Christina Mangiapani

English 490

1/9/08

How It Happened That I Became An English Major

In The Early Years Of The Twenty-First Century

            How did it happen that I became an English major? I’m still racking my brain trying to figure that one out. I began my collegiate journey with the anticipation of becoming a radiologist. However, that idea was nixed rather speedily once I could barely get through the rigors of a combo Calculus I & II class my first semester, freshman year. Truthfully, though, I knew I wanted to pursue an education in English literature after my senior year of high school. For me, high school was more of a joke than anything else but, my honors English teacher was not a comedienne. We hardly ever saw eye-to-eye and she truly challenged me in a way that I had yet to experience up until that point. After getting over that constant struggle and seeming ill-feeling toward her, I realized that she was an amazing teacher and inspired me to learn more. The radiology kick was only an attempt to suffice the opinions of those close to me; they were concerned with financial stability. Nonetheless, I began loading up on literature courses after my freshman year and it was all downhill (uphill?) from there.

            As for the issues in the two articles, there is a lot to say that I’m sure has already been said. What is and what is not considered canonical work is rough water to wade in. I do think that it is important to diversify and become acquainted with multicultural literature, but at the same time where do we draw the line? As years go by, more and more literature is being written and appraised and, at some point, something has to be cut in order to make room. As an undergrad, there is only so much time to digest all of the required coursework and much of the time I feel that I’ve been inadequately exposed to all that exists (but, again, there are only so many hours in a day, and days in a semester). This may be one of the reasons for abridgement; however, I don’t necessarily agree with the practice. By altering the original work, I feel as though there is a grave injustice being committed against the author.