Finding the Joy in English: A Post for Non-English Majors

For most students, English is a love-it-or-hate-it type of subject. 

If, from an early age, you discovered you were far better at learning to read and write than learning to add and subtract and could spend all day with your head in a book, I’m guessing you love it. If you’re someone who likes questions and problems with one solution, chances are you lean towards hating it. As I’m sure you can tell from the contents of this website, I am part of the former group and love it so much that I have decided to not only make a career out of English but to become an English teacher. 

However, despite my biased opinion, I understand why so many find English to be a boring and frustrating subject and only take English classes because they have no choice (high school) or need to fulfill GE requirements (college). 

As I will soon begin my teaching career, I have started thinking more about what kind of educator I want to be and how I can ensure that all or at least most of my students enjoy English class and hopefully find some joy in it. So far, I’ve come up with three suggestions for changing the way you think about English as a subject. And if it isn’t already clear, I’m talking about the study of literature, not the language itself.

Although this post is geared toward all those non-English majors out there, if you are already a fan of the subject, perhaps these tips will make you fall in love even more!

1. Essays: write about what interests you, not what you think will interest your professor

If I had a nickel for every time one of my housemates over the past four years told me they’d much rather pull an all-nighter studying for a test than write an essay, I’d have almost a dollar! Jokes aside, I’ve realized that a lot of people hate writing essays. Most analytical essays can’t be written in one sitting, and when you start writing, you begin worrying that what you’re writing won’t “wow” your professor. 

Lucky for you, the whole point of an essay is to showcase something that you find interesting! Of course, your professor will likely provide prompts, but think of them more as loose guides or starting points.

I believe essays are an opportunity to point out something from the class you think is interesting that other students haven’t considered. In all of the novels, poems, or short stories you’ve read for this class, there has to be something that sparks your interest or at least something you want to learn a little bit more about, right? Latch onto that, and use it as the inspiration for your essay. It may not follow the prompt to a T, but I can almost guarantee that your professor will prefer an essay full of passion rather than one they’ve read a million times. 

Essays are a chance to be free and creative!

2. Class Discussions: stop worrying about having the “right” answer

In most English classes, there’s always those two or three people who raise their hands to answer every question or just because they’re dying to share their thoughts. You know who I’m talking about. But what about everyone else? I think a lot of students are afraid to speak up during class discussions because they’re worried they don’t have the right answer, that their thoughts are not the same as their classmates and professor. 

Good news! There is no right or wrong answer! I know this is a massive cliche that many English teachers use and also the reason many people don’t like English, but it’s true. I’ll explain a little more as to why this is really a good thing. 

First, there are endless ways to interpret most pieces of literature. This is especially true for poetry, and I like to think that some of the most famous poems were written with no underlying, deeper meaning intended. Even for those in STEM who are all about evidence, proofs, solutions, etc., English classes (and essays) are a chance for you to prove your point with evidence from the text. As long as you can back up your claim, you’re correct!

Second, class discussions are a time to ask questions and voice opinions without judgment. It can be scary, but there’s a good chance something you say will resonate with others in the room or allow someone to consider something they would never have if you hadn’t raised your hand. 

Finally, and this one is especially relevant for political science majors, English class is a space to debate. There is bound to be someone in the room who disagrees with what you’ve said, and that’s fine. Robert Frost isn’t exactly around anymore to tell us what The Road Not Taken definitively means, so feel free to argue away! As I said earlier, your answer is correct as long as you can back up your point. 

3. Apply what you learn to your own major and interests

Contrary to popular belief, English isn’t just about books from what seems like a million years ago; it’s about connecting literature of the past and present to modern-day issues, themes, events, and ideas.

Sure, some of the stuff you read is extremely outdated or was written in old English and, therefore, really hard to understand (thanks, Shakespeare). But, at the same time, you will also likely be exposed to contemporary literature that is extremely interesting and relevant to modern-day life and relationships. 

Even likelier is the chance that something you read or some discussion from class will translate over into your other courses, your job, or even a conversation. Look at English as a way to improve your critical thinking skills and provide a new perspective to your field of study. There’s bound to be some relationship between what you talk and write about in English and whatever you do in your other classes or in life. 

In fact, most of the English classes I took at UCSB focused on some of the most urgent issues in society today, such as climate change, immigration, and education, and also timeless themes like love and our connection to the world around us. 

So, although English is defined as the study of literature, it’s really more than it seems because literature is also history, science, technology, philosophy, and art all in one. 

Now, even if you’ve read all the way through this post, I don’t expect to have completely changed your mind about English. I get it; it’s not for everyone! However, I hope that, at the very least, the next time you have to take an English course, write an essay, or read a book, you’ll give it a fair shot.