Why English as a Major? Why Writing?

This semester, I am taking 4 English classes (4!) and it’s been the most challenging experience thus far! For one, I never thought I would be able to keep up with my writing as much as I have done so far. Besides taking Advanced Fiction, I am also in Intermediate Poetry, and it has been so rewarding in the smallest of ways. For one, I never considered myself a poet, not even a “potential” poet, so for me to actually write poems every week is a success in my book!

During the first 13 days of the semester, we were required to write one poem a day as part of a “Poetry Blitz.” I wasn’t sure how I was going to be able to produce one poem – one well-written poem – a day. The task seemed daunting, yet, it wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be. It was actually my favorite thing to do at the end of a long school day; to just sit down, put on some good music, and see what words come out of it. I realized midway through that the whole point of the blitz wasn’t to create amazing poems, but to create a body of work I could go back and revise.

This isn’t the first time I have come to be surprised by how much I would end up loving an English class! Don’t get me wrong, English classes are my favorite classes, but sometimes I question my abilities. I’m sure we have all been there at some point in our lives. I knew entering freshman year that I wanted to declare an English major because writing and literature were two things I came to love and enjoy in high school. A lot of people ask me, “Why English as a major? Why writing?” The truth is, those questions aren’t easy to answer in 1 or 2 sentences, it’s impossible! How can I begin to explain how much writing has meant to me the past few years? But, when I begin to reflect on the past four years at Hope, I can at least say that throughout this time, I have been challenged in all aspects of my writing. I have seen improvement and I have seen myself go way beyond the surface level in the pieces that I’ve written. The majority of this is thanks to the professors I have had the opportunity to be in classes with. It’s no secret that English professors are THE BEST professors on campus 🙂

Even though this semester has been so busy and I have writing assignments due left and right, I am just soaking everything in as much as I can. I am grateful for all that I have come to learn thus far in my own writing and am looking forward to the last few weeks I have before graduation!

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Published by Marisela Meraz

Hello! My name is Marisela, but everyone knows me by Mari. I am a senior at Hope majoring in English with an emphasis on writing and minoring in French. I am also part of the Theta Gamma Pi Sorority on campus. In my free time, I enjoy baking, taking photos, watching Netflix, and making music playlists for my friends. I am so excited to share my Hope experiences with you all!

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