WHY IS OUR ATTITUDE SO CASUAL TOWARDS THE ENGLISH SUBJECT?

                                                                     By Aimun Bilal

 

“English language is a strange paradise. It’s where fish flies and sparrow swims” – Vishal Yadav

Living in the world where some great authors have touched the hearts of millions and others who have made reading certain pieces of writings possible for us by translating certain pieces of work in order to be understandable by a larger audience, it’s saddening to see how little their efforts and profession is acknowledged or considered important. However, the fact remains that English is one of those subjects that require a good IQ level as well as an ability to critically analyze the content.

Most of us feel that being able to speak English or write is enough for one to know the subject. But, there’s a long way to go. There are various areas that need to be mastered in order to claim that one knows the subject.i.e reading, writing, speaking, and listening. Most of us are capable of good writing in English but not all of us are equally good in other areas such as speaking, listening, etc. Also, grammar requires a lot of attention and intelligence. Therefore,   a lot of effort goes into practicing and mastering all these areas.

Then, what makes one underestimate the subject? Well, there are many factors that could be taken into consideration.

Firstly, our attitude towards the subject. Most often subjects such as Science, Mathematics, Economics, etc. that deal with numbers and scientific research are considered more logical and the ones studying these subjects are credited for their intelligence accordingly. However, subjects such as History, Political Science, especially English are overlooked or rather considered easy. Anyone looking forward to seeking a career in the field of English Literature or Language is likely to be looked at as someone having no goal in life or someone pursuing his/her education only for the sake of attaining qualification and most commonly not that ‘ambitious’ or intellectual. Why does this attitude prevail in our society I do not know, yet there are various factors responsible for this such as our fixed perceptions regarding certain subjects, peer/familial/societal pressures that prevent an individual to make a different choice, relevance and acknowledgment given to certain professions in our society, etc. These factors and many such contribute to the casual/ unimportant attitude towards certain career choices, which is conditioned by our own criticisms.

Sadly, English subject is given very little importance when it actually is one of the most important subjects which helps you develop reading and writing skills and without the support of which it’s difficult to understand any other subject unless your medium of learning that subject is some other language apart from English. 

Moreover, it’s surprising to find out how very few numbers of students in the valley seek to join this area of study. It does raise concerns as we need people specialized in the field of English. 

I’d like to credit one of the writers here, Hakeem Rouf who in his article English Language teaching needs an overhaul which was published in Greater Kashmir on January 14, 2019, raised an important concern regarding the language of students in English that needs to be improvised as it’s an important tool of communication in current times. He has rightly pointed out the lack of English Language teachers in our academic institutions that further becomes a hindrance to learning the language better. Probably, this could be considered as one of the reasons why many of our students are good at writing, yet most of them lack the fluency to speak the English Language.

I also agree with Mr. Rouf on how poorly the literary taste is instilled in the students from the early years that eventually make them lose interest in this subject.

It, therefore, becomes very important for us to create awareness as well as change our perspective regarding the subject. Every subject requires equal hard work in order to excel and that expertise in different subjects are equally needed in academic institutions. We’d be lacking behind if we continue the same trend.

Parents and teachers play a vital role in shaping an individual’s perspectives regarding various things from an early age especially when it comes to one’s aim in life. It thereby becomes their duty to identify the child’s area of interest and guide him/her accordingly rather than condition the child to look forward to only certain professions in life. Therefore an individual should look forward to seeking a career in various fields that interests him/her and not succumb to the societal or familial pressure that favour opting only certain subjects. 

The youth of Kashmir is full of diverse talents and some have proved it by choosing different paths that interested them and have excelled in their choices. I’d like to mention a few – Rayees Mohiuddin (Comedian who has won hearts of millions), Irtiqa Ayoub (the youngest rugby coach from Kashmir), and Masrat Zahra (a photojournalist from the valley who became the winner of 2020 Anja Niedringhaus Courage in Photojournalism Award). There are many more like them who have excelled in different choices that I may not have mentioned here. These are the ones who chased their dreams and I’d appreciate both these individuals who took their own path and their families who supported them in their choice. However, there are still many such talented youngsters in the valley who have the ability to make themselves and their families proud which can only be done by making the right career choice i.e. a choice that interests them. 

I’d thereby conclude addressing those interested in pursuing their career in English Literature or English Language. My appeal to such individuals would be to take a step ahead and follow your passion. The field of English Literature provides you diverse opportunities to express and explore yourself. It provides you a chance to question the things around you, brings ignored issues to the forefront, as well as gives you an opportunity to record the voices of the voiceless as well as of the minorities in our society. I had once come across this line somewhere which stated, “Literature keeps alive what History forgets.” Therefore, it’s necessary to be part of this generation to record the events of our time so that the forgotten and ignored voices are given a voice through writings, where the unknown and ignored tales of people can be heard by masses, and Literature provides us that opportunity. Also, improvised language skills in schools, colleges and other academic institutions will help in honing the language skills which seems necessary apparently. The future of Kashmir looks forward to those seeking expertise in the field of English Literature and Language as we are currently in need of English Literature and Language professionals.

I’d like to end my writing with one of Maya Angelou’s quotes – “There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you”.

 

The writer is currently pursuing her MA English at Mount Carmel College Bengaluru

The post WHY IS OUR ATTITUDE SO CASUAL TOWARDS THE ENGLISH SUBJECT? appeared first on KashmirWatch.

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