The University Should Focus More Upon Classic Works of Literature
When I declared English as my major, I was both nervous and eager to begin the program. I thought I would finally be able to read all the books I had wanted to read throughout high school. I was prepared to embark on an exciting yet difficult journey, reading great works of literature by authors such as Dickens and Austen. Unfortunately, while at my university, I have not read as many classic works of literature as I expected. Instead, most of my assigned reading has been from works by modern writers from various ethnic and minority groups. Hence, I feel I am missing something in my pursuit of an English degree. The English program at the University should focus more of
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In today's diverse society, one must be exposed to all kinds of cultures and ethnic groups. Therefore, it is better for English students to read more ethnic literature so that they are aware of the experiences of other ethnic groups as expressed through literary forms. Many English instructors feel that ethnic literature is a field that contains many hidden treasures of literature. They are assigning students to read these works more frequently. For example, in a recent study conducted by the National Association of Scholars, researchers found that "based on the relative frequency with which she is cited in course descriptions, Toni Morrison now ranks sixth among all authors who have ever written in the English language." Only Shakespeare, Chaucer, Austen, Milton, and Woolf had more citations. The researchers note, "Given the heavy disproportion of male to female authors over the course of English literary history, this is certainly an astonishing outcome, even if the literary excellence of Morrison is granted." (http://www.nas.org/reports/eng_maj/engmaj_exsum.htm). Toni Morrison is certainly a fine writer; however, I agree that her being ranked sixth out of every author who ever wrote in the English language is …show more content…
The fact that there are only two required British literature classes and one required American literature class is disturbing. I do not believe that one can gain a sufficient education in these areas by taking only three classes. The program once had a separate course for each period in British literature. Offering courses in each of the distinct periods would be beneficial. Perhaps a student could take the survey courses and then choose two of the period courses to take. Such a format would ensure that a student graduating with a degree in English would have a sufficient knowledge of British and American literature, and the student would still have some choice in what courses he or she
Meyer, Michael, ed. The Bedford Introduction to Literature: Reading, Thinking, Writing. 5th ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 1999.
***Mill spends a substantial amount of time exhibiting his harm principle by saying, “that actions can only be punished when they harm others.”2 I feel that the most primitive and obvious issue is whether Mill’s harm princi...
Nilson, Allen Pace & Kenneth L. Donelson. “Stages of Literary Appreciation” in Literature for Today’s Young Adults. Longman, 2001: pp. 35-42. [PDF in Blackboard]
Toni Morrison has been called America's national author and is often compared with great dominant culture authors such as William Faulkner. Morrison's fiction is valued not only for its entertainment, but through her works, she has presented African-Americans a literature in which their own heritage and history a...
The idea of literature being an important aspect of life has always been greatly prevalent in my upbringing. This notion that I supported was spurred on at the cause of my obstinate parents insisting upon my reading of two books a week to benefit my vocabulary and to develop the articulate thought process of a skilled reader. As a young child, my biggest influences were my parents’ passionate and persuasive ideas regarding the correlation between
In preparation for the Advanced Placement Literature and Composition exam, high school students must read many kinds of literature during the year-long course to familiarize themselves with different time periods, movements, philosophies, and genres. Advanced Placement students must learn to think critically, and be ready to find, analyze, and express literary connections through written analysis. The biggest challenge of teaching and learning Advanced Placement English is the difficulty covering the entire scope of literature in two semesters. Twentieth century literature often gets neglected. The pace of the curriculum can also limit the creativity of lesson planning and evaluation. Many teachers rely heavily on lecture, discussion, and a traditional analysis paper.
Eaglestone, R. (2009). Doing English: a guide for literature student. (3rd ed., pp. 40-41). New York: Routeledge.
American ethnic literature is known today because of the many authors like Cathy Song, Ralph Ellison and Audre Lorde. These authors have made what is today, from the education of children as well. Children are now able to have a political understand of things. We are now able to have the understanding of our world’s cultures and have a greater intelligence on it. Today we have presented an improved understanding to the American society, in the political and economic that today’s world has
Meyer, M. (2013). Bedford introduction to literature: Reading, thinking, writing. Boston: Bedford Bks St Martin’s.
