Vive La Education

Whilst attending the two English seminars this last Friday, I attended both Children's Literature & Film and British Literature and Social Change, I have to admit that my expectations were exceedingly low. I'm happy to announce that my expectations were wrong beyond measure. I found the seminars interesting, enlightening, and thought-provoking. The first speaker I heard, Meagan Andrus, spoke about the taboo religion in YA literature. I never thought of it as so. The books we read shape who we are, how we think, the way we act, and how to handle social situations. None of which are done so with a religious mindset, or with a character who turns to God or Christ in search of solace, and if they do, it's rare. Meagan brought up this point that we emulate what we read, and that we need to take the taboo of religion and use it in books. I liked it a lot. Another paper that stood out to me was by Elizabeth Smith talking about British Literature and Social Change. She talked about this girl whose beauty was found in her hair and her looks, in comparison who's friend and her beauty was found in her merit. We had a conversation after about the poems, talking about if we think the social norm has changed. I think this is a question that plagued 18th century Britain and there is still some residue in the 21st century America. With education and advances for women socially, luckily, there is more of a chance for women to establish their eligibility for more than just their looks. Overall, the papers and conversations were interesting, stimulating, and fun to think about. I also think that as a school there should be more of an emphasis placed on visiting other majors and seeing the fruits of their labors so that we appreciate more the work that others are doing. I know I can say that I was blown away.