More and more young people today are not given the opportunity of choosing Drama Theatre Studies, or even encouraged to express themselves through literature whilst at school. This could be through reciting poetry or even acting in the yearly school play. The decline in the Arts or anything remotely related to the Arts has been deemed worthless or a waste of time by the government in the past few years and the reduction in funds being given to The Arts is rapidly declining each year. What effect will this have on the youth of tomorrow?

 

This will have a negative effect on all generations, especially the young, as Literature such as the reading of a new thriller novel, allows us as humans to connect with ourselves and immerse ourselves into a new world. I remember when I was at school, I was encouraged to act and express myself as much as possible, and this not only helped me to improve my confidence but also opened up new opportunities for me and my class mates. I had the brilliant opportunity of working with The Rep to organise a school play of The Boy in The Striped Pyjamas, a novel exploring the holocaust with its lead protagonist Bruno, to other year groups and to the Head teacher. I played the character of Maria who is a maid and a mentor to the young Bruno.

So why have the government decided to reduce funding to the Arts sector when it really matters most? Drama and literature are the heart of society and what makes us essentially human.

 

It is a great shame that literature, drama or even poetry competitions are not looked at with the same importance as the Sciences, such as Biology, Chemistry and Physics. Michael Gove’s decision to radically change GCSE English Literature to compromise students across the UK of studying only British Literature in 2014 to those of the greats; Shakespeare, Marlowe, Wordsworth all the way to Austen, the Bronte’s, Dickens and Wilde. This totally disregards American Literature, particularly those that I studied whilst at school, such as John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men  and The Crucible by Arthur Miller which is a mistake as literature from other countries around the world matter; they add to our literary palette. Was this the wrong decision?

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

 

 

I believe all forms of Literature, from British to American, should stand the test of time as they have great benefit to the individuals studying them. They learn to appreciate words and the impact of the story being told, as well as to feel compassion for others around them by relating to characters within the text. The Arts, especially Literature, encourages students to become creative and inspire them to write stories of all genres. such as fantasy, historical fiction, romance and even science fiction, creating a community of readers and writers.

 

The Arts Council only received an approximate £149m a year in lottery funding which the BBC announced in 2011. This amount is sadly decreasing dramatically every year as the government cuts have paved the way for The Arts Sector’s funding to be seriously cut and that has had a monumental effect on those running independent theatre companies, niche Literature Festivals, Art Galleries and even Poetry Groups touring UK schools, to promote the reading and writing of poetry into the hearts and minds of the young generation today. The government are making the wrong decision in slashing the amount of money which the Arts receive, and this will cause more and more young people to feel disenfranchised as they won’t be able to express their identity through music, acting, poetry, dance, singing and art.

 

Have you ever been to an Art Gallery or a poetry reading and felt a sense of awe for the painting, or a particular book that has made you feel alive in a room full of like-minded individuals all with the same hunger and taste of knowledge as you.

 

I’ve recently been to a literary event run by The Birmingham Literary Festival in which Lynsey Hanley discussed her new book, Respect, to a room full of people at the Library of Birmingham theatre studio. She discussed her childhood growing up in Solihull back in the 1980s, and the way she grappled with her move from different social classes at a time when social class was so prevalent; social mobility had a massive impact on her adulthood and I felt myself having similar experience to her, from attending different state and grammar schools. This talk made me understand who I am and the person I have become; I felt connected to it.

 

This is why the Arts matter, and the government need to stop cherry picking aspects of Literature and concentrate on investing into it so that more people can experience the joys of reading, writing non-fiction and composing poetry.​