The popular answer among secondary-level English students world-wide might sound something like, "Because we have to!" OK, let's admit that a certain sense of duty and obligation that comes with school-life can turn the act of reading literature into a chore more than a pleasurable experience for many students. Many students claim they simply "don't like to read." Other students claim they like to read, but not what is assigned in English. Here are some other common complaints that many students have about reading in English: "This books just doesn't relate to my life," "I would read more if I got to choose the books myself," and "This book is too old!" As an English teacher, I am open to the idea that there may be some truth in these time-tested complaints.
After having read and studied 3 major works of American literature (The Crucible, The Catcher in the Rye, Of Mice and Men), and as we are currently studying William Shakespeare's Othello, I thought it would be a good time to reflect on our experiences as 10th grade English student up to this point. In trying to keep up with the demands of assigned curriculum, it becomes difficult to pause and ask important questions like, "Is this course of study worthwhile to me?" and "What am I learning from studying literature?"
So in the spirit of reflection, consider the following questions here: "Is studying literature in English worthwhile to me? Why or why not? What am I learning as a 10th grade English student, if anything, that is important to me as a student and as a person?
A good comment to the above questions will contain references to the works of literature which we have studied, and are studying, so far this year (refers to the above paragraphs). Also, a good comment will avoid obvious statements such as, "It is valuable to me because I need to read and study literature to pass the class, to pass high school, so my parents won't kill me, etc."
Please make sure your comment is checked for spelling and grammar, and is at least 150 words in length.
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Study english is worthwhile to me because its nice to know.if you read literature as a kid, when you grow up you'll be very good at it. it takes practice just like everything else in life. literature can be boring but it is all worth it. for an example, reading hamlet, that book has literature in it. its not a normal book, its like a play. some things i'm learning as a 10th grade english student is a lot of grammer. like how to write a correct sentence and how to point out the key points in a book. that way later in life when your writing a resume for a job or something, you make your resume very good and proper english. if you write a great paper with the right grammer, the mananger will love you. another thing im learning in english class is vocabulary. we learn about the word and have to know the definitions, synonyms, and antonyms. we also need to learn how to write them in a sentence.
ReplyDeleteAnthony Greco
Though I do not always prefer it, studying literature in English class is an important part of my high school curriculum and more importantly, my life. Though I may not realize it when I am reading, but I am learning by every sentence I read. Even though I am not a huge fan of books and reading but there is much more that comes out of a book rather than a moral, theme, or figurative language. Books contain lessons that can last until the end of the week or stay with you until the end of your life. From The Catcher in the Rye I not only read about the adventures of a teenager who left school and stayed in New York City alone, but I also read about the importance of family and love in a young man’s life. In Of Mice and Men I read about the bonds of friendship and the responsibility of George Milton. Literature should be a part of everybody’s life no matter if it is from a 10th grade English room overlooking the school’s parking lot, or a young man or lady studying from home.
ReplyDeleteFrankie B
Troy Whiddon-2/19/07-7:10pm period 3 Well I think English literature is very helpful. First, it probably helps our grammar and expand our vocabulary. I’m sure that it probably help with our writing, which is always helpful in all subject ,especially a term paper or essay. Second I like history a lot , so I guess that these books show an insight on history. Third I bet some find it enjoyable reading the books in English. Most of the time the English department or the teacher, I’m not completely sure who tells or gives us the book selection, picks interesting books that I, too, also enjoy. Also, I’m not sure if this counts but, I do like reading books before watching the movie of it. Just think of it, Literature probably help spread or give a better culture, ideas and languages around the world. Without Literature, we probably wouldn’t be as advance as we today. Even literature has help raise the economy if you think about it, like selling books.
ReplyDeleteWe study literature in school so that students can be exposed to many different worlds and cultures. It is important that students realize the struggles that people face as well as the similarities among all of us. For example, in The Catcher in the Rye , the main character, Holden, struggled to follow the rules and as a result, faced serious consequences. Most teenagers can relate to this conflict and even though the story took place many years ago, its theme can be applied to today’s world. In Mice and Men, there were two very sympathetic characters who made their readers realize the horrific struggles that the mentally challenged face and the heartbreaking effects on those who love them. George’s decision in the end made readers consider what they would do in a similar situation. Even though they are fictional, both story plots create reflection and discussion into very real and difficult choices. Everyone must make difficult decisions in life and through literature, we can be exposed to how other characters decided to live and the consequences that followed.
ReplyDeleteEthan Jaffe
In my personal opinion, I do not like the study of English literature very much. It just seems like the stories are old and it can be very boring. Having said this, I can see that it is very important for our country to be educated and to have knowledge.
ReplyDeleteIf it were up to me, I would pick stories that are modern, but with the same storyline as the old ones. Like I would have “Othello” and another book like it but more modern and have students compare and contrast them.
