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The importance of learning English
The importance of learning English
The importance of learning English
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Oh, English, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways: I love thee much because I do not have to solve for “x” or dissect the gluteus maximus or associate with right-wing political extremists. I love thee for the oxford comma, the iambic pentameter, and the lady Sylvia Plath. But society does not love thee, and why, I do not know. The English major thrives with opportunities and is as self-satisfying as any other major. The world doth protest too much, methinks.
Recently, I Google searched “major in english.” Google, a lot like a woman, attempted to finish my sentence with a popular search: “why do people major in english.” I am not sure if I am more appalled that my intentions have been questioned or that this is a query of notable popularity. That English, seemingly the very livelihood of our existence and as vital to us as the very blood in our veins, is questioned astonishes me. The Bard of Avon’s words are permanently etched on the bodies of more people than can recite a single stanza of Hamlet, yet English as a major is spit on. The value of those who major in it is overlooked, their capacity overshadowed. Those fond of English are many people in one. They are the compilation of the awing minds of great thinkers soaked up from unabridged tomes alongside a cup of java at the Barnes & Noble cafe. They are powerful beyond measure, for they have been programed to criticize, to inspect all they observe and to questions its assumptions. English majors are not-contrary to popular belief- out to snicker at the grammatical discrepancies of the general population. They are not introverts incapable of influential social interaction. They are mines of cultural wonder and literary aesthetic with minds attentive to the minute. If awe can...
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...gh achievers, the mid-career 75th percentile salary is a whopping $93,200. English majors may not be too good with numbers, but the numbers are definitely good to them. Furthermore, if success is to be accounted for, plenty of English majors have made their mark, and I’m not just speaking of writers like Stephen King. Sally Ride was out of this world with English, literally (she was an astronaut). Conan O’ Brien, a comedian, is a household name and proves that English isn’t just for the bookworms. Finally, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, guardian of the First Amendment, ordains this language to be of the utmost sanctity.
All majors have their flaws and all people their opinions. Sometimes those opinions are dead wrong, and with impeccable delight I respond to society’s dogging remarks about the competency of the English major with “Yeah, write!” pun intended.
Professor Ken Macrorie is frustrated, and through his article “The Poison Fish” is willing to help college students become good writers instead of using phony and pretentious language to impress their teachers. He names this language, Engfish through his frustration of the use of the phony language he explains why it is bad, and then with an optimistic tone gives hsi college students a way to become great writers .
In Downs and Wardle’s article, they argue and identify the flaws in teaching writing in college. Demonstrating the misconceptions that academic writing is universal, but rather specialized in each case. Citing studies and opinions from esteemed professionals, Downs & Wardle state their points and illuminate the problem in today’s many colleges.
According to Runciman, there are many plausible reasons that students and other people don’t enjoy writing. Evidence, assumptions, and language and tone are the basis for which Runciman makes his argument. Overall, this argument is effective because reliable and well known sources are used in a logical fashion. Also, the assumptions made about the audience are accurate and believable. Runciman used his assumptions wisely when writing his claim and in turn created a compelling, attention capturing argument. The article was written so that students and teachers at any level could understand and easily read it. This argument is interesting, captivating, relevant through its age, and can relate to students and teachers at almost every academic level.
In Patricia Limerick’s article “Dancing with Professors”, she argues the problems that college students must face in the present regarding writing. Essays are daunting to most college students, and given the typical lengths of college papers, students are not motivated to write the assigned essays. One of the major arguments in Limerick’s article is how “It is, in truth, difficult to persuade students to write well when they find so few good examples in their assigned reading.” To college students, this argument is true with most of their ...
