In Defense of English Classes Blog 10

I read an article today in French class that was very difficult to understand.  It was a piece describing somebody and I only knew  half the words, but when it was being read out loud I could feel the author's emotions.  I could hear a purposeful rhythm in the sentences, and I paused to appreciate the beautiful French rhetoric.  And all the sudden, I missed AP English in high school.  Wow, that is not a feeling one gets often, but in that moment I realized how valuable all my English classes throughout school had been.  

I miss being able to write well.  I can probably write at the French level of a 7 year old right now, and I miss being able to express myself with words.  I can write what happened, but I can't make it sound good, I can't make it sound real, or put any feeling into my words.  And it is almost impossible to be persuasive without good rhetoric to back up your ideas.  It doesn't matter how smart you are or how much you know, if you can't speak well, or write well, no one will ever listen to you.  

For example:  I was ripped off by a taxi driver.  I am positive he took advantage of my friend and I because we were young and we didn't speak much French.  I didn't even have the words to challenge the price he gave us.  I was so frustrated that I could not do ANYTHING about the situation.  My second thought was to write a letter of complaint to the taxi service.  But they would throw it out, my French would be so terrible and full of mistakes that no one would take me seriously.  

Example 2:  Politics, politics, politics.  France and America have very different political systems and I often find myself discussing these systems with French people.  But I am so limited as to what i can say.  I have so many IDEAS but I can't convey them!  I am only as smart as my words allow me to be.  

It is so difficult to truly appreciate the opportunity that you have to learn English and to learn it well, until you find out what life is like when you are unable to express yourself.  It is so hard.  So this blog is in honor of all my English teachers that I've ever had.  Because without them, I would always feel trapped by my own inability to wield the english language.  Intelligence is useless without an outlet, and that outlet, for us, is English.   

And this blog is also written to anyone who has ever complained about an English class (including me).  You don't even know how lucky you are to be able to learn how to use language effectively.  That skill will benefit you for the rest of your lives.  So, even though its tough, and a TON of work *cough Mrs. Lateulere *cough, it will be worth it in the end.  Hang in there and try to appreciate it :)