Why? (1 Viewer)

[chrissirhc]

Why is English compulsory? I don't get why I would ever want to relate a poem to a movie EVER in my life outside of English.
I'm REALLY unmotivated in this subject. Can anyone offer a serious reason about why English is compulsory? I'm sick of people saying "You just have to do it, so stop complaining", can anyone actually offer a serious reason, or any advice to how they overcame this terrible, terrible subject?

 

[chrissirhc]

Hahaha, just as I thought.

 

[kimmeh]

I was thinking the same thing when i did my HSC, but you come to realise that english in the real world isnt so much relating every poem with a movie as you said, but its more that you are able to express and communicate your ideas in a logical manner. When you go in to university, the only way that you can show your understanding of your course is through essays/exams/practicals/etc, and if your ideas are not clearly expressed, then you will fail. Similarly in the workforce. If you cannot express your ideas promptly or in a certain manner, there no way in hell you are going to get that pay rise you want.
Communication is the key factor in english. International students who come here to study are hard workers and are often smarter than us, though their only downfall is their expression. Sure they may be smart, but would you, as a boss, hire someone who can communicate their ideas clearly, or someone who cant and is just smart?
Also, human psychology works in a weird manner. Anything that is restricted/forbidden/compulsory, there is always a large population who are to rebel against this. Think of underage drinking in America. The legal age is 21, but it is those who are under 21 are those that are found abusing the substance more than those who are legal. Ask yourself this as well: would you do english, if it wasnt compulsory, if it gave you good scaling just as physics did?

 

[chrissirhc]

Hmmm... Well, I can see where you're coming from, and answering your question, no, if English wasn't compulsory I wouldn't do it, regardless of the scaling. I find that I learn more literacy skills in Economics and Business Studies where we are forced to use formal terms. The thing I think I dislike most about English is the fact that there is never one answer, there's all this ambiguity surrounding every question.

 

[PookieMonster]

at uni it discipates, the only real english there is is like drama and writing and different specialised things like that that noone really chooses.

 

[malkin86]

I find that there is little ambiguity in English - you must have the opinions given to you by your teacher and pretend they're your own to the markers. Even if you can justify your own opinions, if they're not those that are sanctioned by the state, you won't get good marks. A lot of English is "playing the game" and giving them what they want to hear from you. It sucks, but I believe that's how it is.

Get this, the syllabus is supposed to foster a love and appreciation of the English language... Hah!

 

[silvermoon]

among other things, study of english gives you the skills needed to research and communicate effectively with others. It teaches you the skills you need to interpret written and visual texts and, through poetry, attempts to give you a better understanding of both the myriad of ways to express a single concept and also ways to understand ideas written in the abstract. It also teaches you the skills you need to present ideas in a logical and sequential or systematic fashion that can be understood by all others. Most importantly, it widens your understanding of the many different ways to appreciate and understand a text, giving greater depth to your understanding of not onlyt the text itself, but also of various contexts, aiding your ability to empathise

 

[Slidey]

among other things, study of english gives you the skills needed to research and communicate effectively with others. It teaches you the skills you need to interpret written and visual texts and, through poetry, attempts to give you a better understanding of both the myriad of ways to express a single concept and also ways to understand ideas written in the abstract. It also teaches you the skills you need to present ideas in a logical and sequential or systematic fashion that can be understood by all others. Most importantly, it widens your understanding of the many different ways to appreciate and understand a text, giving greater depth to your understanding of not onlyt the text itself, but also of various contexts, aiding your ability to empathise

Idealistically, at least.

 

[Scanorama]

One of the most useless subject in the HSC is probably English. The context is absolutely rubbish, all those Journey, image, drama, techniques craps are something 90% of you won't need it in your life after the HSC unless you do something related to literature/media. It's not like after knowing how Strictly Ballroom/Shoe-horn Sonata, Skrzynecki's poems will help you in your uni course or your career.

If English is more concentrate on grammer, letter writing, stuff like that, it might be more useful. Right now, English is just a waste of time.

 

[silvermoon]

english is needed because of the essential function that language plays in our society. read something like 1984 and you'll get it