English Major Triumphs

I am enjoying this semester so much.  The material I'm learning in my classes are fascinating and also overlap a lot, which strengthens my connections to the class and helps me remember the material better.  I also have moments, like the two I had yesterday, that once again confirm my decision to major in English.

The first happened in the library with two of my classmates in my Literary Analysis class.  We were working on a group explication of a poem.  It happened to be Valediction Forbidding Mourning by Adrienne Rich, which is a fantastic poem.  We were doing a close reading it, which is where we look at every word and try to figure out what the author is telling us.  The poem was tripping us up and we couldn't get past this one line.  We knew it was crucial to unlocking the meaning of the poem, but we couldn't find the key.  Suddenly, I figured it out.  "What if," I started and made a connection.  My two classmates whispered-yelled, "OH MY GOSH.  THAT MAKES SENSE."  We had found the key.  We were so happy but also felt slightly ridiculous for making a small scene on the first floor of the library.  We felt so ridiculous we started laughing.  "English majors," we said, our voices mixed with admiration and sarcasm.  Once we recovered, we kept on reading.  Unlocking the poem was incredibly satisfying and I sort of wish I could do that all the time.  It adds a whole new layer to the poem which makes the reading more interesting.  Gives you more to think about.

The second moment occurred later Monday night in the Writing Center.  I was plugging away at my Mythology homework and suddenly all the pieces started coming together.  In the chapter it would mention certain gods and then I would look through my notes or my mythology dictionary to add more depth to the god I was reading about.  I'm so excited to be taking this class because I think mythology is fascinating and it will also be helpful in reading the Renaissance sonnets that I love so much.  I finished my mythology homework in no time and I know I made some really good connections that will help me retain the material.

It was a good night of productive homework.  Yes.