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| English studies courses are sweet and delicious. |
I’ll share this passage in Sweetness by American Novelist Toni Morrison during my past Ethnic American Literature course with Dr. Mia Zamora: "Yes, I was tough on her. You bet I was. By the time she turned twelve, going on thirteen, I had to be even tougher. She was talking back, refusing to eat what I cooked, primping her hair. When I braided it, she’d go to school and unbraid it. I couldn’t let her go bad. I slammed the lid and warned her about the names she’d be called. Still, some of my schooling must have rubbed off. See how she turned out? A rich career girl. Can you beat it?" (The New Yorker, 2015) ⸺Instantly, this specific line: "still, some of my schooling must have rubbed off," struck a chord with me. In other words, despite the complexity of their mother-daughter relationship, Sweetness hoped she made a good impression on her daughter Lula with her traits, personality, and actions and followed her lead to succeed.
Similar to this tale, I’m a daughter whose mother did not care for my light skin tone complexion. A father's motivation to push me into doing other things that did not interest me somehow did not discourage my love for English studies. Instead, I excelled in language arts from elementary school up to college. However, I, too, hoped to pass those traits to my two remarkable sons. Thus, I am writing this blog post to inspire you, the reader, about how sweet it is to be an English Major—and not force you into it.
Additionally, while millions are born to write, others struggle to learn and embrace the skill, like when my eldest son stated in his high school years, "you’re a writer that loves to write, but why do I need to learn to write?" What a great question, I thought. More importantly, because my eldest son was encouraged to read often, he became a better writer. I am still proud that his high school English teacher entered one of his language arts creative pieces into a creative writing contestant. He also passed the U.S. Navy reading and writing exam with excellence.
Like my latter-born son, most of us can learn to love English by example, as he has become an avid reader, a journal writer, and recently asked to submit an entry into the State of New Jersey High School Writing Contest. Unlike Sweetness, as much as I would have loved for my sons to emulate my trait as a writer, I did not treat them harshly. I understood differently and reassured my sons that no matter if they do not love or neither like reading and writing, it is sweet to learn how to read and write effectively for essential purposes.
Enrolling in Kean University School of English Studies, English and Writing Programs, like me, allows our general and foundational core English courses to equip you with the skills needed to succeed in any task as a major or minor. What can be sweeter than that?
And do not forget, we hope to see you at our next event, "What Can You Do with an English Major?" Thursday, October 20, 2022, from 3:20-4:20 PM. CAS 308. RSVP via Cougar Link using the link provided.
To learn more about how sweet it is to apply to the School of English Studies and remain in constant contact, email english@kean.edu and connect with us on social media at https://www.facebook.com/KeanEnglish, https://twitter.com/KeanEnglish, https://www.instagram.com/keanenglish/, and we hope to see you soon. . . 😊
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