I can’t tell you how many times in the last five years I’ve
heard some iteration of this question. Actually, it was no better when I
started out as a History major. In my experience, people in the “real world”
seem to view studies in the humanities as pointless pursuits. Most can’t fathom
how a degree in English, History, Philosophy or any of these writing and
thinking heavy subjects can be of any value.
So let’s make one thing clear, shall we? I’m well aware that
my degree seems impractical. It’s not obvious to the general public (or always myself
for that matter) what I’m going to do for a living when I’m done my Masters
degree. People who go off to nursing school have a fairly good idea of what
they’re going to do when they’re done. When you study robotics or law or
engineering, people can safely guess what your end goal is.
Not me. People hear “English major” and assume all I do is
read Oliver Twist and then write a
paper about it. Which, honestly, doesn’t feel all that far from the truth some
days. And logically, if that’s all I do all day, then the only thing I’m
qualified to do after I finish my degree is teach others about books too,
right? Hence, 9 times out of 10, the follow up question to the above is, “Are
you going to be a teacher?”
Or maybe they’ll give me a bit more credit. Maybe they
realize that since I’m studying English, one of the most writing intensive
degrees out there, then I’m probably a decent writer. So if being a teacher has
been ruled out, then obviously I’m going to work at a publishing company. Or
maybe as a proofreader/writer/editor for some other business.
The fact that I didn’t stop with a BA makes this
conversation even more interesting. People have a hard enough time coming up
with what an English major can do for a living, let alone what good an English
Masters will be. “So you just read and write some more?”
I know I’m being cynical. And honestly, after five years of
studying English and hearing this kind of feedback, it’s easy to think that
teaching, writing, and editing really are the only viable doors open for me. If
I don’t catch myself, I can start believing that the last five years really
were impractical.
Hence this post. If you’ll bear with my self-reflections, I
want to take a few minutes to let you know why I chose this degree. I want to
mention why I think studying English (or any of the humanities for that matter)
is, contrary to popular belief, a valuable pursuit. And I want to explain why
an English grad student finds writing Bible stories for kids so fascinating. So
at the risk of this sounding like the introduction to a three point essay,
let’s get started.
1) Why I Chose English in the First Place
I mentioned above that I started university as a History
major. It’s always fascinated me how our world has developed over the centuries
and how major battles or sociological factors have influenced the course of
historical progress. You know, the kind of practical knowledge that gets you so
far in the real world. But since most university applications need you to pick
a program you want to study even if you don’t know what you want to do with
your life yet, I settled on a subject I knew I liked.
English, on the other hand, had always been a mixed bag for
me. Some years were great, a highlight being a Grade 12 project where a friend
and I made a part narrative, part symbolic PowerPoint telling of Oedipus Rex. But other years, like where
I had to put together a poetry journal for the fifth time or read weird novels
about an alien race taking over the minds of all the children on Earth, weren’t
quite as interesting. (Bonus points if you correctly comment below the title of
that novel.)
University English, however, changed everything. Suddenly, I
was learning about the greatest works that have been written throughout history
from perhaps the greatest professor I’ve ever had. He didn’t just make us read
books and ask us how we felt about them; he taught us the history behind the
texts, showing us what was going on at the historical moment that led to the writing
of any given work. In short, he taught us to see how literature reflected and
predicted historical development.
Needless to say, this combined my love of history with my
lifelong fascination with fiction and story. I chose to study literature
because it helped me trace and understand how society’s current ways of
thinking came about. I’ve learned through literature why Western society today
values practicality and factuality over knowledge and faith. And I’ve loved
every second of it, even if the knowledge I’ve gained from studying English is
undervalued in a world so focused on what’s practical.
2) Why Studying English Isn’t Pointless
You may be able to guess where I’m going with this. I
definitely think we overemphasize practicality today. As a result, any degree
that doesn’t serve an overtly practical function becomes a source of confusion.
This is why people jump to the conclusion that all an English major can do is
teach, write, or edit. These are the practical and easily identifiable skills
of an English degree, and their corresponding professions are jobs where people
can easily understand how these skills can be used to benefit society.
Now don’t misunderstand me. I realize that practical degrees
and jobs are vitally important. If we didn’t have people studying to become
doctors, we’d be in a lot of trouble. Heck, if we didn’t have people training
to become mechanics or plumbers or farmers, none of us would have the time to
comment on Bobby-Joe’s choice to pursue a degree in the humanities. We’d all be
freaking out because we can’t start our cars or stop our exploding toilets or,
you know, eat.
