Well - I loved the new Star Wars movie, despite some glaring and obvious flaws. How come it would take them 20 years to build the first death star, but only three years for the next one (Yes - I am a nerd). As predicted, however, the worst flaw was probably the script. Yes - Star Wars is primarily a visual experience, but some of the script showed real promise. Why then did Anakin and Padme - the Romeo and Juliet of space - upon whom the whole Star Wars saga rests (well - them and RDD2), get some of the worst lines in cinema history since Star Wars Episode 2. Well at least the narrative structure in Star Wars Episode 3 beats Phantom Menace.
George Lucas could really do with some experience of English Language Teaching, or attending a course teaching writing. Star Wars’ political scenes, using that great British actor Ian McDiarmid and Anakin, use some powerful rhetoric and persuasive language - those stalwarts of English language teaching. Yoda, for all we know, could be using an ancient English dialect. The fact remains, however, that with the power, budget and team at George Lucas’ fingertips, in Star Wars he commits some heinous crimes against the English Language. But then, he is George Lucas, who recently spent the weekend at Monaco sponsoring a team at the grand prix. I sat at my computer writing columns about online degree teaching degrees and English language teaching.
Never mind - onwards and upwards. My ongoing quest to find a partly online teaching degree, or a distance learning degree for teaching English, continues. I passionately believe that, in this multimedia world we live in, reading, writing and communicating effectively is as important as ever. As a constant user of the Internet, and a perennial people watcher, I am saddened by what I see to be the decline in English Language standards and teaching.
At the expense, at 33, of sounding (and feeling) very old, I worry about where language standards will be in 20 years. The Internet - and blogs, have given everyone a chance for a voice, and more accessible education in the form of online degrees. Sadly, I would like to be able to read them all and correct their grammar and punctuation. Someone find me an online teaching degree for teaching english! Or maybe George Lucas needs some scripwriters for the forthcoming Star Wars TV series...
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