How It Happened That I Became an English Major in the First Decade of the Twenty-First Century

Holly Thompson

            How is it that I became an English major? Prior to, and even after, reading Jeremy Hsu and Lee Siegel’s essays, the answer was quite simple. I spent the better part of my life engrossed with academics. Up until my senior year of high school, I was a straight-A student. I had perfect attendance, the whole nine yards. And then something happened. I stopped caring. I was so caught up in all the drama and absurdity that goes on in the social slaughterhouse of high school that I had finally had enough. I did very poorly in all of my classes, lost any/all friends that I may or may not have had, and decided that college was going to be a waste of time and money. Ironically enough, my solace was in writing poetry, a habit I picked up at roughly age 9, and in reading anything and everything I could get my hands on. Literature and writing were the only two ways that I felt good about anything. So what changed my mind about college being a fruitless pursuit?

            Siegel suggests that “the idea that great literature can improve our lives in any way is a con as old as culture itself,” while Hsu suggests that literature/stories are important in that they are not only enjoyable, but they contribute to and develop the human condition and can impact and even change people. Both have a valid point, if you ask me. On one hand, I have often found myself begrudgingly plowing through assigned books, muttering under my breath about how terrible they are and feeling like I was wasting my life by attempting to read them. But on the other hand, I have also read a substantial amount of literature that has deeply touched me, that affected me not just momentarily but with long-lasting results. How does all this tie in to my being a angsty teen that didn’t want to go to college and then suddenly changed her mind? I’ll tell you. I barely graduated high school, and spent a year working. One night after I worked for 16 hours, I was sitting in my truck in the parking lot, just staring out at the street, watching cars drive by. I felt completely drained and completely miserable and I knew I had to do something, because I was tired, and if nothing changed, I was always going to be tired. I figured college would be a great option because then at least I would have a degree, and that would guarantee me more money in whatever occupation I decided to pursue. But what to study? We already know that reading and writing was my cup of tea at this point. So I started thinking about it – why not major in English? It’s what I love! And why would I pay thousands of dollars to go to college if I’m not going to major in something I’m passionate about? 

            In short, how it happened that I became an English major in the first decade of the twenty-first century is, as I said, pretty simple. Siegel and Hsu’s essays helped me refine it, however. The quick and easy explanation is that I wanted to major in something I like. The more intricate explanation involves why I like English, but that’s easy. As Hsu points out, English does have power. It can reveal the inner workings of even the most complex mind; it can influence behaviors, actions, thoughts, emotions and beliefs. English has the ability to alter many things about a person. That’s where Siegel comes in, though, because he does have a legitimate point as well. I believe that because English does have power, it needs to be handled with care. Siegel’s essay demonstrates that the power of English can be exploited, and in that respect, it is no longer enjoyable. Regardless, English is powerful. It is this concept that made me love English in the first place, and is what drove me not only to major in English, but to stick with it (even when I realized it may get me nowhere). I want to be able to have an effect on people. I want to write things that make people feel something. I want to change the world with what I have to say. And that is how it happened.