Do You Say These 3 Things About High School English? Debunking Myths and Misconceptions (with rap)

In the throes of passionate anger against your English assignment, you definitely have said 1 or all of these 3 things when complaining to your friends during lunch break.

We totally get it but also hope

we can sorta help you not to mope

We'll cure you of your existential dread

by simply debunking the myths instead.

#rapper 🤓#SimplyEnglishTutorsRCool #droppingrhymes #micdrop #plskeepreading

"English is subjective. You can't predict how you're going to do!"

You know what this isn’t a total myth. Yes. English analysis and what texts are trying to say are all subjective - after all, we are only making educated guesses and forming informed opinions about texts that are often written by people we can no longer interview.

However.

English in high school is not marked subjectively.

• Incorrect grammar is not subjective

• Poorly presented logic is not subjective

• Calling a metaphor, repetition, is not subjective

• Not answering the question is not subjective

You are not marked on your opinion. You are marked on how well you communicate your opinion with proof that you analysed diligently.

So don’t worry - you won’t lose marks because your marker doesn’t agree with your opinion on T.S. Eliot’s poetry. If you write your essay with strong logic you may just change their mind as well.

"I’m never going to use English literature for the rest of my life."

Another semi-myth. But the long and short of it is - no you’re probably not going to have to quote Shakespeare on demand. But the truth is in your English studies you don’t actually have to understand Old English thoroughly! Most of what you are required to understand is really to help you gain self-awareness and awareness for the world around you.

You’re studying Othello to understand how friends can be snakes and how being discriminated against can cause a subconscious self-doubt so strong you cannot trust anyone.

You’re studying To Kill A Mockingbird to show you good people can be accused of doing bad things and that to realise that you are full of biases yourself.

You’re studying empathy by seeing the different lives of different people so you can be self aware.

You’re studying to be a better version of yourself. Which you will use for the rest of your life.

Self-awareness is key! Credits to Raging Rhetoric

But we do understand that the biggest deterrent in learning English is being forced to read the text without any sort of hype up or background information. It absolutely sucks. Make sure you watch a remake, YouTube video or the No Fear Shakespeare version first before diving into any text.

English is all just over-analysis - the composer just did what they did and now we’re wasting our lives trying to make up meaning that doesn’t exist.

Alas young grasshopper, that is where you’re wrong. Have you ever watched an interview with a hot shot Hollywood director? They will straight up tell you how they thought and overthought about their settings, characters, shots, movements.

Don’t let me convince you, listen to Jim from the Office explain how he designed a few seconds of the horror movie “A Quiet Place”:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azFsk42kb5E (excellent procrastination fodder 🥖).

The best thing to try and do is to film something yourself. When you're sitting there editing your TikTok video deciding whether or not you want that extra one second of you looking wistfully at the camera you'll understand that most things created by humans are that way by design.

Now that we have made it plain as day

It is time for us to hit the (metaphorical) hay

And take another week we will

To share with you another meal (of knowledge)

#WeRCoolWeSwear 😎

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