Charas-Project
Off-Topic => All of all! => Topic started by: Rahl on October 20, 2009, 09:07:38 PM
-
Well apparently I'm failing my British Literature class this year, which literally comprises of hundreds of no-name-authors from Britain hundreds of years ago... My last test comprsed of over a hundred quotes from texts of my ten pound literary book whichI have TRIED to sit and read but it keeps punching me in my face because I fall asleep on it before reaching theend of the first page... Seriously I have to constantly drink coffee to even begin to stay awake with this crap and what I do read I get nothig from because apparently people from the 1700's were able to write absolutly EVERYTHING about NOTHING AT ALL. Oneof the smartest people in our class, an overachiever on many levels has an average of a D in this class.
So after my rant, my question is simple. Is anything about anything in this class relavent anything I'm going to be doing as a teacher other than maybe "Beowolf"? On a side note I hope Jane Austin author of pride and predjudice burns in hell, for the creation of modern day torture devices she called her "books".
-
Is anything about anything in this class relavent anything I'm going to be doing as a teacher
No.
And I say this as I have the ****ing BOOK OF THE COURTIER open on my desk. I ****ing hate midterms.
-
Switch out of that particular class. That's what I did with my English class.
The way I see it, it's a waste of my time either way, so I might as well make it easier for myself.
-
British lit sux.
Read some russian classics.
-
British lit sux.
Read some russian classics.
Da.
-
Rahl, it's probably your teacher. I had an awesome Brit Lit teacher in high school - really made the class a good time. But yeah, if its done poorly it can be an unending hell of oddball prose.
As for relevance, probably. Generally speaking its good to know at least a little bit about the classics for any career choice, let alone one involving teaching and/or students.
-
Switch out of that particular class. That's what I did with my English class.
Kids these days. Why, back in my day, it was "pass or get kicked in the teeth".
-
Kids these days. Why, back in my day, it was "pass or get kicked in the teeth".
pretty much.
-
I can't jsut switch. One because its the middle of the semester. Two because it is a course requirement anyway. eventually I'll haveto take it to finish my english degree. The english degree here requires:
American Lit -1780
American Lit +1780
Early Brit Lit
Later Brit Lit
Intro to Lit
and more but I can't think of them off of the top of my head.
Ive had one of these classes before and it was early American Lit and it was a living hell, but I managed to pass it anyways with a D. I didn't care, I was happy with. I just wanted it over with. I have literary studies almost as much as I hate Mac and Jane Austin.
-
Kids these days. Why, back in my day, it was "pass or get kicked in the teeth".
Jesus, I sound older than I actually am.
-
Wait... You are going for an english degree? Yet you barely passed early American Lit, and are having trouble with this class?
Maybe you should reconsider your major.
Or transfer to my school. Here, english students watch movies in class the majority of the time. Almost makes me want to switch over.
-
My english class this year is a mixture of british lit and "prepare you for college". So we don't do too much with the british lit part. We even only read bits and pieces of Beowulf. Gah. I hate the english classes at my school. Wanna trade?
Luckily I'm taking English 15 dual enrollment at the local college so I get out of the 2nd half of my english class, and get college credit. =D
-
Wait... You are going for an english degree? Yet you barely passed early American Lit, and are having trouble with this class?
Maybe you should reconsider your major.
Or transfer to my school. Here, english students watch movies in class the majority of the time. Almost makes me want to switch over.
I am an Eglish major, but I am leaning more towards the writing aspect of it, creative and fictional writing actually. And well to have to take these classes are bullshit, if they were more relavent and about writers I could actualy give a damn about fine, but its not. And the english department of students in my school would agree as more than likly 2% of them have ever passed those classes with an A. And those are most likly the ones who did after class favors for the teachers. And I don't mean favor having anything to do with anything other than oral pleasure.
-
Wait...you're saying Jane Austen isn't relevant?
You do realize that she is one of the most famous authors of her time, correct?