Several people have trouble writing college level essays and believe that they are unable to improve their writing skills. In “the Inspired Writer vs. The Real Writer,” Sarah Allen argues how no one is born naturally good at writing. Sarah Allen also states how even professional writers have trouble with the task of writing. Others, such as Lennie Irvin, agree. In Irvin’s article “What is ‘Academic’ Writing?” states how there are misconceptions about writing. Furthermore, Mike Bunn’s article “How to Read Like a Writer” shows ways on how one can improve their writing skills. Allen, Bunn, and Irvin are correct to say how no one is born naturally good writers. Now that we know this, we should find ways to help improve our writing skills, and
Graff, G., Birkenstein, C., & Durst, R. K. (2009). The Growing College Gap. "They say/I say": the moves that matter in academic writing : with readings (p. 379). New York: W.W. Norton & Co.
Murray, Charles. “Are Too Many People Going to College?” They Say/I Say: The Moves That Matter In Academic Writing. Ed. Gerald Graff. 2nd ed. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2012. 222-242. Print.
From this course I have learned that being a writer is much more than writing grammatically correct. A writer is one who studies deeply and takes into mind the audience and the context and then begins to form their paper. Writers are rhetor’s, encoders, and members of discourse communities. As a writer, I hold the power to influence anyone that reads my writing, whether I intend to influence that person or not. Being a writer from my understanding this semester should actually be called a rhetor or encoder, because just about every piece of writing contains rhetoric and intertextuality of some sort, whether you consciously recognize it or not. I find that the knowledge, skills, and new ideas I have acquired this semester will significantly influence not only my college career but also benefit my life in general.
When I scheduled my classes last winter, I knew I had to fulfill my requirements for general education and take English Composition II. I had heard from my oldest daughter that Comp II was no fun at all and when she took it, she was bored to tears. Not knowing any better, I took her word and prepared myself for a rather boring and uneventful semester of “robot writing”. The kind of writing that was dull and made one’s eyes cross from boredom. I soon found out that this didn’t have to be the case. Academic writing and research could be enjoyable and it was not at all boring.
Ungar, S. J. (2010). The new liberal arts. In G. Graff, C. Birkenstein, & R. Durst (Eds.). “They say, I say”: The moves that matter in academic writing with readings. (2nd ed.). (pp. 190-197). New York: W. W. Norton. This article looks to prove that liberal arts education is just as valuable as “career education” because contrary to general belief, career education doesn’t guarantee high-paying jobs after they graduate.
Writing doesn’t come easily to me, which must make me a glutton for punishment. It has taken me years of training, learning to structure an essay and unlearning to begin again. Only since attending HSU am I realizing how exceptional my writing has become. Over the course of two semesters, I have seen my writing expand and grow. While I still adhere to the training I received in high school, I am excited to now take these tools and develop my own unique style in the years to come.
writing” by R. Ramsey, the ability to write competently is a requirement for success in any field.
Aptitude plays an important role in learning. If you have it, the job becomes simple. If you don’t, the final outcome is always doubtful. Some tasks, like playing a musical instrument, require a very high degree of aptitude. The average person would face great difficulty in learning such a vocation. Other, more mundane but crucial ones, like driving a car, cooking or writing can be learnt by most people with a reasonable level through training. English composition was never my choice subject and essay writing was not exactly the most joyful assignment at the high school but there were indicators that writing skills would play a crucial role in my future life, irrespective of which career I chose. Take, for example, Anthony Balderrama’s advice. “We spend more time writing in our professional and personal lives than we probably imagined we would back in school. What you may not realize is that these written exchanges can boost your career or hinder it, depending on how you treat them.”(Balderamma, 2009). Taking up Foundations of Academic Writing (FAW) I and II at the university was, therefore, a carefully thought out decision. The FAW syllabus tackles different aspects of academic writing in a systematic way. There is measured emphasis on different genres of academic writing, and there is lots of repetition. As a result, slowly but surely, change starts to happen. Now, as the course reaches the final stages, I can observe these changes in the quality of my writing and overall understanding of the subject. Writing an essay is no more the ordeal that it used to be in the high school.
...ncements in their current employment. Over all, a good English education will help with enhancing a person’s life.
Over the period of time that I was in this course, I thought it would be a very simple and easy to finish class. But as time went on, I found myself to be demanded more of what I think, what I feel, what must be relied on my ability to understand the concepts and conventions of not only the essays, but of what goes on in the writers mind when writing.