Every Tuesday and Thursday I walk from Schroeder to Williams Hall in anticipation of my favorite class. Tuesdays and Thursdays are good days. In English, I have learned that you do not have to understand everything you read. I have learned that English is an extremely broad area of study. I have learned that English promotes a universal message and contains an expression of the human spirit. I have learned that only the greatest and universal areas of English studies have survived. I have learned that literature can be scrutinized and discussed in any way by anyone. I have learned that everyone’s opinion is worth hearing. I have learned that certain kinds of education are oppressive. I have learned more about the inhumane slaughter of thousands of tribes and the genocide that happened because of the Spaniards. I have learned about the kind of teacher I want to be. I have learned about the five friends and enemies of reading and writing. I have learned to smite down the enemies and embrace the friends. I have learned about the Caribbean’s deep, complex, rich history. I have learned about Kamau Braithwaite and his life. I have read some beautiful poetry by Braithwaite. I have learned about intertextuality and how you can find some kind of connection in just about anything. I have learned about Gertrude Stein and how “a sentence is a part of speech”. I have learned about “the Rectum of Peacocks”. I have learned about metaphors and how they impact my everyday life. I have learned about the strange forms of fictions that there are and that sometimes not everything is what it seems. I have learned that sometimes you must lower your standards for the greater good. I have learned that sometimes you need to speak out and state your opinion, even if you are afraid of people disagreeing with you. I have learned that it is a beautiful thing when people are discussing literature. I have learned to love literature even more. I have learned about myself.By Erica Steinhauser
