Romeo and Juliet Final

Alexis Albert                                                                                                                                 Albert1

Mr. Neumann
 9th Honors Lit
3 March 2012

     Romeo and Juliet is a timeless classic that could, and should, always be taught to high school students because it teaches them much more than just the story, such as its influence, the life messages, and to learn about literature. In all of his works, William Shakespeare is still relatable even today. He introduces culture and wisdom to youth that is often elsewhere unobtainable. The difficulty of his level of language and plethora of literary devices is very advantageous to high school students, especially in the future as they progress to more advanced pieces of literature. Shakespeare's analysis of humans and their behavior is incomparable, and one that should not be discharged from the education of our teens.

      Numerous lessons exist in Romeo and Juliet that today's teens should learn.  Several themes include many different perspectives on love, society and stereotypes, destiny/fate, and the speed at which time passes in life. Of course, with love as one of the most prominent themes, Romeo declares his love for Juliet many times with romantic quotes such as, "Did my heart love till now? Forswear it, sight! For I ne'er saw true beauty till this night." (1.5.52-53). Shakespeare writes about the thoughts and emotions of the characters in a descriptive and thorough  way that allows the readers to develop their own theories about humanity. There are many references to his works, especially Romeo and Juliet, that everyone should learn. Some modern interpretations include various songs, movies, and television shows.

     The old English teaches students how to handle challenging literature, which is a very important skill to learn as early as possible. This helps develop a diverse vocabulary and show students how to examine writing and decipher the meaning, even when they aren't comfortable with the language. There are also many unusual literary devices in this story, such as conceit, metonymy, apostrophe, and aside. All of Shakespeare's writing, especially Romeo and Juliet, gives high school student opportunities to learn important skills. However, Romeo and Juliet is one of the easier ones to understand. The morals are at first difficult to find, but once found there are many pieces of evidence to support your opinion- the themes are open to interpretation. As Waters states, "Learning through the incidences of the plot and becoming involved in them intellectually, morally, and emotionally are all part of our overall response, our catharsis as clarification or enlightenment based on our pity and fear for the tragic characters, their experiences, and their reactions."
      Students often complain about the language in which the story is written in. However, the struggles of reading Romeo and Juliet are a small price to pay for great literature, which reveals many outlooks on life and people. Pushing students to do more than a minimal amount of work in class in order to understand to topic should always be done. For students who need help, there are several "modern" versions of Romeo and Juliet that uses newer language. Bad morals are also a reason people see not to read this book. However, it does not teach premarital sex, it actually shows the characters waiting for marriage. Juliet says, "And learn me how to lose a winning match Played for a pair of stainless maidenhoods." (3.2.13-14). This demonstrates her desire to wait to be with Romeo and finally become an adult, rather than the child she is now. They also show their love for each other in the end by committing suicide, even though many people say that they never experienced true love. As Waters writes, "... Nothing but their death could destroy their parents' feud." Shakespeare's work is still very relevant today, despite the beliefs that is has nothing to do with current events or literature. As a result of a lack of interest, his writing is under speculation. But if Shakespeare's writing can be taken out of the curriculum for being boring, why can't calculus or geography or physics? There are no real reasons to get rid of Romeo and Juliet, but there are many reasons to keep it.

     In the end, Romeo and Juliet should always be taught to high school students because of all the things they can learn from it. The culture, history, language, and vocabulary are unique and are hard to come by in any other story. His analysis on society is still applicable even today. It will never be too "old" to read, and people learn from their history. The challenges created by the language pushes students and encourage them to work hard, yet it isn't too difficult that it's completely incomprehensible. An extensive vocabulary is extremely valuable even after students graduate, and this story lets them come across many new words, unlike other easier readings that some would rather have us read. This archetypal novel needs to be shared with today's teens and those in the future.

Bibliography

Crowther, John, ed. “No Fear Romeo and Juliet.” SparkNotes.com. SparkNotes LLC. 2005. Web. 6 Mar. 2012.

Waters, Douglas D. "D. Douglas Waters on Catharsis in Romeo and Juliet."

