Jerome Rothenberg's proposal says that for a more thorough understanding of history and literature as the new American generation we should be taught Native American Epics, and literature. The Native American literature would supplement the Greek and Roman literature that is taught now in schools and colleges. If we are to learn to the extent of our potentials we need to steer away from Rothenberg's proposal and just focus on all of the great literature that is offered. This means that whether it be: Native American, European, African, or Asian literature as long as it is a good literary example it should be taught.
Throughout history literature has been taught to many students young and old. Each new generation is taught in a new and different way. The way that is being proposed now is ridiculous in the fact that it asks to only educate about what has happened in this bubble of where we live. If we learn about new and different techniques in literature from other societies and cultures we will be able to advance our own culture as well. If we do; "Teach courses with a rattle & a drum." we will never advance our society in a positive way.
If other forms of literature are cut off from ever being taught to the generalized students then also the Native American literature will lose its lore and fantasy. Instead it will start to be analyzed as many Greek and Roman novels, epics and poems have been. If American literature is to be taught it should be taught in small portions since it is not as diverse as other literary groups. The American literature that is taught is far more diverse than other literature but, if we lose all that other literature, we lose so much culture.
The Native American literature is generally taught through spoken word, "by men trained in the oral tradition", but in our culture today we are too often taught in written literature. A change suggested like this would be impossible to accomplish in the American educational system. The change from written text to spoken word would also cause major problems for students in the understanding of stories and poems.
Rothenberg's proposal is hard to imagine in the educational system today because of spoken word, what we would lose and how our society and culture would never develop to its potential. For many reasons this would never work but especially because of the loss of outside factors on our culture that could change it for the better. Any great change in our course of learning can make our society suffer or thrive, in this case it would make it suffer.
