Amusing conversations with students
I'm a bit hesitant about posting student giggles here, but this was such an awesome conversations I just can't resist...
To preface, I'm teaching a Writing about Literature course at a community college. I'm totally restricted to one book as far as texts I can choose from, so our major reading for the Drama section of the course is Hamlet. Many of my students haven't read it before (and, honestly, many of them aren't reading it now), and I had planned on showing a film version about which they would have to write a character comparison. Partly because of my innate sadism and partly because I don't want them to feel like they can just slack off and watch the movie instead of reading the play, I decided to use Kurosawa's The Bad Sleep Well as my Hamlet film. Most of them are working through it well. Except, of course, for my "problem" student. He's been looking forward to Hamlet all semester and keeps insisting on trying to tell me what the play is about.
Yesterday, just before we started our second day of watching the film, the following conversation took place:
St: Why are we watching this film?
Me: It's an interesting interpretation of Hamlet and Kurosawa is one of the greatest directors of the 20th century.
St: But I don't understand why we are watching this when there's a perfectly good version of Hamlet from 1993. It has that guy who was in that movie with Keanu Reeves. That "Much Something" movie. And he plays Hamlet. And it has actors that people know in it. And it's good.
Me: Yes, in fact that's one of my favorite films. And I own it. And I've even met that guy. But I decided to show this film instead.
St: But why? It has subtitles and the people talk fast and you can't tell any of them apart. (At this point, two other students sitting in the front row go completely wide-eyed in amazement and red trying not to snigger.) I mean, it's not like they're black or white or anything, they're all Asian.
Me: Yes, they are all Japanese, but you'll figure out who all of the different characters are if you just keep watching. (At this point I was sincerely concerned I might say something I would regret, so I told him he needed to sit down and take it up with me after class.)
Serious hilarity ensued after class, but I'm sure I've amply made my point. The stunning lack of awareness of racial stereotyping completely befuddled me. I'm going to have to think of a relatively snark-free way of dealing with that kind of statement if it ever comes up again.
To preface, I'm teaching a Writing about Literature course at a community college. I'm totally restricted to one book as far as texts I can choose from, so our major reading for the Drama section of the course is Hamlet. Many of my students haven't read it before (and, honestly, many of them aren't reading it now), and I had planned on showing a film version about which they would have to write a character comparison. Partly because of my innate sadism and partly because I don't want them to feel like they can just slack off and watch the movie instead of reading the play, I decided to use Kurosawa's The Bad Sleep Well as my Hamlet film. Most of them are working through it well. Except, of course, for my "problem" student. He's been looking forward to Hamlet all semester and keeps insisting on trying to tell me what the play is about.
Yesterday, just before we started our second day of watching the film, the following conversation took place:
St: Why are we watching this film?
Me: It's an interesting interpretation of Hamlet and Kurosawa is one of the greatest directors of the 20th century.
St: But I don't understand why we are watching this when there's a perfectly good version of Hamlet from 1993. It has that guy who was in that movie with Keanu Reeves. That "Much Something" movie. And he plays Hamlet. And it has actors that people know in it. And it's good.
Me: Yes, in fact that's one of my favorite films. And I own it. And I've even met that guy. But I decided to show this film instead.
St: But why? It has subtitles and the people talk fast and you can't tell any of them apart. (At this point, two other students sitting in the front row go completely wide-eyed in amazement and red trying not to snigger.) I mean, it's not like they're black or white or anything, they're all Asian.
Me: Yes, they are all Japanese, but you'll figure out who all of the different characters are if you just keep watching. (At this point I was sincerely concerned I might say something I would regret, so I told him he needed to sit down and take it up with me after class.)
Serious hilarity ensued after class, but I'm sure I've amply made my point. The stunning lack of awareness of racial stereotyping completely befuddled me. I'm going to have to think of a relatively snark-free way of dealing with that kind of statement if it ever comes up again.