Re: Why is english compulsory if if has no relevance to the real world (read more bel
Your criticism of English can be applied to maths, science, and just about any other senior subject.
You may not necessarily agree with this, but because it gives you an exposure to literature (and culture). I personally think that's enough of a reason to study English, but a lot of people tend to underestimate the impact of literature on our lives. Imagine watching films, TV shows, listening to lyrics of a song or reading a newspaper, and having zero background knowledge in literature. That would be a completely different experience, and a lot less meaningful than recognising the references and phrases used.
You might think you won't ever have to write essays or read books or do language analysis, but you
will. If you plan on pursuing any tertiary education, you will do all three of the above. (Though you may not be writing literary essays, you will be writing other forms of essays. Though you may not be reading novels, you will be reading even more complex textbooks with horrendously convoluted sentences that you'll need to interpret.) And even beyond that, chances are, unless if you are working in a minimal-skilled job, you'll use all of those skills.
And even outside of your education and career, the things you learn in English will stay relevant to you, even if it doesn't seem like it. Do you watch a lot of movies or TV shows? Being aware of what makes a film
good gives it a greater sense of value and meaning; knowing how to relate the structure of the film to the themes, how the soundtrack compliments the scenes, why the camerawork was effective and masterful, why the editing was highly elaborate and impactful, and how to interpret the film as something that is meaningful to you are all the things which really enhance the experience. There are lots of excellent YouTube channels which are dedicated to understanding the genius of films (such as
Every Frame a Painting,
Nerdwriter1,
Films&Stuff), and I would encourage anyone who enjoy films to check them out.
And more broadly, English does aid in communication. And while it seems that you won't be communicating in the way you would write literary essays, the active, conscious phrasing of sentences is something we use everyday, and it's something that English essays does force you to practice on.
In the end English is a pretty difficult and tedious subject (even for the best of us), it does have it's value. The key is preparation, practice, and thinking on the spot. The last aspect is probably the reason why English is not a very tutor-friendly subject; the questions you get in exams are different to what you've practiced for, so you have to do your best to adapt what you have to what's in front of you.
Good luck.