-
Have you ever done English Language? It's absolutely horrific. It's so boring. Like every single person
in the class is a complete snob or a really bitchy girl. We've had to annotate, analyse and evaluate a ****ing
Beecham's advert from the 1850's. Doesn't get more boring than that!
We also have to study a toothpaste advert soon, and the teacher's actually really excited about it. He
must be on heroin or something.
I actually leap with joy when I have to go and type up test logs for spreadhseets because it's actually
much more exciting in comparison.
-
Yeah.
I love reading and analyzing though, I must be *gasp*...weird.
-
Wait...you're saying Jane Austen isn't relevant?
You do realize that she is one of the most famous authors of her time, correct?
I never said Jane Austin wasn't relevant, I just merely wish her eternal damnation in the firy pits of hell. She is relevant, while not to me, she is.
PS Did I metion I just want to her to burn, along with every copy of pride and predjudice ever made, not such a big wish. A more than practical one also...
-
Wait, I'm starting to piece something together.
You want to be an author.
You loathe this literature.
This is inconsistent. I don't think you deserve to have an opinion.
-
Wait, I'm starting to piece something together.
You want to be an author.
You loathe this literature.
This is inconsistent. I don't think you deserve to have an opinion.
So by rights, if I wish to be an author I have to love every piece of literature ever made?
-
Either that, or be fuckin' brilliant.
And if you WERE brilliant, you could pass this class! >:(
End logic fail
-
That, or at least be willing to not be such an *** over learning from those that came before you.
It's a little bit important to everything worth doing. Respect or something. Mebe more words properly describe it.
-
I do appreciate works of those that came before me, very few of them but some none-the-less. I actually enjoyed some of the things in my american lit class. British lit is just pointless though, absolutly pointless. I could care less if they came before me or if they came at all. Respect is earned and a vast majority of these things for me do not deserve it. People for some reason may have liked it back in thier day, but today its nonsence.
-
Well, my thoughts on the matter still stand.
But, apparently, so do yours. What a lame stalemate.
-
Hm? Oh right, I passed a course like this, with an A. Mine wasn't that hard. Maybe your being a bit overdramatic and suffering from test anxiety?
-
I don't think you need to like everything that they manage to squeeze into the lit curriculum. I haven't read any Jane Austen, but I was forced to read "A Farewell to Arms," an awful, awful book that taught me nothing significant except for how not to write a novel, and that "Hemingway is a talentless hack who is in no way deserving of the ridiculous praise mounted on him." (Though I will admit I haven't read anything else of his.)
Seriously, I would have had a better time reading the phone book, or maybe a stock ticker. Or the Nutrition Facts on the back of a cereal box.
Point is, a lot of stuff that was a big deal back in the day is nigh-unreadable to modern audiences. Five-page-long descriptions of buildings have fallen out of vogue. Modern audiences like every page to keep them in thrall, with ongoing action or at the very least interesting dialogue, whereas in the past writers seemed to get away with a lot of mundane transition. Some old works survive (I think "Don Quixote" is still pretty amusing despite being 400 years old), and some just don't.
-
True, there were pieces that I just didn't like too well, but I still loved Don Quixote. It was one of my favorites we had to read in class. Now if you excuse me, I'm going to go slay a windmill. =D Also, I don't think the movies did Beowulf justice.
-
I don't think you need to like everything that they manage to squeeze into the lit curriculum. I haven't read any Jane Austen, but I was forced to read "A Farewell to Arms," an awful, awful book that taught me nothing significant except for how not to write a novel, and that "Hemingway is a talentless hack who is in no way deserving of the ridiculous praise mounted on him." (Though I will admit I haven't read anything else of his.)
Seriously, I would have had a better time reading the phone book, or maybe a stock ticker. Or the Nutrition Facts on the back of a cereal box.
Point is, a lot of stuff that was a big deal back in the day is nigh-unreadable to modern audiences. Five-page-long descriptions of buildings have fallen out of vogue. Modern audiences like every page to keep them in thrall, with ongoing action or at the very least interesting dialogue, whereas in the past writers seemed to get away with a lot of mundane transition. Some old works survive (I think "Don Quixote" is still pretty amusing despite being 400 years old), and some just don't.
