My father commented that whenever he heard a girl start a sentence "I feel..." he felt scared. Which I can hardly blame him for. But what I hate even more when people in a college English classroom start to say "I feel..." when they are talking about a text. This is a college class not a dorky little book club or some over-opinionated blog (what? do you expect me to have enough self-control to resist making fun of myself?).
No one cares about the deep inner passions that this book inspired in you. English classes are about your analysis of the book, it's meaning, it's characters, it's plot, and then whatever proof you can find to support it. If someone wants to analyze why some book inspires some emotion, then fine, more or less.
My dad than envisioned, after my somewhat passionate tirade, me becoming an English professor. He could see me, on the first day, telling all my students "I do not care about your feelings. You are never to start a sentence with I feel." (I'm such a sweetheart.)
Well, never mind the fact that it does seem likely that professorship will be very possible.
Not that I am saying that books should not inspire emotions, much good writing does, but no one needs to go to a classroom in order to learn feel. One gets an education in order to think.
That is one of the reasons I love a good English class. Not only am I overtly fond of literature, but I also like the analysing and the critical thinking skills employed in it.
Going back to his original statement I had to agree with him that young ladies (especially in English classes) should eradicate the words "I feel" from their vocabulary. It makes me shudder even more when a guy uses those words.
Anyway that was a fun conversation.
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