulled from schools.1
I found this slightly ridiculous for
many reasons. First, all the crushes are just a misunderstanding. The Duke never
feels anything for Cesario/Viola but a brotherly/masculine love that is
acceptable at the time. Olivia, while she does have a crush on someone who is
actually a woman, is unaware of it and truly believes she is in love with a
man. I personally do not believe that same-sex love is an issue, but I
understand that there are different opinions on the matter. Yet, this said,
there is never any same-sex anything, just misunderstandings. Second, the
cross-dressing part is ignorant. In Shakespeare’s time, many young men would
have to cross-dress to play the female parts. Viola is not exerting herself as
a sexual man, but instead a eunuch.
I found this ban slightly
disturbing for other reasons as well. I felt that it was missing the point of
the play entirely to pick on issues, such as gay marriage, that are prevalent
today but not as much so when the play was written. Banning this book is taking
away not only the enjoyment of a great work, but also the history and context
of the story. Even if it does bring up present day issues, to ban a book from
school does not allow for healthy conversation.
At my experience at Tunbridge School last Thursday, I
arrived at my classroom a few minutes early and found the teacher and students
engrossed in group reading. Mr. Gottlieb asked me to sit and join them, which I
gladly did. I had no idea what the book was, but I was fascinated by the students.
They kept asking question after question. It was amazing to see their willingness
to learn. One girl even asked why a certain flower died, to which the teacher
explained about the geography of the setting. Although these fifth graders may
be too young to tackle Twelfth Night,
it is student like them that make me believe banning it is the wrong decision. They
truly want to learn about every little detail of the story, and seemed to get
enjoyment out of even the little details. Not allowing their intellectual abilities
to grow to their natural capacity would be a crime. When these kids are able to
finally get to the reading level of Shakespeare, not only will they learn, but
they will enjoy the experience.
After the group reading was over, the teacher needed me
to organize some of his binders for him. While he felt bad about giving me a
tedious task, I was glad for three reasons. One, I actually enjoy organizing,
it is a stress-reliever for me. Second, I know the feeling I get when
everything is organized and know how important that can be for a classroom.
Lastly, I was nervous (although definitely excited) to work with the kids directly.
While I hole-punched and alphabetized, I listened to Mr. Gottlieb teach. The students had moved on to individual reading while some would individually meet
with the teacher to discuss their book. One book was about Hitler. Once again
the student was full with many questions about what happened. Obviously the
nature of the subject is a tragic one, but not teaching the information would
be a disservice. Only through knowledge and experience can a person truly understand
and grow from something. This kid learned not only the history but empathy for
not only the Jews, but the Nazis that were forced to work as well. I remember
the student asking why some of the Nazis did such horrible things, and the teacher
explaining about how some of them had families to worry about. Without healthy
discussion how will a person ever truly grow in understanding? The same with
the alternative life-style and cross-dressing issue of Twelfth Night. Not only
is it an issue that can often require empathy, but it is a part of the history and
present of mankind.
Works Cited
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