Education And Entertainment Essay, Research Paper

Both entertainment and education have been integrals parts of the human

experience since the beginnings of time. Many scholars insist that the two

institutions often serve jointly, with entertainers and entertainment serving as

a main source of education. There is little argument, then, that in addition to

generally appealing to the masses, entertainers have regularly fulfilled the

role of a teacher to typically unsuspecting audiences. Entertainers have served

as educators throughout history, from the origins of oral narratives through the

Middle Ages. The earliest forms of unwritten communication were essentially used

to spread knowledge from one source to another. Religious disciplines were the

first information passed from person to person through entertainment. In the

third century B.C., Buddhist monks tried to win converts outside India through

the use of theater and song (Bur*censored* 97). They taught the precepts of

Siddhartha and Buddha in such theatrical epics as Ramayana and Mahabharata,

setting exacting rules for theater performance in the process (Bur*censored*

99). Similarly, Irish monks established singing schools, which taught uniform

use of music throughout the church (Young 31). Through chants which were all the

same, they spread identical 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 long the

only centers of learning, with monks teaching all lessons through music (Young

39). Through the use of sacred music, monks and clergy successfully spread the

teachings of their religions in a practical manner. Entertainers used the

theater as a place to tell the stories of the day, both fictional and topical.

The African oral tradition was rich in folk tales, myths, riddles, and proverbs,

serving a religious, social, and economic function (Lindfors 1). Likewise, Asian

actors covered their faces with masks in order to act out a scandal of the day

without the audience knowing who was passing along the gossip (Archer 76).

European puppets were another medium which permitted entertainers to spread

current gossip without revealing the identity of the storyteller (Speaight 16).

The theatrical productions of the Greeks further explored the use of theater as

an instructional tool. Because the theater provided such a diverse forum for

expression, stage actors and playwrights consistantly utilized this locale to

eduate the general public. Oral communication was widely used to educate society

about morals and basic truths. The most highly developed theoretical discussions

from ancient times were those of he Greeks, who passed on this knowledge through

music and stories. Homer, the eighth-century B.C. poet, court singer, and

storyteller, embodied ideal Greek morals and heroic conduct in his spoken epic,

The Iliad (Beye 1). Homer and other poets used qualities not found in written

language to make the memorization of their works easier so their sagas could be

repeated for generations (Edwards 1). African tribes people and Native Americans

also instilled morals and lessons to their communities through stories and

fables (Edwards 1). These oral narratives were soon after recorded on paper as

early forms of literature became prevalent. Many of the thoughts previously

expressed through oral communication only could now be recorded for the future

as writing became wide-spread. The era of writing began with Chinese literature

more than 3,500 years ago, as the Chinese recorded tales on oracle bones (Mair

1). The Greeks, however, were the first known civilization to translate their

oral history into writing (Henderson 1). While the earliest Greek literature was

produced by the Indo-Europeans in 2,000 B.C., the most essential works began in

Ionia with the epics of Homer in the eighth century B.C. (Henderson 7). This

oral poetry is the foundation of Greek literature, and epic poetry such as

Boetian?s Hesiod explored the poet?s role as a social and religious teacher

(Henderson 8). These written works clearly informed those who read them, but

were not as successful in educating the masses as the Greek dramas. Any spoken

works that were especially significant could now be transcribed for posterity

and future use. Greek plays were also recorded on paper beginning around 500

B.C., reflecting issues of the day and entertaining audiences concurrently. The

tragedies of Euripides reflect political, social, and intellectual crisis. Plays

such as The Bacchae reflect the dissolution of common values of the time, while

other works criticized traditional religion or represented mythical figures as

unheroic (Segal 1). Each Greek drama was similarly structured: problems were ?presented

by the chorus, and resolved in purely conventional–but always instructive–ways?

(Bur*censored* 18). Topical comedies reflected the heroic spirit, and problems

facing Greek society during times of great change (Henderson 2). Meanwhile, the

dramas of Socrates spoke about ethical and moral change, while Demosthenes?

speeches hardened Athenian opposition to Phillip of Macedon (Henderson 2).

Similarly, the Greek dramatist Aeschylus used his plays as a ?forum for

resolving moral conflicts and expressing a grandeur of thought ! and language?

(Segal 1). Because all social classes of the community could enjoy and

understand the plays, Greek drama was a major force in educating the public.