The media, including television programming, cartoons, film, the news, as well as literature and magazines, is a very powerful and pervasive medium for expression. It can reach a large number of people and convey ideas, cultural norms, stereotypic roles, power relationships, ethics, and values. Through these messages, the mass media may have a strong influence on individual behavior, views, and values, as well as in shaping national character and culture. Although there is a great potential for the media to have a positive and affirming effect on the public and society at large, there may be important negative consequences when the messages conveyed are harmful, destructive, or violent.
Searle says, “We should not be embarrassed by the fact that a disproportionately large percentage of the major cultural achievements in our society have been made by white males.” [Searle, 118] To this, I say yes we should! We should be embarrassed that there are people who don’t see that this “disproportionately large percentage” is not due to the overwhelming intelligence of the white male, but to centuries of oppression. Our culture hasn’t nurtured the intellectual efforts of women or minorities, their ideas and pursuits have been repressed, probably out of fear. We have a society dominated by white males, it shouldn’t be surprising that literature is too. We need to change the way our society view women and minorities. Trying to do this by changing the curriculum of college students is pointless. We need to start from the beginning, with the children.
Television is a vital source from which most Americans receive information. News and media delegates on television have abused theirs powers over society through the airing of appealing news shows that misinform the public. Through literary research and experimentation, it has been proven that people's perception of reality has been altered by the information they receive from such programs. Manipulation, misinterpretation, word arrangement, picture placement and timing are all factors and tricks that play a major role in the case. Research, experimentation, and actual media coverage has pinpointed actual methods used for deceptive advertising. Television influences society in many ways. People are easily swayed to accept a belief that they may not normally have unless expressed on television, since many people think that everything they hear on television is true. This, however, is not always the case. It has been observed that over the past twenty to thirty years, normal social behavior, even actual life roles of men and women and media, regulatory policies have all been altered (Browne 1998). Media has changed with time, along with quality and respectability. Many Americans receive and accept false information that is merely used as an attention grabber that better the show's ratings and popularity. Many magazines and Journal reviews have periodically discussed the "muckraking" that many tabloid shows rely on to draw in their viewers. This involves sensationalizing a story to make it more interesting, therefore increasing the interest of the audience. "Along the way, all sorts of scandalous substance and goofy tricks appear, but not much mystery in the logic," (Garnson 1997). People often know that these shows aim to deceive them, but still accept the information as truth. Many times, people have strong opinions on certain topics. Yet, when they are exposed to the other side of the argument, they may be likely to agree with the opposite view. As Leon Festinger said, "If I chose to do it (or say it), I must believe in it," (Myers 1997). This is an example of Festinger's cognitive dissonance theory, which pertains to acting contrary to our beliefs. Television influences many people to change their original beliefs. It has the viewers think that the majority of other people hold the contrary idea. Once these views are presented, people have the option to hol...
Thompson, K. (2007). A corporate training view of ethics education. Journal of Leadership and Organizational Studies, vol. 13, Retrieved May 26, 2007, from http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdf?vid=1&hid=108&sid=ceaedb4d-4c62-46ae-8050-9e14bc92f06f%40sessionmgr104
The April 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico will forever change the way Americans view deepwater oil drilling. No one could have foreseen that BP’s well would spew into the Gulf waters for over 80 days before it was successfully capped. Over the years, many articles have been written about the disaster, and many different viewpoints given in the articles. This essay discusses the oil spill’s effect on Gulf coast animal and plant life, plus whether the government is implementing effective legislation regarding the spill.
The Mass Media is a unique feature of modern society; its development has accompanied an increase in the magnitude and complexity of societal actions and engagements, rapid social change, technological innovation, rising personal income and standard of living and the decline of some traditional forms of control and authority.