One thing that I can say is that it really depends on the teacher and how they teach the stuff to us. Some teachers make learning interesting and even fun sometimes. Other teachers just don’t really get that we feel we won’t need to use any of this later on in life. It just seems like a waste of time and sometimes I don't even understand what the whole thing was about.-Ariel Gil
Moon H
ReplyDeleteStudying literature in English class to me is a challenge. Studying literature for most part is extremely boring, but at the same time I'm learning how to be more disciplined when reading a book. Studying literature forces me to focus more on small details because the littlest things in books affect how we study literature. The biggest thing I benefit from studying literature is my analyzing skills. It helped me study deeper into meanings and themes behind words. Although for the most part I dislike reading novels so it's extremely difficult for me to stay awake in class. Reading Othello is not worthwhile. I feel like I'm wasting my time in class. Reading overall in my life is not that important to me especially novels. So overall to sum up how I feel, you can benefit a lot from studying literature but I don't feel like it's anything important to learn.
I believe studying literature is one of the most important subjects to learn in high school and in life. I think it is worthwhile to learn literature in high school. It helps you become more successful in life. Studying literature gives you more options in life as of what you want to be. People use literature on a daily basis if you notice it or not. For example, when you fill out a form or write a letter, you are using your writing skills and when you are reading the newspaper or a form, you are using your reading skills. As a tenth grade student I am learning how to become a better reader and writer to make me a lot more successful in my future and for collage. It is important to practice these things in tenth grade to get us ready for the real world. This is why it is important to accept and learn literature as a tenth grade student. (Pier Perrone)
ReplyDeleteI think that we should study literature to broaden our minds of something we have never learned or never knew about. I also think that we should study literature because if we learn literature we not only learned something new, but we can get the understanding of how things were written in the past. For example, in class we are reading Shakespeare’s Othello and that is literature. Othello is not an easy play or book to understand but that’s what we gain, by learning to understand it just like learning to understand literature. It may be hard at first to comprehend but it’s still an important thing to learn. Without literature we wouldn’t have Romeo and Juliet, Othello, The Odyssey, Hamlet or maybe even A Raisin In The Sun. These are all very interesting and unique plays or stories and some of these I have read, which are important for high school students should be familiar with. I don’t think there is an exact right or wrong answer to why we should study literature. So what I’m saying is that all high school students should study literature.
ReplyDeleteNatalon Green!!!!
chynna west
ReplyDeleteEven though English isn’t particularly my favorite subject some of the books we read I do enjoy. I think that I learned how to analyze things deeper and find the real reason the author wrote the book. Sometimes when I read books I just read them and never think about them ever again, but I learned that sometimes there is more to a book than just the words. I didn’t really like Mice and Men, but after we talked about it I learned how the author used common themes throughout the whole story which I didn’t realize when we just read it. In 9th grade we didn’t go in depth in the books so I didn’t appreciate what the author was trying to say as much. Another thing that I learned in 10th grade English was how to change words around in order to change how you might see a particular character. All th ese things has helped me appreciate English more and now I enjoy coming to class a little bit more.
I think that there is nothing that you can do really for the literature part because either way you have to read and you have to write. I think that its school you’re not supposed to do everything you like sometimes you have to make sacrifices. I think maybe the books could be a little more interesting like an adventure or something exciting. I think literature teaches us a lot about today, yesterday, and forever because without literature or books how are we suppose to know about our past presence or even future at some extent. I think that it is very important to study and keep up with your studies I think because without them we would basically be mush. Literature and stimulating our minds especially in English is important because you teach us things that we need in our everyday lives. Also it will benefit us later in life, I mean that’s why were in school, for our future? –Stephanie Hagan
ReplyDeleteAs a tenth grader I do not like to read really any kind of book, but studying literature is worthwhile to me for a few reasons. One reason I think studying literature is important is that it allows you to see the world of the book in greater detail and comprehend the words. In Of Mice and Men the story was written in mostly in plain English and easy to understand, but as we talked about in class there is a lot below the surface of the story. Foreshadowing was a major role in the story. These stories were meant to show you a life like place and characters that you can learn from. In The Crucible Abby was an exelent character to learn from. Abby showed us that revenge always comes back to bite you in the butt. The reason I’m saying this is that we should take what we learn from studying literature and use it in our own lives.
ReplyDeleteTom Coyle
1oth grade english is not for me because of what we read and how its being assigned but it would be better if we could read a book that fits are style of reading and some kind of way based on are life. i think watching the book on video is better because some of are bains are set up to get information by watching or listing to the book but reading outloud does count because half of fall asleep or dont even open the book.Yes it true that some dont like to read be of the non connetion with the books and the charters and because we need to learn it and have differnet ways of processing the book.
