Shakespeare in the Bush

This was an article about and educated American woman who adventured to the African Bush. She did this in order to prove to an English man that Americans understand Shakespeare. To prove this she promised that she could teach Hamlet to the inhabitants of the American Bush. Much to her surprise it turned out much harder that she had planned, almost impossible.

The general argument made by Laura Bohannan in her work, Shakespeare in the Bush is that language barriers among cultures change the ways others view topics. More specifically, Bohannan suggests that reading, writing, and language prevented the Africans from understanding Shakespeare. She writes, “There was a shocked murmur from everyone, A man should never scold his mother.”(pg. 33) In this passage Bohannan is suggesting that due to cultural differences and language barriers understanding can vary among different people. In conclusion, it is Bohannan’s belief that lack of understanding is due to cultural differences.

In my view, Bohannan is right because views and ideas are very different among other cultures. For example, many would not find the fact that Hamlet scolds his mother so shockingly; there is less respect to elders throughout the world. Although Bohannan might object that this is usually what causes conflict, I maintain that behind most conflict there are other causes besides cultural differences. Therefore, I conclude that Cultural differences can and often do affect others from understanding due to background and history.