English honors was something I decided to pursue on a whim. After a series of career counselors and sagely advice, I decided to go with my gut.
Contrary to what society might think, English honors is not an easy course. As an English honors student myself, I can say with certainty that there is a reason why cut-offs for the course are as high as they are.
There are several myths surrounding the course and like any other field, it has been stereotyped by society into a cruder and B graded version of what it really is.
What Uncle, Aunties Think We Do
Society has a very different view regarding the course, and usually subject it to intense scrutiny due to the nature of its syllabus.
Furthermore, the curriculum is very conveniently categorized as “stories” meant for leisure reading. However, the reality couldn’t be farther than that.
The syllabus consists of 8 novels per semester and is specifically designed to push the analytical skills of the students to the peak. Moreover, the novels are archaic in their style of writing and nature, as a result of which the students are forever left wondering what the plot was all about in the first place.
What We Think We Do
There are several concerns regarding job prospects for the course when all we have left to go by is an English honors degree. First of all English honors is an extremely lucrative and extensive field. Moreover, it is the bedrock of arts and personality development.
After acquiring the degree, occupations like civil services, mass communications, public relations, hospitality, writing, debating and many more become pursuable. Moreover, students can also pursue an MBA degree and other higher studies to hone their skills
Also read: What Is It Like To Be An English Literature Student In India?: ED VoxPop
What We Actually Do
Not all who choose English honors are bookworms or literary enthusiasts. A lot of the students solely pursue the degree for the purpose of personality development. In addition, people who haven’t found their calling yet sometimes find it along the way.
English honors is not just limited to literature. In order to understand the text, one has to be familiar with the socio-political and the historical era of that time. In a sense, this course encompasses various subjects related to art.
We Don’t Bite, Hard
It is true that the course tends to make us very opinionated, but it also teaches us to accommodate different point of views.
For example, last week on a debate with our teacher, my class learned exactly how much of a misogynist Fitzwilliam Darcy (Pride and Prejudice) was, despite hero-worshipping him much of our teenage lives.
And by the way, we’re pretty chill to get to know, keeping aside our obvious “attitude” and “feminazi” problems. Moreover, don’t mistake us for autocorrect, we’re still learning too.
Not All Of Us Aspire To Be The Next Orhan Pamuk
Not all English honors students are writers. In fact, that has to be the blandest and boring part of the curriculum. Not everybody likes to write, especially when assignments require you to write a thousand words every time.
Besides, no one can truly master the art of writing. So scoring anything above an 8 on an assignment is pretty much impossible.
Overall, the course is designed for voracious readers who seek to truly develop themselves over the course of three years. It also provides plenty of opportunities to learn, to speak up for yourself, and take a stand on what you truly believe in. After all the pen is always mightier than the sword.
Image Credits: Google Images
Find the blogger at @JhanviShah
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