Best and worst of English 20-1
My favourite part of English this year was the film study of
V for Vendetta. I particularly liked this film because it was an interesting
film I had not yet seen and it had very overt ideologies that were useful for a
variety of essay topics. The accompanying assignments for the film were
engaging and really drove at the heart of the film. In addition to its useful
qualities V for Vendetta is simply a good film. With superb acting, intriguing
story, engaging dialogue and a thought provoking premise. I thoroughly enjoyed
watching this film and discussing it with my peers. One of my least favourite
parts of English this year was the Shakespeare unit. I felt that reading the
play a Midsummer Night’s Dream was a waste of an opportunity to read one of
Shakespeare’s other works. The play itself was, dull, predictable, borderline
nonsensical and had little to no true substance. In addition to the play itself
I felt that the way that the play was presented to the class was a waste of
time. Acting ability is irrelevant to ones proficiency in English and forcing
us to read a play aloud is an unfair way to reward outgoing personalities with academic
marks. One thing about English this year that I would change would be the
second novel we read, Of Mice and Men. I feel that novel, though a classic, is
not well suited for writing essays due to its short length and juvenile themes.
If I was to do this course again I would like to see a different novel in its
place such as George Orwell’s 1984 or J.D. Salinger’s A Catcher in the Rye. A
novel with more substance and with more complex themes would be a valuable
addition to the curriculum and our repertoire of useful sources for essays.
