Thursday

No More Imagination?

My weekly opinion this week is on the fact that we no longer are allowed any imagination in subject that is about reading, books and writing!

You sit in English class, hoping to write a story to help that burning desire to pick up a pen and write until the bell goes for next lesson, but we can't. We work from text books, where is the imagination? Isn't English all about writing, reading and poetry? It used to be my favourite lesson but we are told what to do with specific instructions. We do things like Reality T.V. in English, having to read a text and answer some questions about it. I'm not learning anything. English should be the place we are free, we need to have a subject where we can just write what we feel. English shouldn't be about levels, or about having to follow a text book. We should be allowed to use our imaginations. Last time I wrote a short story was a year ago. Why should the government be allowed to take away the freedom of being able to write for textbooks? Why should you have to answer questions about what a website says? Or read an extract from an extremely old book where, nobody talks the way we talk now and then have to go through it predicting and summarising it? I agree it is important that we know how to spell but when asked to spell words you don't even know the meanings too and that will never come in usual coversations, how are they teaching us? Isn't school all about teaching us things for the future? 

English is about being creative and reading. It's about books and stories, other worlds. Where have the works of art like The Hunger Games, Harry Potter and the other books we all love so much come from? English, Imagination! The government, the teachers need to understand that we need to write: stories, poetry, even articles! In Year 7 and Year 8 I got the chance to do Harry Potter in English. That is exactly what English should be about-reading a book that has so much creativity(Even though I've only read two) and doing all the voice techniques. They only took a half term though, the other two and a half were textbooks. We need to be imaginative. We need to be able to escape into another world in English. It should no longer be about keeping our levels high by doing assessment followed by assessment and continuous levels. It's time that we were given a chance decide what we write. That text books were no longer what we base our work on. 

I'll leave you with a quote I found in my school planner(Oh, the irony!) 'Reading is the place where you can escape, when you are stuck where you are'

What do you think?
Has English lost it's imagination?


5 comments:

  1. Oh Sophie you couldn't be more right. I so agree with you!
    I beleive that our imagination is one of the most important thing we have been given. If we didn't have it then what would we be?
    I was disgusted to read about to read the situation about your English textbook. We're young and we should explore of what we write. English has always been my favourite subject and I sometimes get annoyed about copying ideas from the textbook. I hope our governments will take this into consideration.
    Fabulous post! -Abbie.

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    1. Thank you! Our imagination is the most important thing we have, I agree. What if we couldn't dream or escape from the places we are at for just a few moments. We should be able to explore what we write, that's way we explore who we are! Our governments need to take this into consideration, especially with all the fantastic pieces of literature out right now! Imagination is where books like Harry Potter and The Hunger Games have come from-how can they take that away from us?

      Thanks for commenting!
      Sophie:)

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    2. I love the thought of having an imagination and I can't imagine my life without?
      For example, JK Rowling created the Harry Potter books in a café, something like that and that would take a-lot of imagaination to do.
      My advice would be to you Sophie is not let this situation get to you because your writing skills are incredible and amazing as it is anyway.
      Someday I hope that teachers and the government would consider this matter. And they can't something so special and precious away from us. -Abbie. :)

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  2. Hi Sophie!
    I personally love English class. Learning about the past helps us better understand the future: after all, history repeats itself. Old literature has a beautiful quality that may be difficult to see, but teaches a lot about how lovely language can be and how words that are plain and ordinary by themselves can mix together and make this mind-blowing work. Ahh, I'm ranting :D But I do agree that the way English class is taught has negative aspects: especially worksheets. In America, the classrooms are MASSIVE so it's incredibly hard to teach so many students at that level of closeness that we'd like. I think that it shouldn't be that English has lost its imagination: it's still there but hidden beneath a world that doesn't cultivate creativity as it once did. I advise that you TAKE A STAND and read on your own time and keep writing! Don't lose sight of your imagination and despite how dull English class seems, you shouldn't let it affect you and you're awesome writing :)

    Great post!
    -Kirthi

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    1. I think that we should be reading recent things! Older books can annoy me because no one talks like it anymore and I think that generations have changed. School and what we learn should move with it. I agree with you tat English has a negative feel to it(worksheets) our Imagination is so important and shouldn't be lost in the mix of levels and grades. Thank you for your advise Kirthi! I'm really happy that you like my post and writing! Thanks for commenting.
      Sophie:)

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Sophie Louise