Shakespeare in the Bush

Shakespeare in the Bush

            The general point made by Laura Bohannan in her work Shakespeare in the Bush is that people can understand the universal meanings in texts such as tragedies. More specifically, Bohannan suggests that even though many people misinterpret the particulars, the universal meanings can be seen by many people. She writes, “I protest that human nature is pretty much the same the whole world over; at least the general plot and motivation of the greater tragedies would always be clear—everywhere—although some details of custom might have to be explained and difficulties of translation might produce other slight changes” (Page 29). In this passage, Bohannan is suggesting that even though customs and beliefs may get in the way of seeing the main point of something, people can still usually get the big idea. In conclusion, it is Bohannan’s belief that anyone from around the world can understand main points in stories and other texts; however there are many factors that can create barriers for people to maybe get a clear picture of what the universal meaning may be.

            In my view Bohannan is right and wrong.  She is right because customs, beliefs and language barriers do get in the way from people being able to see and understand what the main idea is, however she is wrong because anyone can understand what the big picture is, but the story can be adapted to their customs so that they may understand it better. For example, telling stories to little children can be a challenge. Sometimes when a story is being told to them, they have to stop you and possibly ask many, many questions. However when they do ask questions and say “why” all the time is because they’re not mature enough to understand what many things are—like certain words and phrases—and what they mean because they haven’t lived as long as the parents or an older person has. Although Bohannan might object that little children do not apply to her argument, I maintain that everyone can understand the universal idea. Therefore, I conclude that in order for people to understand the major picture, they need to be able to hear or read the story that are subject to their beliefs and customs so that they may have a better understanding of what something means.