ReplyDeleteAAaron Scott
Anthony, thanks for your comments. If you could recommend one work of literature (a novel like Of Mice and Men or a play like Othello, or anything else we have studied) for your friends and family to read, which one would it be and why? What book have we studied that you think has taught you something about life or some important skills that you may use in your life outside of 10th grade English?
ReplyDeleteFrankie, thanks for your comments. Those two books you mentioned have stayed with me since I first studied them as a freshmen and a sophomore in high school. Wandering around in Holden’s shoes all over New York City left an impression on me that has lasted all these years. What do you think Catcher… shows you about the importance of family and love? What does Of Mice and Men say to you about friendship?
ReplyDeleteTroy, thanks for your post. You bring up many good points on how literature can be valuable. I especially like how you point out how literature spreads culture and ideas to the world - and hopefully it spreads good ideas. What do you think makes good literature “good”? What about certain books makes them able to connect with people around the world?
ReplyDeleteEthan, thanks for your thoughts here. You bring up a great point about how literature can help us to be more empathetic toward the struggles of other people and allow us to walk in their shoes, which can help us to act more compassionately to others. Has there been a particular character that you have connected with more than others so far this year? If you had to recommend a book (outside of the books we have read in class) for us to study, what would it be and why?
ReplyDeleteAriel, thanks for your post. I like your idea about pairing older works of literature with newer ones, and comparing and contrasting them. We are going to read a newer work of literature a little later in the year, and in the past it seems that students have connected with it more than other things we read in English. If you had to pick a book that you connected with most of all the books we have read so far this year, which one would it be and why? Do you know of any newer books that you think kids would like to read in addition to the old classics?
ReplyDeleteMoon, thanks for your comments. I agree with you that studying literature for meaning, rather than just reading it for understanding, requires discipline. This can make it both hard and rewarding, like you mention. But if studying literature can benefit your analyzing skills, for example, then doesn’t that make it important?
ReplyDeletePier, thanks for your comments. You bring up a good point that people deal with literature on a daily basis - we are asked to read and write all the time in our day-to-day lives. Can you think of any specific activities that we have done in English so far this year that have been the most helpful to your reading and writing skills? Also, if you had to pick one book that we read so far to recommend to your friends and family, what would it be and why?
ReplyDeleteNatalon, thanks for your comments. A lot of students would say they don’t think our literature in English is important because it is from the past (although, if you stop and think about it, today’s newspaper is really literature from the past…which makes you think about the definition of “the past). What about the “past-ness” (if I can make up a word) of these stories makes them important to you? Can you think of anything you have learned from any of these “old” stories that you mentioned?
ReplyDeleteChynna, thanks for posting. I am glad you are interested in the deeper levels of the literature we have read so far. I think that is what makes literature literature - what I mean to say is that a newspaper article, for example, means just what it appears to mean (most of the time), whereas literature will show itself to you over time, if you let it. I think anything can be literature: not just books, but music, T.V. shows, dance, etc. - anything that tells a story and contains deeper meanings, anything that challenges you to think about life. Where else do you see literature in the world? (I know this is an abstract question, but give it a shot)
ReplyDeleteStephanie, thanks for posting. I like how you say that literature can connect us to the “past, present, and future” - that is pretty amazing if you think about it. How do you think the fictional stories we read connect us across time in this way? Can you think of a work this year that has done this for you? In what ways has it connected “past, present, and future”?
ReplyDeleteTom, thanks for you thoughts here. Reading and understanding literature is one thing, but you bring up a great point in that literature can inspire us to do something in our lives. Maybe it’s something small like being kinder to someone else; or maybe it’s something big like changing the world for the better someday - many great people have been inspired to take action by literature. Has your life or actions changed in any way in response to the literature we have read so far this year. If it hasn’t yet, what inspiration could you take from other stories we have studied?
ReplyDeletechynna west
ReplyDeleteI see literature in poetry. Poetry has to be read between the lines because many times poetry has so much more meaning than just the word you see. It expresses how the author feels or their personal lives. Music is also a form a literature. As people say music is the universal language. Even if a song is in a different language you can still connect to it because of the beat and how it makes you feel.
Victoria, thanks for your comments. Reading is obviously a huge skill needed to understand literature, and as you say, if reading is a problem, the rest of the studying experience can be a problem as well. What is it about reading is problematic for you? Also, I’m glad you say you understood Of Mice and Men, and I’m assuming you meant that you understood the story and the characters because the book was written using plain, straightforward language, am I right? What did you get out of that experience when we studied the deeper levels of meaning in Of Mice and Men, for example in our discussions about the author’s attitude toward the characters? Did you think that was valuable? Why or why not?