I really couldn't have said it better. But a phonebook is way to interesting in comparison, maybe watching rust formations.
-
Don Quixote
Don Quixote
Wake up, people! There are more interesting stories out there!
Like anything Jules Verne. Favorite author since I was 4 (yeah, I've been reading at a college level since I was a toddler. What of it?), and I still find his works amazing. I mean, he was basically the creator of proto-Jetsons. That's, like, proto-proto-current.
Which is just ridiculous.
-
I just used Don Quixote as an example because it's really, really old and therefore shouldn't be as readable as it is.
-
I know. I'm just starting trouble.
-
How is studying literature NOT relevant to an English degree? You don't have to like the crap, but you should at least know of it. The more you know about literature the better you will be with English in general. And thats not too bad, I'm in my third year of college for Computer Science and half of my classes are things like Biology. Computers and Biology have NOTHING to do with each other, English and Literature (even if it is British) do. My advice, school can be hard, suck it up.
-
Holy ****, it's DragonBlaze. And he's on the same train of thought that I'm on.
He'll be departing at the next station, I assume.
-
If somthing is irrelevant to what is needed to know its what I call "Good to know stuff'" and its ok to take it if you have an interest in it. But if itis REQUIRED for you to get a degree, then its what I like to call "A part ofthe great money scam: college". Personally I believe in apprenticeship which works in a majority of instances though not all. The best way to learn somthing is to watch someone who knows what thier doing do it while explain it. General knowledge is good to know, but it should be somthing you take personal intrest in not somthing forced on you. Its like if I wanted to work at a bank and they made me learn how to mine coal. Its just irrelevant. Had I an interest in coal mining I would have learn how to do it, and not knowing it in no way hampers my ability to work at the bank.
-
What kind of banks are you working at?
-
How is studying literature NOT relevant to an English degree? You don't have to like the crap, but you should at least know of it. The more you know about literature the better you will be with English in general. And thats not too bad, I'm in my third year of college for Computer Science and half of my classes are things like Biology. Computers and Biology have NOTHING to do with each other, English and Literature (even if it is British) do. My advice, school can be hard, suck it up.
I was one of the few people who had fun with Biology and Physical Science.
-
That was a horrible example... Coal mining has nothing to do with banking. Literature is one the main parts of English. Why would you even go for an English degree if you didn't like to take things like Literature? In order to get good at anything, including English and writing, you need to practice with it a lot. The thing about writing though is that it's not enough just to write, you must read too. By Reading other people's work and books, you get ideas on how to write yourself. Its like a book full of good (or bad) writing examples. So reading is a necessity. As for Brit lit, some people who are really smart thought up of what are the best literature to expose yourself to. Most likely because it helps a lot of people with English. Granted it's probably written in a way that no one would write in anymore, but its full of ideas and popular examples that you (as a teacher) will need to know.
Lol and I'm not saying I don't have fun in Biology (its actually my favorite class this semester), it's just useless in terms of computer programming.
-
I was one of the few people who had fun with Biology and Physical Science.
Me, too. We're birds of a feather.
Notice that we both post far too often?
EDIT: Gasp! My post count has finally surpassed yours! What have I done to the status quo?!
-
Me, too. We're birds of a feather.
Notice that we both post far too often?
Because we got not much else going, am I right? *sigh* Oh wait, I'm still waiting for a graphic entry for you in Charas Doom (which isn't dead despite inactivity).
Its like if I wanted to work at a bank and they made me learn how to mine coal.
... ... ... ... ... ... ...wat? How... is that comparative?
-
Maybe a bit extremest of a statement, but at this points Im just extremely PO'd.
And it was comparative to the need of learning science or math when becoming an english teacher. I ust has no relevance at all.
-
Oh wait, I'm still waiting for a graphic entry for you in Charas Doom (which isn't dead despite inactivity).
Oh yeah. I should do something about that.
-
I ust has no relevance at all.
What'll you do when you start reading and there are math problems in the book your reading and you can't figure them out? Er... wait...