My former student, Bob Fox, has
fortunately been in touch with me for a long time, through emails, breakfasts,
and lunches, and ice cream, and I am very grateful for his having me for a friend, and for
reminding me of you, my former students, and events of 50 and 60 years ago. In
addition, Bob has been a faithful reader of my blog which I have been writing
since 2007; and as I recall, he has read my book "Memoirs of a Tail Gunner."
But all my memories pale in comparison with thoughts of my 30 year career as a teacher and
a coach at North Shore High School. I took a very special joy in coming to my
classes each morning and finding in front of me a class filled with teenaged
shining morning faces, even though they went to bed too late the night before--
out partying and forgetting about their homework. I really didn't care about
that. I felt very fortunate to have chosen teaching English to young people and
relishing that experience after my very different experiences in WWII. When I
entered Columbia University, I knew nothing. Nothing at all. And I knew I knew
nothing. I wanted to be an actor or a journalist. But a new universe opened up to me when I read Shelley, and Keats, and
Wordsworth, and Coleridge, and especially, Shakespeare. I knew then that I had
to convey my love of English literature to high school age students and hope by
some process of osmosis that they would share in that love. And for 30 years and
30 new classes I was able to remember what I learned in college and now I
remember how beautiful and wondrous it was to teach you. You and I have gone on
in years, and we can look back, and relive those days when all
of us were many years younger--and innocent.
I've been feeling a little restless these days wanting to teach something. Well, not just something--more like one of Shakespeare's plays. I've been reading "As You Like It" lately and I think that is the one to teach. It's about a girl playing a boy playing a girl. Wasn't there a movie with a theme like that? I forget the actress's name as well. Anybody who knows can send me a comment on it. The only book I want to use is called "No Fear Shakespeare". It has Shakespeare on one side of the page and modern English on the other side. There is a published "As You Like It" in that series that costs $5.95. Last year it was a dollar less. I figure on charging each resident (over 55) $36 to take the course. There has been a big turnover in Huntington Lakes and I have no inkling of how many people I would get. I won't have the class if fewer than 12 sign up. I'll check with the clubhouse about when I might begin this class. It will be the only one that is academic. I hope it will be epidemic.
The movie was called "Shakespeare in Love," and starred Gwynneth Paltrow - nice Jewish girl, I'm almost sure. It was actually a rip-off from an earlier comic novel called "No Bed for Bacon," (a reference to the disposition of beds in Shakespeare's will.) This book was written by two English authors, Caryl and Brahms. But the movie expanded and glorified the plot of the book, and it is a marvellous movie.
ReplyDeleteOne point to make about the gender-swapping aspects of "As You Like It:" the part of Rosalind in Elizabethan times would have been taken by a a boy-actor. So, in the course of convolutions of the play, you would have had a boy playing a girl playing a boy playing a girl. The mind boggles. According to Prof. James Shapiro of Columbia University - second only to yourself in knowledge and wisdom, dear Baron - Shakespeare had at his disposal some good boy-actors and deliberately made the fullest use of them. Er....for Thespian purposes only, I hasten to add. Much love, Cuzzin Ruth
Let's hope PANDEMIC, dear Baron. A/Gk: "endemic" - in the people; "epidemic" - around among the people; "pandemic" - in ALL the people!! Xaire!! Cuzzin Ruth
ReplyDeleteI wrote "epidemic" and I meant "epidemic". Meaning that I hoped registration would spread like a disease. Over in the USA we have learned to be a little more imaginative in our use of "American English". We have the First Amendment. You can buy in if you like. And quit Greeking me as I asked! (What do they have to say about "Greeking"?)They had their own meanings 2000 or so years ago. Things change; even marriage of one man and one woman. See March 29 blog.
ReplyDeleteThe movie having a woman playing a man playing a woman was "VictorVictoria" starring Julie Andrews--not "Shakespeare in Love". Shakespeare started this mishmash in "As You Like It" where Rosalind did it to Orlando. I knew it all the time.
ReplyDeleteDear Baron, I have over the last week discovered something amazing. There are archaeological excavations all over Greece, as you can imagine. Archaeologists come from all over the world for them. Do you know what their lingua franca is? I've been reliably informed that it's ANCIENT GREEK!! It's no longer a dead language, isn't that interesting?
ReplyDeleteI also refer to our e-correspondence, and confirm to your wider readership that it's unsurprising that I have no cognisance of a movie that was released in 1982. I was busy with 3 small children then!! Much love, Cuzzin Ruth
I prefer that the class will be "epicdemic."
ReplyDeleteI've had a look at your blog of 29th ult., Baron ("Ult." is Latin not Greek, na na na!) I agree with you about free speech and the First Amendment. But I submit that you're confusing content with style. Of course we can all say what we like: but we need to be agreed on our language, or we will be misunderstanding each other. As far as gefilte fish and chopped liver are concerned, if our ancestors were deprived of these delicacies while under the cruel reign of Pharaoh, then these were grievous oppressions indeed. No wonder they upped and left Egypt, in spite of all obstacles. And no wonder the Lord smote the Egyptians with plagues in order to be able to lead his Chosen People to the land flowing with gefilte fish and chopped liver. Cuzzin Ruth
ReplyDelete29th ult.?? I don't see "Ult." anywhere. Have no idea what it means, and I don't care if it's Latin or Greek. And British English is way different from American English. We do have different words for the same thing. And now I have to go to the loo.
ReplyDeleteNext time you are in the loo, you might like to contemplate the following:-
ReplyDelete"Ult." stands for "ultimo" - last month
"Inst." stands for "instante" - this month
"Prox." stands for "proximo" - next month.
Business English used to be full of these useful expressions. For example, "Yours of the 29th ult. to hand," meant that your letter of the 29th of the previous month had been received and was before the reader who was contemplating it and what to do about it. Not very elegant, but it did the job, and did it quickly! As to the expression "to hand," it is clear that it is either a metonymy or a synecdoche, but unclear which of these figures of speech it is. This often happens. Consider the expression: "She loves the stage." Is the stage a part of the theatrical experience? This would make the expression a synecdoche. Or is it a substitute for the whole theatrical experience, based on physical proximity? This would make it a metonymy. It has been decided that there is no clear answer to this question. Fascinating. Much love, Cuzzin Ruth
Ruth, your write that "we need to be agreed on our language, or we will be misunderstanding each other." That said, I don't think anyone involved with this blog has agreed to employ "business English" as a means to communicate -- thus the confusion over "ult." Also, Americans don't have anything to do with a "loo." Maybe we will prox., but certainly not inst. -- and definitely not to hand.
ReplyDeleteBlimey, but this bloody language discussion has gone off the plot. Nevertheless since I don't wish to seem a wonker or a tosser, and since cuz Ruthie knows her onions, we Yanks should try not to get our arses in a shambles over it.
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry? What was that? Cuzzin Ruth
ReplyDelete