Entertainment And Education Essay Example For Students

Entertainment And Education Essay Both entertainment and education have been integrals parts of the humanexperience since the beginnings of time. Many scholars insist that the twoinstitutions often serve jointly, with entertainers and entertainmentserving as a main source of education. There is little argument, then,that in addition to generally appealing to the masses, entertainers haveregularly fulfilled the role of a teacher to typically unsuspectingaudiences. Entertainers have served as educators throughout history, fromthe origins of oral narratives through the Middle Ages. The earliest forms of unwritten communication were essentiallyused to spread knowledge from one source to another. Religious disciplineswere the first information passed from person to person throughentertainment. In the third century B.C., Buddhist monks tried to winconverts outside India through the use of theater and song (Burdick 97). They taught the precepts of Siddhartha and Buddha in such theatrical epicsas Ramayana and Mahabharata, setting exacting rules for theaterperformance in the process (Burdick 99). Similarly, Irish monksestablished singing schools, which taught uniform use of music throughoutthe church (Young 31). Through chants which were all the same, they spreadidentical teachings. Christian psalms and hymns in Apostolic times were sung to spread the knowledge and faith of Christianity. In fact,Christianity was promoted from the start by music. Churches were for longthe only centers of learning, with monks teaching all lessons throughmusic (Young 39). Through the use of sacred music, monks and clergysuccessfully spread the teachings of their religions in a practicalmanner. Entertainers used the theater as a place to tell the stories ofthe day, both fictional and topical. The African oral tradition was richin folk tales, myths, riddles, and proverbs, serving a religious, social,and economic function (Lindfors 1). Likewise, Asian actors covered theirfaces with masks in order to act out a scandal of the day without theaudience knowing who was passing along the gossip (Archer 76). Europeanpuppets were another medium which permitted entertainers to spread currentgossip without revealing the identity of the storyteller (Speaight 16). The theatrical productions of the Greeks further explored the use oftheater as an instructional tool. Because the theater provided such adiverse forum for expression, stage actors and playwrights consistantlyutilized this locale to eduate the general public. Oral communication was widely used to educate society about moralsand basic truths. The most highly developed theoretical discussions fromancient times were those of he Greeks, who passed on this knowledgethrough music and stories. Homer, the eighth-century B.C. poet, courtsinger, and storyteller, embodied ideal Greek morals and heroic conduct inhis spoken epic, The Iliad (Beye 1). Homer and other poets used qualitiesnot found in written language to make the memorization of their workseasier so their sagas could be repeated for generations (Edwards 1). African tribes people and Native Americans also instilled morals andlessons to their communities through stories and fables (Edwards 1). Theseoral narratives were soon after recorded on paper as early forms ofliterature became prevalent. Many of the thoughts previously expressed through oralcommunication only could now be recorded for the future as writing becamewide-spread. The era of writing began with Chinese literature more than3,500 years ago, as the Chinese recorded tales on oracle bones (Mair 1). The Greeks, however, were the first known civilization to translate theiroral history into writing (Henderson 1). While the earliest Greekliterature was produced by the Indo-Europeans in 2,000 B.C., the mostessential works began in Ionia with the epics of Homer in the eighthcentury B.C. (Henderson 7). This oral poetry is the foundation of Greekliterature, and epic poetry such as Boetian?s Hesiod explored the poet?srole as a social and religious teacher (Henderson 8). These written worksclearly informed those who read them, but were not as successful ineducating the masses as the Greek dramas. Any spoken works that wereespecially significant could now be transcribed for posterity and futureuse. Spelucian explorers EssayAgain, there is a wealth of evidence to show that music was usedextensively to support the spread of religious belief. For example, KingDavid in the Cante!rbury Psalter tells that ?musical sonorities? were introduced into theservice of the church (Young 46). Monteverdi?s opera L?Incoronazions diPoppea educated audiences with its historical context and characters(Young 77). The popularity of music remained dominant throughout theMiddle Ages, although writers began to entertain through the use ofwritten poetry as well. European writers of the Middle Ages continued to comment on moralsand acceptable behavior through their works as their predecessors didalmost 2,000 years before. Hroswitha von Gandersheim, the first knownwoman writer, was a nun who used the Roman playwright Terence as a modelfor her morality plays (Hering 1). Dutch writer Jacob van Maerlant wrotepoems that showcased chivalry (Flaxman 1). Spanish playwright Lope de Vegaencouraged national patriotism and honor in his works that dealt withdramatic conflicts and combined tragic and comedy elements (Gasset 3). Calderon also stresses the Spanish code of honor in his masterpiece TheMayor of Zalamea (Gasset 3). Later Francisco Gomez de Quevedo Y Villegaswrote moral works in which he explored the decadence of Spain (Gasset 3). Social concerns inspired the writings of Italian reformer Pietro Verri,whose cynical interpretation of history established a new scientificdiscipline(Alvaro 1). His peer Leon Battista Alberti published On the Family, whichreflected the concerns Italians for social and ethical topics (Alvaro 1). Still, other authors such as Prince Juan Manuel of Spain wrote suchseemingly simple tales as ?The Emperor?s New Clothes,? from which readercould extract the moral lessons (Gasset 3). During this era, Europeanswere constantly discussing politics and social issues, prompted by theopinions of writers who commented on the subjects. Entertainers throughout history have undoubtedly served aseducators to the public, in addition to their conventional roles asmusicians or writers only. While a few performers sought only to amusewith their acts, the majority of entertainers have crafted their art witha deeper purpose in mind. Each who chose to address society?s problems andspeak to the general community through their art is as worthy an educatoras a modern-day college professor. Because many of the works of thesegreat artists were recorded on paper or passed down from generation togeneration through oral history, the insightful thoughts of theseentertainers continue to educate the public in th e twenty-first century. Jennifer BenderAP English 4November 22, 1996Mr. KileThe Role of Entertainers as EducatorsBender 9Works CitedAlvaro, Richard. ?Leon Battisa Alberti.? Grolier MultimediaEncyclopedia. 1996 ed. Archer, Katherine. ?Asian Literature.? Grolier MultimediaEncyclopedia. 1996 ed. Beye, Allan. ?The Iliad.? Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia. 1996 ed. Bogin, Meg. The Women Troubadours. New York: Paddington Press,1976. Burdick, Jacques. Theater. New York: Newsweek Books, 1974. Edwards, Scott N. ?Homer.? Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia. 1996ed. Flaxman, Jacob. ?Dutch Literature.? Grolier MultimediaEncyclopedia. 1996 ed. Gasset, John. ?Spanish Literature.? Grolier MultimediaEncyclopedia. 1996 ed. Grunfield, Frederic V. Music. New York: Newsweek Books, 1974. Henderson, Florence. ?Greek Literature.? Grolier MultimediaEncyclopedia. 1996 ed. Hering, Jack. The Gypsies: Wanderers in Time. New York: HawthornePress, 1969. Lindfors, Sven. ?African Literature.? Grolier MultimediaEncyclopia. 1996 ed. Lindsay, Jack. The Troubadours and Their World. London: FrederickMuller Limited, 1976. Mair, Helen. ?Chinese Literature.? Grolier MultimediaEncyclopedia. 1996 ed. Bender 10Sebastian, Gerald. Music In Time. Philadelphia: J.B. LippincottCo, 1952. Segal, William. ?Greek Drama.? Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia. 1996 ed. Speaight, George. Punch and Judy. Boston: Publishers Plays, Inc.,1970. Young, Percy M. A Concise History of Music from Primitive Times toPresent. New York: D. White Co., 1974.