Gaoat, Kimberly Anne A.

AB/BSE Literature

Teaching and Testing Literature August 3, 2 !3

Classical Literature : Its Role in the Philippine Setting "any literatures in #orld Literature are considered as $lassics hence, understanding $lassical Literature is also %amiliari&ing one's sel% in #orld Literature. This $lassical Literature has le%t many legacies in the (orld today but it's such a shame to thin) that these $lassics are already declining in the students' interests. *eading Andre( Kern's article entitled +Teaching $lassical Literature $lassically, ma)es one thin) i% the ideas/suggestions -resented by Kern (ill also be a--licable in the .hili--ine setting. "oreo/er, the article also o-ens a door o% o--ortunity to the readers to (hat they can e0tract %rom $lassical Literature. 1t (ould come into one's mind ho( educators (ould be able to instruct these re%lected ideas and (hat is its role to the 2ili-ino youth today. 2irst o% all, $lassical Literature can hel- im-ro/e (hat this young generation o% 2ili-inos is going through. English teachers in the .hili--ines are ha/ing a hard time ho( to e%%ecti/ely teach Literature to students (ho %ind reading boring, more so i% it's $lassical Literature. "ost o% the students today %ind it tedious and dreary. +The decline o% classics has made us more tri/ial, less (eighty in 3our4 thin)ing, 5Simmons, 2 !!6. Sometimes they 7uestion the teachers as to (hat is the -ur-ose o% teaching 8omer to this generation i% it (as set in a di%%erent country and (ritten a long time ago. Although teachers are (ell9a(are o% the reasons, it's laborious to try to e0-lain it to students (ho are no( +tri/ial, due to the lac) o% )no(ledge o% the classics itsel%. 1t should be )no(n to them that in $lassical Literature, uni/ersal themes are im-licitly -ortrayed (hich can -romote /irtues and (isdom, thus, a li%e9long learning. These (ritings are not :ust stories that entertain; these are stories that re%lect (hat is ha--ening to men and the (orld. *eading di%%erent genres o% $lassical Literature ma)es readers a(are o% the +models o% /irtues, that are needed in a humane being. Literature that includes themes about lo/e, :ustice and li%e gi/es an im-act on minds and hearts. Through .oetic Kno(ledge, it grants the readers the o--ortunity to gro( holistically. According to Tracy

Lee Simmons, $lassical Literature humani&es and culti/ates and enhances intellectual and aesthetic nature. "oreo/er, it allo(s the readers to be analytic hence ac7uiring 8igher <rder Thin)ing S)ills. 1n Andre( Kern's article, he enumerated the reasons (hy educators need to teach $lassical Literature. +31t4 e0-oses the students to models o% /irtues= -laces demands on his intellect, thus= students' ca-acity to )no( and understand %acts, ideas, relationshi-s and -ersons is natured= 31t4 culti/ates .oetic Kno(ledge,. 2urthermore, $lassical Literature has already (ithstood the test o% time, meaning to say, ideas and conce-ts -resent in $lassics are still a--licable today des-ite modernity. 1t is the reason (hy these are coined as timeless. To a/oid +tri/ial, students, one o% Kern's suggestions is to ha/e the students %amiliari&e themsel/es (ith the $lassics (hile they are still young. This is tied to (hat boo)s should teachers e0-ose the students to (hich (as the second -oint in Kern's article. >et (hat's di%%icult to accom-lish in Kern's suggestions is the use o% $lassical A--roaches in teaching $lassical Literature. 1t's true that the $lassical A--roaches should be gi/en credit. 8o( else should teachers teach $lassical Literature but by using the $lassical A--roaches.? But because o% the in%luence and im-ression o% the -o-ular culture today to the youth, these children loo) at Literature narro(ly. Students assume the boundaries that are -resent in the learning -rocess, either it's didactic or too laden (ith ambiguous meanings. 1% students (ould see the -ur-oses o% $lassical Literature are these, they (ould gi/e u- on it thin)ing that they are all the same. Students (ould gradually lose their interest in reading the $lassics. There (ill come a time (hen #orld Literature (ill gi/e an im-ression o% the sub:ect G"*$ to the students. 1t is a must to teach it but the dilemma 2ili-ino teachers are currently %acing is ho(. 8o( do educators teach $lassical Literature (ithout boring the students but still instilling the /alues, /irtue and (isdom that the generations needs today? Kern has made his -oint that teachers should gi/e :ustice to the a--roaches but since Literature is multi9%aceted, (e can also ta)e ad/antage o% -o-ular culture. 1% you can't beat them, :oin them. 2rom .enrod's study, teachers can use -o- culture as a learning tool since these are e%%ecti/e means %or criticism. According to 2o(ler cited by @.E. Thurnau in her

article, (e can do this by integrating -o- culture and $lassical Literature. Ase it interchangeably. Teachers ha/e to ma)e use o% all the tools a/ailable so (hy not utili&e -o- culture to ca-ture the attention o% the youth today? <ne /alue in -o- culture is timeliness and they need to grab the o--ortunity to trigger the curiosity o% the students and di%%erentiate -o- culture to $lassics. *ight no(, many youth (ould -re%er -o- culture than the classics. +#e ha/e begun to see a (orld in (hich the $lassics ha/e /irtually disa--eared, 5$o(an, 2 !!6. Seldom do (e see young -eo-le reading Birgil, $haucer or Socrates. A teenager (ould rather read T(ilight than Sto)er's Cracula but teachers can use the %ormer as a moti/ation in teaching the latter. 1t is 7uite true that Literature teachers are li)e Atlas carrying the (orld on his shoulders. To continue educating the youth o% today o% the classics is -ainsta)ing. Being ignorant o% the classics is to be ignorant o% the range and de-th o% human -ossibility. But teachers should also ha/e to )ee- this in mindD to teach $lassics is to -reser/e the %ull range o% human sensibility and that is also another (ay to %eed those souls.

References: $o(an, Louise. +The Eecessity o% the $lassics,. The $lassical Teacher. S-ring 2 !!. 2292F. G Aug. 2 !2. H htt-D//(((.memoria-ress.com/catalog/S-ring2 !!/inde0.htmlI. Kern, Andre(. +Teaching $lassical Literature $lassically,. The $lassical Teacher. G Aug. 2 !2. Hhtt-D//(((.memoria-ress.com/articles/classicallit.htmlI. .enrod, Ciane. "iss Grundy Coesn't #or) 8ere Anymore. 8einemannD Ee( 8am-shire. !JJK. Simmons, Tracy. +1s $lassical Education *eally Cead?, The $lassical Teacher. #inter 2 !!. F 9F2. G Aug. 2 !2. Hhtt-D//(((.memoria-ress.com/catalog/#inter2 !!/inde0.htmlI Thurnau, @.E. +.o-ular $ulture /s $lassical Literature in the English $lassroom,. >ahoo Boices. G Aug. 2 !2. Hhtt-D///oices.yahoo.com/-o-ular9culture9/s9classical9literature9 english9!2!LJ.html?catMF I