Following the onset of the second century, considerable movement took place

across Europe. Between 950 and 1350, the population of Western Europe doubled

(Lindsay 26-33). A shortage of teachers caused eager minds to look elsewhere for

education. Many of those traveling were instrumental in spreading ideas,

stories, and songs across the countryside. A new kind of entertainer, the

troubadours, served as the new commentators of the day, successfully blending

verse and music. Their poetry was the first to ?set about the conscious

creation of a literary speech in the vernacular? (Bogin 44). In songs called

sirventes, the troubadours discussed current affairs, politics, personalities,

and scandals (Grunfield 25). Many troubadour songs have texts referring to the

Crusades of the fourteenth century. Their crusading songs, such as those

undoubtedly connected with the campaign against the Arabs in Spain, brought

political unrest to the attention of the average citizen (Lindsay 61). Rog! er

II, however, protected Arab-speaking poets who rubbed shoulders with his own

Latin writers (Lindsay 44). Bertrand de Born became famous for writing

warmongering songs that ?stirred up barons and provoked kings into going to war?

(Grunfield 25). Walther von der Vogelwiede attained a unique position among

troubadours by transforming ?the short poem of proverbial wisdom into a

political weapon of satire and patriotism? (Hering 1). Wandering troubadours

sang most often about courtly love, but used their unique form of entertainment

to express concerns regarding social and political topics to the general public.

Entertainers of the twelfth century also informed the public of the principles

of topics such as chivalry and religion. Troubadour Guilhem de Poitou caused a

sensation among friends and courtiers after writing about love in a way that

became the code for chivalry (Bogin 37-39). He later spent a year among people

of Antioch learning Arabic songs of Syria, which he brought back to France

(Lindsay 4). Poet Gerbert made contributions to geometry, music theory, and

arithmetic in his works which customarily valued philosophy over prayer (Lindsay

45). The religious songs of Martin Luther forced poets and scholars to take

sides during the Religious conflict of the Reformation (Hering 2). Luther?s

chorale ?Ein? feste Burge? became a national hymn during the reformation of

the Catholic church, encouraging followers to fight to worship in their own

languages, not the universally used Latin texts (Young 66). While the

troubadours were viewed primarily as entertainers who wandered aimless! ly about

the countryside singing about the virtues of courtly love, their contribution as

educators to the public cannot be mistaken. As the troubadours slowly began to

disappear, new kinds of entertainers took their place, continuing to inform the

general public through different mediums. The meistersinger replaced the

troubadour in the late fourteenth century (Sebastian 2). Middle and lower class

meistersingers established schools for the cultivation of their craft, ensuring

a more structured form of entertainment than that of the wandering troubadours

(Sebastian 3). A famous early fifteenth-century manuscript at the University of

Heidelberg contains hundreds poems by the most famous meistersingers as well as

illustrations which are ?as entertaining as they are instructive? (Young 44).

John Wilbye represented another new form of entertainer, the madrigalist, and

provided studies of English landscapes in the words and music of his madrigals

(Young 71). Again, there is a wealth of evidence to show that music was used

extensively to support the spread of religious belief. For example, King David

in the Cante! rbury Psalter tells that ?musical sonorities? were introduced

into the service of the church (Young 46). Monteverdi?s opera L?Incoronazions

di Poppea educated audiences with its historical context and characters (Young

77). The popularity of music remained dominant throughout the Middle Ages,

although writers began to entertain through the use of written poetry as well.

European writers of the Middle Ages continued to comment on morals and

acceptable behavior through their works as their predecessors did almost 2,000

years before. Hroswitha von Gandersheim, the first known woman writer, was a nun

who used the Roman playwright Terence as a model for her morality plays (Hering

1). Dutch writer Jacob van Maerlant wrote poems that showcased chivalry (Flaxman

1). Spanish playwright Lope de Vega encouraged national patriotism and honor in

his works that dealt with dramatic conflicts and combined tragic and comedy

elements (Gasset 3). Calderon also stresses the Spanish code of honor in his

masterpiece The Mayor of Zalamea (Gasset 3). Later Francisco Gomez de Quevedo Y

Villegas wrote 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 scientific discipline

(Alvaro 1). His peer Leon Battista Alberti published On the Family, which

reflected the concerns Italians for social and ethical topics (Alvaro 1). Still,

other authors such as Prince Juan Manuel of Spain wrote such seemingly simple

tales as ?The Emperor?s New Clothes,? from which reader could extract the

moral lessons (Gasset 3). During this era, Europeans were constantly discussing

politics and social issues, prompted by the opinions of writers who commented on

the subjects. Entertainers throughout history have undoubtedly served as

educators to the public, in addition to their conventional roles as musicians or

writers only. While a few performers sought only to amuse with their acts, the

majority of entertainers have crafted their art with a deeper purpose in mind.

Each who chose to address society?s problems and speak to the general community

through their art is as worthy an educator as a modern-day college professor.

Because many of the works of these great artists were recorded on paper or

passed down from generation to generation through oral history, the insightful

thoughts of these entertainers continue to educate the public in the

twenty-first century.

9ad

Jennifer Bender AP English 4 November 22, 1996 Mr. Kile The Role of

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