 

Romeo and Juliet Conclusion Paragraph

     In the end, Romeo and Juliet should always be taught to high school students  because of all the things they can learn from it. The culture, history, language, and vocabulary are unique and are hard to come by in any other story. His analysis on society is still applicable even today. It will never be too "old" to read, and people learn from their history. The challenges created by the language pushes students and encourages them to work hard, yet it isn't too difficult that it's completely incomprehensible. An extensive vocabulary is extremely valuable even after students graduate, and this story lets them come across many new words, unlike other easier readings that some would rather have us read. This archetypal novel needs to be shared with today's teens and those in the future.

Romeo and Juliet!

Romeo and Juliet Rebuttal

     Students often complain about the language in which the story is written in. However, the struggles of reading Romeo and Juliet are a small price to pay for great literature, which reveals many outlooks on life and people. Pushing students to do more than a minimal amount of work in class in order to understand to topic should always be done. For students who need help, there are several "modern" versions of Romeo and Juliet that uses newer language. Bad morals are also a reason people see not to read this book. However, it does not teach premarital sex, it actually shows the characters waiting for marriage. Juliet says, "And learn me how to lose a winning match Played for a pair of stainless maidenhoods." This demonstrates her desire to wait to be with Romeo and finally become an adult, rather than the child she is now. They also show their love for each other in the end by committing suicide, even though many people say that they never experienced true love. As Waters writes, "... Nothing but their death could destroy their parents' feud." Shakespeare's work is still very relevant today, despite the beliefs that is has nothing to do with current events or literature. As a result of a lack of interest, his writing is under speculation. But if Shakespeare's writing can be taken out of the curriculum for being boring, why can't calculus or geography or physics? There are no real reasons to get rid of Romeo and Juliet, but there are many reasons to keep it.

Romeo and Juliet Body Paragraphs

     Numerous lessons exist in Romeo and Juliet that today's teens should learn.  Several themes include many different perspectives on love, society and stereotypes, destiny/fate, and the speed at which time passes in life. Of coure, love is one of the most prominent themes, and Romeo declares his love for Juliet many times with romantic quotes such as, "Did my heart love till now? Forswear it, sight! For I ne'er saw true beauty till this night." Shakespeare writes about the thoughts and emotions of the characters in a descriptive and thorough  way that allows the readers to develop their own theories about humanity. There are many references to his works, especially Romeo and Juliet, that everyone should learn. Some modern interpretations include various songs, movies, and television shows.
     The old English teaches students how to handle challenging literature, which is a very important skill to learn as early as possible. This helps develop a diverse vocabulary and show students how to examine writing and decipher the meaning, even when they aren't comfortable with the language. There are also many unusual literary devices in this story, such as conceit, metonymy, apostrophe, and aside. All of Shakespeare's writing, especially Romeo and Juliet, gives high school student opportunities to learn important skills. However, Romeo and Juliet is one of the easier ones to understand. The morals are at first difficult to find, but once found there are many pieces of evidence to support your opinion- the themes are open to interpretation. As Waters states, "Learning through the incidences of the plot and becoming involved in them intellectually, morally, and emotionally are all part of our overall response, our catharsis as clarification or enlightenment based on our pity and fear for the tragic characters, their experiences, and their reactions."

Romeo And Juliet Intro

     Romeo and Juliet is a timeless classic that could, and should, always be taught to high school students because it teaches them much more than just the story, such as its influence, the life messages, and to learn about literature. In all of his works, William Shakespeare is still relatable even today. He introduces culture and wisdom to youth that is often elsewhere unobtainable. The difficulty of his level of language and plethora of literary devices is very advantageous to high school students, especially in the future as they progress to more advanced pieces of literature. Shakespeare's analysis of humans and their behavior is incomparable, and one that should not be discharged from the education of our teens.

Romeo and Juliet Thesis Statement

Romeo and Juliet is a timeless classic that could, and should, always be taught to high school students because it teaches them much more than just the story, such as its influence, the life messages, and to learn about literature.