But the fact is that we’ve placed so much emphasis on
practicality that we’re now undervaluing those degrees that are devoted to training
people how to think. This has always been the goal of the humanities. Disciplines
like English, History, and Philosophy are all about making connections between
abstract ideas and practical life, about seeing how our world has thought and
then pushing those ideas further, about how to develop the intellectual life of
not just individuals but entire societies. In short, the goal of the humanities
is to study culture and improve the mind so as to ultimately make humanity
better.
But this isn’t really what people think of when we talk
about the humanities today. Sadly, this branch of learning has been largely
diminished to a bunch of insulated disciplines that people assume can’t produce
anything other than academics, teachers, or (if all else fails) baristas.
(Again, nothing wrong with these professions, but it bothers me that these are typically
the only career paths anyone can envision for me). Never mind that the humanities
teach you to think, never mind that the humanities train you to make
connections between seemingly unrelated ideas, and never mind that the humanities
have produced some of the greatest writers and thinkers who have ever lived.
There is value in English, and not just in the practical
training of reading, writing, and researching. English majors, like so many
others in the humanities, can apply their skills to so many professions. And we
have an understanding of people and culture that, I believe, makes us a valuable
asset to any profession. Even a programming company needs a person on their
team who can write well and write in a way that will make the blurbs on their
websites connect with their clients-to-be.
English: where practicality meets thinking. Maybe I
should’ve made that the title for this post.
3) So Why this Bible Story Thing?
Now then, let me get off my cultural soap box and explain
what any of this has to do with Shed the
Sunday School Glasses.
What I’m about to say often feels more like a self-criticism
than anything else. I can go on and on about how English is a discipline that
improves thinking and yadda yadda yadda, but it’s another thing to explain to
people why an English grad student spends his free time writing up versions of
Bible stories for kids, let alone that finding a job in this field is my dream.
Call it an element of pride that I need to fight against, but my level of study
and my vocational desires aren’t normally two things that people connect
together.
Yet, there are many times I wonder why this is the case. Sure,
my studies in the humanities have taught me how to think, but it’s my studies
in English that have taught me so much about story. So much of my time studying
English is spent reading stories and dissecting how they do business. And guess
which famous theological book has lots of stories in it… THE BIBLE!
Bear with me here. Just before writing this, I was reading
through a portion of Jane Eyre and
analyzing the way that Charlotte Brontë’s narrative style influences how we
perceive the various characters in her book. For those of you who don’t know, Jane Eyre is narrated by the titular
character, Jane Eyre herself, and she’s quite opinionated. But what’s
fascinating is how Jane’s narratorial judgments of Mr. Rochester and John Rivers
in particular condition us to read these latter characters’ words and actions
according to her bias. We love or hate them based on Jane’s descriptions of
them.
Now you might not find that fascinating, but as an English
major, I do. And that’s exactly my point. I don’t just get captivated by the
events of a narrative; I’m drawn in by how
that story is told. I love trying to decipher characterization and plot
twists and narrative pacing in stories of all kinds. It’s gotten to the point
where I can’t help but make predictions when I’m watching a TV show or reading
a new book, and I consider it a sign of good storytelling when a movie, Netflix
series, or novel takes an unexpected but interesting turn.
But it’s only as I’ve spent time formally writing curriculum
for camp (and now writing these blog posts) that I’ve realized how much I enjoy
applying what I’ve learned about story to the Bible as well. It’s one thing to
be a critic; it’s another to actually apply these narrative techniques to the
greatest story ever told!
I’m about to say something that may sound controversial: the
Bible isn’t always the most accessible book, especially for kids. Don’t get me
wrong, the message of grace and forgiveness is something that can appeal to anyone
at any stage in their lives – and frankly put, there are times I think that
kids understand matters of faith better than adults. But the fact is that if
you just hand a kid a Bible and tell them to read, there’s going to be lots
they probably won’t understand. And if they read certain parts of the Bible, they
won’t learn an important theological message; they’ll just be scarred. Have you
read through 1 and 2 Kings? There’s some brutal stuff in there!
This is why I don’t think my English degrees are wasted on
telling Bible stories. The Bible makes it clear that God places a great value
on children (check out Mark 9:42 or 10:13-16), so I can’t think of a better way
to apply what I’ve learned in studying English than to show how the various
stories in the Bible reveal God’s character and teach all of us, kids and
adults alike, how to live. And if I can find a job where I can constantly point
people to Christ because of my English training, where I can tell stories that highlight the glory, love, and grace of
God in a way that’s easy to understand without ever sacrificing truth, then
you’re going to be hard pressed to convince me that that’s not a high
calling.
Sure, this may not seem like the most practical or
conventional job, but it’s something that I find great joy and passion in. And
I honestly believe that, while I didn’t know it for most of my studies, this is
what God’s been preparing me for my entire student career.
So that’s what I hope to do with my English degrees. Here’s
to the career search ahead!
~Brentagious
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