ReplyDeleteKrista, thanks for your comments. You make a good point about the practical side of studying literature, especially in when you bring up how literature teaches you about vocabulary through context. You also make a good point that using English is a lifelong pursuit, not just a 9 month or 4 year high school course. Besides learning the mechanical things like vocab and grammar (useful things for sure), what else have you taken from our literature studies so far? What did you think of our analyzing some of the deeper levels of meaning of Of Mice and Men, for example? What has been your favorite literature so far this year and why?
ReplyDeleteStudying literature is crucial important to me. When I was younger I would always ask myself that question, Why do we have to study this? Well as I got older I thought more about the question and I soon realized we need literature in our lives for everything such as vocabulary and understanding the flow of things. I like the books we read. One of my favorite book we read this year would have to be " Of Mice and Men", I really liked the language the book used, and how the characters interacted with each other. That book really showed us a level of foreshadowing and using context clues to find out what will happen next. Literature is everywhere in the world but we barely notice it, until now. I study literature for the fact I want to enhance my vocabulary and other senses. We can all take what we learn from books and process it to other people through our own words.
ReplyDeleteMatt S.
Moon H
ReplyDeleteMaybe to some people it's important. Some things are more important than other things to different people. For example working out for a professional athlete is important and beneficial to them than say a lawyer doing it. It may be beneficial for the lawyer's health but it's not important. Someone who wants to be a surgeon would go to college for medical stuff because it's a need and beneficial to their life; so I have to ask why would improving their analytical skills help them in any way? Analyzing literature could be important to an English teacher but how important is it to a math teacher? Like I said before some things are more important than other things to different people. Personally for I enjoy analyzing, especially people/biographies, movies, cultures, poems, but novels and fictional books that tell a story that I could care less about, why would I find that important enough to analyze?
If I could pick one book for my family or friends to read, I would pick Of Mice and Men. I would pick that book because I enjoyed that book more than most that I have read. I really haven't read a lot of books in my life because I don’t like to read and because I don’t understand books that well. But when I read Of Mice and Men I really didn’t understand it just like every other book. But when I watched the movie and we talked about it, I understood. So I think if I like the book than my family and friends will. I also think that Of Mice and Men taught me new things that I can use in my life. For an example with George helping Lennie his whole life and not giving up on Lennie, that shows careness and that taught me to be very caring towards people and always give people a chance.
ReplyDeleteAnthony Greco
In the Catcher in the Rye, Holden feels some what abandoned by the world. It is not until the end of the story until he realizes that his family still loves and cares about him. That is one thing about family that nothing can change, the fact that when there is no where else to go they are still there for you. In Of Mice and Men, Lenny and George have a very special friendship, so close they consider themselves family. In the story George sacrifices a "normal" life to take care of Lenny so that his life can be as normal as possible. In the end when George realizes that he has done all he can, he does what is necessary. Unfortunately, what was necessary wasn't pretty, but if George had let Lenny live he would have suffered a fate much worse then what he got.
ReplyDeleteFrankie B
By reading these stories i have learned that the past is very much like the future. What the characters went through in those books is kind of what people went through or are going through right this minute. In those books it might be a different wording or understanding but in the end its pretty much the same as the problems we go through today.
ReplyDeleteNatalon Green!!
Studying English is important for your education, but to me it’s not important to me. English is all reading books, and some of the books are boring but some of them are funny and good. We need more fun in are class like playing English games. Don’t get me wrong English is get for your reading, speaking, and your writing. English is one big put for your college classes. Mice and men was a good book so was The Catcher in the Rye but Othello was a waste of time. I like Romeo and Juliet much better than Othello. The reason I like it better was of the movie was more interesting, but if I see Othello the movie it would probably like it but since I didn’t see it I do not like it, I do not understand the big English words. That’s my thoughts on English and why should learn it.
ReplyDeleteTerik Jefferson
I think that we should study literature to help us see more things in life I guess you can say. I think English is boring sometimes but I do enjoy it. I also think that we should study literature because if we learn literature we not only learned something new, but we can get to see how things were done in the past. Without literature we wouldn’t have of have been able to read Shakespeare’s plays. I don’t think there is a correct answer to why we should study literature. So I think is not going to hurt us or kill us to learn about something knew
ReplyDeleteBrayonna
I think studying literature is in fact very important for a student. Literature sometimes works as a historic journal, but makes it a little bit more interesting. For example, Shakespeare wrote many historical plays, portraying “real” social and, I guess you can say political, state of Britain at c couple of different time periods. I’d honestly rather read a book with a good story, than sit in history class and learn from a teacher. Literature also gives us moral values, and shows you wrong and right, evil and good; well you know where I’m going with that. From the literature piece Of Mice and Men, I learned about what some people went through during the Great Depression. How migrant workers had to travel many places to get jobs. Now personally, I enjoyed the book, I wouldn’t have enjoyed learning about the actual Depression in history class. But overall literature should be read in schools.
ReplyDeleteRachel