Some of the most important and valuable information students in English literature can obtain comes from the opinions of professional writers and scholars. If thier opinions on the topic are of such value, are mine?
If I'm Still Learning, Do my Opinions Matter yet?
Everyone wants to answer this question with "Yes, of course. Everyone's opinions matter and have equal value" but that isn't necessarily true in its entirety. It is true that everyone's thoughts and opinions have value. However a more educated opinion, such as one of a professional writer and/or scholar, will almost always be preferred by the general public. But just because your opinion isn't being written or talked about by others doesn't mean it is unimportant. Your opinion is yours - it is up to you to decide whether or not it is valuable. But understand, if you don't value your opinions no one will.
Many people make the argument that more educated people have better skills to bring to the discussion of literature; experience, greater overall knowledge, the ability to compare to other pieces of literature, and they're not wrong. However, they often overlook what young people have to offer. Individuals that have gone through years of schooling to notice the beautiful subtleties of English literature might miss the bigger picture or perhaps an alternate meaning or moral of a piece. Perhaps qualities that someone without that experience might pick up on. Young people might also make more easily understood comparisons than those of the more educated. Though comparisons of two pieces of literature are valuable, sometimes a comparison of a piece of literature to something more well known is more ideal. Different groups of people provide different perspectives, multiple perspectives help people become more aware of the whole picture. There is not, and never will be, one way to understand something.
Comments