When I tell someone I'm an English major, the first thing out of their mouth is, "Oh, so you want to be a teacher?" There's nothing wrong with wanting to be a teacher, however, I find it annoying when it's the first and only assumption. I don't want to be a teacher. So I proceed to tell them, "Actually, I want to be a book editor for a publishing house," and they look stunned. They usually say something along the lines of, "Wow, I never hear that. Good for you!" Except sometimes, I don't even feel like a proper English major.
I've taken various English classes at my college now and I see these English majors that are all so similar. They do a lot of the same things that I don't really seem to do. The biggest thing that I think differentiates me from other English majors is the love for classic novels. It's not that I don't love them, I just haven't really read them. There are classics like "Pride and Prejudice," "Wuthering Heights," and "The Tale of Two Cities," that I know I'm missing out on. Every English major I've met never fail to go on and on about these novels. Frankly, I prefer text that is easier to digest because of its modern style of writing.
Perhaps that makes me the laziest English major. I mean, what English majors haven't read those books? Or are in love with the works of Jane Austen, Ernest Hemingway, and Charles Dickens? It just isn't me, though maybe it should be. I have, however, read Tennessee William's "A Streetcar Named Desire" and John Steinbeck's "Of Mice and Men" so perhaps I am moving in the right direction (all thanks to my AP Literature class).
I'm not always reading a book. English majors are constantly thought to always have a book in their hands or in their backpack. That's just not me. I love reading more than I can describe, but I'm not always doing it. I personally prefer to not keep a book in my backpack out of fear of destroying it, especially if it's paperback. And perhaps it's just me, but I have to be in the mood to read. I want to be able to focus on the marvelous story written out in front of me rather than reading the same sentence over and over again for ten minutes. Books deserve all my attention when I can give it.
There's also this big stereotype that English majors know every single thing there is to know about grammar and vernacular. Apparently, we know the meaning of every single word in Webster's Dictionary. That's simply not true for me. Sure, I want to be an editor but I'm nineteen years old and only halfway through college, so what do I know? Granted, I will continue to silently correct your grammar, but that's beside the point!
These are my thoughts most times I'm in an English class. Sometimes, I question whether or not this is the right major for me. Then I remember that this is basically the only thing I'm good at and enjoy doing. I've loved books for all of my life. I've fallen in love with the stories that have granted me solace. How could I not? I could only hope that this would be enough to make me "qualify" as an English major.
